The Boeing Company

Spectrolab, Inc.

Hughes Electronics Corporation

Dmitri D Krut

Richard Roland King

Christopher M Fetzer

Joseph Charles Boisvert

Nasser H Karam

Rengarajan Sudharsanan

Ping Yuan

David E Joslin

Geoffrey S Kinsey

Karim S Boutros

B Terence Cavicchi

Denise E Michaels

Methods and apparatuses for a dual heterojunction multijunction solar cell are disclosed. A method in accordance with the present invention comprises growing a base material for a solar cell, growing at least one dual heterojunction on the base material, and growing an emitter on the at least one dual heterojunction. An apparatus in accordance with the present invention comprises a substrate, and a first subcell, coupled to the substrate, wherein the first subcell comprises a base region, coupled to the substrate, an emitter region, and at least one dual heterojunction, coupled between the base region and the emitter region, wherein the at least one dual heterojunction has a lower bandgap than the emitter region.

Reduced band gap absorber for solar cells

An avalanche photodiode detector is provided. The avalanche photodiode detector comprises an absorber region having an absorption layer for receiving incident photons and generating charged carriers; and a multiplier region having a multiplication layer; wherein the multiplier region is on a mesa structure separate from the absorber region and is coupled to the absorber region by a bridge for transferring charged carriers between the absorber region and multiplier region.

Avalanche photodiode detector

An apparatus and method for making a solar cell assembly. An apparatus in accordance with the present invention comprises a substrate, at least a first solar cell, coupled to a first side of the substrate, the first side of the substrate to be exposed to light such that the at least first solar cell generates a current when exposed to the light, and a bypass diode, formed on a second side of the substrate, the second side of the substrate being substantially opposite the first side of the substrate, such that the bypass diode is monolithically integrated with the at least first solar cell.

Monolithic bypass diode and photovoltaic cell with bypass diode formed in back of substrate

A metamorphic avalanche photodetector includes a substrate, and an active structure supported on the substrate. The active structure has a metamorphic absorption structure that absorbs light and responsively produces primary charge carriers, and an avalanche multiplication structure that receives the primary charge carriers from the metamorphic absorption structure and responsively produces secondary charge carriers. An output electrical contact is in electrical communication with the active structure to collect at least some of the secondary charge carriers. A buffer layer lies between the substrate and the active structure, between the active structure and the output electrical contact, or between the metamorphic absorption structure and the avalanche multiplication structure. A lattice parameter of the buffer layer varies with position through a thickness of the buffer layer.

Metamorphic avalanche photodetector

An apparatus and method are described for making a solar cell with an integrated bypass diode. The method comprises the steps of depositing a second layer having a first type of dopant on a first layer having an opposite type of dopant to the first type of dopant to form a solar cell, depositing a third layer having the first type of dopant on the second layer, depositing a fourth layer having the opposite type of dopant on the third layer, the third layer and fourth layer forming a bypass diode, selectively etching the third layer and the fourth layer to expose the second layer and the third layer, and applying contacts to the fourth layer, third layer, and the first layer to allow electrical connections to the assembly. The apparatus comprises a first layer having a first type of dopant, a second layer having a second type of dopant opposite to the first type of dopant, wherein the first layer and the second layer form a solar cell, a third layer, coupled to the second layer, and a fourth layer, coupled to the third layer, the third layer and the fourth layer forming a bypass diode.

Monolithic bypass-diode and solar-cell string assembly

A solar cell assembly is fabricated by adapting efficient microelectronics assembly techniques to the construction of an array of small scale solar cells. Each cell is mounted on an individual carrier, which is a conventional integrated circuit (IC) package such as a dual-in-line package. Electrical connections are made between the cell and the carrier leads by automated wire bonding, followed by the emplacement of an optional secondary solar concentrator element if desired. The carriers are then automatically mounted and electrically connected to a common substrate, such as a printed circuit board, that has its own electrical interconnection network to interconnect the various cells. Finally, a primary concentrator lens assembly is placed over the array of cells. The resulting panel is thin and light weight, inexpensive to produce, allows for any desired interconnection to be made between the cells, and is capable of high conversion efficiencies.

Concentrating photovoltaic module and fabrication method

A photovoltaic microarray such as a solar cell array is monolithically fabricated, without a supporting substrate, by forming a network of trenches from one side of a substrate to define separate cell areas, filling the trenches with an insulative filler material that adheres to the substrate material and provides structural integrity, and then trenching from the opposite side of the substrate to provide an air gap insulation network between adjacent cells. Series connections are provided between adjacent cells by connecting the front surface of one cell over the filler material to the bulk semiconductor for the next cell, with the connection completed through the bulk semiconductor itself to back electrodes for each cell.

Growing community of inventors

Encino, CA, United States of America

Dmitri D Krut