Schottky, graded doping, plural junction or special junction geometry

A solar cell with improved efficiency is provided with a convoluted P-N junction whereby a higher proportion of carriers produced by exposure of the solar cell to a source of radiation will be collected by the P-N junction rather than being lost by recombination. The solar cell has an increased resistance...     

A semiconductor photoelectric generator comprising interconnected photocells with rectifying barriers, with isotype junctions in the base region and with current leads in the regions adjacent the rectifying barriers. Each photocell has a working surface, receiving incident radiation. The isotype junctions...     

A semiconductor photoelectric device of improved photoelectric and rectifying characteristics is provided by first forming a film or silicon dioxide on a main surface, having a crystallographic orientation of (100), of a semiconductor substrate of N-type silicon, the film being formed to a thickness...     

Disclosed is a method of fabricating a vertical multi-junction cell and the solar cell produced thereby, utilizing an orientation dependent etch to selectively provide parallel grooves in monocrystalline silicon body, followed by the introduction of doping impurities of the opposite conductivity type...     

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.

Apparatus and method for constructing by means of standard high-yield microelectronic batch fabrication processes, reliable, monolithic high-voltage photovoltaic cells and highly efficient photovoltaic arrays therewith. A thin layer of single-crystalline semiconductor material containing a plurality...     

A semiconductor device comprising a first layer of semiconductor material ving a bulk region of p-type conductivity and an inversion surface of n-type conductivity which forms a p-n junction with said bulk region, a covering layer on said inversion surface of oxides of silicon in a thickness of about...     

A semiconductor photovoltaic device is comprised of 2n layers of alternating p-type and n-type material having respective PN junctions between adjacent layers, wherein n is an integer greater than 1. Each layer has a thickness which is less than the diffusion length of a minority carrier therein. The...     

A semiconductor composite having a rectifying characteristic is provided by first forming an insulating film of a semiconductor compound such as SiO.sub.2 on a semiconductor substrate of N-type Si to a uniform thickness of 27A to 500A, for example, and then further depositing thereon a tin oxide film....     

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...     

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.

A method of producing a semiconductor device comprising the step of forming a laminated element film on a substrate made of a material easy to cleave and easy to dissolve in various solvents such as water by successively depositing materials of the laminated element film on the substrate by what is called...     

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...     

This complementary photovoltaic cell has both an N+/P+ junction and a P+/N junction on the same epitaxial substrate, and so provides simultaneous photo-responsive outputs of both negative and positive polarity. A vertical photo-junction supplements the current output from the N+/P+ junction, and improves...     

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 low-cost dye-sensitized Schottky barrier solar cell comprised of a substrate of semiconductor with an ohmic contact on one face, a sensitizing dye adsorbed onto the opposite face of the semiconductor, a transparent thin-film layer of a reducing agent over the dye, and a thin-film layer of metal over...     

A silicon solar energy cell having a substantially constant voltage despite significant increases in illumination, which cell has a back surface junction that is discontinuous and has spaced, shorted portions formed therein.

A semiconductor solar cell capable of converting incident radiation to electrical energy at high efficiency includes a plurality of series-connected unit solar cells formed on a common wafer of semiconductor material. The unit solar cells each include a semiconductor substrate of one conductivity type...     

A technique for fabricating a semiconductor heterostructure by growth of a ternary semiconductor on a binary semiconductor substrate from a melt of the ternary semiconductor containing less than saturation of at least one common ingredient of both the binary and ternary semiconductors wherein in a single...     

An improved solar cell designed for optimum efficiency is comprised of a plurality of series connected unit solar cells formed from a common substrate of semiconductor material. Each unit solar cell has spaced elongate sidewalls, and a "dead space" area between adjoining sidewalls of adjacent units is...     

The invention contemplates a solar-cell construction wherein plural spaced elongate unit cells of an array are formed from a parallel-grooved single wafer of substrate material of a first conductivity type, with adjacent sidewalls of adjacent units at each inter-unit groove formation. In the transverse...     

The application discloses a back-well cell, for example, a solar cell which comprises a first semiconductor material of one conductivity type with one face having the same conductivity type but more heavily doped to form a field region arranged to receive the radiant energy to be converted to electrical...     

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 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 Schottky barrier type solid-state element and a method of producing the same, the Schottky barrier type solid-state element comprising a Schottky barrier type element portion consisting of a metallic board and a semiconductor film layer provided on the metallic board, the metallic board being formed...     

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.

