Metamorphic solar cell having improved current generation
Abstract
A semiconductor device structure having increased photogenerated current density, and increased current output is disclosed. The device includes low bandgap absorber regions that increase the range of wavelengths at which photogeneration of charge carriers takes place, and for which useful current can be collected. The low bandgap absorber regions may be strain balanced by strain-compensation regions, and the low bandgap absorber regions and strain-compensation regions may be formed from the same ternary semiconductor family. The device may be a solar cell, subcell, or other optoelectronic device with a metamorphic or lattice-mismatched base layer, for which the low bandgap absorber region improves the effective bandgap combination of subcells and current balance within the multijunction cell, for higher efficiency conversion of the solar spectrum.
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1493299
- Patent Number(s):
- 10170652
- Application Number:
- 13/069,274
- Assignee:
- THE BOEING COMPANY (Chicago, IL)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
B - PERFORMING OPERATIONS B82 - NANOTECHNOLOGY B82Y - SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES
H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: 2019 Jan 01
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 14 SOLAR ENERGY
Citation Formats
King, Richard R., Fetzer, Christopher M., Krut, Dimitri D., and Karam, Nasser H. Metamorphic solar cell having improved current generation. United States: N. p., 2019.
Web.
King, Richard R., Fetzer, Christopher M., Krut, Dimitri D., & Karam, Nasser H. Metamorphic solar cell having improved current generation. United States.
King, Richard R., Fetzer, Christopher M., Krut, Dimitri D., and Karam, Nasser H. Tue .
"Metamorphic solar cell having improved current generation". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1493299.
@article{osti_1493299,
title = {Metamorphic solar cell having improved current generation},
author = {King, Richard R. and Fetzer, Christopher M. and Krut, Dimitri D. and Karam, Nasser H.},
abstractNote = {A semiconductor device structure having increased photogenerated current density, and increased current output is disclosed. The device includes low bandgap absorber regions that increase the range of wavelengths at which photogeneration of charge carriers takes place, and for which useful current can be collected. The low bandgap absorber regions may be strain balanced by strain-compensation regions, and the low bandgap absorber regions and strain-compensation regions may be formed from the same ternary semiconductor family. The device may be a solar cell, subcell, or other optoelectronic device with a metamorphic or lattice-mismatched base layer, for which the low bandgap absorber region improves the effective bandgap combination of subcells and current balance within the multijunction cell, for higher efficiency conversion of the solar spectrum.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2019},
month = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2019}
}
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