Contact, coating, or surface geometry

In a solar cell a pad of material is placed between the cell semiconductor surface and the portion of the top electrode which is bonded to an interconnector. The pad prevents destruction of the cell p-n junction during bonding. The pad may be the same as an anti-reflective coating and may be formed simultaneously...     

Silicon semiconductor device array, e.g. solar cell device or array of devices; formed from bulk silicon deposited in the form of columnar crystallites bounded by substantially vertical grain boundaries. Junctions are formed across crystallites and along grain boundaries. The grain boundaries are made...     

A grid pattern for a solar cell of the type including a semiconductive layer doped to a first polarity and a top counter-doped layer. The grid pattern comprises a plurality of concentric conductive grids of selected geometric shapes which are centered about the center of the exposed active surface of...     

Tubular solar cells are provided which can be coupled together in series and parallel arrays to form an integrated structure. Solar energy concentrators are combined with the solar cells to maximize their power output. The solar cells may be cooled by circulating a heat exchange fluid through the interior...     

A photovoltaic device comprising a polycrystalline base having an electrically conductive grid affixed to the surface of the device to which illumination is to be applied, said grid effecting a rectifying junction with the base and at the same time functioning as a current carrying contact, said grid...     

The invention provides light sensitive electronic devices wherein cadmium telluride films are supported on iron substrates.

An improved solar cell assembly is provided for use under high intensity illumination conditions where heat is a problem. The solar cell assembly includes a solar cell having an overlay of a semi-transparent coating of a metal, such as aluminum or silver, which covers the entire surface thereof. The...     

High efficiency, low cost solar energy conversion is facilitated by using tubular photovoltaic solar cells situated at the focus of a line-generated paraboloidal reflector. Advantageously, each solar cell comprises a pair of concentric glass tubes that are hermetically sealed at the ends. A photovoltaic...     

Germanium devices such as diodes, transistors and photodetectors are passivated by coating their surfaces with phosphosilicate glass. In the case of photosensitive devices the thickness of the passivating glass can be controlled to also provide antireflective coating action.

The invention relates to a photodiode having a semiconductor body comprising regions of opposite conductivity types which are separated by a p-n junction and of which at least one region has an anti-reflective layer. The anti-reflective layer consists of tin-doped indium oxide and forms an ohmic connection...     

An electromagnetic radiation detector has a first surface which receives incident electromagnetic radiation. The sides of the detector are sloped such that incident radiation does not initially strike the sides.

A P-type diffusion layer is formed on an N-type silicon semiconductor wafer to establish a P-N junction in a solar cell, the diffusion layer being exposed to radiation. A pair of electrodes are formed on the surfaces of the diffusion layer and the semiconductor wafer in a desired configuration in order...     

A photovoltaic cell includes a metal support which is coated with a metal having a low melting point on which a crystalline layer of a semiconductive material is deposited, the material being doped to form a p-n semiconductor. In preferred embodiments the metal support may be a cell plate, the metal...     

A cover slide for a solar cell comprises a plurality of converging lenses arranged to focus the incident light so that it does not fall on the grid lines of the front electrode of the solar cell.

Photoelectrical conversion cells may be assembled on an electrically conducting heat sink and each may be electrically isolated therefrom by employing insulating substrate material between the photoresponsive region of each cell and the heat sink.

This disclosure relates to a semiconductor solar energy device which is of the PN-type and utilizes a dielectric anti-reflective coating on the side of the device that faces the sunlight. The fabrication techniques used in making this semiconductor device include the use of ion implantation to form doped...     

Solar cell having a contact formed from a titanium group element in contiguous relationship with the cell, a mixture of a titanium group element and a platinum group element overlying the titanium group layer, and a layer of a platinum group element overlying that layer. A body of silver or other contact...     

A transparent, conductive collector layer containing conductive metal channels is formed as a layer on a photovoltaic substrate by coating a photovoltaic substrate with a conductive mixed metal layer; attaching a heat sink having portions protruding from one of its surfaces which define a continuous...     

