Azur Space Solar Power Gmbh

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forschung E.v.

Wolfgang Guter

Daniel Fuhrmann

Matthias Meusel

Clemens Waechter

Victor Khorenko

Christoph Peper

Lars Ebel

Frank Dimroth

Gerhard Strobl

Wolfgang Koestler

Alexander Berg

Rene Kellenbenz

Alexandre William Walker

Jan Schöne

Clemens Wächter

Tobias Roesener

René Kellenbenz

A stacked monolithic multi-junction solar cell having at least four subcells, wherein the band gap increases starting from the first subcell in the direction of the fourth subcell, each subcell has an n-doped emitter and a p-doped base, the emitter and the base of the first subcell each have germanium or consist of germanium, all following subcells each have at least one element of main group III and V of the periodic table, a tunnel diode with a p-n junction is placed between each two subcells, all subcells following the first subcell are formed lattice-matched to one another, a semiconductor mirror having a plurality of doped semiconductor layers with alternately different refractive indices is placed between the first and second subcell, and the semiconductor mirror is placed between the first subcell and the first tunnel diode.

Stacked monolithic multi-junction solar cell

A stacked, monolithic, upright metamorphic, terrestrial concentrator solar cell having exactly five subcells and having a metamorphic buffer, wherein a first subcell has a first lattice constant G1 and consists essentially of germanium, a second subcell has a second lattice constant and GaInAs, a third subcell has the second lattice constant G2 and AlGaInAs, a fourth subcell has the second lattice constant G2 and InP, a fifth subcell has the second lattice constant G2 and InP, G1<G2 applies to the lattice constants, the metamorphic buffer is arranged between the first subcell and the second subcell and has the first lattice constant G1 on a bottom side facing the first subcell and the second lattice constant G2 on a top side facing the second subcell, and all of the semiconductor layers of the concentrator solar cell arranged above the first subcell are epitaxially produced on the preceding subcell.

Stacked, monolithic, upright metamorphic, terrestrial concentrator solar cell

A solar cell stack includes a first semiconductor solar cell having a p-n junction made of a first material with a first lattice constant, a second semiconductor solar cell having a p-n junction made of a second material with a second lattice constant, and the first lattice constant being at least 0.008 &#x212b; smaller than the second lattice constant, and a metamorphic buffer. The metamorphic buffer is formed between the first semiconductor solar cell and the second semiconductor solar cell. The metamorphic buffer includes a series of at least five layers. The lattice constant increases in the series in the direction of the semiconductor solar cell. The lattice constants of the layers of the metamorphic buffer are larger than the first lattice constant. Two layers of the buffer having a doping and the difference in the dopant concentration between the two layers being greater than 4Ecm.

Solar cell stack

A solar cell stack, having a first semiconductor solar cell having a p-n junction made of a first material with a first lattice constant, and a second semiconductor solar cell having a p-n junction made of a second material with a second lattice constant, and the first lattice constant being at least 0.008 &#x212b; smaller than the second lattice constant, and a metamorphic buffer, the metamorphic buffer being formed between the first semiconductor solar cell and the second semiconductor solar cell, and the metamorphic buffer including a series of three layers, and the lattice constant increasing in a series in the direction of the semiconductor solar cell, and the lattice constants of the layers of the metamorphic buffer being bigger than the first lattice constant, two layers of the buffer having a doping, and the difference in the dopant concentration between the two layers being greater than 4E17 cm.

A stacked multi-junction solar cell having a first subcell and second subcell, the second subcell having a larger band gap than the first subcell. A third subcell has a larger band gap than the second subcell, and each of the subcells include an emitter and a base. The second subcell has a layer which includes a compound formed at least the elements GaInAsP, and a thickness of the layer is greater than 100 nm, and the layer is formed as part of the emitter and/or as part of the base and/or as part of the space-charge zone situated between the emitter and the base. The third subcell has a layer including a compound formed of at least the elements GaInP, and the thickness of the layer is greater than 100 nm.

Multi-junction solar cell

An optocoupler having a transmitter unit and a receiver unit being electrically isolated from each other and optically coupled with each other and integrated into a shared housing. The receiver unit includes an energy source that has a first electrical contact and a second electrical contact. The transmitter unit includes at least one first transmitter diode having a first optical wavelength and a second transmitter diode having a second optical wavelength. The first optical wavelength differing from the second optical wavelength by a difference wavelength, and the energy source of the receiving unit including two partial sources. The energy source being designed as a current source or as a voltage source, and the first partial source including a first semiconductor diode, and the second partial source including a second semiconductor diode. Each partial source having multiple semiconductor layers for each partial source being arranged in the shape of a stack.

Optocoupler

Solar cell stack comprising III-V semiconductor layers, which includes a first subcell having a first band gap and a first lattice constant and which includes a second subcell having a second band gap and a second lattice constant, and which includes an intermediate layer sequence disposed between the two solar cells. The intermediate layer sequence including a first barrier layer and a first tunnel diode and a second barrier layer, and the layers being arranged in the specified order. The tunnel diode includes a degenerate n+ layer having a third lattice constant and a degenerate p+ layer having a fourth lattice constant, the fourth lattice constant being smaller than the third lattice constant, and the first band gap being smaller than the second band gap, and the p+ layer having a different material composition than the n+ layer.

