High voltage photovoltaics integrated with light emitting diode containing zinc oxide containing layer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10249782-B2
Application number	US-201715468759-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2017
Priority date	Mar 24, 2017
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

An electrical device that includes a material stack present on a supporting substrate. An LED is present in a first end of the material stack having a first set of bandgap materials. A photovoltaic device is present in a second end of the material stack having a second set of bandgap materials. The first end of the material stack being a light receiving end, wherein a widest bandgap material for the first set of bandgap material is greater than a highest bandgap material for the second set of bandgap materials. A zinc oxide interface layer is present between the LED and the photovoltaic device. The zinc oxide layers or can also form a LED.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrical device comprising:
a material stack present on a supporting substrate;
an LED at a first end of the material stack having a first set of bandgap materials;
a photovoltaic device at a second end of the material stack having a second set of bandgap materials, the second end of the material stack being a light receiving end, wherein a width of the bandgap material for the second set of bandgap material is greater than a width of a bandgap material for the first set of bandgap materials; and
a zinc oxide interface layer between the LED and the photovoltaic device, wherein the zinc oxide interface layer is a layer within the material stack that entirely physically separates the LED from the photovoltaic device, the zinc oxide interface layer extending an entire width of the photovoltaic device.

2. The electrical device of claim 1 , wherein the LED device is positioned between the supporting substrate and the photovoltaic device, wherein the supporting substrate is comprised of n-type gallium nitride.

3. The electrical device of claim 2 , wherein the photovoltaic device comprises a p-type gallium nitride containing photovoltaic junction layer in direct contact with an n-type gallium nitride containing photovoltaic junction layer.

4. The electrical device of claim 3 , wherein the n-type gallium nitride containing photovoltaic junction layer is in direct contact with the zinc oxide interface layer, the LED device including a p-type gallium nitride containing layer that is in direct contact with a first end of a multi quantum well and an n-type gallium nitride containing layer that is direct contact with an opposing second end of the multi quantum well.

5. The electrical device of claim 2 , wherein the photovoltaic device comprises a p-type aluminum gallium nitride containing photovoltaic junction layer in direct contact with an n-type aluminum gallium nitride containing photovoltaic junction layer.

6. The electrical device of claim 5 , wherein the n-type aluminum gallium nitride containing photovoltaic junction layer is in direct contact with the zinc oxide interface layer, the LED device including a p-type gallium nitride containing layer that is in direct contact with a first end of a multi quantum well and an n-type gallium nitride containing layer that is direct contact with an opposing second end of the multi quantum well.

7. The electrical device of claim 1 , wherein the zinc oxide interface layer is comprised of aluminum zinc oxide (Al:ZnO).

8. An electrical device comprising:
a material stack present on a supporting substrate;
an LED structure at a first end of the material stack, the LED device has a first set of bandgap materials;
a photovoltaic device at a second end of the material stack having a second set of bandgap materials, the first end of the material stack being a light receiving end, wherein a widest bandgap material for the first set of bandgap material is greater than a widest bandgap material for the second set of bandgap materials; and
a zinc oxide interface layer between the LED and the photovoltaic device, wherein the zinc oxide interface layer is a layer within the material stack that entirely physically separates the LED from the photovoltaic device, the zinc oxide interface layer extending an entire width of the photovoltaic device.

9. The electrical device of claim 8 , wherein the photovoltaic device is positioned between the supporting substrate and the LED device, wherein the supporting substrate is comprised of n-type gallium nitride.

10. The electrical device of claim 9 , wherein the photovoltaic device comprises a p-type gallium nitride containing photovoltaic junction layer in direct contact with an n-type gallium nitride containing photovoltaic junction layer.

11. The electrical device of claim 10 , wherein the n-type gallium nitride containing photovoltaic junction layer is in direct contact with the zinc oxide interface layer, the LED device including a p-type gallium nitride containing layer that is in direct contact with a first end of a multi quantum well and an n-type gallium nitride containing layer that is direct contact with an opposing second end of the multi quantum well.

12. The electrical device of claim 8 , wherein the photovoltaic device comprises a p-type gallium nitride containing photovoltaic junction layer in direct contact with an n-type gallium nitride containing photovoltaic junction layer.

13. The electrical device of claim 12 , wherein the p-type gallium nitride containing photovoltaic junction layer is in direct contact with the zinc oxide interface layer, the LED device including a p-type aluminum gallium nitride containing layer that is in direct contact with a first end of a multi quantum well and an n-type aluminum gallium nitride containing layer that is direct contact with an opposing second end of the multi quantum well, the n-type aluminum gallium nitride containing layer being in direct contact with the photovoltaic device.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Bedell Stephen W
• Li Ning
• Sadana Devendra K
• Shahidi Ghavam G

Classifications

• Y02E10/544

  Solar cells from Group III-V materials · CPC title

• H10W90/00 Primary

  Package configurations · CPC title

• H01L33/06

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/035236

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L33/32

  Electricity · mapped topic