International Business Machines Corporation

Globalfoundries Inc.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Markus Schmidt

Hans-Juergen Eickelmann

Ruediger Kellmann

Hartmut Kuehl

Michael Haag

Rainer Klaus Krause

Thorsten Muehge

Johannes Windeln

Ruediger Kellman

Erik Rueger

Johann H Bredel

Harold John Hovel

Steven Erik Steen

Christian Becker

Ashok Lahiri

Xiaoyan Shao

Gerd Pfeiffer

Stefan Seifried

Wolfgang Egert

Eva Urlaub

Hauke Pflueger

Lateral multi-junction photovoltaic cells, devices, and methods of fabrication are provided. The photovoltaic cells include a plurality of photovoltaic subcells mechanically stacked together in a stack. Each photovoltaic subcell includes a subcell substrate, and a light absorption structure associated with the substrate. Each light absorption structure is optimized for a respective defined spectral range of incoming radiation, with the light absorption structures of multiple subcells of the plurality of photovoltaic subcells being optimized for different spectral ranges, and being offset in the stack relative to an optical axis to avoid overlap. The photovoltaic cell further includes a spectrally-dispersive optical element, with the photovoltaic subcells in the stack being respectively located and aligned relative to the optical element based, at least in part, on the respective spectral ranges of the subcells' light absorption structures.

Mechanically stacked, lateral multi-junction photovoltaic cells

Photovoltaic cells, photovoltaic devices, and methods of fabrication are provided. The photovoltaic cells include a transparent substrate to allow light to enter the photovoltaic cell through the substrate, and a light absorption layer associated with the substrate. The light absorption layer has opposite first and second surfaces, with the first surface being closer to the transparent substrate than the second surface. A passivation layer is disposed over the second surface of the light absorption layer, and a plurality of first discrete contacts and a plurality of second discrete contacts are provided within the passivation layer to facilitate electrical coupling to the light absorption layer. A first electrode and a second electrode are disposed over the passivation layer to contact the plurality of first discrete contacts and the plurality of second discrete contacts, respectively. The first and second electrodes may include a photon-reflective material.

Thin film photovoltaic cell with back contacts

Methods of fabricating photovoltaic cells are provided. The photovoltaic cells include a transparent substrate to allow light to enter the photovoltaic cell through the substrate, and a light absorption layer associated with the substrate. The light absorption layer has opposite first and second surfaces, with the first surface being closer to the transparent substrate than the second surface. A passivation layer is disposed over the second surface of the light absorption layer, and a plurality of first discrete contacts and a plurality of second discrete contacts are provided within the passivation layer to facilitate electrical coupling to the light absorption layer. A first electrode and a second electrode are disposed over the passivation layer to contact the plurality of first discrete contacts and the plurality of second discrete contacts, respectively. The first and second electrodes may include a photon-reflective material.

Embodiments relate to a sputter chamber with a configurable surface in communication with a target material. A control system is in communication with the chamber and functions to prepare an alloy film by changing a composition of the configurable surface. As ingress gas is introduced to the chamber to interact with the changed composition, the interaction causes a reaction that produces an alloy film.

Functionally graded material by in-situ gradient alloy sputter deposition management

A thin-film monolithically integrated solar module with a solar cell, an integrated energy storage device, and a controller may be provided. It may comprise a thin-film solar cell, having at least one solar diode, on a transparent substrate, a thin-film energy storage device, and an electronic controller comprising at least one thin-film transistor above the thin-film energy storage device. The electronic controller may be electrically connected to the thin-film solar cell and the thin-film energy storage device by vias. The named functional units may build a monolithically integrated device on one substrate.

Monolithically integrated thin-film device with a solar cell, an integrated battery, and a controller

An energy harvesting device includes prefabricated thin film energy absorption sheets that are each tuned to absorb electromagnetic energy of a corresponding wavelength. The energy harvesting device can include a prefabricated thin film converter sheet to convert the electromagnetic energy into electrical power. The energy harvesting device can include a prefabricated thin film battery sheet to store the electrical power. Each thin film energy absorption sheet can be fabricated using a roll-to-roll process. The energy harvesting device can be fabricated using a roll-to-sheet process from rolls of the thin film energy absorption sheets.

