Monolithically integrated thin-film device with a solar cell, an integrated battery, and a controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10290748-B2
Application number	US-201815889420-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2018
Priority date	Jan 14, 2014
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

A thin-film monolithically integrated solar module with a solar cell, an integrated energy storage device, and a controller may be provided. It may comprise a thin-film solar cell, having at least one solar diode, on a transparent substrate, a thin-film energy storage device, and an electronic controller comprising at least one thin-film transistor above the thin-film energy storage device. The electronic controller may be electrically connected to the thin-film solar cell and the thin-film energy storage device by vias. The named functional units may build a monolithically integrated device on one substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a thin-film solar module in a superstrate configuration, the method comprising:
fabricating a thin-film solar cell, having at least one solar diode on a transparent substrate;
fabricating a thin-film energy storage device above the thin-film solar cell;
fabricating an electronic controller, comprising at least one thin-film transistor, above the thin-film energy storage device; and
providing electrical connections between the electronic controller and the thin-film solar cell by a first set of vias,
wherein the electronic controller is electrically connected to the thin-film energy storage device by a second set of vias,
wherein the first set of vias extends through at least the thin-film energy storage device,
wherein the superstrate configuration is built in an integrated thin-film manufacturing process, forming a monolithically integrated device.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein fabricating the thin-film solar cell comprises:
depositing a transparent front-side electrode atop the transparent substrate;
depositing a photovoltaic layer atop the front-side electrode; and
depositing a back-side electrode onto the photovoltaic layer so as to form the thin-film solar cell.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein fabricating the thin-film energy storage device comprises:
depositing a first dielectric layer onto the back-side electrode;
depositing a lower electrode atop the first dielectric layer;
depositing an active energy storage layer atop the lower electrode; and
depositing an upper electrode atop the active energy storage layer so as to form the thin-film energy storage device.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein fabricating the electronic controller comprises:
depositing a second dielectric layer atop of the upper electrode;
depositing and structuring a structured first metal layer atop the second dielectric layer, forming at least one out of the group comprising an inductor, a capacitor, and a metal gate of the at least one thin-film transistor;
depositing and structuring a third dielectric layer atop the structured first metal layer and the second dielectric layer in areas the structured first metal layer does not cover;
depositing and structuring a semiconductor layer atop the third dielectric layer and positioned over the metal gate of the at least one thin-film transistor;
building the first set of vias from the top of the third dielectric layer to the front-side electrode of the thin-film solar cell and to the back-side electrode of the thin-film solar cell; and
depositing and structuring a second metal layer atop the third dielectric layer, forming a source and drain of the at least one thin-film transistor and establishing contact to the front-side electrode of the thin-film solar cell and to the back-side electrode of the thin-film solar cell through the first set of vias.

5. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising building the second set of vias from the top of the third dielectric layer to the lower electrode of the thin-film energy storage device and to the upper electrode of the thin-film energy storage device, wherein depositing and structuring the second metal layer comprises establishing electrical contact between components of the electronic controller, the lower electrode of the thin-film energy storage device, and the upper electrode of the thin-film energy storage device.

6. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising:
forming the inductor within the first metal layer; and
forming a third set of vias through the third dielectric layer by etching the third dielectric layer;
wherein the third dielectric layer is etched selectively to enable a connection of the inductor to the second metal layer.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Bredel Johann H
• Eickelmann Hans-Juergen
• Kellmann Ruediger
• Kuehl Hartmut
• Schmidt Markus

Classifications

• H02S40/34

  comprising specially adapted electrical connection means to be structurally associated with the PV module, e.g. junction boxes · CPC title

• Y02E10/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] energy · CPC title

• H02S40/38

  Energy storage means, e.g. batteries, structurally associated with PV modules · CPC title

• H01L31/02021

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/02008 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic