US 6,617,508 B2 · Solar cell having a front-mounted bypass diode

Abstract

An efficient method of interconnecting a solar cell having at least two front surface contacts with a diode mounted on a front surface of the solar cell includes the act of forming at least a first recess on a front surface of the solar cell. A first solar cell contact is formed on the front surface in the first recess. A second solar cell contact is formed on the front surface. At least a first bypass diode is positioned at least partly within the recess. The bypass diode has a first diode contact and a second diode contact. The first solar cell contact is interconnected with the first diode contact. The second solar cell contact is interconnected with the second diode contact.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A solar cell assembly, comprising:

a solar cell structure having a front surface and a back surface and including a plurality of semiconductor layers, the front surface being the illuminated side of the solar cell when said solar cell is in the active state;
a recess extending through the front surface of the solar cell structure down to a selected layer;
and
a separately attachable bypass diode electrically connected across at least a portion of the solar cell structure between the front surface of the structure and the selected layer through the recess.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

09/953,838Filed 17 Sep 2001 · continuation

Priority

20 Aug 1998

Published

US 2002/0144724 A110 Oct 2002

Granted

9 Sep 2003

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification13 codes

H10F 71/1276
The active layers comprising only Group III-V materials, e.g. GaAs or InP: comprising growth substrates not made of Group III-V materials
B64G 1/443
Using radiation, e.g. deployable solar arrays: photovoltaic cell arrays
H10F 10/1425
Comprising multiple PN homojunctions, e.g. tandem cells: inverted metamorphic multi-junction [IMM] photovoltaic cells
H10F 19/75
Comprising bypass diodes: the bypass diodes being integrated or directly associated with the photovoltaic cells, e.g. formed in or on the same…

Family

Application09/137,029Parent of this continuation · filed 20 Aug 1998

Application09/605,962Parent of this continuation · filed 28 Jun 2000

US 6,103,970 AParent of this continuation · filed 15 Aug 2000

US 2002/0144724 A1Pre-grant publication · published 10 Oct 2002

US 6,326,540 B1Parent of this continuation

US 6,617,508 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Solar cell having a front-mounted bypass diode

Life of this patent

Solar cell having a front-mounted bypass diode

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims7