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:
Oct. 17, 2000
Filed:
Nov. 12, 1998
Dmitri Zalmanovich Garbuzov, Princeton, NJ (US);
Victor Borisovich Khalfin, Princeton, NJ (US);
Ramon Ubaldo Martinelli, Hightstown, NJ (US);
Hao Lee, Lawrenceville, NJ (US);
Nancy Ann Morris, Millstone Township, NJ (US);
John Charles Connolly, Clarksburg, NJ (US);
Sarnoff Corporation, Princeton, NJ (US);
Abstract
A thermophotovoltaic cell and diode photodetector having improved open circuit voltage and high internal efficiency includes a semiconductor body having regions of n-type conductivity and p-type conductivity adjacent each other to form a p-n junction therebetween. The p-type region is of a material having a band gap which will absorb black-body radiation and the n-type region is of a material having a wider band gap than that of the p-type region. This forms a heterojunction between the two regions. The region of n-type region has a doping level which is an order of magnitude less than the doping level in the p-type region. This structure forms a cell having a space charge region in the n-type region.