Scalable voltage source

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10872887-B2
Application number	US-201615158051-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2016
Priority date	May 18, 2015
Publication date	Dec 22, 2020
Grant date	Dec 22, 2020

Abstract

A scalable voltage source having a number N of mutually series-connected partial voltage sources designed as semiconductor diodes, wherein each of the partial voltage sources comprises a p-n junction of a semiconductor diode, and each semiconductor diode has a p-doped absorption layer, wherein the p-absorption layer is passivated by a p-doped passivation layer with a wider band gap than the band gap of the p-absorption layer and the semiconductor diode has an n-absorption layer, wherein the n-absorption layer is passivated by an n-doped passivation layer with a wider band gap than the band gap of the n-absorption layer, and the partial source voltages of the individual partial voltage sources deviate by less than 20%, and between in each case two successive partial voltage sources, a tunnel diode is arranged.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A scalable voltage source comprising:
at least three mutually series-connected partial voltage sources configured as semiconductor diodes, each of the partial voltage sources comprising a semiconductor diode, each semiconductor diode having a p-doped absorption layer and an n-doped absorption layer, the n-doped absorption layer being passivated by an n-doped passivation layer with a wider band gap than a band gap of the n-doped absorption layer, an output voltage of the individual partial voltage sources deviating from each of the other partial voltage sources by less than 20%; and
at least two tunnel diodes, each of which is arranged between two successive partial voltage sources, each tunnel diode having a plurality of semiconductor layers with a wider band gap than a band gap of the p-doped absorption layer and n-doped absorption layer of the partial voltage source lying underneath, the plurality of semiconductor layers of each of the tunnel diodes with the wider band gap being formed of a material with changed stoichiometry or other element composition than the p-doped absorption layer and the n-doped absorption layer of the semiconductor diode laying underneath, the at least three partial voltage sources and the at least two tunnel diodes being monolithically integrated together and jointly forming a first stack, the first stack having a top side and a bottom side, and a number of the at least three partial voltage sources being greater than or equal to three,
wherein the first stack has a total thickness of less than 12 μm,
wherein, at 300 K, the first stack has a source voltage produced by the plurality of mutually series-connected partial voltage sources greater than 3 volts,
wherein, in a direction from the top side of the first stack to the bottom side of the first stack, a total thickness of the p-doped absorption layer and n-doped absorption layer of a semiconductor diode increases from the topmost diode to the lowest diode, and
wherein each p-doped absorption layer of each semiconductor diode is passivated by a p-doped passivation layer with a greater band gap than the band gap of the p-doped absorption layer.

2. The scalable voltage source according to claim 1 , wherein the output voltages of the partial voltage sources deviate from each of the other partial voltage sources by less than 10%.

3. The scalable voltage source according to claim 1 , wherein the first stack is arranged on a substrate and the substrate comprises a semiconductor material.

4. The scalable voltage source according to claim 1 , wherein the first stack has a surface area of less than 2 mm 2 or less than 1 mm 2 .

5. The scalable voltage source according to claim 4 , wherein the surface area is quadrangular.

6. The scalable voltage source according to claim 1 , wherein on the top side of the first stack, a first voltage terminal is formed as a first metal contact in a vicinity of an edge or on an edge.

7. The scalable voltage source according to claim 1 , wherein, on the bottom side of the first stack, a second voltage terminal is arranged.

8. The scalable voltage source according to claim 7 wherein the second voltage terminal is formed by the substrate.

9. The scalable voltage source according to claim 1 , wherein a second stack is formed and the first stack and the second stack are arranged adjacent to one another on a common carrier, and wherein the first and second stacks are series-connected to one another so that the source voltage of the first stack and the source voltage of the second stack are added together.

10. The scalable voltage source according to claim 1 , wherein an intrinsic layer is arranged between the p-doped absorption layer and the n-doped absorption layer of the respective semiconductor diode.

11. The scalable voltage source according to claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor diodes of the plurality of partial voltage sources and/or a substrate on which the semiconductor diodes are arranged is formed of a III-V material.

12. The scalable voltage source according to claim 1 , wherein a substrate on which the semiconductor diodes of the plurality of partial voltage sources are arranged comprises germanium or gallium arsenide.

13. The scalable voltage source according to claim 1 , wherein a semiconductor mirror is arranged below the lowest semiconductor diode of the first stack.

14. The scalable voltage source according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of semiconductor layers constituting a tunnel diode of the first stack comprise at least one semiconductor layer containing arsenide as well as at least one semiconductor layer containing phosphide.

15. The scalable voltage source according to claim 6 , wherein the edge is spaced apart by at least 5 microns and maximally 500 microns from an adjacent lateral surface of the first stack.

16. A scalable voltage source comprising:
a plurality of mutually series-connected partial voltage sources including a first semiconductor diode, a second semiconductor diode and a third semiconductor diode, each of the first semiconductor diode, the second semiconductor diode and the third semiconductor diode having a p-doped absorption layer and an n-doped absorption layer, the n-doped absorption layer being passivated by an n-doped passivation layer with a wider band gap than a band gap of the n-doped absorption layer, an output voltage of the individual partial voltage sources deviating from each of the other partial voltage sources by less than 20%;
a first tunnel diode arranged between the first semiconductor diode and the second semiconductor diode; and
a second tunnel diode arranged between the second semiconductor diode and the third semiconductor diode,
wherein the first tunnel diode and the second tunnel diode each has a plurality of semiconductor layers with a wider band gap than a band gap of the p-doped absorption layer and n-doped absorption layer of the semiconductor diode lying underneath, the plurality of semiconductor layers of the first tunnel diode and the second tunnel diode being formed of a material with changed stoichiometry or other element composition than the p-doped absorption layer and the n-doped absorption layer of the semiconductor diode laying underneath,
wherein the first semiconductor diode, the second semiconductor diode, the third semiconductor diode, the first tunnel diode and the second tunnel diode are monolithically integrated together and jointly form a first stack having a top side and a bottom side,
wherein the first stack has a total thickness of less than 12 μm,
wherein, at 300 K, the first stack has a source voltage produced by the plurality of mutually series-connected partial voltage sources greater than 3 volts, and
wherein, in a direction from the top side of the first stack to the bottom side of the first stack, a total thickness of the p-doped absorption layer and n-doped absorption layer of a semiconductor diode increases from the topmost diode to the lowest diode.

Assignees

• Azur Space Solar Power Gmbh

Inventors

• Fuhrmann Daniel
• Guter Wolfgang
• Khorenko Victor

Classifications

• H10W74/137

  the encapsulations being directly on the semiconductor body (H10W74/134 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H10W90/00 Primary

  Package configurations · CPC title

• H10D62/126

  Top-view geometrical layouts of the regions or the junctions · CPC title

• H10D62/85

  being Group III-V materials, e.g. GaAs · CPC title

• H10D8/70

  Tunnel-effect diodes · CPC title