Decorative dual-function photovoltaic devices generating angle insensitive transmissive or reflective colors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10580918-B2
Application number	US-201415033516-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2014
Priority date	Nov 1, 2013
Publication date	Mar 3, 2020
Grant date	Mar 3, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure provides dual-function photovoltaic (PV) devices that generate electric current and have a colored surface or colored appearance. The PV devices may be angle insensitive and polarization independent. Such a dual-function PV device may have an ultra-thin photoactive layer (e.g., comprising an undoped amorphous silicon) with a thickness of ? about 50 nm. The PV device is configured to filter (transmit or reflect) a portion of an electromagnetic spectrum, providing a controllable and tunable color appearance. Such nanometer a-Si/organic hybrid cells are designed to transmit or reflect angle insensitive colors, electrically powering up to 2% to 3% or higher by efficient absorbed photon to charge conversion. In certain variations, the present disclosure further provides decorative power generating panels creating angle insensitive transmissive or reflective colors.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dual-function photovoltaic device comprising:
an anode comprising a first metal,
a cathode comprising a second metal, and
a photoactive layer assembly disposed between the anode and the cathode, the photoactive layer assembly being substantially free of doping and comprising a semiconductor active layer comprising an amorphous silicon (a-Si) having a thickness of less than or equal to about 50 nm, a first charge transport layer, and a second charge transport layer sandwiching the semiconductor active layer; wherein the anode, the cathode and the photoactive layer assembly together create an optical resonator so that the dual-function photovoltaic device is configured to generate electric current and to display a colored surface appearance by reflecting or transmitting a filtered output in a predetermined range of electromagnetic wavelengths in a visible range.

2. The dual-function photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor active layer has a thickness of greater than or equal to about 6 nm to less than or equal to about 31 nm.

3. The dual-function photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the filtered output for a predetermined range of electromagnetic wavelengths in a visible range varies less than or equal to about 20 nm from an incidence angle of 0 to 60° with respect to the dual-function photovoltaic device.

4. The dual-function photovoltaic device of claim 3 , wherein the filtered output is either transverse-magnetic (TM) polarity light and/or transverse-electric (TE) polarized light.

5. The dual-function photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein a power conversion efficiency is greater than or equal to about 2%.

6. The dual-function photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein a power conversion efficiency is greater than or equal to about 3%.

7. The dual-function photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the anode comprises a dielectric-metal-dielectric structure comprising vanadium pentoxide (V 2 O 5 ), silver (Ag), and tungsten trioxide (WO 3 ).

8. The dual-function photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the first charge transport layer is adjacent to the cathode and comprises an organic material comprising indene-C 60 bisadduct (ICBA).

9. The dual-function photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the cathode comprises silver.

10. The dual-function photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the cathode comprises a metal-dielectric-metal-dielectric structure comprising ordered layers of silver (Ag), tungsten trioxide (WO 3 ), silver (Ag), and tungsten trioxide (WO 3 ).

11. The dual-function photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the dual-function photovoltaic device is a transmission-type device and the predetermined range of electromagnetic wavelengths of the filtered output has a color selected from the group consisting of: red, green, blue, and combinations thereof.

12. The dual-function photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the dual-function photovoltaic device is a reflection-type device and the predetermined range of electromagnetic wavelengths of the filtered output has a color selected from the group consisting of: cyan, yellow, magenta, and combinations thereof.

13. The dual-function photovoltaic device of claim 1 , wherein the filtered output has a bandwidth of less than or equal to about 25 nm.

14. A dual-function photovoltaic device comprising:
an anode comprising a first metal,
a cathode comprising a second metal, and
a photoactive layer assembly disposed between the anode and the cathode, the photoactive layer assembly being substantially free of doping and comprising a semiconductor active layer comprising an amorphous silicon (a-Si) having a thickness of greater than or equal to about 6 nm to less than or equal to about 31 nm, a first charge transport layer comprising an organic material, and a second charge transport layer sandwiching the semiconductor active layer; wherein the anode, the cathode and the photoactive layer assembly together create an optical resonator so that the dual-function photovoltaic device is configured to generate electric current and to display a colored surface appearance by reflecting or transmitting a filtered output for a predetermined range of electromagnetic wavelengths in a visible range that varies less than or equal to about 20 nm from an incidence angle of 0 to 60° with respect to the dual-function photovoltaic device.

15. The dual-function photovoltaic device of claim 14 , wherein the dual-function photovoltaic device is a transmission-type device and the predetermined range of electromagnetic wavelengths of the filtered output has a color selected from the group consisting of: red, green, blue, and combinations thereof.

16. The dual-function photovoltaic device of claim 14 , wherein the dual-function photovoltaic device is a reflection-type device and the predetermined range of electromagnetic wavelengths of the filtered output has a color selected from the group consisting of: cyan, yellow, magenta, and combinations thereof.

17. The dual-function photovoltaic device of claim 14 , wherein the minimal angle dependence is for either transverse-magnetic (TM) polarity light and/or transverse-electric (TE) polarized light.

18. The dual-function photovoltaic device of claim 14 , wherein a power conversion efficiency is greater than or equal to about 2%.

19. The dual-function photovoltaic device of claim 14 , wherein the anode comprises a dielectric-metal-dielectric structure comprising vanadium pentoxide (V 2 O 5 ), silver (Ag), and tungsten trioxide (WO 3 ).

20. The dual-function photovoltaic device of claim 14 , wherein the first charge transport layer is adjacent to the cathode and the organic material comprises indene-C 60 bisadduct (ICBA).

21. The dual-function photovoltaic device of claim 14 , wherein the cathode comprises silver.

22. The dual-function photovoltaic device of claim 14 , wherein the cathode comprises a metal-dielectric-metal-dielectric structure comprising ordered layers of silver (Ag), tungsten trioxide (WO 3 ), silver (Ag), and tungsten trioxide (WO 3 ).

Assignees

• Univ Michigan Regents

Inventors

• Guo Lingjie Jay
• Lee Jae Yong
• Lee Kyu-Tae

Classifications

• Y02E10/52

  PV systems with concentrators · CPC title

• H01L31/202

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/054

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/0468 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L2031/0344

  Electricity · mapped topic