Back contact layer for photovoltaic cells

Title: Back contact layer for photovoltaic cells

Abstract

A photovoltaic cell structure is disclosed that includes a back contact layer that includes single wall carbon nanotube elements. The single wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) back contact is in electrical communication with an adjacent semiconductor layer and provides a buffer characteristic that impedes elemental metal migration from the back contact into the semiconductor active layers. In one embodiment, the SWNT back contact includes a semiconductor characteristic and a buffer characteristic. In another embodiment, the SWNT back contact further includes a metallic characteristic.

Inventors:: Heben, Michael J.; Phillips, Adam B.; Khanal, Rajendra R.; Plotnikov, Victor V.; Compaan, Alvin D.

Issue Date:: 2018-08-07

Research Org.:: The University Of Toledo, Toledo, OH (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE

OSTI Identifier:: 1469122

Patent Number(s):: 10043922

Application Number:: 14/421,718

Assignee:: The University Of Toledo (Toledo, OH)

Patent Classifications (CPCs):: H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

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H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
H01L31/022441 - {Electrode arrangements specially adapted for back-contact solar cells}
H01L31/076 - Multiple junction or tandem solar cells
H01L31/02008 - {for solar cells or solar cell modules}
H01L31/073 - comprising only AIIBVI compound semiconductors, e.g. CdS/CdTe solar cells

Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
Y02E10/50 - Photovoltaic [PV] energy

H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
H01L31/022425 - {for solar cells}

Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
Y02E10/547 - Monocrystalline silicon PV cells

B - PERFORMING OPERATIONS B82 - NANOTECHNOLOGY B82Y - SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES
B82Y20/00 - Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals

H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
H01L31/075 - the potential barriers being only of the PIN type
H01L31/02167 - {for solar cells}
H01L31/1828 - {the active layers comprising only AIIBVI compounds, e.g. CdS, ZnS, CdTe}

Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
Y02E10/543 - Solar cells from Group II-VI materials

H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
H01L31/0725 - Multiple junction or tandem solar cells

B - PERFORMING OPERATIONS B82 - NANOTECHNOLOGY B82Y - SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES
B82Y10/00 - Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic

Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
Y02E10/548 - Amorphous silicon PV cells

H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
H01L31/077 - the devices comprising monocrystalline or polycrystalline materials

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DOE Contract Number:: SC0006349

Resource Type:: Patent

Resource Relation:: Patent File Date: 2013 Aug 13

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; 14 SOLAR ENERGY; 42 ENGINEERING

Citation Formats


                    Heben, Michael J., Phillips, Adam B., Khanal, Rajendra R., Plotnikov, Victor V., and Compaan, Alvin D. Back contact layer for photovoltaic cells.  United States: N. p., 2018. 
        Web.

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                    Heben, Michael J., Phillips, Adam B., Khanal, Rajendra R., Plotnikov, Victor V., & Compaan, Alvin D. Back contact layer for photovoltaic cells.  United States.

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                    Heben, Michael J., Phillips, Adam B., Khanal, Rajendra R., Plotnikov, Victor V., and Compaan, Alvin D. Tue .  
        "Back contact layer for photovoltaic cells".  United States.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1469122.

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@article{osti_1469122,

  title        = {Back contact layer for photovoltaic cells},

  author       = {Heben, Michael J. and Phillips, Adam B. and Khanal, Rajendra R. and Plotnikov, Victor V. and Compaan, Alvin D.},

  abstractNote = {A photovoltaic cell structure is disclosed that includes a back contact layer that includes single wall carbon nanotube elements. The single wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) back contact is in electrical communication with an adjacent semiconductor layer and provides a buffer characteristic that impedes elemental metal migration from the back contact into the semiconductor active layers. In one embodiment, the SWNT back contact includes a semiconductor characteristic and a buffer characteristic. In another embodiment, the SWNT back contact further includes a metallic characteristic.},

  doi          = {},

  journal      = {},
number       = ,

  volume       = ,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {2018},

  month        = {8}

}

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Works referenced in this record:

Solar cell containing low melting point glass layer
patent, March 1996

Wada, Takahiro; Ikeda, Mitsusuke; Nishitani, Mikihiko
US Patent Document 5,500,056
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Method of manufacturing a light emitting, photovoltaic or other electronic apparatus and system
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Ray, William; Lowenthal, Mark; Shotton, Neil
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Solar cells and photodetectors with semiconducting nanostructures
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Flood, Dennis
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Nanostructured Solar Cells
patent-application, November 2008

Flood, Dennis J.
US Patent Application 12/108500; 20080276987
URL: http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220080276987%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20080276987&RS=DN/20080276987

Carbon Nanotube-Based Solar Cells
patent-application, December 2010

Nalamasu, Omkaram; Gay, Charles; Pushparaj, Victor
US Patent Application 12/797529; 20100313951
URL: http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220100313951%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20100313951&RS=DN/20100313951

Applications of carbon materials in photovoltaic solar cells
journal, September 2009

Zhu, Hongwei; Wei, Jinquan; Wang, Kunlin
Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Vol. 93, Issue 9, p. 1461-1470
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2009.04.006

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Similar Records

Title: Back contact layer for photovoltaic cells

Abstract

Citation Formats

Solar cell containing low melting point glass layer patent, March 1996

Method of manufacturing a light emitting, photovoltaic or other electronic apparatus and system patent, March 2012

Solar cells and photodetectors with semiconducting nanostructures patent, April 2013

Nanostructured Solar Cells patent-application, November 2008

Carbon Nanotube-Based Solar Cells patent-application, December 2010

Applications of carbon materials in photovoltaic solar cells journal, September 2009

Solar cell containing low melting point glass layer
patent, March 1996

Method of manufacturing a light emitting, photovoltaic or other electronic apparatus and system
patent, March 2012

Solar cells and photodetectors with semiconducting nanostructures
patent, April 2013

Nanostructured Solar Cells
patent-application, November 2008

Carbon Nanotube-Based Solar Cells
patent-application, December 2010

Applications of carbon materials in photovoltaic solar cells
journal, September 2009