Stacked compound parabolic concentrators integrated with multiple dielectric layers for wide acceptance angle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11538953-B2
Application number	US-201716076825-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2017
Priority date	Feb 22, 2016
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to compound parabolic concentrators. In one implementation, a compound parabolic concentrator may include a parabolic array having a base, a side wall, and an aperture for receiving light and a dielectric layer having a refractive index. In another implementation, a stacked compound parabolic concentrator may include a parabolic array having a base, a side wall, and an aperture for receiving light and multiple dielectric layers within the array. Each dielectric layer may have a refractive index, and the refractive index may decrease with each dielectric layer moving from the base of the parabolic array to the light receiving aperture.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A compound parabolic concentrator, comprising:
a parabolic array having a base, a side wall, and an aperture for receiving light;
a dielectric layer having a refractive index, the dielectric layer being disposed within the parabolic array;
a diffuser disposed between the base and the dielectric layer;
a photovoltaic device, wherein the photovoltaic is located on the base of the parabolic array, and
wherein the diffuser is disposed on a portion of the base of the parabolic array not including the photovoltaic device.

2. The concentrator of claim 1 , wherein the parabolic array comprises at least one plastic.

3. The concentrator of claim 1 , wherein the parabolic array comprises a superposition of two parabolas along a vertical axis.

4. The concentrator of claim 1 , wherein the parabolic array comprises a superposition of two parabolas along a vertical axis combined with a superposition of two parabolas along a horizontal axis.

5. The concentrator of claim 1 , wherein the base has a rectangular or square shape.

6. The concentrator of claim 1 , wherein the side wall has a height no greater than one-half of at least one length of the base.

7. The concentrator of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric layer comprises at least one of PMMA or titanium dioxide.

8. The concentrator of claim 1 ,
wherein the photovoltaic device has an area smaller than the area of the base.

9. The concentrator of claim 8 , wherein the photovoltaic device comprises an array of GaAs solar cells.

10. The concentrator of claim 8 , wherein the photovoltaic device has an area no more than two-thirds of the area of the base.

11. The concentrator of claim 8 , wherein the diffuser comprises at least one of ground glass, nanoparticle arrays, or microlens arrays.

12. The concentrator of claim 1 , further comprising:
a reflecting film,
wherein the reflecting film is disposed on at least one of the side wall and the base.

13. The concentrator of claim 12 , wherein the reflecting film comprises at least one of silver or aluminum.

14. The concentrator of claim 12 , wherein the reflecting film is integrated with at least one of the side wall or the base.

15. A stacked compound parabolic concentrator, comprising:
a parabolic array having a base, a side wall, and an aperture for receiving light;
multiple dielectric layers within the array, each dielectric layer having a refractive index, wherein the refractive index decreases with each dielectric layer moving from the base of the parabolic array to the light receiving aperture;
a diffuser disposed between the base and the multiple dielectric layers;
a photovoltaic device, wherein the photovoltaic is located on the base of the parabolic array, and
wherein the diffuser is disposed on a portion of the base of the parabolic array not including the photovoltaic device.

16. The concentrator of claim 15 , wherein the parabolic array comprises at least one plastic.

17. The concentrator of claim 15 , wherein the parabolic array comprises a superposition of two parabolas along a vertical axis.

18. The concentrator of claim 15 , wherein the parabolic array comprises a superposition of two parabolas along a vertical axis combined with a superposition of two parabolas along a horizontal axis.

19. The concentrator of claim 18 , wherein the horizontal axis is located between two of the dielectric layers within the array.

20. The concentrator of claim 15 , wherein the base has a rectangular or square shape.

21. The concentrator of claim 15 , wherein the side wall has a height no greater than one-half of at least one length of the base.

22. The concentrator of claim 15 , wherein the multiple dielectric layers comprise at least two dielectric layers.

23. The concentrator of claim 22 , wherein the multiple dielectric layers further comprise at least three dielectric layers.

24. The concentrator of claim 23 , wherein the multiple dielectric layers further comprise at least four dielectric layers.

25. The concentrator of claim 15 , wherein at least one dielectric layer comprises PMMA or titanium oxide.

26. The concentrator of claim 15 ,
wherein the photovoltaic device has an area smaller than the area of the base.

27. The concentrator of claim 26 , wherein the photovoltaic device comprises an array of GaAs solar cells.

28. The concentrator of claim 26 , wherein the photovoltaic device has an area no more than two-thirds of the area of the base.

29. The concentrator of claim 26 , wherein the diffuser comprises at least one of ground glass, nanoparticle arrays, or microlens arrays.

30. The concentrator of claim 15 , further comprising:
a reflecting film,
wherein the reflecting film is disposed on at least one of the side wall or the base.

31. The concentrator of claim 30 , wherein the reflecting film comprises at least one of silver or aluminum.

32. The concentrator of claim 30 , wherein the reflecting film is integrated with at least one of the side wall or the base.

Assignees

• Univ Michigan Regents

Inventors

• Forrest Stephen R
• Lee Kyusang
• Lee Byungjun

Classifications

• H01L31/0547 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• Y02E10/52

  PV systems with concentrators · CPC title

• H01L31/042

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/0543

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/18

  Electricity · mapped topic