Mechanically stacked, lateral multi-junction photovoltaic cells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11024761-B2
Application number	US-201615156488-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2016
Priority date	May 17, 2016
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

Lateral multi-junction photovoltaic cells, devices, and methods of fabrication are provided. The photovoltaic cells include a plurality of photovoltaic subcells mechanically stacked together in a stack. Each photovoltaic subcell includes a subcell substrate, and a light absorption structure associated with the substrate. Each light absorption structure is optimized for a respective defined spectral range of incoming radiation, with the light absorption structures of multiple subcells of the plurality of photovoltaic subcells being optimized for different spectral ranges, and being offset in the stack relative to an optical axis to avoid overlap. The photovoltaic cell further includes a spectrally-dispersive optical element, with the photovoltaic subcells in the stack being respectively located and aligned relative to the optical element based, at least in part, on the respective spectral ranges of the subcells' light absorption structures.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lateral multi-junction photovoltaic cell comprising:
a plurality of photovoltaic subcells, the plurality of photovoltaic subcells being arranged in multiple layers, one layer on top of another layer, in a stack of photovoltaic subcells, each photovoltaic subcell in the stack including:
a respective subcell substrate; and
a light absorption structure associated with the respective subcell substrate, the light absorption structure being optimized to absorb a respective spectral range of radiation;

wherein the light absorption structures of multiple photovoltaic subcells of the plurality of photovoltaic subcells in the stack are optimized for different spectral ranges, with each light absorption structure in the stack being laterally offset, relative to an optical axis, from a light absorption structure of a vertically adjacent photovoltaic subcell in the stack of photovoltaic subcells to avoid any overlap of light absorption structures of vertically adjacent photovoltaic subcells in the stack, and to avoid shadowing of an upper light absorption structure relative to a lower light absorption structure in the stack, and at least one light absorption structure in the stack is supported on a main surface by its subcell substrate and contacted on an other main surface by another subcell substrate of a different photovoltaic subcell of the plurality of photovoltaic subcells in the stack, where the main surface and the other main surface are opposite main sides of the at least one light absorption structure; and
a spectrally-dispersive optical element across which incoming radiation is filtered, the spectrally-dispersive optical element spectrum-splitting the incoming radiation, at the spectrally dispersive optical element, into different radiation bands, and directing each of the different radiation bands towards a different respective light absorption structure of the light absorption structures of the plurality of photovoltaic subcells in the stack, the respective light absorption structures having different bandgap materials each optimized for a respective radiation band of the different radiation bands, and each photovoltaic subcell of the plurality of photovoltaic subcells in the stack being located and aligned in a respective layer of the multiple layers of the stack relative to the spectrally-dispersive optical element based, at least in part, on where the different radiation bands spectrum-split from the incoming radiation by the spectrally-dispersive optical element are located and the respective spectral ranges of the subcells' light absorption structures.

2. The lateral multi-junction photovoltaic cell of claim 1 , wherein the respective light absorption structures' different bandgap materials comprise a thin film semiconductor material, the thin film semiconductor material having a thickness of 5 microns or less, and comprise one of Si, GaAs, InGaN, InGaP, copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS), copper-zinc-tin-sulfide (CZTS), cadmium telluride (CdTe), or a hybrid organic-inorganic Perovskite material.

3. The lateral multi-junction photovoltaic cell of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of photovoltaic subcells includes at least three photovoltaic subcells, and wherein multiple light absorption structures of the plurality of photovoltaic subcells within the stack of photovoltaic subcells comprise different bandgap materials.

4. The lateral multi-junction photovoltaic cell of claim 1 , wherein the at least one light absorption structure in the stack comprises a back contact over the main surface of the respective light absorption material, and a transparent front contact over the other main surface of the at least one light absorption structure in the stack.

5. The lateral multi-junction photovoltaic cell of claim 1 , wherein the light absorption structure of each photovoltaic subcell is formed as a stripe on the respective subcell substrate, and the plurality of photovoltaic subcells are mechanically stacked and arrayed in the stack relative to the optical axis for the light absorption structure thereof to receive a respective spectral band of radiation from the spectrally-dispersive optical element.

6. The lateral multi-junction photovoltaic cell of claim 1 , wherein the subcell substrate of each photovoltaic subcell of multiple photovoltaic subcells in the stack is a transparent substrate.

7. The lateral multi-junction photovoltaic cell of claim 1 , further comprising a polymer film between adjacent photovoltaic subcells of the plurality of photovoltaic subcells, the polymer film facilitating securing together the adjacent photovoltaic subcells in the stack.

8. A photovoltaic device comprising:
at least one lateral multi-junction photovoltaic cell, the at least one lateral multi-junction photovoltaic cell of the photovoltaic device comprising:
a plurality of photovoltaic subcells, the plurality of photovoltaic subcells being arranged in multiple layers, one layer on top of another layer, in a stack of photovoltaic subcells, each photovoltaic subcell in the stack including:
a respective subcell substrate; and
a light absorption structure associated with the respective subcell substrate, the light absorption structure being optimized to absorb a respective spectral range of radiation;

wherein the light absorption structures of multiple photovoltaic subcells of the plurality of photovoltaic subcells in the stack are optimized for different spectral ranges, with each light absorption structure in the stack being laterally offset, relative to an optical axis, from a light absorption structure of a vertically adjacent photovoltaic subcell in the stack of photovoltaic subcells to avoid any overlap of light absorption structures of vertically adjacent photovoltaic subcells in the stack, and to avoid shadowing of an upper light absorption structure relative to a lower light absorption structure in the stack, and at least one light absorption structure in the stack is supported on a main surface by its subcell substrate and contacted on an other main surface by another subcell substrate of a different photovoltaic subcell of the plurality of photovoltaic subcells in the stack, where the main surface and the other main surface are opposite main sides of the at least one light absorption structure; and
a spectrally-dispersive optical element across which incoming radiation is filtered, the spectrally-dispersive optical element spectrum-splitting the incoming radiation, at the spectrally dispersive optical element, into different radiation bands, and directing each of the different radiation bands towards a different respective light absorption structure of the light absorption structures of the plurality of photovoltaic subcells in the stack, the respective light absorption structures having different bandgap materials each optimized for a respective radiation band of the different radiation bands, and each photovoltaic subcell of the plurality of photovoltaic subcells in the stack being located and aligned in a respective layer of the multiple layers of the stack relative to the spectrally-dispersive optical element based, at least in part, on where the different radiation bands spectrum-split from the incoming radiation by the spectrally-dispersive optical element are located and the respective spectral ranges of the subcells' light absorption structures.

9. The photovoltaic device of claim 8 , wherein the light absorption structures of the multiple photovoltaic subcells of the plurality of photovoltaic subcells in the stack are further laterally offset relative to the optical axis to avoid one light absorption structure shadowing another light absorption structure of the multiple photovoltaic subcells.

10.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Eickelmann Hans-Juergen
• Kellmann Ruediger
• Schmidt Markus

Classifications

• H10F77/492

  Spectrum-splitting means, e.g. dichroic mirrors · CPC title

• H10F19/40

  comprising photovoltaic cells in a mechanically stacked configuration · CPC title

• H10F19/31 Primary

  having multiple laterally adjacent thin-film photovoltaic cells deposited on the same substrate · CPC title

• Y02E10/52

  PV systems with concentrators · CPC title

• H01L31/043

  Electricity · mapped topic