Solar simulator filter and a method of fabricating thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10571085-B2
Application number	US-201715672990-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2017
Priority date	Aug 9, 2017
Publication date	Feb 25, 2020
Grant date	Feb 25, 2020

Abstract

A solar simulator filter that includes a flexible substrate and one or more layers of oxide materials, e.g. fluorine-doped tin oxide and indium-doped tin oxide, wherein a thickness of said layers is no more than 500 nm, and wherein the solar simulator filter generates a spectral output that closely matches a solar irradiance spectrum. Various embodiments of the solar simulator filter and a method of fabricating thereof is described.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A solar simulator filter, comprising:
a flexible substrate; and
an oxide material, wherein the oxide material comprises fluorine-doped tin oxide in the form of a layer disposed on the flexible substrate, and indium-doped tin oxide in the form of a layer disposed on the fluorine-doped tin oxide,
wherein an amount of fluorine in the fluorine-doped tin oxide is in the range of 0.1 to 5 wt %, relative to the total weight of the fluorine-doped tin oxide,
wherein an amount of indium in the indium-doped tin oxide is in the range of 8 to 10 wt %, relative to the total weight of the indium-doped tin oxide,
wherein the layer of fluorine-doped tin oxide and the layer of indium-doped tin oxide each independently have a thickness in a range of 50-200 nm,
wherein the solar simulator filter transmits light having an irradiance in the range of 1.0 to 1.6 W/m 2 /nm in the wavelength range of 300 to 750 nm, an irradiance in the range of 0.4 to 1.0 W/m 2 /nm in the wavelength range of 750 to 1,400 nm, and an irradiance in the range of 0.1 to 0.4 W/m 2 /nm in the wavelength range of 1,400 to 2,500 nm,
wherein the flexible substrate has a thickness in the range of 50 μm to 5 mm, and
wherein the flexible substrate has a flexural modulus in the range of 1 to 50 MPa and a flexural strength in the range of 0.5 to 20 MPa.

2. The solar simulator filter of claim 1 , wherein the flexible substrate has a transmittance of at least 60% at a wavelength in the range of 300 to 2,500 nm.

3. The solar simulator filter of claim 1 , wherein the flexible substrate is a thermoplastic polymer selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride.

4. The solar simulator filter of claim 3 , wherein the flexible substrate is polyethylene terephthalate.

5. The solar simulator filter of claim 1 , wherein an average particle size of the fluorine-doped tin oxide is in the range of 1 to 100 nm.

6. The solar simulator filter of claim 1 , which has a surface resistivity in the range of 5 to 60 Ω/sq.

7. A solar simulator device, comprising:
at least one light source with a power output in the range of 0.1 to 1.5 W/m 2 /nm; and
the solar simulator filter of claim 1 disposed within a distance of 0.1 to 5 m from said light source,
wherein at least a portion of light provided by said light source is configured to transmit through the solar simulator filter.

8. The solar simulator filter of claim 1 , further comprising a second layer of fluorine-doped tin oxide disposed on the layer of indium-doped tin oxide.

9. The solar simulator filter of claim 8 , wherein the second layer of fluorine-doped tin oxide has a thickness in a range of 50-200 nm.

10. The solar simulator filter of claim 1 , which has a thickness in a range of 3-5 mm.

Assignees

• Univ King Abdulaziz

Inventors

• Yakuphanoglu Fahrettin
• Al-Ghamdi Ahmed A

Classifications

• G01J1/08

  Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for photometry {standard sources, also using luminescent or radioactive material} · CPC title

• H02S50/10

  Testing of PV devices, e.g. of PV modules or single PV cells (testing of semiconductor devices during manufacturing {H10P74/00}) · CPC title

• G01N21/255

  Details, e.g. use of specially adapted sources, lighting or optical systems · CPC title

• F21S8/006 Primary

  Solar simulators, e.g. for testing photovoltaic panels · CPC title

• H02S50/15

  using optical means, e.g. using electroluminescence · CPC title