A scalable voltage source having a number N of mutually series-connected partial voltage sources designed as semiconductor diodes, wherein each of the partial voltage sources comprises a p-n junction of a semiconductor diode, and each semiconductor diode has a p-doped absorption layer, wherein the p-absorption layer is passivated by a p-doped passivation layer with a wider band gap than the band gap of the p-absorption layer and the semiconductor diode has an n-absorption layer, wherein the n-absorption layer is passivated by an n-doped passivation layer with a wider band gap than the band gap of the n-absorption layer, and the partial source voltages of the individual partial voltage sources deviate by less than 20%, and between in each case two successive partial voltage sources, a tunnel diode is arranged.

Scalable voltage source

A multi-junction solar cell having a first subcell made of an InGaAs compound. The first subcell has a first lattice constant and A second subcell has a second lattice constant. The first lattice constant is at least 0.008 &#x212b; greater than the second lattice constant. A metamorphic buffer is formed between the first subcell and the second subcell and has a sequence of at least three layers and a lattice constant increases from layer to layer in the sequence in the direction toward the first subcell. The lattice constants of the layers of the buffer are greater than the second lattice constant, and a layer of the metamorphic buffer has a third lattice constant that is greater than the first lattice constant. A number N of compensation layers for compensating the residual stress of the metamorphic buffer is formed between the metamorphic buffer and the first subcell.

Multi solar cell

An optical receiver component, wherein the receiver component comprises a first type of partial-voltage source with a first absorption edge and a second type of partial-voltage source with a second absorption edge, and the first absorption edge lies at a higher energy than the second absorption edge. Each partial-voltage source produces a partial voltage, provided a photon flux at a specific wavelength strikes the partial-voltage source, and the two partial-voltage sources are connected in series. A first number of series-connected sub-partial-voltage sources of the first type and a second number of series-connected sub-partial-voltage sources of the second type are provided. The first number and/or the second number are greater than one, and the respective deviation of the source voltages of the sub-partial-voltage sources among themselves is less than 20% in both types. Each sub-partial-voltage source comprises a semiconductor diode with a p-n junction.

Optical receiver component

A solar cell stack having a first semiconductor solar cell that has a p-n junction of a first material with a first lattice constant and a second semiconductor solar cell that has a p-n junction of a second material with a second lattice constant. The solar cell stack has a metamorphic buffer that includes a sequence of a first, lower layer and a second, center layer, and a third, upper layer, and includes an InGaAs or an AlInGaAs or an InGaP or an AlInGaP compound. The metamorphic buffer is formed between the first and second semiconductor solar cells and the lattice constant in the metamorphic buffer changes along the buffer's thickness dimension. The lattice constant of the third layer is greater than the lattice constant of the second layer, and the lattice constant of the second layer is greater than the lattice constant of the first layer.

A receiver component having a number of partial voltage sources implemented as semiconductor diodes connected to one another in series, so that the number of partial voltage sources generate a source voltage, and each of the partial voltage sources has a semiconductor diode with a p-n junction, and the semiconductor diode has a p-doped absorption layer. The p absorption layer is passivated by a p-doped passivation layer with a larger band gap than the band gap of the p absorption layer, and the semiconductor diode has an n absorption layer that is passivated by an n-doped passivation layer with a larger band gap than the band gap of the n absorption layer. The partial source voltages of the individual partial voltage sources have a deviation of less than 20% from one another, and a tunnel diode is formed between each sequential pair of partial voltage sources.

Receiver unit

A solar cell stack having a first semiconductor solar cell that has a p-n junction of a first material with a first lattice constant, and having a second semiconductor solar cell that has a p-n junction of a second material with a second lattice constant. The first lattice constant is smaller than the second lattice constant. The solar cell stack has a metamorphic buffer that includes a sequence of a first, lower AlInGaAs or AlInGaP layer and a second, center AlInGaAs or AlInGaP layer, and a third, upper AlInGaAs or AlInGaP layer, and the metamorphic buffer is formed between the first semiconductor solar cell and the second semiconductor solar cell. The lattice constant in the metamorphic buffer changes along the thickness dimension of the metamorphic buffer, and the lattice constant and the In content increase and the Al content decreases between at least two layers of the metamorphic buffer.

A stacked integrated multi-junction solar cell, having a first subcell, whereby the first subcell has a layer of an InGaP compound with a first lattice constant and a first band gap energy, and the thickness of the layer is greater than 100 nm and the layer is formed as part of an emitter and/or as part of the base and/or as part of the space charge region lying between the emitter and base, and a second subcell with a second lattice constant and a second band gap energy, and a third subcell with a third lattice constant and a third band gap energy, and a fourth subcell with a fourth lattice constant and a fourth band gap energy, and a region with a wafer bond is formed between two subcells.

Stacked integrated multi-junction solar cell

A stacked optocoupler component, having a transmitter component with a transmitting area and a receiver component with a receiving area and a plate-shaped electrical isolator. The isolator is formed between the transmitter component and the receiver component, and the transmitter component and the receiver component and the isolator are arranged one on top of another in the form of a stack. The transmitter component and the receiver component are galvanically separated from one another but optically coupled to one another. The isolator is transparent for the emission wavelengths of the transmitter component and the centroidal axis of the transmitting area and the centroidal axis of the receiving area are substantially or precisely parallel to one another.

Growing community of inventors

Stuttgart, Germany

Wolfgang Guter