Solaero Technologies Corp.

Other

Solaero Technologies Corp., a Corporation of the State of Delaware

Daniel Derkacs

Daniel James Aiken

John Hart

Zachary Bittner

Andrew Colin Espenlaub

Claiborne McPheeters

Nathaniel Miller

Lei Yang

Daniel McGlynn

Cory Tourino

Benjamin C Richards

Philip E Blumenfeld

Bed Pantha

Samantha Whipple

Samantha Cruz

Mark A Stan

Pravin Patel

Jeff Steinfeldt

Jeffrey Steinfeldt

Marvin Brad Clevenger

Alexander Haas

Christopher Kerestes

Marvin Bradford Clevenger

Steven Whipple

Paul R Sharps

Lance Fesler

Clayton Cozzan

Greg Flynn

Claiborne Mcpheeters

A method of fabricating a four junction solar cell by identifying the composition and band gaps of the upper first, second and third subcells that maximizes the efficiency of the solar cell at a predetermined time after initial deployment by simulation; fabricating one or more four-junction test solar cells in accordance with the identified composition and band gaps of the upper first, second and third subcells; performing one or more optical or electrical tests on the fabricated one or more four-junction test solar cells; based on results of the tests, determining one or more properties of at least one of the upper first, second or third subcells to be modified in subsequent fabrication of four-junction solar cells, including the band gap, doping level and profile, and thickness of each of the subcell layers; and fabricating a further four-junction solar cell in accordance with the modified properties of at least one of the upper first, second or third subcells to optimize the efficiency of the solar cell at the predetermined time.

Method of fabricating metamorphic multijunction solar cells for space applications

A multijunction solar cell including an upper first solar subcell having a first band gap and positioned for receiving an incoming light beam; and a second solar subcell disposed below and adjacent to and lattice matched with said upper first solar subcell, and having a second band gap smaller than said first band gap; wherein at least one of the solar subcells has a graded band gap throughout the thickness of at least a portion of its emitter layer and base layer.

Multijunction solar cells

A plurality of space vehicles forming a satellite constellation, each space vehicle comprising a housing having a first side and an opposite side, and an axis; a first elongated, rectangular sheet including an array of transducer devices including multijunction solar cells mounted on, and extending from a surface of the first side of the housing, and a second elongated rectangular sheet including an array of transducer devices including multijunction solar cells mounted on and extending from a surface of the second side of the housing in a direction opposite to that of the first elongated rectangular sheet, wherein the selection of the composition of the subcells and their band gap of the multijunction solar cells maximizes the efficiency of the solar cell at the end-of-life EOL in the application of one of (i) a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite that typically experiences radiation equivalent to 5×10electron fluence per square centimeter ('e/cm') over a five year EOL, or (ii) a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite that typically experiences radiation in the range of 5×10e/cmto 1×10e/cmover a fifteen year EOL, with the efficiency of the multijunction solar cells being less at the beginning-of-life (BOL) than the end-of-life (EOL).

Space vehicles including multijunction metamorphic solar cells

A method of fabricating multijunction solar cell including an upper solar subcell and having an emitter of p conductivity type with a first band gap, and a base of n conductivity type with a second band gap greater than the first band gap; a lower solar subcell disposed below the upper solar subcell having an emitter of p conductivity type with a third band gap, and a base of n conductivity type with a fourth band gap greater than the third band gap; and an intermediate grading interlayer disposed between the upper and lower solar subcells and having a graded lattice constant that matches the upper first subcell on a first side and the second solar subcell on the second side opposite the first side, and having a fifth band gap that is greater than the second band gap of the upper solar subcell.

Cover glass for mounting over a solar cell

A multijunction solar cell including an upper first solar subcell having an emitter and base layers forming a photoelectric junction; a second solar subcell disposed under and adjacent to the upper first solar subcell, and having an emitter and base layers forming a photoelectric junction; and a third solar subcell disposed under and adjacent to the second solar subcell and having an emitter and base layers forming a photoelectric junction; wherein at least one of the base and emitter layers of at least a particular solar subcell from among the upper first solar subcell, the second solar subcell, and the third solar subcell has a graded band gap throughout at least a portion of thickness of its active layer adjacent to the photoelectric junction and being in a range of 20 to 300 MeV greater than a band gap in the active layer away from the photoelectric junction.

Semiconductor wafer for mosaic solar cell fabrication

A method of fabricating a multijunction solar cell panel by providing a plurality of multijunction solar cells; dispensing out uncured silicone coating on the solar cells using an automated process with visual recognition, and curing the silicone coating on the solar cell to complete the Cell-Interconnect-Cover Glass (CIC) assembly.

Automated assembly and mounting of solar cells on space panels

A multijunction solar cell including a metamorphic layer, and particularly the design and specification of the composition, lattice constant, and band gaps of various layers above the metamorphic layer in order to achieve reduction in 'bowing' of the semiconductor wafer caused by the lattice mismatch of layers associated with the metamorphic layer.

Metamorphic solar cells

A multijunction solar cell comprising a first solar subcell having a first band gap; a second solar subcell disposed adjacent to said first solar subcell and including an emitter layer, and a base layer having a second band gap less than the first band gap, and being lattice mismatched with the upper first solar subcell, and an intermediate layer directly adjacent to and disposed between first and the second solar subcells and compositionally graded to lattice match the first solar subcell on one side and the second solar subcell on the other side, and arranged so that light can enter and pass through the first solar subcell and at least a portion of which can be reflected back into the first solar subcell by the intermediate layer, and is composed of a plurality of layers of materials with discontinuities in their respective indices of refraction.

Multijunction metamorphic solar cell

A multijunction solar cell including a substrate and a top (or light-facing) solar subcell having an emitter layer, a base layer, and a window layer adjacent to the emitter layer, the window layer composed of a material that is optically transparent, has a band gap of greater than 2.6 eV, and includes an appropriately arranged multilayer antireflection coating on the top surface thereof.

Multijunction solar cell

A multijunction solar cell including an upper first solar subcell having a first band gap and positioned for receiving an incoming light beam; a second solar subcell disposed below and adjacent to and lattice matched with said upper first solar subcell, and having a second band gap smaller than said first band gap; wherein at least one of the solar subcells has a graded band gap throughout the thickness of at least a portion of the active layer of the one solar subcell.

Growing community of inventors

Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

Daniel Derkacs