Stacked photovoltaic device
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsMasafumi Sano, Tetsuro Nakamura
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A stacked photovoltaic device comprises at least three p-i-n junction constituent devices superposed in layers, each having a p-type layer, an i-type layer and an n-type layer which are formed of silicon non-single crystal semiconductors. An amorphous silicon layer is used as the i-type layer of a first p-i-n junction, a microcrystalline silicon layer is used as the i-type layer of a second p-i-n junction and a microcrystalline silicon layer is used as the i-type layer of a third p-i-n junction, the first to third layers being in order from the light incident side. In this way, a stacked photovoltaic device can be provided which is practical and low-cost and yet has high reliability and high photoelectric conversion efficiency.
Claims6
A stacked photovoltaic device comprising at least three p-i-n junction constituent devices superposed in layers, each having a p-type layer, an i-type layer and an n-type layer which are formed of non-single crystal semiconductors comprising silicon,
- wherein an amorphous silicon layer is used as the i-type layer of a first p-i-n junction, a microcrystalline silicon layer is used as the i-type layer of a second p-i-n junction and a microcrystalline silicon layer is used as the i-type layer of a third p-i-n junction;
- the first to third p-i-n junction layers being in the order from a light-incident side;
- and
- wherein an amorphous silicon layer or an amorphous silicon carbide layer is provided between the p-type layer and the i-type layer of the second p-i-n junction.
A stacked photovoltaic device comprising at least three p-i-n junction constituent devices superposed in layers, each having a p-type layer, an i-type layer and an n-type layer which are formed of non-single crystal semiconductors comprising silicon,
- wherein an amorphous silicon layer is used as the i-type layer of a first p-i-n junction, a microcrystalline silicon layer is used as the i-type layer of a second p-i-n junction and a microcrystalline silicon layer is used as the i-type layer of a third p-i-n junction;
- the first to third p-i-n junction layers being in the order from a light-incident side;
- and
- wherein an amorphous silicon layer or an amorphous silicon carbide layer is provided between the p-type layer and the i-type layer of the third p-i-n junction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.