Stacked monolithic multijunction solar cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11728453-B2
Application number	US-202117373199-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 12, 2021
Priority date	Jul 10, 2020
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

A stacked monolithic multijunction solar cell, which includes a first subcell having a p-n junction with an emitter layer and a base layer, the thickness of the emitter layer being less than the thickness of the base layer at least by a factor of ten, and the first subcell comprising a substrate having a semiconductor material from the groups III and V or a substrate from the group IV, and which further includes a second subcell arranged on the first subcell and a third subcell arranged on the second subcell, the two subcells each including an emitter layer and a base layer, and a tunnel diode and a back side field layer each being formed between the subcells, the thickness of the emitter layer being greater than the thickness of the base layer in each case between the second subcell and in the third subcell.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A stacked monolithic multifunction solar cell comprising:
a first subcell that has a p-n junction with a first emitter layer and a first base layer, a thickness of the first emitter layer being less than a thickness of the first base layer at least by a factor of five, and the first subcell comprising a substrate having a semiconductor material from the groups III and V or the substrate from the group IV;
a second subcell arranged on the first subcell, the second subcell including a second emitter layer and a second base;
a third subcell arranged on the second subcell, the third subcell including a third emitter layer and a third base;
a first tunnel diode and a first back side field layer formed between the first and second subcells and a second tunnel diode and a second back side field layer formed between the second and third subcells,
wherein the second subcell and the third subcell comprise III-V semiconductor materials;
wherein a thickness of the second emitter layer is greater than a thickness of the second base in the second subcell, and
wherein a thickness of the third emitter layer is greater than a thickness of the third base in the third subcell.

2. The stacked monolithic multijunction solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein the first back side field layer is designed as the second base in the second subcell and/or the second back side field layer is designed as the third base in the third subcell.

3. The stacked monolithic multijunction solar cell according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in the second subcell, the first back side field layer comprises a different semiconductor material with respect to the second emitter layer of the second subcell, or the first back side field layer has a different stoichiometry than the second emitter layer of the second subcell, and the first back side field layer has a higher band gap than the second emitter layer of the second subcell, and/or
wherein, in the third subcell, the second back side field layer comprises a different semiconductor material with respect to the third emitter layer of the third subcell, or the second back side field layer has a different stoichiometry than the third emitter layer of the third subcell, and the second back side field layer has a higher band gap than the third emitter layer of the third subcell.

4. The stacked monolithic multijunction solar cell according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in the second subcell, the thickness of the second emitter layer is greater than the thickness of the second base and/or a thickness of the first back side field layer by a factor between five and ten, and
wherein, in the third subcell, the thickness of the third emitter layer is greater than the thickness of the third base and/or a thickness of the second back side field layer by a factor between five and ten.

5. The stacked monolithic multijunction solar cell according to claim 1 ,
wherein a thickness of the first back side field layer is in a range between 20 nm and 100 nm, and a band gap energy changes within the first back side field layer, and/or
wherein a thickness of the second back side field layer is in a range between 20 nm and 100 nm, and a band gap energy changes within the second back side field layer.

6. The stacked monolithic multijunction solar cell according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a semiconductor mirror formed between the first subcell and the second subcell.

7. The stacked monolithic multijunction solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein the second emitter layer of the second subcell comprises an (Al)InGaAs material.

8. The stacked monolithic multijunction solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein the third emitter layer of the third subcell comprises an (Al)InGaP material.

9. The stacked monolithic multijunction solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein the first, second, and third subcells are lattice-matched to each other.

10. The stacked monolithic multijunction solar cell according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a metamorphic buffer formed between the first subcell and the second subcell.

11. The stacked monolithic multijunction solar cell according to claim 1 ,
wherein a band gap energy of the second subcell is greater than a band gap energy of the first subcell, and
wherein a band gap energy of the third subcell is greater than the band gap energy of the second subcell.

12. The stacked monolithic multijunction solar cell according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a fourth subcell arranged beneath the second subcell or above the third subcell or between the second subcell and the third subcell.

13. The stacked monolithic multijunction solar cell according to claim 12 , further comprising:
a fifth subcell (T 5 ) arranged beneath the second subcell or above the third subcell or between the fourth subcell and the third subcell.

14. The stacked monolithic multijunction solar cell according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second emitter layer has a lower doping than a second base layer of the second base in the second subcell, and
wherein the third emitter layer has a lower doping than a third base layer (BS 3 ) of the third base in the third subcell.

15. The stacked monolithic multijunction solar cell according to claim 1 ,
wherein a thickness of the first back side field layer is in a range between 20 nm and 100 nm, and a band gap energy is constant within the first back side field layer, and/or
wherein a thickness of the second back side field layer is in a range between 20 nm and 100 nm, and a band gap energy is constant within the second back side field layer.

16. The stacked monolithic multijunction solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein lattice constants are different between at least two of the first, second, and third subcells.

17. The stacked monolithic multijunction solar cell according to claim 1 , wherein the first subcell is arranged such that light entering the monolithic multijunction solar cell
strikes the first emitter layer before striking the first base layer,
strikes the second emitter layer before striking the second base, and
strikes the third emitter layer before striking the third base.

18. The stacked monolithic multijunction solar cell according to claim 12 , wherein the fourth subcell comprises a fourth emitter on a fourth base, a thickness of the fourth base being greater than a thickness of the fourth emitter.

19. The stacked monolithic multijunction solar cell according to claim 13 , wherein the fifth subcell comprises a fifth emitter on a fifth base, a thickness of the fifth base being greater than a thickness of the fifth emitter.

Assignees

• Azur Space Solar Power Gmbh

Inventors

• Fuhrmann Daniel
• Van Leest Rosalinda
• Keller Gregor
• Meusel Matthias

Classifications

• H10F19/40

  comprising photovoltaic cells in a mechanically stacked configuration · CPC title

• H10F10/164

  comprising heterojunctions with Group IV materials, e.g. ITO/Si or GaAs/SiGe photovoltaic cells · CPC title

• H10F10/163

  comprising only Group III-V materials, e.g. GaAs/AlGaAs or InP/GaInAs photovoltaic cells · CPC title

• H10F10/146

  Back-junction photovoltaic cells, e.g. having interdigitated base-emitter regions on the back side · CPC title

• H10F77/1248

  having three or more elements, e.g. GaAlAs, InGaAs or InGaAsP · CPC title