A photovoltaic energy converter for converting incident radiant energy, such as solar energy, to electrical energy. The converter comprises a cell formed from a plurality of integrally interconnected p-n junction-containing semiconductor wafers. The wafers are stacked end-to-end in the cell so that the...     

A solar cell with semiconductor body consisting of single crystal semiconductor whiskers which are grown on a substrate surface permitting relatively inexpensive manufacture and high efficiency of the solar cell is disclosed.

A lens or mirror is employed to concentrate sunlight onto a photovoltaic cell. The cell employs a broad conductor around the periphery of its active surface, and narrow higher resistance conductor strips over the inner part of the surface. The cell and mirror are sized, positioned and shaped such that...     

Aluminum gallium arsenide is used as a transparent, conducting contact layer on the exposed surface of a gallium arsenide photovoltaic cell. Increased conductivity for the high current generated when concentrated solar radiation strikes the cell, is provided by doping the AlGaAs layer with magnesium....     

A solar cell having first and second closely spaced, parallel P-N junctions is fabricated, wherein the illuminated surface is totally free of metallization, i.e., the junction nearest the illuminated surface is not electrically connected, and thereby participates only indirectly in the collection of...     

A solar cell coverslide, oversize to protect the cell against damage from radiation, is modified to have an edge portion configured to bend light incident on said edge portion inwardly toward an underlying solar cell. An adhesive fillet may be formed between the undersurface of the overhanging portion...     

A radiation hardened junction solar cell is prepared by etching V-grooves in the surface of a semiconductor substrate. The overall thickness of the substrate and the depth of the V-grooves are chosen as functions of the diffusion length of the minority carriers in the substrate material at beginning...     

A surface etchant for silicon comprising an anisotropic etchant containing silicon is disclosed. The etchant provides a textured surface of randomly spaced and sized pyramids on a silicon surface. It is particularly useful in reducing the reflectivity of solar cell surfaces.

The semiconductor photovoltaic generator comprises one or several photovoltaic converters, each of which is provided with a rectifying barrier, which separates its base region from the inversion region, and with at least two current collector contacts, one of which being connected to the base region...     

Disclosed are solar cells employing slightly curved or nearly flat monocrystalline silicon ribbons. The ribbons are formed by cutting or slicing monocrystalline hollow tubes along their lengths, the tubes having been formed according to crystal growing processes disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,591,348.

In a solar cell array of terrestrial use, an improved double-sided solar cell package consisting of a photovoltaic cell having a metallized P-contact strip and an N-contact grid provided on opposite faces of the cell, a transparent tubular body forming an enclosure for the cell, a pedestal supporting...     

A method for manufacturing solar cells wherein a plurality of wafers of a first conductivity type are assembled and thereafter doped with an active impurity of an opposite conductivity imparting type to establish a p-n junction. Thereafter front and back contacts are formed on the wafers by metallization,...     

A luminescent solar collector containing at least one luminescent member having a pair of opposed surfaces and at least one photovoltaic means embedded in the luminescent member and extending essentially from one of said surfaces to the opposing surface of the luminescent member so that a portion of...     

An improved solar energy device has a body of semiconductor material of a first conductivity type with a region of a second conductivity type formed in the body and extending to its surface. A current collection metallization pattern is disposed on the second conductivity type region, with at least three...     

A method for manufacturing solar cells from a silicon wafer having a p-n junction therein and front and back contacts thereon, the improvement comprising washing said wafer with a buffered hydrofluoric acid solution having a pH of from about 3.5 to about 6.5 and containing from about 2 to about 10 weight...     

Improvements in shallow-homojunction solar cells based upon a plurality of layers of a direct gap semiconductor material such as GaAs, as well as their fabrication, are disclosed. The shallow-homojunction solar cells have a n.sup.+ /p/p.sup.+ structure in which the n.sup.+ top layer is limited to a thickness...     