The invention provides a method of producing solar cells having a composite shallow/deep junction device construction. The solar cells have grid-like contacts on their front energy-receiving sides, with each portion of each contact being coincident, i.e., aligned with, the deep junction regions while...     

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 high output solar cell comprises a three-layer semiconductor compound article, the layers being doped in pn.sub.1 n.sub.2 order in the direction of light travel, the pn.sub.1 junction being a homojunction and the n.sub.1 n.sub.2 junction being a heterojunction. The doping of the layers is such that...     

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 efficiency heterojunction solar cell comprises a narrow-gap collector (or base) region and a wide-gap window region. The latter includes an inner and an outer region of the same conductivity type but of different impurity concentrations. The higher impurity concentration outer window region...     

Selective absorber including a layer of semiconductor applied by arc plasma spraying over a metallic surface.

Photovoltaic generator, comprised of photovoltaic amorphous lead dioxide with an oxygen to lead ratio in the range of 1.66 to 1.99, and having rectifying and ohmic junctions therewith. Said lead dioxide may be formed by electrodeposition on substrates, such as copper, nickel, stainless steel, carbon,...     

A photovoltaic cell wherein the photoactive layer comprises a thin layer of metal-free phthalocyanine dispersed in a binder. The electrical output is greatly in excess of that obtained from prior art organic semiconductor photovoltaic cells of the same surface area.

A photovoltaic cell having an improved barrier electrode comprising indium or tin. The cell utilizes metal-free phthalocyanine dispersed in an electrically insulated binder as the photoactive layer in contact with an ohmic electrode.

A monolithic cascade cell for converting incident radiation, particularly solar radiation, into electrical energy at a high efficiency with at least three layers of semi-conductive Group III-IV material. The top layer is doped into p and n regions with a homojunction therebetween and has a bandgap such...     

A low-cost dye-sensitized Schottky barrier solar cell comprised of a substrate of semiconductor with an ohmic contact on one face, a sensitizing dye adsorbed onto the opposite face of the semiconductor, a transparent thin-film layer of a reducing agent over the dye, and a thin-film layer of metal over...     

A solar cell including a dielectric isolation member to electrically isolate an active region of the cell from the unfinished edge thereof and to protect the p-n junction from surface contaminants. The isolation member is fabricated on top of a semiconductor wafer before diffusion.

A crystal of a semiconductor material has an electrically conducting loom assembly embedded therein, whereby the crystal and loom assembly define a unit which converts light or other electromagnetic radiation into an electrical current for flow to an external electrical circuit. The loom assembly has...     

An amorphous silicon solar cell incorporates a region of intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon fabricated by a glow discharge wherein said intrinsic region is compensated by P-type dopants in an amount sufficient to reduce the space charge density of said region under illumination to about zero.

There is described a semiconductor solar cell of improved efficiency. The cell has a built-in electric field which extends from the surface of the cell to the interior to keep minority carriers away from the surface whereby recombination at the surface is reduced. Interior contacts are provided whereby...     

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 solar cell is constructed by coating an n-type conductivity semiconductor with a thin layer of bromine doped, polymeric sulfur-nitride, (SNBr.sub.0.4).sub.x. Metal deposits are provided on both materials for making electrical contact to the cell. In a preferred embodiment, the semiconductor is silicon....     

A semiconductor photoelectric conversion device employing a semiconductor layer which has at least one inter-semiconductor heterojunction. The semiconductor layer is composed of at least a first non-single-crystal semiconductor region having a first energy gap, a second non-single-crystal semiconductor...     

A basic photovoltaic stack is constituted by a semiconducting layer interposed between a layer forming an ohmic contact and a layer forming a Schottky contact. A second photovoltaic stack having the same structure as the basic stack is formed on this latter and includes one of the layers forming an ohmic...     

An amorphous silicon semiconductor having a gradient doping profile is produced by thermo-electrically diffusing an ionizable deposit material such as antimony or aluminum, for example, into the amorphous silicon layer. Embodied in a photovoltaic device, the gradient doping profile increases the width...     

A multiple gap photovoltaic device having a transparent electrical contact adjacent a first cell which in turn is adjacent a second cell on an opaque electrical contact, includes utilizing an amorphous semiconductor as the first cell and a crystalline semiconductor as the second cell.

Photovoltaic cell comprises thin film cadmium telluride in ohmic contact with a smooth conductive substrate, preferably comprising a cadmium surface, through a cadmium-rich layer at the interface with the substrate, the cell further including a rectifying barrier layer. Preferably, the film is electrodeposited...     

