The Boeing Company

Theboeing Company

Christopher M Fetzer

Richard Roland King

Nasser H Karam

Daniel C Law

Xing-Quan Liu

Peter C Colter

Joseph Charles Boisvert

James H Ermer

Dimitri Daniel Krut

Eric Rehder

Philip T Chiu

Moran Haddad

Dmitri D Krut

Peter Hebert

David E Joslin

Kenneth M Edmondson

William D Hong

Peter C Cotler

Xiaobo Zhang

James Patrick Hanley

Robyn L Woo

Kevin B Van Gaever

Xingquan Liu

Scott B Singer

Geoffrey S Kinsey

Uming T Jeng

Dennis G Hom

Joseph P O'Day

Eric M Rehder

Liu Xing-Quan

Eric Michael Rehder

Joseph P O'DAY

Dennis S Hom

Nassar H Karam

Karam H Nasser

A low bandgap absorber region (LBAR) used in a laser power converter (LPC). The laser power converter is comprised of one or more subcells on a substrate, wherein at least one of the subcells has an emitter and base, with the low bandgap absorber region coupled between the emitter and base. The emitter and base are comprised of a material with a bandgap higher than a wavelength of incident laser light, and the low bandgap absorber region is comprised of a material with a bandgap lower than the emitter and base. The emitter and base are transparent to the incident laser light, and the low bandgap absorber region absorbs the incident laser light and generates a current in response thereto, such that the current is controlled by the material and thickness of the low bandgap absorber region. The low bandgap absorber region is configured to produce a current balanced to the subcells connected in series.

Use of a low bandgap absorber region in a laser power converter

A solar panel includes a front portion. The front portion includes an electrical insulation layer and a front face sheet layer coupled to the electrical insulation layer. The solar panel also includes a cell coupled to the front portion to produce a tile. The solar panel also includes a back portion coupled to the tile. The back portion includes a honeycomb core layer and a back face sheet layer coupled to the honeycomb core layer.

Solar panel and method for producing the solar panel

Device structures, apparatuses, and methods are disclosed for photovoltaic cells that may be a single-junction or multijunction solar cells, with at least a first layer comprising a group-IV semiconductor in which part of the cell comprises a second layer comprising a III-V semiconductor or group-IV semiconductor having a different composition than the group-IV semiconductor of the first layer, such that a heterostructure is formed between the first and second layers.

Group-IV solar cell structure using group-IV heterostructures

A solar cell design includes fabricating one or more gridlines for extracting photo-current on a front surface of the solar cell, wherein each of the gridlines is a metal grid and a cap layer, and at least a portion of the metal grid is deposited on the cap layer; and controlling an alignment of the metal grid relative to the cap layer, and a width of the cap layer relative to a width of the metal grid, so that a minimum cap edge offset distance value is about 1 μm or more. The alignment of the metal grid relative to the cap layer and the width of the cap layer relative to the width of the metal grid are controlled at areas on the front surface of the solar cell opposite where welding occurs on a back-side of the solar cell. The alignments and widths of the metal grid relative to the cap layer are controlled by a photomask.

Solar cell design that minimizes weld attrition and gridline shadowing losses

Group-IV solar cell structure using group-IV or III-V heterostructures

In one aspect, optoelectronic devices are described herein. In some implementations, an optoelectronic device comprises a photovoltaic cell. The photovoltaic cell comprises a space-charge region, a quasi-neutral region, and a low bandgap absorber region (LBAR) layer or an improved transport (IT) layer at least partially positioned in the quasi-neutral region of the cell.

Solar cell structures for improved current generation and collection

A solar cell assembly having a flexible circuit is described. The solar cell assembly includes a solar cell having a solar-facing surface and a non-solar-facing surface, the solar cell comprising a cell corner. The solar cell assembly further includes a flexible circuit coupled to the non-solar-facing surface of the solar. The flexible circuit is substantially coextensive with the solar cell. The flexible circuit includes a flexible insulator including a plurality of edges aligned with the solar cell, a flexible corner extending past the cell corner, and a flexible tab extending from an edge of the plurality of edges. The flexible circuit includes a circuit substantially embedded in the flexible insulator. The circuit comprises a first electric contact exposed at a solar-facing side of the flexible corner, and a second electric contact exposed at a solar-facing side of the flexible tab.

Flexible circuit for solar cell assemblies

Device structures, apparatuses, and methods are disclosed for photovoltaic cells that may be a single junction or multijunction solar cells, with at least one layer comprising a group-IV semiconductor in which part of the cell comprises a second layer comprising a III-V semiconductor or group-IV semiconductor having a different composition than the group-IV semiconductor of the first layer, such that a heterostructure is formed between the first and second layers.

Photovoltaic (PV) cell structures are disclosed. In one example embodiment, a PV cell includes an emitter layer, a base layer adjacent to the emitter layer, and a back surface field (BSF) layer adjacent to the base layer. The BSF layer includes a first layer, and a second layer adjacent to the first layer. The first layer includes a first material and the second layer includes a second material different than the first material.

Multi-layer back surface field layer in a solar cell structure

A solar cell includes a first layer having a first-layer lattice parameter, a second layer having a second-layer lattice parameter different from the first-layer lattice parameter, wherein the second layer includes a photoactive second-layer material; and a third layer having a third-layer lattice parameter different from the second-layer lattice parameter, wherein the third layer includes a photoactive third-layer material. A transparent buffer layer extends between and contacts the second layer and the third layer and has a buffer-layer lattice parameter that varies with increasing distance from the second layer toward the third layer, so as to lattice match to the second layer and to the third layer. There may be additional subcell layers and buffer layers in the solar cell.

Solar cells having a transparent composition-graded buffer layer

A multijunction solar cell includes a base substrate comprising a Group IV semiconductor and a dopant of a first carrier type. A patterned emitter is formed at a first surface of the base substrate. The patterned emitter comprises a plurality of well regions doped with a dopant of a second carrier type in the Group IV semiconductor. The base substrate including the patterned emitter form a first solar subcell. The multijunction solar cell further comprises an upper structure comprising one or more additional solar subcells over the first solar subcell. Methods of making a multijunction solar cell are also described.

Multijunction solar cell having patterned emitter and method of making the solar cell

A method for producing a solar panel includes producing a tile. Producing the tile includes bonding an electrical insulation layer and a front face sheet layer together to produce a front portion of a substrate. Producing the tile also includes bonding the front portion of the substrate and a cell together. Producing the tile also includes bonding the front portion of the substrate and a wire together. The method also includes bonding a honeycomb core layer and a back face sheet layer to produce a back portion of the substrate. The method also includes bonding the tile and the back portion of the substrate together to produce the solar panel.

Growing community of inventors

Valencia, CA, United States of America

Christopher M Fetzer