A grid pattern for a solar cell of the type including a base layer of one conductivity type and an emitter layer of opposite conductivity type. The solar cell may have a square face and in this case the grid pattern is in the form of four symmetrical sub-patterns, each in a different quadrant of the...     

The addition of 2-ethyl-1-hexanol to an organometallic titanium compound dissolved in a diluent and optionally containing a lower aliphatic alcohol spreading modifier, produces a solution that can be sprayed onto a substrate and cured to form an antireflection titanium oxide coating having a refractive...     

A method for electroplating a metallic layer onto the surface of a photovoltaic device absent any external electrical contacts to the surface. The photovoltaic device is placed in an electrolytic plating bath where it is illuminated with electromagnetic radiation to which the device is photovoltaically...     

A photoelectric conversion device such as a solar cell in which electrodes formed from a conductive paste make ohmic contact with the surfaces of impurity diffused layers respectively formed in a semiconductor substrate. The conductive paste contains ultrafine particles of silver and gold as its principal...     

In a photovoltaic cell which comprises a first electrode, a first layer of cadmium sulfide, a second layer of cuprous sulfide forming a barrier junction with said first layer, and a second electrode, the improvement wherein said second electrode is formed by coating a conducting metal wire with a solid...     

A covered solar cell having improved light reception characteristic comprises a layer of a semiconductor material, an electrical contact, a transparent cover plate and a transparent film interposed between the cover plate and the layer of semiconductor material wherein the transparent film contains a...     

A solar cell has as its transparent electrical contact a grid made from a non-noble metal by providing a layer of copper oxide between the transparent electrical contact and the absorber-generator.

A process for improving the stability of a cadmium chalcogenide/copper chalcogenide photovoltaic cell is disclosed. The improvement comprises positioning a layer of a polymer composition containing electrically conductive particles between the copper chalcogenide layer and the metal electrode such that...     

A solar cell arrangement comprises a first plate or disc of light transmissive material, one side of the first plate or disc having a structure of light transmissive elevations tapering parabolically and cut off parallel to the surface of the plate or disc at the level of their focal points or lines,...     

A method of bonding a cover glass to a semiconductor substrate having conductors thereon. The cover glass and the semiconductor substrate are placed in a relatively high voltage field and heated to induce ion drift in the glass and improved conductivity in the substrate. Additional localized heating...     

The invention teaches an improved bus for current collection in photovoltaic solar cells. The bus is prefabricated from a highly conductive metal and is corrugated to compensate for differences in thermal coefficients of expansion between the bus and the solar cell body.

An MIS type semiconductor photoelectric conversion device which comprises a semiconductor layer, a light-transparent, current-permeable, insulating or semi-insulating layer disposed on the semiconductor layer, a first conductive layer disposed on the light-transparent, current-permeable, insulating or...     

A simple method for plating nickel onto silicon which renders unnecessary any catalyzing pretreatment of the silicon surface which is to receive the nickel. The method comprises the immersion of a silicon substrate in a suitable nickel bath in order that nickel ions in the bath will be reduced to solid...     

A thin film photovoltaic cell having a transparent electrical contact and an opaque electrical contact with a pair of semiconductors therebetween includes utilizing one of the electrical contacts as a substrate and wherein the inner surface thereof is modified by microroughening while being macro-planar.

An improved structure for solar cells is disclosed. It incorporates a layer of titanium dioxide between previously used layers of tin oxide and silicon. The new cells shows increased efficiency and improved thermal stability.

A thin film photovoltaic solar cell which utilizes a zinc phosphide semiconductor is of the homojunction type comprising an n-type conductivity region forming an electrical junction with a p-type region, both regions consisting essentially of the same semiconductor material. The n-type region is formed...     

A silicon solar energy cell having improved anti-reflective properties and resistance to radiation is composed of a light receiving surface having spaced indentations in the form of inverted pyramids therein. The pyramids, which have their bases in the plane of the light-receiving surface, are produced...     

