Compound-semiconductor photovoltaic cell and manufacturing method of compound-semiconductor photovoltaic cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016013336-A1
Application number	US-201514794874-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 9, 2015
Priority date	Jul 11, 2014
Publication date	Jan 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A compound-semiconductor photovoltaic cell includes a first photoelectric conversion cell, which includes an absorption layer made of a first compound-semiconductor material which lattice matches with gallium arsenide (GaAs) or germanium (Ge); and a window layer made of aluminum indium phosphide (Al x1 In 1-x1 P (0<x1≦1)), arranged on an incident side of the absorption layer in a light incident direction, having a lattice constant less than a lattice constant of the absorption layer, and having a band gap greater than a band gap of the absorption layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A compound-semiconductor photovoltaic cell including a first photoelectric conversion cell, comprising:
an absorption layer made of a first compound-semiconductor material which lattice matches with gallium arsenide (GaAs) or germanium (Ge); and a window layer made of aluminum indium phosphide (Al x1 In 1-x1 P (0<x1≦1)), arranged on an incident side of the absorption layer in a light incident direction, having a lattice constant less than a lattice constant of the absorption layer, and having a band gap greater than a band gap of the absorption layer.

2 . The compound-semiconductor photovoltaic cell as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a content of aluminum (Al) in the window layer is greater than a content of indium (In) in the window layer (0.5<x1≦1).

3 . The compound-semiconductor photovoltaic cell as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a contact layer made of gallium indium arsenide (Ga 1-x2 In x2 As (0≦x2<1)) and arranged on a part of a light incident side of the window layer.

4 . The compound-semiconductor photovoltaic cell as claimed in claim 3 , further comprising a first intermediate layer made of aluminum gallium indium arsenide ((Al x3 Ga 1-x3 ) y3 In 1-y3 As (0<x3<1, 0<y≦1)), arranged between the window layer and the contact layer, and having a band gap less than or equal to the band gap of the window layer but greater than or equal to a band gap of the contact layer.

5 . The compound-semiconductor photovoltaic cell as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the absorption layer is made of aluminum gallium indium phosphide ((Al x4 Ga 1-x4 ) y4 In 1-y4 P (0≦x4<1, 0<y4<1)).

6 . The compound-semiconductor photovoltaic cell as claimed in claim 5 , further comprising a second intermediate layer made of aluminum gallium indium phosphide ((Al x5 Ga 1-x5 ) y5 In 1-y5 P (0≦x5≦1, 0≦y≦1)), arranged between the window layer and the absorption layer, and having a band gap less than or equal to the band gap of the window layer but greater than or equal to the band gap of the absorption layer.

7 . The compound-semiconductor photovoltaic cell as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the second intermediate layer is made of a material which lattice matches with GaAs or Ge.

8 . The compound-semiconductor photovoltaic cell as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the second intermediate layer is made of a material having a lattice constant which is between the lattice constant of the window layer and a lattice constant of GaAs or Ge.

9 . The compound-semiconductor photovoltaic cell as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising one or more second photoelectric conversion cells arranged on a deep side more than the first photoelectric conversion cell in the light incident direction, and made of a second compound-semiconductor material, which is GaAs-based.

10 . The compound-semiconductor photovoltaic cell as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising:
a first junction layer formed on a deep side of the one or more second photoelectric conversion cells in the light incident direction; a compound-semiconductor substrate; one or more third photoelectric conversion cells made of a third compound-semiconductor material and laminated on the compound-semiconductor substrate; and a second junction layer laminated on the one or more third photoelectric conversion cells, wherein a surface of the first junction layer opposite to a surface connected to the second photoelectric conversion cells and a surface of the second junction layer opposite to a surface connected to the third photoelectric conversion cells are joined.

11 . A manufacturing method of a compound-semiconductor photovoltaic cell including a photoelectric conversion cell, the method comprising:
forming an absorption layer made of a compound-semiconductor material which lattice matches with gallium arsenide (GaAs) or germanium (Ge); and forming a window layer made of aluminum indium phosphide (Al x1 In 1-x1 P (0<x1≦1)) on a light incident side of the absorption layer in a light incident direction, wherein the window layer has a lattice constant less than a lattice constant of the absorption layer and has a band gap greater than a band gap of the absorption layer.

12 . A manufacturing method of a compound-semiconductor photovoltaic cell comprising:
forming a first photoelectric conversion cell by laminating a window layer made of aluminum indium phosphide (Al x1 In 1-x1 P (0<x1≦1)) on a first substrate formed of a compound-semiconductor, and laminating an absorption layer made of a first compound-semiconductor material which lattice matches with gallium arsenide (GaAs) or germanium (Ge) on the window layer, wherein the window layer has a lattice constant less than a lattice constant of the absorption layer and has a band gap greater than a band gap of the absorption layer; laminating one or more second photoelectric conversion cells made of a second compound-semiconductor material, which is GaAs-based, on the first photoelectric conversion cell; laminating a first junction layer on the second photoelectric conversion cells; laminating one or more third photoelectric conversion cells made of a third compound-semiconductor material on a second substrate formed of a compound-semiconductor; laminating a second junction layer on the one or more third photoelectric conversion cells; joining a surface of the first junction layer opposite to a surface connected to the second photoelectric conversion cells and a surface of the second junction layer opposite to a surface connected to the third photoelectric conversion cells; and removing the first substrate.

Assignees

• Sato Shunichi
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sato Shunichi

Classifications

• Y02E10/544

  Solar cells from Group III-V materials · CPC title

• H10F77/315 Primary

  the coatings being antireflective or having enhancing optical properties · CPC title

• H10F71/1395

  for thin-film devices · CPC title

• H10F71/1272

  comprising at least three elements, e.g. GaAlAs or InGaAsP · CPC title

• H10F71/139

  using temporary substrates · CPC title