Energy harvesting device with prefabricated thin film energy absorption sheets and roll-to-sheet and roll-to-roll fabrication thereof

A stacked-layered thin film solar cell. The solar cell has reduced absorber thickness and an improved back contact for Copper Indium Gallium Selenide solar cells. The back contact provides improved reflectance particularly for infrared wavelengths while still maintaining ohmic contact to the semiconductor absorber. This reflectance is achieved by producing a back contact having a highly reflecting metal separated from an absorbing layer with a dielectric layer.

Solar cell with reduced absorber thickness and reduced back surface recombination

An integrated thin-film lateral multi junction solar device and fabrication method are provided. The device includes, for instance, a substrate, and a plurality of stacks extending vertically from the substrate. Each stack may include layers, and be electrically isolated against another stack. Each stack may also include an energy storage device above the substrate, a solar cell above the energy storage device, a transparent medium above the solar cell, and a micro-optic layer of spectrally dispersive and concentrating optical devices above the transparent medium. Furthermore, the device may include a first power converter connected between the energy storage device and a power bus, and a second power converter connected between the solar cell and the power bus. Further, different solar cells of different stacks may have different absorption characteristics.

Monolithically integrated thin-film electronic conversion unit for lateral multijunction thin-film solar cells

A method for fabricating a solar cell includes providing a first substrate with at least one protruding element on the first substrate. The method removes a portion of a lower conducting layer located on the first substrate, wherein the removed portion of the lower conducting layer is located near the at least one protruding element. The method removes a first portion of an active layer located on the lower conducting layer. The method deposits an upper conducting layer on the active layer, wherein the conducting layer covers the at least one protruding element. The method removes a portion of the upper conducting layer, wherein the removed portion of the upper conducting is located near the at least one protruding element.

Monolithic interconnection for solar cells

Embodiments relate to a sputter chamber comprising both a target surface and an anode surface. The sputter chamber has both an ingress and an egress to allow passage of a gas. The sputter chamber further includes a target substrate. A secondary material flexibly changes the composition of the target substrate in-situ by changing coverage of the target by the secondary material. Gas entering the sputter chamber interacts with the changed composition of the target. The interaction discharges a plasma alloy and the alloy condenses on the anode surface in the sputter chamber. The condensed alloy produces an alloy film.

Methods are provided for fabricating photovoltaic cell contacts, which include: providing a block copolymer layer above an electrical contact layer of the photovoltaic cell, the block copolymer layer being self-assembled by phase segregation to include multiple structures of a first polymer material surrounded, at least in part, by a second polymer material; selectively etching the block copolymer layer to remove the multiple structures, forming holes in the block copolymer layer; and using the holes in the block copolymer layer to facilitate providing electrical contacts between a light absorption layer of the photovoltaic cell and the electrical contact layer. For instance, the holes in the copolymer layer may be used in etching a passivation layer over the electrical contact layer to form nano-sized contact openings in the passivation layer to the contact layer. Once provided, the cell's light absorption material forms contacts extending through the contact openings in the passivation layer.

Fabrication of thin-film photovoltaic cells with reduced recombination losses

Photovoltaic cells, photovoltaic devices, and methods of fabrication are provided. The photovoltaic cells include a transparent substrate to allow light to enter the photovoltaic cell through the substrate, and a light absorption layer associated with the substrate. The light absorption layer has opposite first and second surfaces, with the first surface being closer to the transparent substrate than the second surface. A passivation layer is disposed over the second surface of the light absorption layer, and a plurality of first discrete contacts and a plurality of second discrete contacts are provided within the passivation layer to facilitate electrical coupling to the light absorption layer. A first electrode and a second electrode are disposed over the passivation layer to contact the plurality of first discrete contacts and the plurality of second discrete contacts, respectively. The first and second electrodes include a photon-reflective material.

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Seibersbach, Germany

Markus Schmidt