The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 15, 1978
Filed:
Aug. 12, 1976
James V Masi, Huntington, CT (US);
UCE, Inc., South Norwalk, CT (US);
Abstract
A photovoltaic semiconductor junction device which is particularly useful as a solar cell comprises a first layer of organic semiconductor material exhibiting one type of electronic conductivity and a second of inorganic semiconductor material having the same or opposite type conductivity. The first layer of organic semiconductor material has an energy bandgap relatively wider than that of the second layer of semiconductor material. The electron affinities of the first and second layers of semiconducting material may be equal, greater, or less than those of the other. The first layer of organic semiconductor material must either be doped to have a resistivity below 10.sup.6 ohm-centimeters or be sufficiently thin to allow conduction. In devices employing n-type layers on p-type substrates, the conduction band energy level of the organic material is preferably at substantially the same energy level as the conduction band energy level of the narrower band gap semiconductor material. In devices employing p-type layers, the valence band energy level of the organic material is preferably at substantially the same energy level as the valence band energy level of the narrower bandgap inorganic semiconductor material.