Entries |
Document | Title | Date |
20080230112 | Photovoltaic cells - A photovoltaic system includes a photovoltaic device that includes a lower photovoltaic cell fabricated from semiconductor material having a first bandgap, and having first electrical contacts for extraction of current from the lower cell; an electrically insulating layer monolithically fabricated on the lower photovoltaic cell; and an upper photovoltaic cell monolithically fabricated on the electrically insulating layer from semiconductor material having a second bandgap larger than the first bandgap, and having second electrical contacts for extraction of current from the upper cell. The photovoltaic system also includes one or more first photon sources operable to supply photons to the photovoltaic device, the photons having wavelengths in a first wavelength range associated primarily with the first bandgap. The photovoltaic system further includes one or more second photon sources operable to supply photons to the photovoltaic device, the photons having wavelengths in a second wavelength range primarily associated with the second bandgap. | 09-25-2008 |
20080314439 | Array Of Monolithically Integrated Thin Film Photovoltaic Cells And Associated Methods - A process of forming an array of monolithically integrated thin film photovoltaic cells from a stack of thin film layers formed on an insulating substrate includes forming at least one cell isolation scribe in the stack of thin film layers. A second electrical contact layer isolation scribe is formed for each cell isolation scribe adjacent to a respective cell isolation scribe. A via scribe is formed in the stack of thin film layers between each cell isolation scribe and its respective second electrical contact layer isolation scribe. Insulating ink is disposed in each cell isolation scribe, and conductive ink is disposed in each via scribe to form a via. Conductive ink is also disposed along the top surface of the stack of thin film layers to form at least one conductive grid. | 12-25-2008 |
20090071530 | Texture process and structure for manufacture of composit photovoltaic device substrates - A composite structure, e.g., rigid or flexible. The structure has a layer transferred photovoltaic material (e.g., single crystal silicon) having a first region and a second region, and a thickness of material provided between the first region and the second region. The structure has a glue layer overlying the second region. A permeable membrane structure is overlying the glue layer, the permeable membrane structure configured to facilitate outgassing of any volatile species in the glue layer to allow the glue layer to bind the permeable membrane to the layer transferred photovoltaic material. | 03-19-2009 |
20090078305 | SOLAR CELL AND SOLAR CELL MODULE - Pressure applied when connecting a solar cell to a wiring material becomes uneven due to the uneven shape of a semiconductor wafer and thereby causes cell cracks. A solar cell of the invention is configured by forming a connection electrode in a first direction having a smaller degree of unevenness in the thickness of the semiconductor wafer, and by forming a finger electrode in a second direction having a higher degree of unevenness in the thickness thereof. Hence a solar cell that allows uniform application of pressure when being connected with the wiring material can be provided. Moreover, by employing the solar cell of the invention, pressure is uniformly applied to the semiconductor wafer in a process of connecting multiple solar cells to one another. Thus, it is possible to provide a solar cell module achieving improvement in output and reliability while preventing defects such as cell breaks or cracks. | 03-26-2009 |
20090126779 | PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICES IN TANDEM ARCHITECTURE - A tandem photovoltaic device includes a first cell and a second cell arranged in tandem. The first cell is configured to receive incident electromagnetic radiation and includes a first charge separating layer having a first semiconducting polymer adapted to create electric charge carriers generated by electromagnetic radiation. A second cell is configured to receive electromagnetic radiation passing out of the first cell in a light propagation path. The second cell includes a second charge separating layer having a second semiconducting polymer adapted to create electric charge carriers generated by electromagnetic radiation. A first titanium oxide layer is interposed between the first and second cells, wherein the first titanium oxide layer is substantially amorphous and has a general formula of TiOx where X being a number of 1 to 1.96. | 05-21-2009 |
20090188547 | PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERSION ELEMENT AND SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE - A photoelectric conversion element is provided and includes: a pair of electrodes; a photoelectric conversion layer between the pair of electrodes; and a charge-blocking layer between one of the pair of the electrodes and the photoelectric conversion layer. The charge-blocking layer is capable of suppressing injection of a charge from the one of the pair of electrodes into the photoelectric conversion layer upon application of a voltage across the pair of electrodes, and the charge-blocking layer contains an insulating material and an electrically conductive material. | 07-30-2009 |
20090217967 | POROUS SILICON QUANTUM DOT PHOTODETECTOR - Embodiments of the present invention provide a solar energy converter, which includes a silicon layer having at least two regions of a first and a second conductivity type that form a P-N junction, at least a portion of the silicon layer being porous, and pores in the portion of porous silicon containing a semiconductor material, the semiconductor material being different from silicon; and a first and a second electrode being placed at a bottom and a top surface of the silicon layer respectively. Methods of manufacturing the same are also provided. | 09-03-2009 |
20090272427 | PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE AND THE USE THEREOF - The present invention relates to a photovoltaic module, comprising at least two component cell groups (SCA) which are connected to each other and disposed on an electrically insulating basic body, which groups comprise respectively one solar cell which is applied on a thermally and electrically conductive carrier and a bypass diode which is applied at a spacing thereto, and which are contacted with each other via an electrical conductor, the bypass diode having a polarity which is inverse to the solar cell and the solar cell and the bypass diode being applied on the conductive carrier via a conductive connecting layer. | 11-05-2009 |
20090288699 | LAMINATE STRUCTURES FOR HIGH TEMPERATURE PHOTOVOLTAIC APPLICATIONS, AND METHODS RELATING THERETO - Laminate structures are disclosed, comprising a metal foil supporting a polyimide dielectric layer. The polyimide dielectric layer comprises a polyimide derived from at least one aromatic rigid rod diamine and at least one aromatic rigid rod dianhydride to provide a thermally and dimensionally stable polyimide. A bottom electrode is formed directly on the polyimide dielectric layer surface, and a CIGS absorber layer is formed directly on the bottom electrode. The CIGS laminates of the present disclosure can be incorporated into CIGS type solar cells, and the laminates further allow such CIGS solar cells to be monolithically integrated into a photovoltaic module on a single substrate. | 11-26-2009 |
20090314334 | ELECTRONIC SUBSTRATE FOR A PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE - Methods and systems for fabricating a photovoltaic module are provided. One or more conducting pads are formed over a base of an electronic substrate, such that pad spaces are created between adjacent conducting pads. The electronic substrate includes a plurality of path options, and one or more bond pads. The path options are embedded in the base. The bond pads are formed over the base. One or more photovoltaic strips are arranged over the conducting pads. The bond pads provide an interface to connect photovoltaic strips to at least one of the path options. The photovoltaic strips are connected to the bond pads through one or more connectors in series and/or parallel. A plurality of optical vees is placed in the pad spaces between the conductive pads for concentrating solar energy over the photovoltaic strips. | 12-24-2009 |
20100024869 | Photovoltaic Cells With Stacked Light-Absorption Layers And Methods Of Fabricating The Same - Embodiments of the present invention are directed to photovoltaic cells configured with two or more nanowire-based, light-absorption layers, each layer capable of absorbing a different portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. In one embodiment, a photovoltaic cell comprises a substrate configured with a first planar surface, a second planar surface opposite the first planar surface, and an opening. The photovoltaic cell includes a first photovoltaic cell disposed on the first planar surface and having a first set of nanowires extending over the opening. The photovoltaic cell includes a second photovoltaic cell disposed on the second planar surface and having a second set of nanowires extending over the opening opposite the first set of nanowires. | 02-04-2010 |
20100037937 | PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL WITH PATTERNED CONTACTS - Photovoltaic cells and processes that mitigate recombination losses of photogenerated carriers are provided. To reduce recombination losses, diffuse doping layers in active photovoltaic (PV) elements are coated with patterns of dielectric material(s) that reduce contact between metal contacts and the active PV element. Various patterns can be utilized, and one or more surfaces of the PV element can be coated with one or more dielectrics. Vertical Multi-Junction photovoltaic cells can be produced with patterned PV elements, or unit cells. While patterned PV elements can increase series resistance of VMJ photovoltaic cells, and patterning one or more surfaces in the PV element can add complexity to a process utilized to produce VMJ photovoltaic cells, reduction of carrier losses at diffuse doping layers in a PV element increases efficiency of photovoltaic cells, and thus provide with PV operational advantages that outweigh increased manufacturing complexity. System to fabricate the photovoltaic cells is provided. | 02-18-2010 |
20100096001 | HIGH EFFICIENCY MULTIJUNCTION II-VI PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR CELLS - A Group II-VI photovoltaic solar cell comprising at least two and as many as five subcells stacked upon one another. Each subcell has an emitter layer and a base layer, with the base of the first subcell being made of silicon, germanium, or silicon-germanium. The remaining subcells are stacked on top of the first subcell and are ordered such that the band gap gets progressively smaller with each successive subcell. Moreover, the thicknesses of each subcell are optimized so that the current from each subcell is substantially equal to the other subcells in the stack. Examples of suitable Group II-VI semiconductors include CdTe, CdSe, CdSeTe, CdZnTe, CdMgTe, and CdHgTe. | 04-22-2010 |
20100101633 | PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME - A photovoltaic device and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. The photovoltaic device includes: a substrate; a first conductive layer formed on the substrate; P layers and N layers alternately formed along a first direction on the first conductive layer; and I layers covering the P layers and the N layers on the first conductive layer, wherein the P layers and the N layers are separated from each other by a first interval, the I layers are formed between the P layers and the N layers that are separated by the first interval, and the P layers, the I layers, and the N layers formed along the first direction form unit cells. | 04-29-2010 |
20100132765 | HERMETICALLY SEALED SOLAR CELLS - An elongated solar cell unit comprising (i) a substrate, (ii) one or more solar cells disposed on the substrate, (iii) a transparent casing disposed onto the one or more solar cells, the transparent nonplanar casing having a first end and a second end; and (iv) a first sealant cap that is hermetically sealed to the first end of the transparent nonplanar casing is provided. A solar cell unit comprising (i) a substrate, (ii) one or more bifacial or omnifacial solar cells disposed on the substrate, (iii) a transparent casing disposed onto the one or more bifacial or omnifacial solar cells, the transparent nonplanar casing having a first end and a second end and (iv) a first sealant cap that is hermetically sealed to the first end of the transparent nonplanar casing is provided. | 06-03-2010 |
20100147361 | Tandem junction photovoltaic device comprising copper indium gallium di-selenide bottom cell - Embodiments of a monolithic tandem junction solar cell are described that include a CIGS bottom cell and top cell forming an n-i-p diode comprising n-type, i-type and p-type layers of a μc-SiCGe:H with approximate E | 06-17-2010 |
20100200047 | METHOD OF PRODUCING A THIN FILM PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM, AND A THIN FILM PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM - A method of producing a thin film photovoltaic system ( | 08-12-2010 |
20100212721 | THIN FILM TYPE SOLAR CELL AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME - A thin film type solar cell and a method for manufacturing the same is disclosed, wherein the thin film type solar cell is comprised of a substrate with lower and upper surfaces; a first solar cell on the upper surface of the substrate; and a second solar cell on the lower surface of the substrate, wherein a wavelength range of light absorbed into the first solar cell is different from a wave-length range of light absorbed into the second solar cell. In this case, there is no requirement for the tunneling between a first semiconductor layer of the first solar cell and a second semiconductor layer of the second solar cell, whereby the current matching is unnecessary. | 08-26-2010 |