A Schottky barrier solar cell consists of a thin substrate of low cost material with at least the top surface of the substrate being electrically conductive. A thin layer of heavily doped n-type polycrystalline germanium, with crystalline sizes in the submicron range, is deposited on the substrate. But...     

The invention teaches an electrochemical process for electrolysis growth of an oxide layer on hydrogenated amorphous silicon. Embodied in a photovoltaic device, the oxide layer increases the open circuit voltage of the device and enhances the longevity of the photovoltaic characteristics of the device.

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,...     

The present invention relates to an amorphous silicon MIS device having an insulating oxide formed by the chemical oxidation of the silicon surface. A process comprising etching the silicon surface followed by a treatment of the etched surface in a sulfur based oxidant forms a controlled thickness oxide...     

A high efficiency tandem solar cell may be fabricated wherein a layer of transparent conducting material is placed over a crystalline substrate and under an amorphous region. Light incident on the upper surface has higher energy photons absorbed in the higher bandgap amorphous material and lower energy...     

A solar cell is disclosed with V-grooves which are series connected, but electrically isolated, indirect bandgap solar cells which are responsive to different light frequencies on both sides of a semi-insulating optically transparent substrate. The device has a very high conversion efficiency of approximately...     

This photovoltaic cell in a principal embodiment comprises a P-type substrate having an unshadowed first surface adapted to receiving incident radiation and a second surface which contains at least one ohmic contact and at least one metal-insulator-semiconductor contact, this structure thereby forming...     

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...     

This invention discloses: (1) A high intensity solar cell; (2) A method of making an array of high intensity solar cells in an economical manner, and (3) A lens system for concentrating incident radiation on to the most responsive region of its structure.

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.

Photovoltaic cell comprises thin film cadmium telluride in ohmic contact with a conductive substrate, preferbaly comprising a cadmium surface, through a cadmium-rich layer at the interface with the substrate. The cell further includes a rectifying barrier layer which may be a Schottky barrier. The film...     

The invention contemplates a solar-cell construction wherein plural spaced elongate unit cells of an array are formed from a parallel-grooved single wafer or body of substrate material of a first conductivity type, with adjacent sidewalls of adjacent units at each inter-unit groove formation. Both sidewalls...     

A novel semiconductor device having an oxide semiconductor layer between an amorphous silicon hydride and a metallic layer has been found to have an excellent collection efficiency for light, particularly, in the range of short wavelengths and a high energy conversion efficiency as compared with the...     

A high photo-conversion efficiency indium oxide/n-silicon heterojunction solar cell is spray deposited from a solution containing indium trichloride. The solar cell exhibits an Air Mass One solar conversion efficiency in excess of about 10%.

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 method of manufacturing solar cells in a semiconductor wafer uses a first doped glassy layer which is spaced apart from the edges of the wafer, in combination with a second undoped glassy layer, so that, when the dopants are diffused from the first layer into the wafer, only that portion of the wafer...     

A hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cell incorporating a compensated photoactive intrinsic region containing N-type and P-type dopants.

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...     

The invention relates to a new-type of solar cell structure, and to a method of manufacturing same. The solar cell is designated as an MINP cell (Metal-Insulator-NP junction solar cell). Essentially, the MINP solar cell is an extremely shallow N-P junction cell with a MIS (Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor)...     

A solar cell has a semiconductor body with a radiation-receiving surface having a ribbed structure and having a small pn-junction in the semiconductor body which is matched to follow the contour of the surface of the ribbed structure, and the interstices between adjacent ribs are filled with a material...     

A high intensity solar cell is comprised of a plurality of semiconductor bodies each having adjacent regions of opposite conductivity type defining a P-N junction therebetween. The adjacent bodies have a layer of aluminum material therebetween. The first and last bodies have electrical contacts connected...     

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...     

A photovoltaic cell structure is fabricated from an active medium including an undoped, intrinsically p-type organic semiconductor comprising polyacetylene. When a film of such material is in rectifying contact with a magnesium electrode, a Schottky-barrier junction is obtained within the body of the...     

A thin film solar cell formed on a substrate, comprising at least first and second electrodes, at least one of which is capable of passing light, a silicon film interposed between said first and second electrodes, and at least one junction formed in the silicon film for separating electrons and positive...     

An induced junction solar cell includes a silicon semiconductor wafer with an aluminum ohmic contact layer on one surface, a thin oxide layer on the other surface, a grid-type aluminum contact on the oxide layer and an electret, i.e. charged outer polymer layer covering the grid-type contact and exposed...     

