Ultraviolet-blocking photovoltaic sunglasses

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10156739-B2
Application number	US-201715431867-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2017
Priority date	Feb 14, 2017
Publication date	Dec 18, 2018
Grant date	Dec 18, 2018

Abstract

Techniques for integrating photovoltaics into wearables, such as eyewear, are provided. In one aspect, a method of forming a lens for photovoltaic eyewear includes: forming a semitransparent photovoltaic film on at least a portion of a viewable area of the lens, wherein the semitransparent photovoltaic film includes an inorganic absorber material having a band gap of from about 1.4 eV to about 2.2 eV, and ranges therebetween. The semitransparent photovoltaic film can be configured to block greater than about 99.9% UVA, UVB, and UVC light rays, and from about 95% to about 99%, and ranges therebetween, of HEV light rays from passing therethrough. Photovoltaic eyewear formed by the present techniques is also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a lens for photovoltaic eyewear, the method comprising the step of:
forming a semitransparent photovoltaic film on at least a portion of a viewable area of the lens, wherein the semitransparent photovoltaic film comprises an inorganic absorber material having a band gap of from about 1.4 eV to about 2.2 eV, and ranges therebetween.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the semitransparent photovoltaic film is configured to block greater than about 99.9%, and ranges therebetween, of ultraviolet (UV) UVA, UVB, and UVC light rays, and from about 95% to about 99%, and ranges therebetween, of HEV light rays from passing therethrough.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic absorber material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: a chalcogen, amorphous silicon, amorphous silicon carbide, a chalcopyrite, a kesterite, a perovskite, a III-V material, and combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic absorber material comprises from about 90% to about 99.999%, and ranges therebetween, of selenium (Se).

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic absorber material comprises a chalcopyrite selected from the group consisting of: CuGa(S x ,Se 1-x ) 2 wherein 0.15<x<1, CuIn(S y ,Se 1-y ) 2 wherein 0.8<y<1, and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic absorber material comprises a kesterite Cu 2 ZnSn(S z ,Se 1-z ) 4 wherein 0.8<z<1.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic absorber material comprises a III-V material selected from the group consisting of: gallium phosphide (GaP), gallium arsenide (GaAs), aluminum arsenide (AlAs), aluminum antimonide (AlSb), indium phosphide (InP), and combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of forming the semitransparent photovoltaic film on the lens comprises the steps of:
depositing a first transparent conducting oxide on the lens;
forming a photovoltaic absorber layer comprising the inorganic absorber material on the first transparent conducting oxide;
forming an n-type layer on the photovoltaic absorber layer; and
depositing a second transparent conducting oxide on the n-type layer.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising the steps of:
forming first metal contacts on the lens prior to depositing the first transparent conducting oxide; and
forming second metal contacts on the second transparent conducting oxide,
wherein the first metal contacts and the second metal contacts are each formed from a metal selected from the group consisting of: aluminum (Al), gold (Au), silver (Ag), molybdenum (Mo), and combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising the step of:
forming a back-surface field layer on the first transparent conducting oxide, wherein the back-surface field layer has a workfunction of greater than about 5.2 eV.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising the step of:
forming a buffer layer on the n-type layer.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of forming the semitransparent photovoltaic film on the lens comprises the steps of:
depositing a first transparent conducting oxide on the lens;
forming an n-type layer on the first transparent conducting oxide;
forming a photovoltaic absorber layer comprising the inorganic absorber material on the n-type layer; and
depositing a second transparent conducting oxide on the photovoltaic absorber layer.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising the steps of:
forming first metal contacts on the lens prior to depositing the first transparent conducting oxide; and
forming second metal contacts on the second transparent conducting oxide,
wherein the first metal contacts and the second metal contacts are each formed from a metal selected from the group consisting of: Al, Au, Ag, Mo, and combinations thereof.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising the step of:
forming a back-surface field layer on the photovoltaic absorber layer, wherein the back-surface field layer has a workfunction of greater than about 5.2 eV.

15. Photovoltaic eyewear, comprising:
at least one lens; and
a semitransparent photovoltaic film on at least a portion of a viewable area of the at least one lens, wherein the semitransparent photovoltaic film comprises an inorganic absorber material having a band gap of from about 1.4 eV to about 2.2 eV, and ranges therebetween.

16. The photovoltaic eyewear of claim 15 , wherein the semitransparent photovoltaic film is configured to block greater than about 99.9% UVA, UVB, and UVC light rays, and from about 95% to about 99%, and ranges therebetween, of HEV light rays from passing therethrough.

17. The photovoltaic eyewear of claim 15 , wherein the inorganic absorber material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: a chalcogen, amorphous silicon, amorphous silicon carbide, a chalcopyrite, a kesterite, a perovskite, a III-V material, and combinations thereof.

18. The photovoltaic eyewear of claim 15 , wherein the semitransparent photovoltaic film is formed on an inside of the lens so as to face a user of the photovoltaic eyewear.

19. The photovoltaic eyewear of claim 15 , wherein the semitransparent photovoltaic film is formed on an outside of the lens so as to face away from a user of the photovoltaic eyewear.

20. The photovoltaic eyewear of claim 15 , wherein the semitransparent photovoltaic film comprises:
a first transparent conducting oxide disposed on the lens;
a photovoltaic absorber layer comprising the inorganic absorber material disposed on the first transparent conducting oxide;
an n-type layer disposed on the photovoltaic absorber layer; and
a second transparent conducting oxide disposed on the n-type layer.

21. The photovoltaic eyewear of claim 15 , wherein the semitransparent photovoltaic film comprises:
a first transparent conducting oxide disposed on the lens;
an n-type layer disposed on the first transparent conducting oxide;
a photovoltaic absorber layer comprising the inorganic absorber material disposed on the n-type layer; and
a second transparent conducting oxide disposed on the photovoltaic absorber layer.

22. The photovoltaic eyewear of claim 15 , further comprising:
a neck strap attached to the eyewear; and
the semitransparent photovoltaic film affixed to the neck strap.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Bishop Douglas M
• Singh Saurabh
• Todorov Teodor K

Classifications

• G02C7/108

  Colouring materials · CPC title

• G02C11/10 Primary

  Electronic devices other than hearing aids · CPC title

• H01L31/0326

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/0304

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/0322

  Electricity · mapped topic