The surface of a starting single crystal of specified composition (e.g., silicon) is etched to produce a relief texture; a stratum of release composition (e.g., aluminum) is deposited on the relief texture to acquire a replica texture and is released to provide a replica master; a replica stratum of...     

Photostable and weather stable absorping copolymers have been prepared from acrylic esters such as methyl methacrylate containing 0.1 to 5% of an 2-hydroxy-allyl benzophenone, preferably the 4,4' dimethoxy derivative thereof. The pendant benzophenone chromophores protect the acrylic backbone and when...     

An ohmic contact to a semiconductor device comprising p-type InP is formed by sequentially depositing beryllium-gold and gold layers on InP and then heat-treating the device at a temperature less than 440 degrees C. An ohmic contact to p-type InGaAsP can be similarly formed.

An improved solar cell structure is described wherein the cell's front region is provided with a plurality of raised structures, each structure comprising a multilayer of a highly doped region and a high-low junction. On these raised structures sit the solar cell's conductive grid. By emplacing the multilayer...     

A conductive element such as an electrode useful in photovoltaic cells comprises a soda-lime glass support having thereon a layer containing polycrystalline SnO.sub.2 and a fluorine dopant, said conductive electrode being substantially haze-free and having a transmittance of radiation between 400 and...     

A solar cell having a periodic front surface electrode is provided with a transparent cover chosen and configured to provide refractive discontinuities of the same spatial frequency as and aligned with the conductive grid. The refractive discontinuities are so controlled, through selection of the shape,...     

In a large-area photovoltaic cell containing a photoactive semiconductor layer which contacts another semiconductor layer, metal or an electrolyte to form a depletion layer, and further containing an electrode and a counter electrode for current collection, the improvement which comprises employing as...     

Contact electrodes on a semiconductor device (50) such as a photovoltaic solar cell is formed by screening through a mask (38) onto a surface (40) a pattern of ink containing a dispersion of lower melting, sinterable metal (tin) coated base metal (copper) particles dispersed in a liquid vehicle including...     

Solar cells and arrays of solar cells are made as thin films on insulating substrates. In an exemplary embodiment, a thin conductive film is deposited on glass and a semi-conductor film is deposited over the metal. The semi-conductor film has a P-N junction parallel to the substrate. Another conductive...     

A solar cell is provided which utilizes a semicrystalline semiconductor starting material. The solar cell has a metallic layer deposited over the grain boundaries between adjacent active grain areas of the material to collect the current generated in the grain areas. The metallic layer also shields the...     

A functional electric device is described, which device comprises a functional material layer, and a pair of electrodes separated from each other and electrically contacting with the functional material layer. At least one of the pair of electrodes is made of copper or an alloy of copper and a copper...     

A solar cell includes a semiconductor wafer of one conductivity type with a front radiation receiving surface having a plurality of pyramidal apertures therein. The spacing of adjacent apertures is selected to maximize the escape of undesired radiation. A material with a high index of refraction fills...     

Process for use in the deposition of a semiconductor film involves: producing a stream of reactive gaseous species within a first chamber, the reactive species containing a substance to be included within the film; passing the reactive species to a work environment distinct from the first chamber; and...     

A photodetector having a light transmissive and electrical conducting spacer layer interposed between a semiconductor body having a semiconductor junction therein and a light reflective electrical contact to the body. The spacer layer may have a thickness of about one-half the wavelength of light passing...     

A photovoltaic-thermal solar cell including a semiconductor body having antireflective top and bottom surfaces and coated on each said surface with a patterned electrode covering less than 10% of the surface area. A thermal-absorbing surface is spaced apart from the bottom surface of the semiconductor...     

A solar cell fabrication procedure is described which is characterized by (1) formation of a "polysilazane" coating on a silicon substrate, (2) photo-lithography of the polysilazane coating to form a plating mask pattern, (3) a heating step which removes residual photoresist and converts the polysilazane...     

