Encapsulated concentrated photovoltaic system subassembly for III-V semiconductor solar cells

A solar cell receiver subassembly for use in a concentrating solar system which concentrates the solar energy onto a solar cell by a factor of 1000 or more for converting solar energy to electricity, comprising:

• a solar cell receiver comprising a support defining an upper surface facing an upper direction and a lower metallized surface facing a lower direction, wherein the lower direction is opposite the upper direction;
• a solar cell defining an upper surface facing the upper direction and a lower surface facing the lower direction, wherein the lower surface of the solar cell is mounted on the upper surface of the support, wherein the solar cell comprises one or more III-V compound semiconductor layers;
• an optical element defining an optical channel from an optical inlet to an optical outlet and configured to direct light toward the solar cell, wherein the optical element defines at least one exterior side surface extending between the optical inlet to the optical outlet, wherein the optical outlet is coupled to the upper surface of the solar cell;
• an encapsulant covering the support, the solar cell, and at least a portion of the at least one exterior side surface of the optical element to surround and encapsulate the solar cell and the support;
• and
• a heat sink coupled to the lower metalized surface of the support, wherein the encapsulant further covers a region between the lower metalized surface of the support and the heat sink.