Silicon solar cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9397248-B2
Application number	US-201414291146-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 30, 2014
Priority date	Nov 11, 2013
Publication date	Jul 19, 2016
Grant date	Jul 19, 2016

Abstract

A solar cell includes a first electrode; a lower light absorption layer disposed on the first electrode; an upper light absorption layer disposed on the lower light absorption layer; and an intermediate reflector layer provided between the lower light absorption layer and the upper light absorption layer, the intermediate reflector layer being comprised of copper oxide. The intermediate reflector layer includes a plurality of copper oxide layers including a lower copper oxide layer making contact with the lower light absorption layer, an upper copper oxide layer making contact with the upper light absorption layer, and an intermediate copper oxide layer provided between the lower copper oxide layer and the upper copper oxide layer. The plurality of copper oxide layers have respective oxygen amounts that gradually increase from the upper copper oxide layer to the lower copper oxide layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A solar cell, comprising:
a first electrode;
a lower light absorption layer disposed on the first electrode;
an upper light absorption layer disposed on the lower light absorption layer; and
an intermediate reflector layer provided between the lower light absorption layer and the upper light absorption layer, the intermediate reflector layer being comprised of copper oxide,
wherein the intermediate reflector layer includes a plurality of copper oxide layers including a lower copper oxide layer making contact with the lower light absorption layer, an upper copper oxide layer making contact with the upper light absorption layer, and an intermediate copper oxide layer provided between the lower copper oxide layer and the upper copper oxide layer, and
wherein the plurality of copper oxide layers have respective oxygen amounts that gradually increase from the upper copper oxide layer to the lower copper oxide layer.

2. The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate reflector layer has a refractive index ranging from about 2.0 to about 3.0.

3. The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the copper oxide includes CuO, Cu 2 O or CuO x , where x is a real number from 0.1 to 2.

4. The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate reflector layer has a thickness ranging from about 1 angstrom to about 100 nm.

5. The solar cell of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate reflector layer reflects light having a short wavelength so that the upper light absorption layer re-absorbs transmitted light having the short wavelength through the upper light absorption layer, and the intermediate reflector layer selectively transmits light having a long wavelength so as to provide the light having the long wavelength to the lower light absorption layer.

6. A solar cell, comprising:
a first electrode;
a lower light absorption layer disposed on the first electrode;
an upper light absorption layer disposed on the lower light absorption layer; and
an intermediate reflector layer provided between the lower light absorption layer and the upper light absorption layer, the intermediate reflector layer being comprised of copper oxide,
wherein the intermediate reflector layer includes a plurality of copper oxide layers including a lower copper oxide layer making contact with the lower light absorption layer, an upper copper oxide layer making contact with the upper light absorption layer, and an intermediate copper oxide layer between the lower copper oxide layer and the upper copper oxide layer, and wherein the copper oxide layers have respective oxygen amounts that gradually decrease from the upper copper oxide layer to the lower copper oxide layer.

Assignees

• Korea Electronics Telecomm

Inventors

• Lim Jungwook
• Yun Sun Jin
• Lee Seong Hyun

Classifications

• Y02E10/548

  Amorphous silicon PV cells · CPC title

• Y02E10/52

  PV systems with concentrators · CPC title

• H10F77/1662 Primary

  including only Group IV materials · CPC title

• H10F77/48

  Back surface reflectors [BSR] · CPC title

• H10F10/10

  having potential barriers · CPC title