Quantum well multijunction photovoltaic cell

Patent · Tue Aug 18 00:00:00 EDT 1987

OSTI ID:6106387

Chaffin, R J; Osbourn, G C

A monolithic, quantum well, multilayer, multijunction photovoltaic cell is described which consists of: at least two p-n junctions electrically connected to each other; each p-n junction comprising a p-region on one side and an n-region on the other side, each of which regions comprises a series of at least three semiconductors layers, all p-type in the p-region and all n-type in the n-region, the layers forming a strained layer superlattice; each of the series of layers in each p-n junction comprising alternating barrier and quantum well layers, each barrier layer comprising a semiconductor material having a first bandgap when the semiconductor material is in bulk thickness, and each quantum well layer comprising a semiconductor material that has a second bandgap when the semiconductor material is in bulk thickness, the bandgap being narrower then the first bandgap, the barrier layers sandwiching each quantum well layer and each quantum well layer being present in less than bulk thickness and being sufficiently thin that the width of its operational bandgap in each p-n junction is between the first and second bandgaps, the operational bandgap being the effective bandgap of the p-n junction; the operational bandgap of at least one of the p-n junctions being different from that of at least one other p-n junction; whereby radiation incident on the cell and above an energy determined by the operational bandgap of at least one of the p-n junctions will be absorbed and will produce an electrical potential across the junction.

• Assignee: Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC
• Patent Number(s): US 4688068
• OSTI ID: 6106387
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: Filed date 28 Feb 1986
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
P-N JUNCTIONS
GRADED BAND GAPS
LAYERS
N-TYPE CONDUCTORS
P-TYPE CONDUCTORS
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SUPERLATTICES
THICKNESS
DIMENSIONS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
JUNCTIONS
MATERIALS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS
140501* - Solar Energy Conversion- Photovoltaic Conversion