Graded affinity photovoltaic cell
AssigneeUniversity of Delaware
InventorScott Wiedeman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved photovoltaic cell, and method for its manufacture, comprising front and back electrically conductive layers between which is sandwiched a primary light-absorbing layer of amorphous semiconducting material displaying low photogenerated carrier mobility below about 50 cm.sup.2 /V second, the constitution of which primary layer is fabricated to provide an affinity gradient reducing back-diffusion of a preselected species of photogenerated carrier (electrons or holes) to thereby forestall non-productive recombination with carriers of opposite type.
Claims8
An improved photovoltaic cell comprising at least a front electrically conductive layer upon which radiation is incident and a back electrically conductive layer, between which is sandwiched a primary light-absorbing layer of substantially intrinsic amorphous semiconducting material displaying low photogenerated carrier mobility below about 50 cm.sup.2 /Voltsecond, the constitution of said primary light-absorbing layer being fabricated to provide an affinity gradient at one end of said primary light-absorbing layer adjacent one of said front and back electrically conductive layers for reducing back diffusion of a preselected species of photogenerated carrier chosen from electrons and holes to thereby reduce non-productive recombination with carriers of opposite type.
In the method of manufacturing an improved photovoltaic cell comprising at least a front electrically conductive layer upon which radiation is incident and a back electrically conductive layer between which is sandwiched a primary light-absorbing layer of substantially intrinsic amorphous semiconducting material displaying low photogenerated carrier mobility below about 50 cm.sup.2 /V-second, the step of providing an affinity gradient for said primary light-absorbing layer in the region adjacent one of said front and back electrically conductive layers for reducing back diffusion of a preselected species of photogenerated carrier chosen from electrons and holes to thereby reduce non-productive recombination with carriers of opposite type.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.