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...     

A practical photovoltaic module is disclosed which is protected from reverse bias damage and which displays minimal power loss resulting from temporary inoperativeness of one or more individual photovoltaic cells included in the module. The module includes a plurality of series connected photovoltaic...     

Power is extracted from plasmons, photons, or other guided electromagnetic waves at infrared to mid-ultraviolet frequencies by inelastic tunneling in metal-insulator-semiconductor-metal diodes. Inelastic tunneling produces power by absorbing plasmons to pump electrons to higher potential. Specifically,...     

In a photovoltaic cell structure containing a visibly transparent, electrically conductive first layer of metal oxide, and a light-absorbing semiconductive photovoltaic second layer, the improvement comprising a thin layer of transition metal nitride, carbide or boride interposed between said first and...     

A solar cell comprising layers of n-type and p-type crystalline or substantially crystalline semiconductor material separated by a layer of amorphous semiconductor material having a larger coefficient of absorption than the outer p-type and n-type layers.

A corrosion-resistant, multilayer photoelectrode for use in a photoelectrochemical cell and a process for producing said photoelectrode by preparing an effective layer of an insulator material containing aliovalent dopant ions on a base semiconductor and depositing a layer of conducting material on said...     

A heterojunction photovoltaic device, containing a highly conductive coating material having a band gap greater than 0 to about 3.0 e.V. on a substrate containing a semiconductor material, is utilized in highly efficient photovoltaic cells and radiometric detection cells.

The function of the insulating film in MIS and SIS solar cells can also be fulfilled by a semiconductor with a sufficiently large energy gap. The doping of the quasi insulating layer guarantees good fill factors and short-circuit current densities also at a relatively high film thickness. For cadmium...     

A photovoltaic device comprises a transparent substrate, an amorphous silicon layer structure of a p-i-n type formed on the substrate and comprised of a p-layer, i-layer and n-layer, and an electrode formed on the amorphous silicon layer structure, wherein either the p-layer and n-layer of the amorphous...     

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...     

An amorphous photovoltaic energy conversion element for use in a solar cell is composed of a first layer formed of a p-type material, a second layer formed of an intrinsic amorphous semiconductor having a potential gradient formed therein and a third layer formed of a metal capable of coming into ohmic...     

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 photovoltaic cell, and method for its manufacture, comprising front and back electrically conductive layers between which is sandwiched a primary light-absorbing layer of amorphous semiconducting material displaying low photogenerated carrier mobility below about 50 cm.sup.2 /V second, the...     

An improved photovoltaic device in which a charge separation junction is provided over a charge confining heterojunction. The charge separation junction is a junction formed of an n.sup.+ -doped direct bandgap layer on a p-doped direct bandgap active layer. The charge confining heterojunction is formed...     

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 device for efficiently coupling electromagnetic radiation in the far-infrared and submillimeter spectral regions to surface plasmon waves comprises a prism constructed of a dielectric material, a first layer integrally formed on one face of the prism having an index of refraction which is less than...     

A photoelectric conversion device has a non-single-crystal semiconductor laminate member formed on a substrate having a conductive surface, and a conductive layer formed on the non-single-crystal semiconductor laminate member. The non-single-crystal semiconductor laminate member has such a structure...     

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...     

Grooved solar cells are manufactured by scribing the surface of the substrate with a laser scribing tool, and optionally etching the surface to more accurately determine the surface profile, before performing the remainder of the processing steps involved in the production of the solar cell. Top contact...     

Thin films of Hg.sub.1-x Cd.sub.x Te with controlled x greater than 0.5 are cathodically deposited on a thin CdS film over a conductive film of ITO deposited on a glass substrate. Depositing a conductive film on the electrodeposited Hg.sub.1-x Cd.sub.x Te treated to provide a Te-rich surface for a good...     

An N.sup.+ N.sup.- (or I)PIN or P.sup.+ P.sup.- (or I)NIP type photo transistor comprises semiconductor layers serving as collector, base and emitter regions and a semiconductor layer which is disposed between the semiconductor layers serving as the base and emitter regions and serves as a photo carrier...     

The invention relates to a solar cell, wherein, in order to increase the efficiency, an amorphous or microcrystalline silicon layer is disposed on the side facing the incident light, thereby enabling the surface recombination speed to be reduced. In a preferred embodiment, this silicon layer is doped...