Tubular solar cell and method of making same
High efficiency, low cost solar energy conversation is facilitated by using tubular photovoltaic solar cells situated at the focus of a line-generated paraboloidal reflector. Advantageously each solar cell comprises a pair of concentric glass tubes that are hermetically sealed at the ends. A photovoltaic junction is formed over the entire inside surface of one of the concentric tubes. For example, this may comprise an inner electrically conductive film, contiguous layers of Cu/sub 2/S and CdS forming a heterojunction, and an outer film of optically transparent but electrically conductive material. The conductivie films provide electrical connection to the junction via external contacts that are symmetrically disposed at the ends of the tubular cell. In other embodiments the photovoltaic junction is formed in a crystalline silicon layer that is grown in situ on one of the glass tubes. Techniques for promoting oriented semiconductor crystalline growth are disclosed. These include providing minute crystalline islands in a metal matrix to serve as growth centers, surface alignment using a wavy layer deposited at an acute angle onto the glass substrate, surface seeding and normalization growth atop a fluid-like thin film deposition substrate.
- Assignee:
- Sensor Technology, Inc.
- Patent Number(s):
- US 4052782
- OSTI ID:
- 6722835
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: Filed date 26 Feb 1976
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
SILICON
CRYSTAL GROWTH
SOLAR CELLS
DESIGN
FABRICATION
CADMIUM SULFIDE SOLAR CELLS
CONFIGURATION
COPPER SULFIDES
PARABOLIC REFLECTORS
SILICON SOLAR CELLS
SUBSTRATES
CHALCOGENIDES
COPPER COMPOUNDS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELEMENTS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
SEMIMETALS
SOLAR CONCENTRATORS
SOLAR REFLECTORS
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
140501* - Solar Energy Conversion- Photovoltaic Conversion
360601 - Other Materials- Preparation & Manufacture