20100229921 | TANDEM PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL AND METHOD USING THREE GLASS SUBSTRATE CONFIGURATION - A tandem photovoltaic cell device. The device includes a lower cell configured for substantial independent operation of an upper cell. In a preferred embodiment, the lower cell has a lower glass substrate material and a lower electrode layer made of a reflective material overlying the glass material. The lower cell also has a lower absorber layer overlying the lower electrode layer. In a preferred embodiment, the absorber layer made of a first semiconductor material has a first band gap energy in a range of Eg=0.7 to 1.1 eV. The lower cell includes a lower window layer overlying the lower absorber layer, a lower transparent conductive oxide layer overlying the lower window layer, and a first optical coupling material comprising first ethylene vinyl acetate overlying the lower transparent conductive oxide layer. In a specific embodiment, the device also has the upper cell coupled to the lower cell. The upper cell has an intermediary glass substrate material, which has a thickness, a lower surface and an upper surface. In a specific embodiment, the thickness is about 1.1 millimeter and less. The lower surface is overlying the optical coupling material. The upper cell also has a first upper transparent conductor layer overlying the upper surface of the intermediary glass substrate material and an upper p type absorber layer overlying the first upper transparent conductor layer. The p type conductor layer is made of a second semiconductor material having a second band gap energy in a range of Eg=1.5 to 1.9 eV. The upper cell also has an upper n type window layer overlying the upper p type absorber layer. The upper cell has a second upper transparent conductive oxide layer overlying the upper n type window layer. The upper cell has a second optical coupling material comprising first ethylene vinyl acetate overlying the second upper transparent conductive oxide layer. The upper cell has an upper glass material overlying the upper transparent conductive oxide layer. | 09-16-2010 |
20100236606 | PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERSION DEVICE AND SOLAR CELL, AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING THE PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERSION DEVICE - A photoelectric conversion device wherein a lower electrode, a photoelectric-conversion semiconductor layer of a compound semiconductor material, and an upper electrode are formed in this order on an anodized substrate in which an anodized oxide film as an insulating film is formed on an aluminum base arranged at at least one surface of a metal substrate. The lower electrode is formed on the anodized oxide film. The main component of the photoelectric-conversion semiconductor layer is a compound semiconductor material with a chalcopyrite structure of Group Ib, IIIb and VIb elements. The photoelectric conversion device includes at least one insulative alkali supply layer formed between the anodized substrate and the lower electrode, and at least one insulative antidiffusion layer being formed between the anodized substrate and the at least one alkali supply layer, and suppressing diffusion, toward the anodized substrate, of one or more alkali and/or alkaline earth metal elements. | 09-23-2010 |
20100236607 | MONOLITHICALLY INTEGRATED SOLAR MODULES AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURE - A monolithically integrated cadmium telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) module includes a first electrically conductive layer and an insulating layer. The first electrically conductive layer is disposed below the insulating layer. The PV module further includes a back contact metal layer and a CdTe absorber layer. The back contact metal layer is disposed between the insulating layer and the CdTe absorber layer. The PV module further includes a window layer and a second electrically conductive layer. The window layer is disposed between the CdTe absorber layer and the second electrically conductive layer. At least one first trench extends through the back contact metal layer, at least one second trench extends through the absorber and window layers, and at least one third trench extends through the second electrically conductive layer. A method for monolithically integrating CdTe PV cells is also provided. | 09-23-2010 |
20100263712 | THREE TERMINAL MONOLITHIC MULTIJUNCTION SOLAR CELL - A device and a method for its fabrication. The device may include a first surface, a second surface to receive light into the device, a first photovoltaic cell between the first surface and the second surface, and a second photovoltaic cell between the first surface and the second surface. The first photovoltaic cell includes a first region of a first photovoltaic material exhibiting an excess of a first type of charge carrier and a second region of the first photovoltaic material exhibiting an excess of a second type of charge carrier, and the second photovoltaic cell includes a first region of a second photovoltaic material exhibiting an excess of the first type of charge carrier and a second region of the second photovoltaic material exhibiting an excess of the second type of charge carrier. | 10-21-2010 |
20100263713 | Four Terminal Monolithic Multijunction Solar Cell - A monolithic multijunction photovoltaic device is disclosed which comprises two or more photovoltaic cells between two surfaces. Each of the photovoltaic cell materials include a first region exhibiting an excess of a first charge carrier and a second region exhibiting an excess of a second charge carrier. Contacts are connected to the regions of the photovoltaic cells in configurations that allow excess current to be extracted as useful energy. In one embodiment, a first contact is electrically connected to a second region of a first material, a second contact is electrically connected to a first region of the first material, a third contact is electrically connected to a first region of a second material, and a fourth contact is electrically connected to a third material. In other embodiments, the contacts may be positioned on the surfaces of the monolithic device to minimize shadowing. | 10-21-2010 |
20100269887 | CRYSTALLOGRAPHICALLY TEXTURED METAL SUBSTRATE, CRYSTALLOGRAPHICALLY TEXTURED DEVICE, CELL AND PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE INCLUDING SUCH DEVICE AND THIN LAYER DEPOSITION METHOD - A crystallographically textured metallic substrate includes surfaces for connection and for receiving a thin layer deposit, and is made up of an alloy presenting a cubic crystalline system with centered faces and a predominantly cubic crystallographic texture {100}<001>, the receiving surface including grains mainly presenting crystallographic planes {100} parallel to the receiving surface. The alloy is iron-nickel with weight % relative to total weight: Ni≧30%, Cu≦15%, Cr≦15%, Co≦12%, Mn≦5%, S<0.0007%, P<0.003%, B<0.0005%, Pb<0.0001%, and in the alloy: 34%≦(Ni+Cr+Cu/2+Co/2+Mn). The alloy includes up to 1% in weight of one or several deoxidizing elements chosen among silicon, magnesium, aluminium and calcium, the rest of the elements in the alloy being iron and impurities. | 10-28-2010 |
20100288335 | DEGRADATION-RESISTANT PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICES - A degradation-resistant photovoltaic device is provided. The device includes an active area and at least one photovoltaic cell located in the active area. The photovoltaic cell has an elongated shape with a characteristic width and a characteristic length. The characteristic length is greater than the characteristic width and an average distance from the photovoltaic cell to any edge of the active area is greater than the characteristic width. | 11-18-2010 |
20100313934 | METHOD AND MEANS FOR A HIGH POWER SOLAR CELL - In methods and apparatus for improving the power generated, and thus efficiency of solar cells, a double or triple junction tandem solar cell that has one or two photon filters of the invention in between the solar cell layers, respectively. The photon filter is arranged to reflect photons with wavelength shorter than λ | 12-16-2010 |
20100313935 | PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES AND METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES HAVING TANDEM SEMICONDUCTOR LAYER STACKS - A monolithically-integrated photovoltaic module is provided. The module includes an insulating substrate and a lower electrode above the substrate. The method also includes a lower stack of microcrystalline silicon layers above the lower electrode, an upper stack of amorphous silicon layers above the lower stack, and an upper electrode above the upper stack. The upper and lower stacks of silicon layers have different energy band gaps. The module also includes a built-in bypass diode vertically extending in the upper and lower stacks of silicon layers from the lower electrode to the upper electrode. The built-in bypass diode includes portions of the lower and upper stacks that have a greater crystalline portion than a remainder of the lower and upper stacks. | 12-16-2010 |
20100326496 | HIGH EFFICIENCY PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL FOR SOLAR ENERGY HARVESTING - A photovoltaic cell comprising having improved absorption of electromagnetic radiation is disclosed. The photovoltaic cell can include a rear contact, a first cell having a first band-gap energy, and a rear contact in electrical communication with an electromechanical device. The first cell can include In | 12-30-2010 |
20100326497 | HIGHLY EFFICIENT TANDEM POLYMER PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS - A tandem polymer photovoltaic device includes a first bulk hetero-junction polymer semiconductor layer, a second bulk hetero-junction polymer semiconductor layer spaced apart from the first bulk hetero-junction polymer semiconductor layer, and a metal-semiconductor layer between and in contact with the first and second bulk hetero junction polymer semiconductor layers. The first and second bulk hetero-junction polymer semiconductor layers have complementary photon absorption spectra. | 12-30-2010 |
20110005578 | TANDEM SOLAR CELL AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SAME - A tandem solar cell includes: a substrate; a front electrode disposed on the substrate; a back electrode disposed opposite to the front electrode on the substrate; a first cell disposed below the front electrode and including a first buffer layer and a first light absorption layer; and a second cell disposed above the back electrode and including a second light absorption layer and a second buffer layer. The first light absorption layer includes a CuGaSeS layer and a CuGaSe layer, and the second light absorption layer includes a semiconductor compound selected from the group consisting of CuInSe | 01-13-2011 |
20110056539 | ASSEMBLIES COMPRISING A THERMALLY AND DIMENSIONALLY STABLE POLYIMIDE FILM, AN ELECTRODE AND AN ABSORBER LAYER, AND METHODS RELATING THERETO - The assemblies of the present invention comprise an electrode, an absorber layer and a polyimide film. The polyimide film contains from about 40 to about 95 weight percent of a polyimide derived from: i. at least one aromatic dianhydride, at least about 85 mole percent of such aromatic dianhydride being a rigid rod type dianhydride, and ii. at least one aromatic diamine, at least about 85 mole percent of such aromatic diamine being a rigid rod type diamine. The polyimide films of the present disclosure further comprise a filler that: i. is less than about 800 nanometers in at least one dimension; ii. has an aspect ratio greater than about 3:1 ; iii. is less than the thickness of the polyimide film in all dimensions; and iv. is present in an amount from about 5 to about 60 weight percent of the total weight of the polyimide film. | 03-10-2011 |
20110079272 | THIN-FILM PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERTER AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME - A thin-film photoelectric converter in which a first electrode layer formed of a transparent conductive material, a photoelectric conversion layer for photoelectric conversion, and a second electrode layer formed of a conductive material that reflects light are stacked in that order on an insulating light-transmitting substrate. The photoelectric conversion layer and the second electrode layer are divided by dividing grooves into islands that form a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells separated from each other, adjacent ones of the plurality of photoelectric conversion cells separated by the dividing grooves being electrically connected in series. The photoelectric conversion layer includes: a first semiconductor layer including a microcrystalline structure; and a second semiconductor layer including an amorphous structure, the second semiconductor layer being disposed so as to surround all side wall portions of the first semiconductor layer that extend in in-plane directions of the insulating light-transmitting substrate. | 04-07-2011 |
20110083724 | Monolithic Integration of Photovoltaic Cells - A photovoltaic device and method of forming a photovoltaic device. The photovoltaic device includes a fluorine-containing photovoltaic material and a transparent electrode. Inclusion of fluorine in the photovoltaic material increases its thermal stability. The effect is particularly pronounced in photovoltaic materials based on disordered forms of silicon, including amorphous, nanocrystalline, or microcrystalline silicon. The higher thermal stability permits deposition or annealing of the transparent electrode at high temperature. As a result, high conductivity is achieved for the transparent electrode without degrading the photovoltaic material. The higher conductivity of the transparent electrode facilitates series integration of individual devices to form a module. The method includes forming a photovoltaic material from a fluorinated precursor or treating a photovoltaic material in a fluorine-containing ambient. | 04-14-2011 |
20110100431 | Tandem Solar Cell and Fabricating Method thereof - A tandem solar cell and fabricating method thereof are disclosed. The steps of the fabricating method comprises: a top inverted solar cell having a plurality of inverted solar sub-cells is provided; a bottom normal solar cell having a plurality of normal solar sub-cells accompanying with the inverted solar sub-cells is provided; and processing fit process of the top inverted solar cell and the bottom normal solar cell is executed, wherein an interlayer is disposed between the bottom normal solar cell and the top inverted solar cell, and the interlayer includes a plurality of conductive dots. The plurality of inverted solar sub-cells and normal solar sub-cells are placed with an offset distance from each other, and a plurality of solar sub-cells are formed after the pressing fit process, and the plurality of solar sub-cells are series/parallel connection each other by electrically connecting the plurality of conductive dots. | 05-05-2011 |
20110100432 | THIN FILM SOLAR CELL AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF - A thin film solar cell and a manufacturing method thereof have been disclosed in the present invention. According to the present invention, the thin film solar cell with an isolation groove can prevent generating short paths between electrodes from occurring. | 05-05-2011 |
20110114156 | PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES HAVING A BUILT-IN BYPASS DIODE AND METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES HAVING A BUILT-IN BYPASS DIODE - A photovoltaic device includes: a substrate; lower and upper electrode layers disposed above the substrate; and a semiconductor layer disposed between the lower and upper electrode layers, the semiconductor layer absorbing incident light to excite electrons from the semiconductor layer, wherein the semiconductor layer includes a built-in bypass diode extending between and coupled with the lower and upper electrode layers, the bypass diode permitting electric current to flow through the bypass diode when a reverse bias is applied across the lower and upper electrode layers. | 05-19-2011 |
20110126886 | THIN-FILM SOLAR MODULE WHICH IS CONTACT-CONNECTED ON ONE SIDE AND HAS AN INTERNAL CONTACT LAYER - A thin-film solar module contacted on one side includes a support layer, a photoactive absorber layer and at least one dopant layer deposited over a surface area of at least one side of the absorber layer so as to form a thin-film packet that is divided into thin-film solar cell areas by insulating separating trenches. The thin-film solar module includes first and second contact systems. The first contact system includes contacts connected by an outer contact layer. The second contact system consists of an inner contact layer covering a side of the solar cell areas that face away from the support layer so as to separately discharge excess charge carriers generated by incident light in the absorber layer. The second contact system includes structures that surround and electrically insulate the contacts, which extend through the inner contact layer from the outer contact layer. The first and second contact systems are electrically conductive and connected in series by series contacts in interconnection areas and electrically insulated from each other by an insulation layer outside of the interconnection areas. | 06-02-2011 |
20110139222 | Semiconductor device and method of making thereof - A method of making a semiconductor device includes providing a web substrate, forming a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type over the web substrate, forming a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type over a first side of the first semiconductor layer, forming a first electrode layer over the second semiconductor layer, forming a handle web substrate over the first electrode layer, delaminating the web substrate from the first semiconductor layer after the step of forming the handle web substrate, where at least one opening extends through the first and the second semiconductor layers, and forming a second electrode layer over a second side of the first semiconductor layer such that the first and second electrode layers are in electrical contact with each other. | 06-16-2011 |
20110146758 | REFLECTING MULTILAYER ENCAPSULANT - A solar cell module comprises a solar cell assembly and a reflecting back encapsulant that is laminated to the back non-sun-facing side of the solar cell assembly. The reflecting back encapsulant comprises a co-extrusion or extrusion coated multilayer sheet, and the multilayer sheet comprises a reflecting layer, a first tie layer and optionally a second tie layer that are co-extruded or extrusion coated on the reflecting layer. The multilayer sheet has a total thickness of about 2 to about 50 mil (about 51 to about 1270 μm). The tie layer(s) comprise polymeric material(s) that have a melting temperature of about 80° C. to about 165° C. and an adhesion to glass of at least about 30 lb/inch when measured with the T-peel test. The reflecting layer has a thickness of about 1 to about 35 mil (about 25 to about 889 μm); comprises a polymeric material having a melting temperature between 80° C. and 165° C.; and further comprises about 4 to about 90 wt %, based on the total weight of the reflecting layer composition, of a filler having a refractive index above 1.6 and a mean particle size of 0.1 to 20 μm. | 06-23-2011 |
20110146759 | SOLAR BATTERY MODULE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME - A solar cell mode and a method for manufacturing the same are disclosed. The solar battery module in accordance with the present invention includes a plurality of solar cells arranged in row and column directions; and a conductive ribbon electrically connecting the plurality of solar cells, wherein each of the solar cells has a structure in which a first photoelectric element including a polycrystalline semiconductor layer and a second photoelectric element including an amorphous semiconductor layer are stacked. | 06-23-2011 |
20110155219 | THIN FILM SOLAR CELL AND METHOD FOR FABRICATING THE SAME - A thin film solar cell includes a substrate, a transparent electrode layer, a semiconductor layer, a back electrode layer, a positive electrode and a negative electrode. The semiconductor layer is formed on the transparent electrode layer and has grooves. The back electrode layer is formed on the semiconductor layer, in which formation of the semiconductor layer with the back electrode layer is patterned and the patterned formation with the transparent electrode layer form unit cells connected in series. The positive electrode is formed upon a front unit cell of the unit cells. The negative electrode is formed upon a last unit cell of the unit cells. The back electrode layer is formed to fill at least the grooves of the front unit cell and the last unit cell to directly connect with the transparent electrode layer. A method for fabricating a thin film solar cell is also provided. | 06-30-2011 |
20110168237 | INTEGRATED THIN-FILM SOLAR BATTERY AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF - An integrated thin-film solar battery, comprising:
| 07-14-2011 |
20110186110 | THIN-FILM SOLAR CELL SYSTEM AND METHOD OF APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING A THIN-FILM SOLAR CELL - A method for manufacturing a thin-film solar cell includes providing a first conducting layer on a substrate that has an area at least 0.75 m2. The first conducting layer is located in a deposition portion of the area. An ultraviolet laser beam is applied through a lens to the first conducting layer. Portions of the first conducting layer are scribed form a trench through the layer. The lens focuses the beam and has a focal length at least 100 mm. The focused beam includes an effective portion effective for the scribing and an ineffective portion ineffective for the scribing. The substrate sags and the first conducting layer remains in the effective portion of the focused beam across the area during the step of applying. One or more active layers are provided on the first conducting layer. A second conducting layer is provided on the one or more active layers. | 08-04-2011 |
20110186111 | PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE INCLUDING INTEGRATED PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS - A photovoltaic module and its manufacturing method. The module includes a sintered silicon support including several integrated photovoltaic cells. | 08-04-2011 |
20110186112 | MULTI-JUNCTION PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE AND THE PROCESSING THEREOF - The present invention is related to a multi-junction photovoltaic module comprising a first photovoltaic sub-module and a second photovoltaic sub-module stacked on the first photovoltaic sub-module, wherein
| 08-04-2011 |
20110197952 | PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD FOR A PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE - A photovoltaic device has a first photovoltaic cell unit and a second photovoltaic cell unit stacked on either side of a conductive intermediate layer, between a first electrode and a second electrode, the first electrode and second electrode being electrically connected by a channel formed through the first photovoltaic cell unit, the second photovoltaic cell unit, and the intermediate layer as far as the surface of the first electrode, and a PN junction being formed at an end section of the intermediate layer that contacts the second electrode by adding dopant. | 08-18-2011 |
20110197953 | METHOD FOR CONNECTING THIN-FILM SOLAR CELLS AND THIN-FILM SOLAR MODULE - A method for forming at least one electrically conducting contact area on a thin-film solar module. The method steps include providing a plurality of thin-film solar cells including cell material layers; applying the thin-film solar cells to a support material; and forming the at least one electrically conducting contact area on the thin-film solar module by using a cold gas spraying process. A thin-film solar module includes a support material, a plurality of cell material layers applied to the support material, and at least one electrically conducting contact area formed on the thin-film solar module by a cold gas spraying process. | 08-18-2011 |
20110220177 | TANDEM PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE WITH DUAL FUNCTION SEMICONDUCTOR LAYER - A tandem photovoltaic device includes at least two photovoltaic cells stacked in an optical and electrical series relationship. At least one of the tandem cells includes a dual function semiconductor layer fabricated from a dual function semiconductor material. This dual function layer is an electronically active constituent of the cell. The dual function layer also is optically active and creates a reflective condition which redirects a portion of the light which has passed through the cell back through the cell's active layers to photo generate additional photocurrent. Use of the dual function material eliminates the need for incorporating separate semiconductor and reflective layers in a photovoltaic device. Further disclosed are exemplary formulations of some dual function materials. | 09-15-2011 |
20110220178 | ASSEMBLIES COMPRISING A THERMALLY AND DIMENSIONALLY STABLE POLYIMIDE FILM, AN ELECTRODE AND A LIGHT ABSORBER LAYER, AND METHODS RELATING THERETO - The assemblies of the present invention comprise an electrode, an light absorber layer and a polyimide film. The polyimide film contains from about 40 to about 95 weight percent of a polyimide derived from: i. at least one aromatic dianhydride, at least about 85 mole percent of such aromatic dianhydride being a rigid rod type dianhydride, and ii. at least one aromatic diamine, at least about 85 mole percent of such aromatic diamine being a rigid rod type diamine. The polyimide films of the present disclosure further comprise a filler that: i. is less than about 100 nanometers in all dimensions; and ii. is present in an amount from about 5 to about 60 weight percent of the total weight of the polyimide film. | 09-15-2011 |
20110220179 | ASSEMBLIES COMPRISING A THERMALLY AND DIMENSIONALLY STABLE POLYIMIDE FILM, AN ELECTRODE AND AN ABSORBER LAYER, AND METHODS RELATING THERETO - The assemblies of the present disclosure comprise an electrode, and a polyimide film. The polyimide film contains from about 40 to about 95 weight percent of a polyimide derived from at least one aromatic dianhydride component, and at least one aromatic diamine component. The aromatic dianhydride and aromatic diamine component are selected from the group consisting of rigid rod diamine, non-rigid rod diamine and combinations thereof. The mole ratio of dianhydride to diamine is 48-52:52-48 and the ratio of A:B is 20-80:80-20. A is the mole percent of rigid rod dianhydride and rigid rod diamine, and B is the mole percent of non-rigid rod dianhydride and non-rigid rod diamine. The polyimide films of the present disclosure further comprise a filler that is less than about 100 nanometers in all dimensions and is present in an amount from about 5 to about 60 weight percent of the total weight of the polyimide film. | 09-15-2011 |
20110259403 | PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE AND MANUFACTURING THEREOF - Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a photovoltaic device. The method comprises forming a first electrode, a photoelectric conversion layer and a second electrode on a substrate sequentially; forming an insulating layer covering the second electrode; forming a first trench line and a second trench line in the insulating layer on the second electrode such that the second electrode is exposed, wherein at least two photovoltaic cells are included between the first trench line and the second trench line; and forming a first conductive bus bar and a second conductive bus bar by filling the first and the second trench lines with a conductive material. | 10-27-2011 |
20110265856 | Monolithic thin-film photovoltaic device with enhanced output voltage - A monolithic thin-film tandem solar cell wherein the enhanced output voltage as high as 100 V or higher can be achieved in a single monolithic device and wherein automatic current matching is achieved between the cells. The monolithic cell comprises a plurality of individual tandem solar cells arranged side-by-side in the longitudinal direction of the substrate. Each individual tandem solar cell consists of a pair of thin-film photovoltaic cells arranged side-by-side. The layers are arranged so that when one of the overlapped layers is a heavily doped P-layer, the other one, which is coplanar to this P-layer, is a heavily doped N-layer and so that overlapped P- and N-layers form an area of a tunnel junction through which the first thin-film photovoltaic cell and a second thin-film photovoltaic cell are electrically connected to each other in series. | 11-03-2011 |
20110265857 | Monolithic integration of bypass diodes with a thin film solar module - A solar module with a bypass diode integrated therein, fabricated on the basis of the standard thin film solar module. By connecting a series of p-n junction to a non-functional p-n junction in anti-parallel, the non-functional p-n junction in the standard thin film solar module is used as the bypass diode. Hence no additional bypass diode is needed in the design. | 11-03-2011 |
20110265858 | SEE-THROUGH SOLAR BATTERY MODULE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF - A see-through solar battery module includes a transparent substrate, and a plurality of first block electrodes, and each first block electrode does not contact the adjacent first block electrode along a first direction. The see-through solar battery module further includes a plurality of block photoelectric transducing layers, each block photoelectric transducing layer is formed on the corresponding first block electrode along the first direction and formed on the corresponding first block electrode and the transparent substrate along a second direction as an array, and each block photoelectric transducing layer does not contact the adjacent block photoelectric transducing layer along the first direction. The see-through solar battery module further includes a plurality of second block electrodes. Each second block electrode is formed on the block photoelectric transducing layer along the first direction and formed on the block photoelectric transducing layer and the first block electrode along the second direction. | 11-03-2011 |
20110265859 | HIGH VOLTAGE SEMICONDUCTOR BASED WAFER AND A SOLAR MODULE HAVING INTEGRATED ELECTRONIC DEVICES - A high voltage semiconductor based wafer, which defines a front surface for exposure to solar light and an opposite back surface, The semiconductor based wafer includes a plurality of p-n junctions each exposed to solar light at the front surface, and the plurality of p-n junctions are electrically connected in series to provide a voltage substantially higher than the voltage of a single p-n junction. | 11-03-2011 |
20110277820 | Solar Cell Structure Including A Silicon Carrier Containing A By-Pass Diode - A solar cell structure including a silicon carrier defining a front side and a back side, and including an N-type portion having an exposed portion on the front side of the carrier and a P-type portion having an exposed portion on the front side of the carrier, the N-type portion and the P-type portion defining a P-N junction, and a solar cell defining a front side and a back side, wherein the solar cell is connected to the front side of the carrier such that the back side of the solar cell is electrically coupled to the exposed portion of the N-type portion, and wherein the front side of the solar cell is electrically coupled to the exposed portion of the P-type portion. | 11-17-2011 |
20110284056 | SOLAR CELL HAVING REDUCED LEAKAGE CURRENT AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME - A solar cell having a reduced leakage current and a method for fabricating the same are provided. The solar cell includes a plurality of solar cells, and a plurality of cell division parts dividing each of the plurality of solar cells. Each of the plurality of solar cells includes a transparent electrode layer formed on a substrate, a first photoelectric conversion layer formed on the transparent electrode layer, an interlayer formed on the first photoelectric conversion layer, first and second division parts in which the interlayer is substantially absent, and a second photoelectric conversion layer formed on the interlayer. The cell division parts are formed within their respective second division parts. | 11-24-2011 |
20120000510 | LAMINATED SOLAR CELL INTERCONNECTION SYSTEM - Thin film photovoltaic cells and strings of cells may be electrically joined in series. More specifically, electrical contacts between photovoltaic cells may be formed by positioning the cells between a pair of interconnection substrates, each of which includes a conductive grid. By positioning the cells appropriately between the substrates, an electrical connection is formed between one polarity of a given cell and the opposite polarity of an adjacent cell. | 01-05-2012 |
20120000511 | METHOD OF MANUFACTURING CRYSTALLINE SILICON SOLAR CELLS USING EPITAXIAL DEPOSITION - Embodiments of the invention provide a thin single crystalline silicon film solar cell and methods of forming the same. The method includes forming a thin single crystalline silicon layer on a silicon growth substrate, followed by forming front or rear solar cell structures on and/or in the thin single crystalline silicon film. The method also includes attaching the thin single crystalline silicon film to a mechanical carrier and then separating the growth substrate from the thin single crystalline silicon film along a cleavage plane formed between the growth substrate and the thin single crystalline silicon film. Front or rear solar cell structures are then formed on and/or in the thin single crystalline silicon film opposite the mechanical carrier to complete formation of the solar cell. | 01-05-2012 |
20120012158 | PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERSION MODULE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME - A photoelectric conversion module includes a substrate; a transparent conductive layer on the substrate; a plurality of first scribe lines formed on the substrate by scribing the transparent conductive layer so as to divide the transparent conductive layer into a plurality of unit photoelectric cells; and a plurality of second scribe lines formed along edges of the substrate by scribing the transparent conductive layer so as to electrically insulate the unit photoelectric cells from one another along the edges of the substrate. | 01-19-2012 |
20120037211 | Thin Film of Solar Battery Structure, Thin Film of Solar Array and Manufacturing Method Thereof - The present invention proposes a thin-film solar cell structure, a method for manufacturing the same and a thin-film solar cell array. The method for manufacturing thin-film solar cell structures comprises: forming at least two first trenches through a first surface into said semiconductor substrate, forming at least one second trench through a second surface into said semiconductor substrate, said second trench located between two neighboring said first trenches; forming a first structure on sidewalls of each of said first trenches; to forming a second structure on sidewalls of each of said second trench; and cutting or stretching said semiconductor substrate to form thin-film solar cell structures. The distance between the electrodes can be effectively shortened through the present invention such that the recombination rate between the electrons and the holes can be reduced and the bulk recombination current and the surface recombination current can be reduced to achieve the objective of improving power generation efficiency. The thin-film solar cell structure and the method for manufacturing the same proposed in the present invention can also save semiconductor material and reduce production cost. | 02-16-2012 |
20120042934 | LAMINATED BODY HAVING SEMICONDUCTOR LAYER AND LAYER THICKNESS MEASUREMENT PORTION, AND THIN-FILM PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERSION DEVICE AND INTEGRATED THIN-FILM SOLAR CELL HAVING THE SAME - A laminated body, comprising:
| 02-23-2012 |
20120060900 | Cd-Free, Oxide Buffer Layers For Thin Film CIGS Solar Cells By Chemical Solution Deposition Methods - A process described herein provides an economical means for producing the oxide-based buffer layers using a wet chemical CSD process wherein the desired buffer layer material results from the evaporation of a chemical already containing the material in solution. Thus, no residual liquid chemical elements remain after deposition, and as there is no reaction to create the buffer material, as is the case with CdS CBD, the liquid elements in CSD have sufficiently long shelf life after mixing to as to improve manufacturability and further reduce waste. Furthermore, as there is no in-chamber reaction to create the buffer material solution, there are many options for delivering said solution to the CIGS absorber layer. Finally, as the oxide films for the CdS replacement have inherently better transmission in the blue spectrum, aggressive thinning of films to improve current generation is unnecessary. | 03-15-2012 |
20120090664 | PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE - A photovoltaic device in which leakage current is suppressed and the conversion efficiency is improved. A photovoltaic device ( | 04-19-2012 |
20120111391 | Reconfigurable Photovoltaic Structure - A photovoltaic structure is provided. The photovoltaic structure has photovoltaic elements that can be electrically connected to one another to reduce mismatch. The photovoltaic elements can be electrically connected based on sorting the photovoltaic elements by irradiance level, minimizing mismatch, or maximizing output power. Where sorting is used, the photovoltaic elements can be connected in a serpentine arrangement. | 05-10-2012 |
20120118354 | METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SINGLE CRYSTAL SILICON SOLAR CELL AND SINGLE CRYSTAL SILICON SOLAR CELL - A single crystal silicon solar cell including a stack having at least a light-reflecting film, a single crystal silicon layer, a transparent adhesive layer, and a transparent insulator substrate; a plurality of areas of a first conductivity type and a plurality of areas of a second conductivity type formed in a surface of the silicon layer near the light-reflecting film; a plurality of pn junctions formed in a plane direction of the silicon layer; a plurality of first individual electrodes, each being formed on each one of the plurality of areas of the first conductivity type, and a plurality of second individual electrodes, each being formed on each one of the plurality of areas of the second conductivity type; and a first collector electrode for connecting the plurality of first individual electrodes and a second collector electrode for connecting the plurality of second individual electrodes. | 05-17-2012 |
20120125406 | STACKED PHOTOVOLTAIC ELEMENT AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING STACKED PHOTOVOLTAIC ELEMENT - Disclosed is a stacked photovoltaic element, including: a first photovoltaic element portion including at least one photovoltaic element, stacked over a substrate; an intermediate layer made of a metal oxide, stacked over the first photovoltaic element portion; a buffer layer in an amorphous state, stacked over the intermediate layer; and a second photovoltaic element portion including at least one photovoltaic element, stacked over the buffer layer, wherein a conductive layer of the second photovoltaic element portion in contact with the buffer layer is a microcrystalline layer. | 05-24-2012 |
20120138126 | SOLAR CELL - A solar cell | 06-07-2012 |
20120145224 | SOLAR CELL MODULE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAME - Disclosed is a solar cell module wherein peeling between a substrate and a photoelectric conversion layer is not easily generated. In the solar cell module, a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, each of which has a transparent electrode ( | 06-14-2012 |
20120145225 | TRENCH LINE FOR THE DISCONNECTION OF A SOLAR CELL - Provided is a trench line for the disconnection of a solar cell, capable of effectively insulating a semiconductor layer at an upper portion of a substrate from a semiconductor layer at a side portion of the substrate and improving disconnection reliability. The trench line for the disconnection of a solar cell according to the disclosure which electrically insulates the semiconductor layers formed at the upper portion and the side portion of the substrate of the solar cell from each other, includes a plurality of unit trench lines which are disposed to intersect at an upper surface of the substrate of the solar cell. Intersecting points of the intersecting unit trench lines are positioned on the unit trench lines and are positioned at points spaced inwardly from starting points or ending points of the unit trench lines by a predetermined distance. | 06-14-2012 |
20120152321 | PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICES IN TANDEM ARCHITECTURE - A tandem photovoltaic device includes a first cell and a second cell arranged in tandem. The first cell is configured to receive incident electromagnetic radiation and includes a first charge separating layer having a first semiconducting polymer adapted to create electric charge carriers generated by electromagnetic radiation. A second cell is configured to receive electromagnetic radiation passing out of the first cell in a light propagation path. The second cell includes a second charge separating layer having a second semiconducting polymer adapted to create electric charge carriers generated by electromagnetic radiation. A first titanium oxide layer is interposed between the first and second cells, wherein the first titanium oxide layer is substantially amorphous and has a general formula of TiOx where X being a number of 1 to 1.96. | 06-21-2012 |
20120152322 | VERTICAL JUNCTION PV CELLS - A monolithic semiconductor solar cell including a semiconductor layer including a plurality of pores, wherein walls of the pores are doped, forming vertical junctions between the walls of the pores and a bulk of the semiconductor, the pores each contain a conductor which is in electrical contact with the walls of the pores, and the conductors of the pores are electrically interconnected to provide an output voltage of the solar cell. A monolithic semiconductor solar cell including a semiconductor layer including a plurality of trenches, wherein walls of the trenches are doped, forming vertical junctions between the walls of the trenches and a bulk of the semiconductor, the trenches each contain a conductor which is in electrical contact with the walls of the trenches, and the conductors of the trenches are electrically interconnected to provide an output voltage of the solar cell. Related apparatus and methods are also described. | 06-21-2012 |
20120167954 | MONOLITHIC MODULE ASSEMBLY USING BACK CONTACT SOLAR CELLS AND METAL RIBBON - Embodiments of the invention contemplate the formation of a solar cell module comprising an array of interconnected solar cells that are formed using an automated processing sequence that is used to form a novel solar cell interconnect structure. In one embodiment, the module structure described herein includes a patterned adhesive layer that is disposed on a backsheet to receive and bond a plurality of patterned conducting ribbons thereon. The bonded conducting ribbons are then used to interconnect an array of solar cell devices to form a solar cell module that can be electrically connected to external components that can receive the solar cell module's generated electricity. | 07-05-2012 |
20120192923 | PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE - In one aspect of the present invention, a photovoltaic device is provided. The photovoltaic device includes a first semiconductor layer; a p+-type semiconductor layer; and an interlayer interposed between the first semiconductor layer and the p+-type semiconductor layer, wherein the interlayer includes magnesium and tellurium. | 08-02-2012 |
20120192924 | MONOLITHIC INTEGRATION OF SUPER-STRATE THIN FILM PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES - An integrated structure for solar modules may be formed by deposition of a transparent conductive material layer on a transparent support, forming scribe lines through the transparent conductive material layer, depositing a semiconductor window layer, depositing a solar cell absorber layer, depositing a first conductive layer, making cuts through the layers to expose a top surface of the transparent conductive material layer, depositing a second conductive layer and making isolation scribes that separate back contacts of adjacent solar cells from each other. Alternatively, two conductive films may be used with high resistance plugs, thereby permitting optimization of functions. The first film may be selected to optimize good ohmic contact with the absorber layer and/or to present a high diffusion barrier, whereas the second conductive film may be selected to optimize good ohmic contact with the transparent conductive material layer. | 08-02-2012 |
20120199178 | RAW MODULE FOR PRODUCING A THIN-FILM SOLAR MODULE, AND THIN-FILM SOLAR MODULE - A raw module is provided that includes a substrate, a front electrode layer, a semiconductor layer, and a rear electrode layer. The layers are separated by structuring trenches into sub cells, which are electrically connected in series in an interconnection direction. The module has a first separating region separating the module into two sub modules along a first separating line running in the interconnection direction. The separating region includes: a first and a second isolation trench running parallel to one another and on both sides of the first separating line in the interconnection direction; a third isolation trench extending from the first isolation trench at least as far as the first separating line but not as far as the second isolation trench; and a fourth isolation trench extending from the second isolation trench at least as far as the separating line but not as far as the first isolation trench. | 08-09-2012 |
20120204939 | Structure and Method for High Efficiency CIS/CIGS-based Tandem Photovoltaic Module - A tandem thin-film photovoltaic module includes a bottom device having a first PV junction including a p+ type absorber having an energy band-gap ranging from 1.0 to 1.2 eV, sandwiched between a first transparent electrode and a lower reflective electrode. The tandem module also includes a top device mechanically coupled to the bottom device. The top device is a bi-facial device having a second PV junction sandwiched by transparent conductive oxide electrodes. The second PV junction includes a second p+ type absorber engineered with an energy band-gap within 1.7 to 2.0 eV. A tandem thin-film photovoltaic module is configured have a superstrate for the top device for receiving sunlight radiation. The tandem thin-film photovoltaic module is configured to covert high-energy electromagnetic radiation to electric current at the top device and convert low-energy electromagnetic radiation to electric current at the bottom device with a combined conversion efficiency of 18% or greater. | 08-16-2012 |
20120227790 | ASSEMBLIES COMPRISING A POLYIMIDE FILM AND AN ELECTRODE, AND METHODS RELATING THERETO - The assemblies of the present disclosure comprise an electrode, and a polyimide film. The polyimide film comprises a sub-micron filler and a polyimide. The polyimide is derived from at least one aromatic dianhydride component selected from rigid rod dianhydride, non-rigid rod dianhydride and combinations thereof, and at least one aromatic diamine component selected from rigid rod diamine, non-rigid rod diamine and combinations thereof. The mole ratio of dianhydride to diamine is 48-52:52-48 and the ratio of X:Y is 20-80:80-20 where X is the mole percent of rigid rod dianhydride and rigid rod diamine, and Y is the mole percent of non-rigid rod dianhydride and non-rigid rod diamine. The sub-micron filler is less than 550 nanometers in at least one dimension; has an aspect ratio greater than 3:1; is less than the thickness of the film in all dimensions. | 09-13-2012 |
20120234374 | THIN-FILM PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE - A method of forming a longitudinally continuous photovoltaic (PV) module includes arranging strips of thin-film PV material to be spaced apart from and substantially parallel to each other. The method also includes laminating a bottom layer to a first surface of the strips of thin-film PV material, the bottom layer including multiple bottom layer conductive strips. The method also includes laminating a top layer to a second surface of the strips of thin-film PV material opposite the first surface, the top layer including multiple top layer conductive strips. Laminating the bottom layer to the first surface and laminating the top layer to the second surface includes serially and redundantly interconnecting the strips of thin-film PV material together by connecting each one of the strips of thin-film PV material to a different one of the bottom layer conductive strips and a different one of the top layer conductive strips. | 09-20-2012 |
20120234375 | THIN FILM SOLAR CELL AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME - A thin film solar cell includes, on a substrate, a first electrode layer formed of a transparent conductive material, a photoelectric conversion layer, and a second electrode layer including a conductive material that reflects light. The thin film solar cell includes a plurality of unit solar battery cells divided by scribe lines. The second electrode layer and the first electrode layer of the unit solar battery cell adjacent to the second electrode layer are connected in the scribe line formed in the photoelectric conversion layer. The unit solar battery cells are electrically connected in series. The scribe lines on both sides of at least one of the unit solar battery cells are formed such that the unit solar battery cell held between the scribe lines meanders while having fixed width in a predetermined direction and have same shapes that overlap when the scribe lines translate in the predetermined direction. | 09-20-2012 |
20120240980 | Interconnection Schemes for Photovoltaic Cells - In particular embodiments, a method is described for fabricating a photovoltaic cell and includes providing a substrate; depositing a bottom-contact layer over the substrate; masking a portion of the bottom-contact layer; depositing a photovoltaic-absorber layer over the bottom-contact layer; depositing a top-contact layer over the a photovoltaic-absorber layer; and placing an interconnection sheet onto the top-contact layer. A portion of the bottom-contact layer is left exposed after depositing the photovoltaic-absorber layer and the top-contact layer as a result of the masking, thereby leaving the exposed portion of the bottom-contact layer suitable for use as an electrical contact for the interconnection sheet. In this way, the interconnection sheet electrically connects the photovoltaic cell with the adjacent photovoltaic cells via electrical contact with the top-contact layer of one photovoltaic cell and the exposed bottom-contact layer of an adjacent photovoltaic cell. | 09-27-2012 |
20120247539 | Rear-Contact Heterojunction Photovoltaic Cell - The invention relates to a semiconductor device comprising: a crystalline semiconductor substrate ( | 10-04-2012 |
20120279556 | Photovoltaic Power-Generating Apparatus and Method For Manufacturing Same - Provided are a photovoltaic apparatus and a manufacturing method thereof. The photovoltaic apparatus includes: substrate; a back electrode layer disposed on the substrate; a plurality of first intermediate layers disposed on the back electrode layer; a plurality of second intermediate layers disposed on the back electrode layer and each disposed between the first intermediate layers; light absorbing layers disposed on the first intermediate layers and the second intermediate layers; and a front electrode layer disposed on the light absorbing layer. | 11-08-2012 |
20120285512 | SOLAR CELL ARRAY AND THIN-FILM SOLAR MODULE AND PRODUCTION METHOD THEREFOR - A solar cell array is described which can be designed in particular as a thin-film solar module. A production method for a solar cell array is further described. | 11-15-2012 |
20120291853 | SEE-THROUGH SOLAR BATTERY MODULE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF - A see-through solar battery module includes a transparent substrate, a plurality of striped metal electrodes formed on the transparent substrate along a first direction, and a plurality of striped photoelectric transducing layers respectively formed on the corresponding striped metal electrode and the transparent substrate along the first direction. Two lateral sides of each striped photoelectric transducing layer do not contact the transparent substrate. The see-through solar battery module further includes a plurality of striped transparent electrodes respectively formed on the transparent substrate, the corresponding striped metal electrode, and the corresponding striped photoelectric transducing layer along the first direction, so that the plurality of striped metal electrodes and the plurality of striped transparent electrodes are in series connection along a second direction. | 11-22-2012 |
20120298184 | VOLUME COMPENSATION WITHIN A PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE - Volume compensation in photovoltaic device is provided. The photovoltaic device has an outer transparent casing and a substrate that, together, define an inner volume. At least one solar cell is on the substrate. A filler layer seals the at least one solar cell within the inner volume. A container within the inner volume has an opening in fluid communication with the filler layer. A diaphragm is affixed to the opening thereby sealing the interior of the container from the filler layer. The diaphragm is configured to decrease the volume within the container when the filler layer thermally expands and to increase the volume within the container when the filler layer thermally contracts. In some instances, the substrate is hollowed and the container is formed within this hollow. The container can have multiple openings, each sealed with a diaphragm. There can be multiple containers within the photovoltaic device. | 11-29-2012 |
20120298185 | LIGHT-TRANSMITTING SOLAR CELL MODULE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME, AND MOBILE OBJECT INCLUDING THE SAME - A light-transmitting solar cell module includes a light-transmitting portion that allows light to pass through from a front surface to a rear surface of a power generation portion. A portion of the light-transmitting portion is covered by an insulating non-transparent member. | 11-29-2012 |
20120312353 | SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENT HAVING DIAMOND-CONTAINING ELECTRODES AND USE THEREOF - A semiconductor component includes at least one electrode arrangement, the electrode arrangement having at least two electrodes, at least one electrode of which is an electrode including diamond. The semiconductor component has at least one monolithically integrated solar cell as energy source for the at least one electrode arrangement. The semiconductor component may be used for example in hydrogen production by electrolysis, in electroanalysis and also in water treatment. | 12-13-2012 |
20120318329 | INTEGRATED THIN FILM PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF - Disclosed is an integrated thin film photovoltaic module that includes: a first cell and a second cell, all of which are formed respectively by stacking on a substrate a lower electrode, a photoelectric conversion layer, and an upper electrode, wherein the lower electrode of the first cell and the lower electrode of the second cell are separated by a lower electrode separation groove, and wherein a plurality of through holes are formed to be spaced from each other in the photoelectric conversion layer of the second cell in order to connect the upper electrode of the first cell with the lower electrode of the second cell. | 12-20-2012 |
20120318330 | VOLTAGE MATCHED MULTIJUNCTION SOLAR CELL - A voltage matched multijunction solar cell having first and second solar cell stacks which are electrically connected parallel to each other. The first solar cell stack is optimized for absorption of incoming solar light in a first wavelength range and the second solar cell stack is optimized for absorption of incoming solar light in a second wavelength range, wherein the first and the second wavelength range do not or at most only partially overlap each other. | 12-20-2012 |
20120318331 | FLEXIBLE SOLAR CELL INTERCONNECTION SYSTEMS AND METHODS - Disclosed is a highly automated method of interconnecting flexible solar cells to form solar modules having a wide variety of sizes and electrical characteristics. The method is fast and economical, providing many attributes of a “pseudo monolithic integration” scheme that has previously been attainable only on rigid substrates. | 12-20-2012 |
20120325291 | METHOD FOR PRODUCING BACK ELECTRODE TYPE, SOLAR CELL, BACK ELECTRODE TYPE SOLAR CELL AND BACK ELECTRODE TYPE SOLAR CELL MODULE - A method for producing a back electrode type solar cell including the steps of forming a light-receiving surface diffusion layer and an anti-reflection film by applying, to a light-receiving surface of a silicon substrate, a solution containing a compound containing an impurity identical in conductivity type to the silicon substrate, a titanium alkoxide, and an alcohol, followed by heat treatment, and forming a light-receiving surface passivation film on the light-receiving surface of the silicon substrate by heat treatment; a back electrode type solar cell including a light-receiving surface diffusion layer, and an anti-reflection film on the light-receiving surface diffusion layer, made of titanium oxide containing an impurity identical in conductivity type to a silicon substrate; and a back electrode type solar cell module including the back electrode type solar cells. | 12-27-2012 |
20130000700 | SOLAR CELL AND MANUFACTURING METHOD OF THE SAME - Disclosed are a solar cell and a manufacturing method of the same. The solar cell includes a substrate; a back electrode layer on the substrate; a light absorbing layer including a second perforation hole on the back electrode layer; a window layer on the light absorbing layer; and a barrier layer between the substrate and the back electrode layer. | 01-03-2013 |
20130014806 | WIRE ARRAY SOLAR CELLS EMPLOYING MULTIPLE JUNCTIONS - Wire array solar cells including tandem cells are disclosed. Each solar cell structure in the wire array can comprise a plurality of tandem cells, each tandem cell having multiple junctions separated by tunnel diodes. The junctions in the tandem cell have different bandgaps and are constructed to absorb different light spectra. Typically, each solar cell comprises an inner cell and an outer cell. The bandgap of the inner cell junction is constructed to be lower than the bandgap of the outer cell junction. The absorption and respective thicknesses of the inner and outer cell junctions is chosen so that the series current through the structure is matched in each cell and maximized. | 01-17-2013 |
20130019924 | Nanoscopically Thin Photovoltaic Junction Solar Cells - Nanoscopically thin photovoltaic junction solar cells are disclosed herein. In an embodiment, there is provided a photovoltaic film | 01-24-2013 |
20130025651 | SUBSTRATE FOR PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERSION DEVICE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SUBSTRATE, THIN-FILM PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERSION DEVICE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE THIN-FILM PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERSION DEVICE, AND SOLAR CELL MODULE - This invention relates to a method of manufacturing a substrate for photoelectric conversion device including, on a substrate, a first electrode layer formed of a transparent conductive material. The method includes a first transparent conductive film forming step of forming a first transparent conductive film on the substrate, a second transparent conductive film forming step of forming a second transparent conductive film under a film forming condition that an etching rate is low compared with the first transparent conductive film at a later etching step, and an etching step of wet-etching the second and first transparent conductive films to form recesses that pierce through at least the second transparent conductive film, with the bottoms of the recesses being present in the first transparent conductive film. | 01-31-2013 |
20130032197 | THIN FILM SOLAR CELL MODULE INCLUDING SERIES-CONNECTED CELLS FORMED ON A FLEXIBLE SUBSTRATE BY USING LITHOGRAPHY - Solar thin film modules are provided with reduced lateral dimensions of isolation trenches and contact trenches, which provide for a series connection of the individual solar cells. To this end lithography and etch techniques are applied to pattern the individual material layers, thereby reducing parasitic shunt leakages compared to conventional laser scribing techniques. In particular, there may be series connected solar cells formed on a flexible substrate material that are highly efficient in indoor applications. | 02-07-2013 |
20130037085 | SOLAR CELL MODULE - The invention relates to a solar cell module which comprises a base having photovoltaically active zones and photovoltaically inactive zones, at least one diffractive element being arranged above at least one photovoltaically inactive zone of the base. | 02-14-2013 |
20130037086 | PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE - A photovoltaic device and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. The photovoltaic device includes: a substrate; a first conductive layer formed on the substrate; P layers and N layers alternately formed along a first direction on the first conductive layer; and I layers covering the P layers and the N layers on the first conductive layer, wherein the P layers and the N layers are separated from each other by a first interval, the I layers are formed between the P layers and the N layers that are separated by the first interval, and the P layers, the I layers, and the N layers formed along the first direction form unit cells. | 02-14-2013 |
20130068286 | NANOWIRE-BASED PHOTOVOLTAIC ENERGY CONVERSION DEVICES AND RELATED FABRICATION METHODS - Nanowire-based photovoltaic energy conversion devices and related fabrication methods therefor are described. A plurality of photovoltaic (PV) nanowires extend outwardly from a surface layer of a substrate, each PV nanowire having a root end near the substrate surface layer and a tip end opposite the root end. For one preferred embodiment, a canopy-style tip-side electrode layer contacts the tip ends of the PV nanowires and is separated from the substrate surface layer by an air gap layer, the PV nanowires being disposed within the air gap layer. For another preferred embodiment, a tip-side electrode layer is disposed upon a layer of optically transparent, electrically insulating solid filler material that laterally surrounds the PV nanowires along a portion of their lengths, wherein an air gap is disposed between the solid filler layer and the substrate surface layer. Methods for fabricating the nanowire-based photovoltaic energy conversion devices are also described. | 03-21-2013 |
20130068287 | Rapid Thermal Activation of Flexible Photovoltaic Cells and Modules - A photovoltaic cell includes a polymer window and at least one active semiconductor layer that is conditioned using a cadmium chloride treatment process. The photovoltaic cell is heated, during the cadmium chloride treatment process by a rapid thermal activation process to maintain polymer transparency. A method of producing a photovoltaic cell using the rapid thermal activation process and an apparatus to conduct rapid thermal activation processing are also disclosed. | 03-21-2013 |
20130074907 | MONOLITHIC InGaN SOLAR CELL POWER GENERATION WITH INTEGRATED EFFICIENT SWITCHING DC-DC VOLTAGE CONVERTOR - A single monolithic integrated circuit ( | 03-28-2013 |
20130074908 | ORGANIC THIN-FILM SOLAR CELL MODULE - An organic thin-film solar cell module comprising a substrate, a first electrode layer formed on the substrate, a photoelectric conversion layer formed in a pattern on the first electrode layer and including different types of photoelectric conversion parts having different absorption wavelength ranges, a second electrode layer formed so as to cover the photoelectric conversion layer, and an insulating layer formed in a pattern between the first and second electrode layers and arranged between the photoelectric conversion parts, whereby a buffer layer or layers are formed, depending on the type of the photoelectric conversion part, in the position between the photoelectric conversion parts and the first or second electrode layer. | 03-28-2013 |
20130087185 | SILICON RIBBON, SPHERICAL SILICON, SOLAR CELL, SOLAR CELL MODULE, METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SILICON RIBBON, AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SPHERICAL SILICON - Disclosed are a silicon ribbon and spherical silicon directly fabricated from a melt, wherein a nitrogen concentration of the silicon ribbon and the spherical silicon is 5×10 | 04-11-2013 |
20130104965 | SOLAR CELL MODULE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREFOR | 05-02-2013 |
20130112244 | LOW-BANDGAP, MONOLITHIC, MULTI-BANDGAP, OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES - Low bandgap, monolithic, multi-bandgap, optoelectronic devices ( | 05-09-2013 |
20130118556 | SOLAR SUNROOF FOR VEHICLE - Disclosed is a solar cell sunroof for a vehicle in which a solar cell using a substrate which can be flexibly bent depending on a curvature of the body of the vehicle is provided. More specifically, the solar sunroof uses a low-priced semi-transparent solar cell. In the solar cell sunroof for a vehicle, a solar cell module is attached to one side of the sunroof. This solar cell module includes a flexible plastic substrate which can be bent along the curved surface of the sunroof, the flexible plastic substrate can be made of polymers including polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, polyacryl, polyimide, polyamide, and polystyrene, a blend material mixing two or more of the polymers, or a copolymer. | 05-16-2013 |
20130133720 | SOLAR BATTERY MODULE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF - A solar battery module includes a substrate, striped metal electrode layers formed alternately on the substrate along a first direction, striped photoelectric transducing layers, striped transparent electrode layers, and electrode lines. Each striped photoelectric transducing layer is formed on the striped metal electrode layer and the substrate along the first direction. Each striped transparent electrode layer is formed on the striped metal electrode layer and the striped photoelectric transducing layer along the first direction. The striped transparent electrode layers and the striped metal electrode layers are in series connection along a second direction. The electrode lines are formed alternately on each striped transparent electrode layer or between each striped photoelectric transducing layer and each striped transparent electrode layer along the second direction. A width of each electrode line is less than an interval between the striped transparent electrode layer and the adjacent striped metal electrode layer. | 05-30-2013 |
20130160822 | SOLAR CELL SYSTEM - A solar cell system includes a substrate and a number of solar cells. The substrate defines a number of grooves spaced from each other. Each solar cell is located in each groove. Each solar cell includes a first electrode layer, a P-type silicon layer, an N-type silicon layer, and a second electrode layer arranged in series side by side along a first direction and in contact with each other, thereby cooperatively forming an integrated structure. A P-N junction is formed near an interface between the P-type silicon layer and the N-type silicon layer. The integrated structure has a photoreceptive surface to expose the P-N junction and receive an incident light directly. | 06-27-2013 |
20130167906 | ORGANIC PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE - An organic photovoltaic module is disclosed, including a plurality of devices, wherein neighboring devices are separated by a gap, and each of the devices include a bottom electrode, a first carrier transporting layer, an active layer, a second carrier transporting layer and a top electrode. An insulating layer is disposed on the devices and filled into the gap, wherein the insulating layer includes a first opening exposing the bottom electrode and a second opening exposing the top electrode. A metal trace layer is filled into the first opening and the second opening to connect the devices in series or in parallel. | 07-04-2013 |
20130180571 | THIN-FILM PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF - In a thin-film photovoltaic cell, a first electrode layer, a semiconductor layer, and a third electrode layer are formed on a main surface of an insulating substrate. A second electrode layer and a fourth electrode layer are formed on another surface of the substrate. In a main surface side processed portion, the first electrode layer, semiconductor layer, and third electrode layer are removed, and in another surface side processed portion, the second electrode layer and fourth electrode layer are removed. Acceleration and deceleration regions for forming a crooked structure of the other surface side processed portion, or intersection portions of processing lines configuring the crooked structure, are disposed in locally electrically isolated regions in the first electrode layer before the formation of the semiconductor layer. | 07-18-2013 |
