Monolithically integrated thin-film device with a solar cell, an integrated battery, and a controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9941419-B2
Application number	US-201514589233-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 5, 2015
Priority date	Jan 14, 2014
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

A thin-film monolithically integrated solar module with a solar cell, an integrated energy storage device, and a controller may be provided. It may comprise a thin-film solar cell, having at least one solar diode, on a transparent substrate, a thin-film energy storage device, and an electronic controller comprising at least one thin-film transistor above the thin-film energy storage device. The electronic controller may be electrically connected to the thin-film solar cell and the thin-film energy storage device by vias. The named functional units may build a monolithically integrated device on one substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thin-film solar module, comprising
a thin-film solar cell, having at least one solar diode, on a transparent substrate;
a thin-film energy storage device above the thin-film solar cell; and
an electronic controller comprising at least one thin-film transistor above the thin-film energy storage device,
wherein the electronic controller is electrically connected to the thin-film solar cell by a first set of vias,
wherein the electronic controller is electrically connected to the thin-film energy storage device by a second set of vias,
wherein the first set of vias extends through at least the thin-film energy storage device.

2. The thin-film solar module according to claim 1 , wherein the thin-film solar cell comprises:
a transparent front-side electrode atop the transparent substrate;
a photovoltaic layer atop the front-side electrode; and
a back-side electrode atop the photovoltaic layer.

3. The thin-film solar module according to claim 2 , further comprising a first dielectric layer atop the back-side electrode.

4. The thin-film solar module according to claim 3 , wherein the thin-film energy storage device comprises:
a lower electrode atop the first dielectric layer;
an active energy storage layer atop the lower electrode; and
an upper electrode atop the active energy storage layer.

5. The thin-film solar module according to claim 4 , wherein the active energy storage layer comprises a cathode layer, a solid electrolyte layer, and an anode layer between the lower electrode and the upper electrode building a battery.

6. The thin-film solar module according to claim 4 , wherein the active energy storage layer comprises a solid electrolyte between the lower electrode and the upper electrode building a super-capacitor.

7. The thin-film solar module according to claim 4 , wherein the active energy storage layer comprises a hybrid structure based on a battery and a super-capacitor.

8. The thin-film solar module according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a second dielectric layer atop the upper electrode of the thin-film energy storage device; and
a structured first metal layer atop the second dielectric layer.

9. The thin-film solar module according to claim 8 , further comprising a third dielectric layer atop the structured first metal layer and atop the second dielectric layer in areas between structures of the structured first metal layer.

10. The thin-film solar module according to claim 9 , further comprising a structured semiconductor layer atop the third dielectric layer, wherein the structured semiconductor layer overlaps at least in part with the structures of the structured first metal layer.

11. The thin-film solar module according to claim 10 , wherein the structured semiconductor layer comprises a semiconductor oxide compound.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Bredel Johann H
• Eickelmann Hans-Juergen
• Kellmann Ruediger
• Kuehl Hartmut
• Schmidt Markus

Classifications

• H02S40/34

  comprising specially adapted electrical connection means to be structurally associated with the PV module, e.g. junction boxes · CPC title

• H02S40/38

  Energy storage means, e.g. batteries, structurally associated with PV modules · CPC title

• Y02E10/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] energy · CPC title

• H01L27/142

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/053

  Electricity · mapped topic