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US 5,296,045 AGranted
Composite back reflector for photovoltaic device
AssigneeUnited Solar Systems Corporation
InventorsArindam Banerjee, Chi C. Yang, Subhendu Guha
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Abstract
A back reflector for a photovoltaic device includes an electrically conductive, textured layer and a reflective layer conformally disposed on the textured layer. The reflector may include a protective layer atop the reflective layer. The materials of the reflector are selected to be non-reactive under conditions encountered in the manufacture and use of the photovoltaic device.
Claims20
A photovoltaic device comprising:
- an electrically conductive substrate;
- a composite back reflector disposed on said substrate, said reflector including an electrically conducting, texturizing layer disposed atop said substrate and a light reflecting layer conformally disposed atop said texturizing layer, said texturizing layer and light reflecting layer being fabricated from materials which are mutually non-reactive over a temperature range of -20.degree. C. to 450.degree. C.;
- a body of photovoltaic material disposed atop the composite back reflector;
- and
- a top electrode disposed atop the photovoltaic body.
2 more elements
In a photovoltaic device of the type comprising an electrically conductive substrate electrode;
- a top, light-transmissive electrode and a body of photovoltaic semiconductor material interposed between said electrodes, wherein the improvement comprises:
- a composite back reflector interposed between said substrate electrode and body of photovoltaic material, said back reflector operative to redirect light which has passed through the top electrode and semiconductor body back through the semiconductor body, said composite reflector including:
- an electrically conductive, texturizing layer of a metallic oxide material disposed proximate the substrate electrode, a metallic, light reflecting layer conformally disposed atop the texturizing layer, and a transparent, electrically conductive top protective layer disposed atop the metallic layer, said texturizing layer and top protective layer being fabricated from materials which are nonreactive with the metallic layer at temperatures encountered during the manufacture and use of the photovoltaic device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.