20130186452 | Nanostructure and Photovoltaic Cell Implementing Same - Nanostructures and photovoltaic structures are disclosed. A nanostructure according to one embodiment includes an array of nanocables extending from a substrate, the nanocables in the array being characterized as having a spacing and surface texture defined by inner surfaces of voids of a template; an electrically insulating layer extending along the substrate; and at least one layer overlaying the nanocables. A nanostructure according to another embodiment includes a substrate; a portion of a template extending along the substrate, the template being electrically insulative; an array of nanocables extending from the template, portions of the nanocables protruding from the template being characterized as having a spacing, shape, and surface texture defined by previously-present inner surface of voids of the template; and at least one layer overlaying the nanocables. | 07-25-2013 |
20130228211 | PHOTOVOLTAIC ELEMENT WITH OPTICALLY FUNCTIONAL CONVERSION LAYER FOR IMPROVING A CONVERSION OF INCIDENT LIGHT AND PRODUCTION METHOD FOR THE ELEMENT - The invention relates to a photovoltaic element including an optically functional surface layer for improving a conversion of the incident light. The functioning of the layer involves absorbing incident sunlight having a low wavelength and emitting it again as light radiation having a higher wavelength, so that this light spectrum becomes usable for solar cells. In order to solve the currently unsolved problem of embedding such a layer into a thin-film solar cell with a substrate arranged on the front side, while ensuring high weathering resistance, it is proposed to arrange the optical functional layer in an additional encapsulation element on the front side and thus to construct the photovoltaic element as a double- or multiple composite assembly. | 09-05-2013 |
20130233374 | MONOLITHICALLY INTEGRATED SOLAR MODULES AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURE - A monolithically integrated cadmium telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) module includes a first electrically conductive layer and an insulating layer. The first electrically conductive layer is disposed below the insulating layer. The PV module further includes a back contact metal layer and a CdTe absorber layer. The back contact metal layer is disposed between the insulating layer and the CdTe absorber layer. The PV module further includes a window layer and a second electrically conductive layer. The window layer is disposed between the CdTe absorber layer and the second electrically conductive layer. At least one first trench extends through the back contact metal layer, at least one second trench extends through the absorber and window layers, and at least one third trench extends through the second electrically conductive layer. A method for monolithically integrating CdTe PV cells is also provided. | 09-12-2013 |
20130298967 | TANDEM SOLAR CELL STRUCTURE AND FABRICATION METHOD THEREOF - A tandem solar cell structure includes a substrate, a conductive layer, a bottom solar cell combination and a top solar cell, The bottom solar cell combination includes a plurality of solar cell units and is disposed on the substrate. A conductive layer is disposed between the top solar cell and the bottom solar cell combination. The top solar cell is connected to one of the solar cell units in series. A wide energy distribution of the solar radiation can be absorbed through the tandem solar cell structure. The electrical series connection of the top solar cell and the solar cell units of the bottom solar cell combination reduces current mismatch between the top and bottom cells and enhances the overall system open circuit voltage due to more units in the bottom cell combination. The efficiency of the tandem solar cell structure is therefore improved considerably. | 11-14-2013 |
20130340809 | DYE-SENSITIZED PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE AND FABRICATION METHOD FOR THE SAME - Provided are a dye-sensitized photovoltaic device which can reduce fabrication costs and improve durability, and a fabrication method of such a dye-sensitized photovoltaic device. The dye-sensitized photovoltaic device includes: a first substrate | 12-26-2013 |
20140000679 | THIN FILM SOLAR CELL MODULE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME | 01-02-2014 |
20140041712 | POWER GENERATOR - Power generator including a supporting substrate and a plurality of organic photovoltaic cells that are provided on the supporting substrate along a prescribed alignment direction and are serially connected with each other. Each of the organic photovoltaic cells includes a pair of electrodes and an active layer placed between the pair of electrodes. The active layer extends along the prescribed alignment direction s plurality of organic photovoltaic cells. Each of the pair of electrodes has an extending portion that extends to protrude from the active layer into a direction perpendicular to both a thickness direction of the supporting substrate and the alignment direction. One electrode out of the pair of electrodes further has a connecting portion that extends in the alignment direction from the extending portion to the opposite electrode of other organic photovoltaic cell adjacent in the alignment direction and is connected to the opposite electrode. | 02-13-2014 |
20140048122 | HETEROSTRUCTURE GERMANIUM TANDEM JUNCTION SOLAR CELL - A photovoltaic device that includes an upper cell that absorbs a first range of wavelengths of light and a bottom cell that absorbs a second range of wavelengths of light. The bottom cell includes a heterojunction comprising a crystalline germanium containing (Ge) layer. At least one surface of the crystalline germanium (Ge) containing layer is in contact with a silicon (Si) containing layer having a larger band gap than the crystalline (Ge) containing layer. | 02-20-2014 |
20140048123 | SEPARATING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES FROM SUBSTRATE BY ETCHING GRADED COMPOSITION RELEASE LAYER DISPOSED BETWEEN SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES AND SUBSTRATE INCLUDING FORMING PROTUBERANCES THAT REDUCE STICTION - A method includes etching a release layer that is coupled between a plurality of semiconductor devices and a substrate with an etch. The etching includes etching the release layer between the semiconductor devices and the substrate until the semiconductor devices are at least substantially released from the substrate. The etching also includes etching a protuberance in the release layer between each of the semiconductor devices and the substrate. The etch is stopped while the protuberances remain between each of the semiconductor devices and the substrate. The method also includes separating the semiconductor devices from the substrate. Other methods and apparatus are also disclosed. | 02-20-2014 |
20140083484 | PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL MODULE - In accordance with one embodiment, there is provided a photovoltaic cell module including a plurality of photovoltaic cell structures including a hole transport layer and an electron transport layer which are disposed on a common photoelectric conversion layer so that electromotive force polarities are alternately different, wherein the photovoltaic cell structures are electrically connected in series. | 03-27-2014 |
20140083485 | Photovoltaic Assembly And Associated Methods - A photovoltaic assembly includes a flexible photovoltaic module, a flexible back barrier layer, and electrically conductive first and second flexible bus bars. The photovoltaic module includes opposing front and back outer surfaces and first and second electrical contacts on the front outer surface. The photovoltaic module is adapted to generate an electrical potential difference between the first and second electrical contacts in response to light incident on the front outer surface. The flexible back barrier layer is disposed on the back outer surface of the photovoltaic module. The electrically conductive first and second flexible bus bars are electrically coupled to the first and second electrical contacts, respectively, and the first and second flexible bus bars wrap around the flexible photovoltaic module and extend through the back barrier layer. | 03-27-2014 |
20140083486 | SOLAR CELL AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAME - Disclosed are a solar cell and a method for fabricating the same. The solar cell according to the present invention comprises a substrate including a plurality of unit cell regions and a plurality of wiring regions positioned between the unit cell regions; a first semiconductor layer being formed on any one unit cell area of the plurality of unit cell regions; a partition layer being formed on the first semiconductor layer and partitioning a region on the first semiconductor layer into first and second regions; a separation layer being formed on any one wiring region of the plurality of wiring regions; a first electrode layer being formed on the first region of the first semiconductor layer; a second semiconductor layer being formed on the second region of the first semiconductor layer; a second electrode layer being formed on the second semiconductor layer; and an electrode connection layer being connected to one end of the second electrode layer as the same layer and being formed on the separation layer. | 03-27-2014 |
20140150849 | PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL AND METHOD OF PRODUCTION THEREOF - The present invention relates to a method of forming a metal layer on the surface of a photovoltaic cell by forming a first layer of a first composition on the surface of a silicon substrate and then forming a second layer of a second composition on the first layer, wherein both layers are in electrical contact with each other, the first composition comprises particles comprising or consisting of (i) B, Al, Ga, In, and/or Tl or (ii) P, As, Sb, and/or Bi, the second composition comprises metal particles, and wherein the particles of the first layer have a mean diameter smaller than the mean diameter of the metal particles of the second composition. Further, the present invention also relates to photovoltaic cells and solar modules obtainable using the method of the present invention. | 06-05-2014 |
20140166079 | MONOLITHIC INTEGRATION OF HETEROJUNCTION SOLAR CELLS - A method for fabricating a device with integrated photovoltaic cells includes supporting a semiconductor substrate on a first handle substrate and doping the semiconductor substrate to form doped alternating regions with opposite conductivity. A doped layer is formed over a first side the semiconductor substrate. A conductive material is patterned over the doped layer to form conductive islands such that the conductive islands are aligned with the alternating regions to define a plurality of photovoltaic cells connected in series on a monolithic structure. | 06-19-2014 |
20140209149 | SUPERSTRATE SUB-CELL VOLTAGE-MATCHED MULTIJUNCTION SOLAR CELLS - Voltage-matched thin film multijunction solar cell and methods of producing cells having upper CdTe pn junction layers formed on a transparent substrate which in the completed device is operatively positioned in a superstate configuration. The solar cell also includes a lower pn junction formed independently of the CdTe pn junction and an insulating layer between CdTe and lower pn junctions. The voltage-matched thin film multijunction solar cells further include a parallel connection between the CdTe pn junction and lower pn junctions to form a two-terminal photonic device. Methods of fabricating devices from independently produced upper CdTe junction layers and lower junction layers are also disclosed. | 07-31-2014 |
20140216524 | ARRAYS OF ULTRATHIN SILICON SOLAR MICROCELLS - Provided are solar cells, photovoltaics and related methods for making solar cells, wherein the solar cell is made of ultrathin solar grade or low quality silicon. In an aspect, the invention is a method of making a solar cell by providing a solar cell substrate having a receiving surface and assembling a printable semiconductor element on the receiving surface of the substrate via contact printing. The semiconductor element has a thickness that is less than or equal to 100 μm and, for example, is made from low grade Si. | 08-07-2014 |
20140326295 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MONOLITHICALLY ISLED SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS AND MODULES - According to one aspect of the disclosed subject matter, a monolithically isled solar cell is provided. The solar cell comprises a semiconductor layer having a light receiving frontside and a backside opposite the frontside and attached to an electrically insulating backplane. A trench isolation pattern partitions the semiconductor layer into electrically isolated isles on the electrically insulating backplane. A first metal layer having base and emitter electrodes is positioned on the semiconductor layer backside. A patterned second metal layer providing cell interconnection and connected to the first metal layer by via plugs is positioned on the backplane. | 11-06-2014 |
20140338728 | PATTERNED ORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR LAYERS - A method of patterning organic semiconductor layers is disclosed. In one aspect, a method for forming a patterned organic semiconductor layer on a substrate includes providing a plurality of first electrodes on a substrate. The method additionally includes providing a patterned self-assembling monolayer at predetermined locations on each of the plurality of first electrodes. The method further includes providing a layer comprising an organic semiconductor material over the patterned self-assembling monolayer. A corresponding device and a photovoltaic module comprising such a device are also disclosed. | 11-20-2014 |
20140345673 | Photovoltaic Sub-Cell Interconnects - Photovoltaic sub-cell interconnect systems and methods are provided. In one embodiment, a photovoltaic device comprises a thin film stack of layers deposited upon a substrate, wherein the thin film stack layers are subdivided into a plurality of sub-cells interconnected in series by a plurality of electrical interconnection structures; and wherein the plurality of electrical interconnection structures each comprise no more than two scribes that penetrate into the thin film stack layers. | 11-27-2014 |