A method of forming ohmic contacts with thin film p-type semiconductor Class II B - VI A compounds comprising etching the film surface with an acidic solution, then etching with a strong basic solution and finally depositing a conductive metal layer.

A solar cell and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. The solar cell has a semiconductor substrate having a major surface for receiving light, a p-n junction for photovoltatic generation therein and a thin alumina coating layer on the major surface of the semiconductor substrate. The alumina...     

A photovoltaic cell having a zinc phosphide absorber. The zinc phosphide can be a single or multiple crystal slice or a thin polycrystalline film. The cell can be a Schottky barrier, heterojunction or homojunction device. Methods for synthesizing and crystallizing zinc phosphide are disclosed as well...     

An electrode material for semi-conductor device such as solar cells comprises Ag powders, at least one metal of zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, and tantalum, an organic binder, and an organic solvent, and, if necessary, glass, Pd powders and Pt powders. The electrodes are prepared from the electrode...     

A solar cell has a rear electrical contact for the semiconductor body of the cell forming an intersecting pattern which includes rows of contact pads which are parallel to a pair of sides of the body; a set of contact strips which also are parallel to such sides; another set of contact strips which are...     

Solar cells having a semiconductor body composed of amorphous silicon which is applied to a substrate coated at least at one surface thereof with aluminum, functioning as a back contact. Recrystallization is prevented by alloying silicon or silicon/titanium into the aluminum layer so that the amounts...     

A metal organic paste. The paste contains a metal alkoxide, a thickening or suspension agent, a solvent for the alkoxide and an effective amount of an anhydride.

A photovoltaic device comprising at least one crystalline and one amorphous semiconductor region with different photosensitivity is provided to absorb light in a wide range of wavelength, and serves, for example, as a solar battery or a color sensor. Amorphous or microcrystalline semiconductor regions...     

In the typical embodiment of the invention described herein, a photoelectronic conversion device comprises a transparent insulative substrate, a first transparent electrode layer of Sn-incorporated In.sub.2 O.sub.3 having a relatively low sheet resistance and a thickness of about 1000 .ANG., a second...     

A process of encapsulating solar cells in which a semiconductor wafer first is processed into an uncut cell. An interconnect strip is secured to the front contact of the cell. A coverglass plate, provided with a suitable coating, is next bonded to the front surface of the cell. Finally, the bonded assembly...     

An improved low cost photovoltaic cell including a sodium containing glass substrate which has been chemically treated to remove sodium ions from a surface selected for deposition of a transparent conductor.

Disclosed is an indium-containing semiconductor device which includes an ohmic contact formed by application of successive layers of Au-Sn-Cr-Au. The combination of Sn and Cr layers provides an effective barrier to the diffusion of indium to the surface of the contact so that bonding to the contact is...     

The present invention provides a method of forming a metal pattern on a solar cell comprising the steps of forcing a molten metal through an aligned array of orifices by use of gas pressure; vibrating the aligned array of orifices to form the molten metal issuing from the orifices into metal droplets;...     

A composite substrate for the fabrication of thin film electronic devices. The substrate is a multi-layer structure which includes (1) a support layer having sufficient rigidity to provide structural strength for the subsequently deposited semiconductor material and/or circuit elements, and (2) an electrically...     

A photovoltaic cell, such as a solar cell, is provided which has a higher output voltage than prior cells. The improved cell includes a substrate of doped silicon, a first layer of silicon disposed on the substrate and having opposite doping, and a second layer of silicon carbide disposed on the first...     

An ultra-high efficiency inverted solar cell structure is disclosed. At the rear of the cell is a high performance heterocontact made of SIPOS (a mixture of micro-crystalline silicon and silicon dioxide). At the edge of the cell, the opposite contact is of conventional heavily doped silicon. The edge...     

The invention relates to a wafer-shaped solar cell comprising a rear side contact and a conduction path system as front side contact, with at least one metallic connector member connected to this conduction path system for interconnection of the solar cells with further solar cells. The crux of the invention...     

