Group-IV solar cell structure using group-IV or III-V heterostructures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9947823-B2
Application number	US-201514807347-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2015
Priority date	Sep 14, 2012
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

Device structures, apparatuses, and methods are disclosed for photovoltaic cells that may be a single junction or multijunction solar cells, with at least a first layer comprising a group-IV semiconductor in which part of the cell comprises a second layer comprising a III-V semiconductor or group-IV semiconductor having a different composition than the group-IV semiconductor of the first layer, such that a heterostructure is formed between the first and second layers.

First claim

We claim:

1. A photovoltaic cell comprising:
a first layer comprising an n-type group IV primary photogeneration layer, the first layer having a first major surface and a second major surface opposite the first major surface;
a second layer comprising a p-type group III-V layer; and
a third layer comprising an n-type group III-V layer;
wherein the second layer directly contacts the first major surface of the first layer and the third layer directly contacts the second major surface of the first layer;
wherein the first layer forms a photoactive p-n heterojunction with the second layer; and
wherein the first layer is an epitaxial layer grown on the second layer.

2. The photovoltaic cell of claim 1 , wherein the photovoltaic cell is a subcell within a multijunction solar cell.

3. The photovoltaic cell of claim 1 , wherein the first layer is formed from Ge.

4. The photovoltaic cell of claim 1 , wherein the second layer is formed from carbon-doped GaAs or carbon-doped AlGaAs.

5. The photovoltaic cell of claim 1 , wherein group V elements of the third layer provide n-type doping for the first layer.

6. The photovoltaic cell of claim 1 , wherein the third layer is closer to a sunward surface of the photovoltaic cell than are the first layer and the second layer.

7. The photovoltaic cell of claim 1 , wherein the first layer is closer to a sunward surface of the photovoltaic cell than is the second layer.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• King Richard R
• Fetzer Christopher M
• Karam Nasser H

Classifications

• H01L31/0745

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/078

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/0687

  Electricity · mapped topic

• Y02E10/544

  Solar cells from Group III-V materials · CPC title

• H01L31/074 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic