Atlantic Richfield Company

Other

Exxon Research and Engineering Company

Don L Morel

Robert R Gay

Benjamin Abeles

David P Tanner

Gary B Turner

Theodore D Moustakas

J Thomas Tiedje

Kevin Keith Mackamul

Boon Wong

Dale E Tarrant

Arvind T Halani

Victor L Grosvenor

Exxon Research And Engineering Co

Cells of a thin film solar module having opposed upper and lower electrodes are connected in series by a plurality of discrete conductive regions extending between each upper electrode and the lower electrode of an adjoining cell. In a preferred embodiment, the opposite electrodes of adjoining cells overlap one another and one of the electrodes is a transparent conductive pad with a thickened metal-containing portion to aid in interconnection. In another embodiment, the conductive regions are formed by applying laser pulses to spaced locations along the areas of electrode overlap, after which a conductor may be deposited into cavities formed by the laser pulses.

Solar cell interconnection by discrete conductive regions

A thin film solar cell structure having a free metal layer between a transparent conductor front face contact and the front face surface of the actual thin film photovoltaic device. The free metal, preferably tin, may be formed by glow discharge reduction of the transparent conductor surface or by direct deposition of free metal.

Thin film solar cell with free tin on tin oxide transparent conductor

The present invention teaches a combination of parameters for the glow discharge decomposition of silane deposition of an amorphous silicon semiconductor having non-dispersive high mobility transport of majority carriers through the semiconductor material, useful in switching devices such as diodes, transistors and the like.

High-mobility amorphous silicon displaying non-dispersive transport

An improved transparent conductor structure for thin film solar cells comprising a plurality of metallic strip conductors deposited on a transparent conductor and aligned substantially with the principal direction of current flow. The strip conductors preferably originate at an edge of the transparent conductor to which an adjacent cell back conductor is connected and are preferably interconnected along that edge by an additional strip conductor deposited in the same process step.

Gridded thin film solar cell

A PIN amorphous silicon solar cell including a nitrogen compensated intrinsic inter-layer adjacent to the P type layer forming the light receiving face of the cell.

PIN Amorphous silicon solar cell with nitrogen compensation

A photovoltaic device has a continuous thin film with a plurality of spaced photovoltaic regions thereon and front and back electrode portions substantially coextensive with each of the photovoltaic regions. Electrical connection between the regions is provided directly through the film itself, from each back electrode portion to the front electrode portion of an adjacent region. Thus, at least two of the photovoltaic regions are connected in series to increase the output voltage of the device.

Series connected solar cells and method of formation

The invention is directed to a hydrogenated amorphous silicon PIN semiconductor device of hybrid glow discharge/reactive sputtering fabrication. The hybrid fabrication method is of advantage in providing an ability to control the optical band gap of the P and N layers, resulting in increased photogeneration of charge carriers and device output.

Growing community of inventors

Agoura Hills, CA, United States of America

Don L Morel