A plurality n of semiconductor elements U.sub.i to U.sub.n are sequentially formed on a substrate side by side and connected in series. The element U.sub.i (where i=1, 2, . . . n) has a first electrode E.sub.i formed on the substrate, a non-single-crystal semiconducotr laminate member Q.sub.i formed...     

A plurality n of semiconductor elements U.sub.1 to U.sub.n are sequentially formed on a substrate side by side and connected in series. The element U.sub.i (where i=1, 2, . . . n) has a first electrode E.sub.i formed on the substrate, a non-single-crystal semiconductor laminate member Q.sub.i formed...     

An improved semiconductor device, adapted to provide electrical current in response to light energy incident thereon, includes a first electrode, an active semiconductor body atop the first electrode, a second electrode atop the semiconductor body, and at least one defect region which is capable of providing...     

A photodetector including a light transmissive electrically conducting layer having a textured surface with a semiconductor body thereon. This layer traps incident light thereby enhancing the absorption of light by the semiconductor body. A photodetector comprising a textured light transmissive electrically...     

The invention relates to a solar cell for exposure to light rays on both sides. The solar cell contains only one pn junction on one surface side of the semiconductor body. The base of the solar cell is uniformly and less strongly doped than the thin surface zone of the conduction type opposite to that...     

An improved transparent conductor structure for thin film solar cells comprising a plurality of metallic strip conductors deposited on a transparent conductor and aligned substantially with the principal direction of current flow. The strip conductors preferably originate at an edge of the transparent...     

A solar battery has a pair of opposed light incident transparent electroconductive and back electrodes sandwiching amorphous silicon layers formed on a substrate with at least a major surface of the back electrode surface being in contact with an organic resin layer and being made of a compound of a...     

A solar cell having a rear side contact and a conduction path system as front side contact. The gist of the invention is that a region of the second conductivity type is disposed on all sides of a semiconductor member of the first conductivity type, and that the rear side contact ohmically contacts the...     

Crystalline poly(sulphur nitride) is deposited electrochemically at a bright platinum sheet cathode by electrolyzing solution of S.sub.5 N.sub.5 Cl in liquid SO.sub.2.

A solar cell fabrication procedure is described in which a hydrogen ion passivation step is used to form, inter alia, an altered silicon substrate surface layer to which immersion plated nickel will not readily adhere. The altered surface layer is formed by shadow casting an ion beam in a pattern corresponding...     

Article having improved reflectance suppression comprising a substrate formed of a material having a reststrahlen band and having at least one surface and a coating carried by said one surface. The coating comprises at least one period with each period consisting of a spacer layer and an absorber layer....     

Thin films of cuprous oxide on thin copper foil, when heat treated in an inert atmosphere and quenched, not only exhibit a 10- to 100-fold increase in photovoltaic effects, but also provide ohmic copper-cuprous oxide contacts when selected portions of the oxide film are first subjected to reducing conditions.

Disclosed is an improved photovoltaic device design and method. The design is especially useful for large area photovoltaic devices and includes a first electrode, a semiconductor body over the first electrode, a transparent electrically conductive layer over the semiconductor body and a bus grid structure...     

A plurality of n semiconductor elements U.sub.1 to U.sub.n are sequentially formed on a substrate side by side and connected in series. Different arrangements for providing external terminal connections for the plurality of elements are disclosed. The element U.sub.i (where i=1, 2, . . . n) has a first...     

An improved semiconductor device, adapted to provide electrical current in response to light energy incident thereon, includes a first electrode, an active semiconductor body atop the first electrode, a second electrode atop the semiconductor body, and at least one defect region which is capable of providing...     

An improved solar cell, and method for manufacture, in which a back side reverse p-n junction is formed prior to metallization and a gridded back side metallization material, chosen so that it penetrates the p-n junction where it is present, is fired into the wafer. The finished solar cell has improved...