20150020868 | THIN FILM SOLAR CELL AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAME - A thin-film solar cell includes a substrate, a back surface electrode layer, a light-absorbing layer, and a transparent electrode layer, layered on the substrate, in this order. The layers are divided into multiple unit cells by a scribed groove, and the cells serially connected. At an inside of an end side of the solar cell perpendicular to the scribed groove, a groove is formed perpendicular to the scribed groove and has the back surface electrode is removed therefrom. The thin-film solar cell is produced by emitting a laser beam on the solar cell element of an end part of a side perpendicular to the scribed groove so as to form a new end surface by removing the back surface electrode layer, the light-absorbing layer and the transparent electrode layer, and mechanically forming the perpendicular groove perpendicular to the scribed groove, at inside of the new end surface. | 01-22-2015 |
20150027513 | SEMICONDUCTOR SUBSTRATE FOR A PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER MODULE - A semiconductor substrate and a photovoltaic power module incorporating the semiconductor substrate. The substrate includes one or more bypass diodes formed integrally in the semiconductor substrate, each bypass diode corresponding to a respective one or more photovoltaic cells, and metallised zones being electrically and thermally coupled to the bypass diodes. The substrate enables photovoltaic cells to be placed close together, and has low thermal resistance. Methods of manufacturing the substrate and module are provided. | 01-29-2015 |
20150059832 | MANUFACTURE OF MULTIJUNCTION SOLAR CELL DEVICES - The present disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing a multi-junction solar cell device comprising the steps of: providing a final base substrate; providing a first engineered substrate comprising a first zipper layer and a first seed layer; providing a second substrate; transferring the first seed layer to the final base substrate; forming at least one first solar cell layer on the first seed layer after transferring the first seed layer to the final base substrate, thereby obtaining a first wafer structure; forming at least one second solar cell layer on the second substrate, thereby obtaining a second wafer structure; and bonding the first and the second wafer structure to each other. | 03-05-2015 |
20150090317 | SOLAR CELL, SOLAR CELL MODULE, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SOLAR CELL - This solar cell module is provided with a plurality of solar cells, a first protective member, a second protective member, a filler, and a wiring material. The solar cells have a photoelectric conversion part, transparent conductive layers formed on a principal surface of the photoelectric conversion part, and plated electrodes of silver or copper, formed directly on the transparent conductive layers. | 04-02-2015 |
20150136203 | SOLAR CELL - Disclosed herein is a solar cell, the solar cell includes a substrate, a plurality of first electrodes formed on the substrate and separated into a plurality of first separation grooves, a buffer layer and an optical active layer formed on the first electrode and having a through groove exposing the first electrode adjacent thereto, and a plurality of second electrodes formed on the optical active layer, separated into a plurality of second separation grooves, and electrically connected to the first electrode through the through groove, wherein the first electrode or the second electrode is divided by a plurality of third separation groove formed in a direction intersecting with the first separation groove, the through groove, and the second separation groove. | 05-21-2015 |
20150318425 | MONOLITHIC INTEGRATION OF HETEROJUNCTION SOLAR CELLS - A method for fabricating a device with integrated photovoltaic cells includes supporting a semiconductor substrate on a first handle substrate and doping the semiconductor substrate to form doped alternating regions with opposite conductivity. A doped layer is formed over a first side the semiconductor substrate. A conductive material is patterned over the doped layer to form conductive islands such that the conductive islands are aligned with the alternating regions to define a plurality of photovoltaic cells connected in series on a monolithic structure. | 11-05-2015 |
20150325743 | HIGH EFFICIENCY BROADBAND SEMICONDUCTOR NANOWIRE DEVICES - Amongst the candidates for very high efficiency electronics, solid state light sources, photovoltaics, and photoelectrochemical devices, and photobiological devices are those based upon metal-nitride nanowires. Enhanced nanowire performance typically require heterostructures, quantum dots, etc which requirement that these structures are grown with relatively few defects and in a controllable reproducible manner. Additionally flexibility according to the device design requires that the nanowire at the substrate may be either InN or GaN. Methods of growing relatively defect free nanowires and associated structures for group IIIA-nitrides are presented without the requirement for foreign metal catalysts, overcoming the non-uniform growth of prior art techniques and allowing self-organizing quantum dot, quantum well and quantum dot-in-a-dot structures to be formed. Such metal-nitride nanowires and quantum structure embedded nanowires support a variety of devices including but not limited to very high efficiency electronics, solid state light sources, photovoltaics, and photoelectrochemical devices, and photobiological devices. | 11-12-2015 |
20150340533 | SOLAR CELL STACK - A solar cell stack having a first semiconductor solar cell that has a p-n junction of a first material with a first lattice constant, and having a second semiconductor solar cell that has a p-n junction of a second material with a second lattice constant. The first lattice constant is smaller than the second lattice constant. The solar cell stack has a metamorphic buffer that includes a sequence of a first, lower AlInGaAs or AlInGaP layer and a second, center AlInGaAs or AlInGaP layer, and a third, upper AlInGaAs or AlInGaP layer, and the metamorphic buffer is formed between the first semiconductor solar cell and the second semiconductor solar cell. The lattice constant in the metamorphic buffer changes along the thickness dimension of the metamorphic buffer, and the lattice constant and the In content increase and the Al content decreases between at least two layers of the metamorphic buffer. | 11-26-2015 |
20150340534 | SOLAR CELL STACK - A solar cell stack having a first semiconductor solar cell that has a p-n junction of a first material with a first lattice constant and a second semiconductor solar cell that has a p-n junction of a second material with a second lattice constant. The solar cell stack has a metamorphic buffer that includes a sequence of a first, lower layer and a second, center layer, and a third, upper layer, and includes an InGaAs or an AlInGaAs or an InGaP or an AlInGaP compound. The metamorphic buffer is formed between the first and second semiconductor solar cells and the lattice constant in the metamorphic buffer changes along the buffer's thickness dimension. The lattice constant of the third layer is greater than the lattice constant of the second layer, and the lattice constant of the second layer is greater than the lattice constant of the first layer. | 11-26-2015 |
20150380465 | SERIAL MODULE OF ORGANIC SOLAR CELL AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME - The present invention relates to a serial module of organic solar cells and the method for manufacturing the same. The structure comprises a transparent conductive layer composed by a plurality of conductive blocks, an active layer having notches on the periphery, and a metal layer composed by a plurality of metal blocks. The active layer according to the present invention is a complete layer except the notches on the periphery for exposing a portion of the transparent conductive layer. The metal blocks can contact the conductive blocks of adjacent organic solar cell via the exposure areas and thus connecting the organic solar cells in series. The present invention can improves the power generating efficiency of organic solar cells in a limited space, which is beneficial to the development of promotion of future organic solar cells. | 12-31-2015 |
20160005900 | SOLAR CELL - A solar cell is discussed, which includes a tunneling layer on one surface of a semiconductor substrate; a first conductive type region on the tunneling layer; a second conductive type region on the tunneling layer; a first electrode and a second electrode, the first electrode connected to the first conductive type region and the second electrode connected to the second conductive type region. The tunneling layer includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is disposed to correspond to at least a part of the first and second conductive type regions and has a first thickness. At least a part of the second portion is disposed to correspond to a boundary portion between the first conductive type region and the second conductive type region. The second portion has a second thickness greater than the first thickness. | 01-07-2016 |
20160013341 | A MONOLITHICALLY INTEGRATED SOLAR CELL SYSTEM | 01-14-2016 |
20160049538 | PHOTO-VOLTAIC CELL AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SUCH A CELL - A photo-voltaic cell, comprising a semi-conductor substrate, having a front surface and a back surface. Back surface field regions and emitter regions for collecting photo-current are provided, located alternatingly at the back surface of the substrate, at least one of the back surface field regions having a width of more than six hundred micrometer. A front floating emitter layer is provided at the front surface at least above said one of the back surface field regions, wherein the front floating emitter layer has an average electrical conductivity selected dependent on the width of said one of the back surface field regions. | 02-18-2016 |
20160056317 | LOW-BANDGAP, MONOLITHIC, MULTI-BANDGAP, OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES - Low bandgap, monolithic, multi-bandgap, optoelectronic devices ( | 02-25-2016 |
20160087137 | MULTI-JUNCTION SOLAR CELL - According to one embodiment, a multi-junction solar cell includes a first solar cell, a second solar cell, and an insulating layer. The first solar cell includes a first photoelectric conversion element. The second solar cell is connected in parallel with the first solar cell. The second solar cell includes multiple second photoelectric conversion elements connected in series. The insulating layer is provided between the first solar cell and the second solar cell. The second photoelectric conversion element includes a p-electrode and an n-electrode. The p-electrode is connected to a p | 03-24-2016 |
20160099359 | SOLAR PANEL AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SUCH A SOLAR PANEL - A solar panel is provided with a stack including at least one back contacted solar cell and a back-sheet layer. The back-sheet layer has a patterned conductive layer of a first material. The conductive layer is arranged with contacting areas each located at a location corresponding to a location of an electrical contact on the solar cell. The solar cell is arranged on top of the conductive layer with the rear surface of the solar cell facing the patterned conductive surface. Each electrical contact of the solar cell is in contact with a corresponding contacting area on the conductor circuit by a body of conductive connecting material. The conductive layer includes at the location of the contacting area a patch of a second material. Each patch is arranged in between the body of conductive connecting material on one electrical contact and the layer of the first material. | 04-07-2016 |
20160155574 | PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERSION ELEMENT MODULE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME | 06-02-2016 |
20160163901 | LASER STOP LAYER FOR FOIL-BASED METALLIZATION OF SOLAR CELLS - Approaches for the foil-based metallization of solar cells and the resulting solar cells are described. For example, a method of fabricating a solar cell involves forming a plurality of alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions in or above a substrate. The method also involves forming a paste between adjacent ones of the alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions. The method also involves curing the paste to form non-conductive material regions in alignment with locations between the alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions. The method also involves adhering a metal foil to the alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions. The method also involves laser ablating through the metal foil in alignment with the locations between the alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions to isolate regions of remaining metal foil in alignment with the alternating N-type and P-type semiconductor regions. The non-conductive material regions act as a laser stop during the laser ablating. | 06-09-2016 |
20160172516 | THICK DAMAGE BUFFER FOR FOIL-BASED METALLIZATION OF SOLAR CELLS | 06-16-2016 |
20160380221 | PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERSION ELEMENT, WIRING BOARD FOR PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERSION ELEMENT, METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERSION ELEMENT AND PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERSION STRUCTURE - According to one embodiment, a photoelectric conversion element includes a first interconnect, a second interconnect, a photoelectric conversion layer and an insulating layer. The second interconnect is separated from the first interconnect. The photoelectric conversion layer is provided between the first interconnect and the second interconnect. The insulating layer is arranged with the first interconnect. A face formed by the first interconnect and the insulating layer is substantially flat. The face contacts the photoelectric conversion layer. | 12-29-2016 |
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