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:
Nov. 01, 1988
Filed:
May. 29, 1987
Allen M Barnett, Newark, DE (US);
Robert B Hall, Newark, DE (US);
Jeff W Edington, Westmount, CA;
Alexander P Davidson, Whichford, GB;
William A Tiller, Portola Valley, CA (US);
Astrosystems, Inc., Newark, DE (US);
Abstract
A thin-film solar cell is made up of semiconductor layers formed on an aluminum silicon eutectic alloy substrate. The substrate includes an aluminum oxide insulator containing electrically conducting silicon nucleation sites which is interposed between the electrical contact of the substrate and the adjacent semiconductor. Grain boundaries and voids terminate on the insulator. The solar cell is fabricated by oxidizing the aluminum-silicon substrate to form a layer of aluminum oxide with unactivated silicon site material dispersed therein and activating the silicon nucleation sites during growth of the semiconductor layers.