High efficiency solar cells utilizing wafer bonding and layer transfer to integrate non-lattice matched materials

• US 10,374,120 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2006
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Atwater, Jr., Harry A., Zahler, James M., Morral, Anna Fontcuberta i, Pinnington, Tom, Olson, Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Jay C
• Application Number:
  US11/357,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20060185582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,914 Days
• Field of Search: 257E25007, 257461, 257184, 438455
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 33/06 Joining of crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/03046 including ternary or quaternary compounds, e.g. GaAlAs, InGaAs, InGaAsP
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/043 Mechanically stacked PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0687 Multiple junction or tandem solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/06875 inverted grown metamorphic [IMM] multiple junction solar cells, e.g. III-V compounds inverted metamorphic multi-junction cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0735 comprising only AIIIBV compound semiconductors, e.g. GaAs/AlGaAs or InP/GaInAs solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/184 the active layers comprising only AIIIBV compounds, e.g. GaAs, InP
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1844 comprising ternary or quaternary compounds, e.g. Ga Al As, In Ga As P
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1892 methods involving the use of temporary, removable substrates
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/544 Solar cells from Group III-V materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A method of making a virtual substrate includes providing a donor substrate comprising a single crystal donor layer of a first material over a support substrate, wherein the first material comprises a ternary, quaternary or penternary semiconductor material or a material which is not available in bulk form, bonding the donor substrate to a handle substrate, and separating the donor substrate from the handle substrate such that a single crystal film of the first material remains bonded to the handle substrate.

Claims

1. A monolithic multi-junction solar cell device comprising:

a handle substrate;

a plurality of cells, deposited on a donor film bonded to the handle substrate, forming a stack, comprising an InGaAs cell, formed on the donor film, and at least one cell selected from a group consisting of;

an InP cell and an InGaAsP cell, wherein a wafer-bonded tunnel junction is formed between adjacent ones of the plurality of cells;

a first contact layer deposited on the stack, wherein a first offset region is formed on a portion of the first contact layer protruding from the stack;

an insulating spacer layer deposited on the first contact layer;

a first contact tab and a second contact tab electrically connecting the plurality of cells within the stack, wherein the first contact tab, positioned on the first offset region, is electrically connected to a topmost cell of the stack and the second contact tab is electrically connected to the InGaAs cell formed on the donor film;

a second contact layer deposited on the insulating spacer layer, the second contact layer protruding from the stack forming a second offset region, and

a plurality of second cells deposited on said second contact layer, the plurality of second cells selected from a group consisting of;

a first group comprising an InGaP cell on a GaAsP cell, and a second group comprising an AlInP cell on an InGaP cell, and

said second offset region contacting a third contact tab electrically connected to the plurality of second cells.

2. The multi-junction solar cell device of claim 1, wherein an interface bonding the donor film to the handle substrate is conductive.

3. The multi-junction solar cell device of claim 1, wherein the donor film is a transfer film.

4. A multi-junction solar cell device comprising:

a handle substrate;

a plurality of cells comprising;

an InGaAs cell bonded to the handle substrate, and at least one of;

an InP cell; and

an InGaAsP cell, wherein a wafer-bonded tunnel junction is formed between adjacent ones of said plurality of cells;

a first contact tab electrically connected to a first one of said plurality of cells and a second contact tab electrically connected to a second one of said plurality of cells;

a contact layer deposited on said plurality of cells, wherein a protruding section of said contact layer forms a first offset region, said first offset region including one of the first contact tab and the second contact tab;

an insulating spacer layer deposited on the contact layer, said insulating spacer layer comprising a material selected to have a refractive index and thermal expansion coefficient closely matching a cell contacting the contact layer;

a plurality of second cells selected from a group consisting of;

a first group comprising an InGaP cell on a GaAsP cell, and a second group comprising an AlInP cell on InGaP cell, and

a conductive layer, including a second offset region protruding from a stack formed from said plurality of second cells, said conductive layer positioned between the plurality of second cells and the insulating spacer layer, said second offset region incorporating a second grouping contact tab electrically connected to the plurality of second cells.

5. The multi-junction solar cell device of claim 4, wherein the InGaAs cell is bonded to the handle substrate by a layer transfer process from a donor film.

6. A multi-junction solar cell device comprising:

a handle substrate;

a cell grouping comprising;

an InGaAs cell formed on a donor film and wafer-bonded to the handle substrate; and

at least one of;

an InP cell, and an InGaAsP cell, wherein a wafer-bonded tunnel junction is formed between adjacent ones of the cells in the cell grouping; and

a first tab electrically connected to a topmost cell of said cell grouping and a second tab electrically connected to the InGaAs cell;

an electrically conductive layer deposited on the most cell of the cell grouping, said electrically conductive layer forming an offset region protruding from the cell grouping, wherein the first tab is formed on the offset region;

an insulating spacer layer formed on said electrically conductive layer, said insulating spacer layer comprising a material selected to have a refractive index and thermal expansion coefficient that closely matches the topmost cell of said cell grouping;

a second conductive layer formed on the insulating spacer layer, said second conductive layer comprising a second offset region;

a second cell grouping formed on said second conductive layer, other than said second offset region, said second cell grouping selected from a group consisting of;

a first group comprising an InGaP cell on a GaAsP cell, and a second group comprising an AlInP cell on an InGaP cell, said second offset region, extending from the second cell grouping, comprising a second cell grouping contact tab electrically connected to the second cell grouping.

7. The multi-junction solar cell device of claim 6, wherein the donor film is a transfer film.

8. A multi-junction solar cell device comprising:

a handle substrate;

a first cell group comprising an InGaAs cell, grown on a donor film, and a cell selected from a group consisting of;

an InP cell, and an InGaAsP cell, wherein the InGaAs cell is layer transferred to the handle substrate,

a first contact tab electrically connected to the cell selected from the group consisting of;

the InP cell and the InGaAsP cell, and a second contact tab electrically connected to said InGaAs cell;

an electrically conductive layer comprising an offset region protruding from the cell selected from the group consisting of;

the InP cell and the InGaAsP cell, said electrically conductive offset region containing the first contact tab;

an insulating spacer layer formed on the electrically conductive layer, said insulating spacer layer comprising a material selected to have a refractive index and thermal expansion coefficient closely matching the cell selected from the group consisting of;

the InP cell and the InGaAsP cell adjacent to said electrically conductive layer;

a second cell group selected from a group consisting of;

an InGaP cell on a GaAsP cell, and an AlInP cell on an InGaP cell, and

a second conductive layer formed on a surface of the insulating spacer layer wherein the second cell group is positioned on the second conductive layer, said second conductive layer including a second offset region protruding from the second cell group, said second offset region incorporating thereon, a second group contact tab electrically connected to the second cell group.

9. A solar cell comprising:

a first cell comprising;

an InGaAs cell and at least one of;

an InGaAsP and an InP cell, wherein the InGaAs cell being formed on the handle substrate;

a separation layer, deposited on the first cell, comprising;

a first metal layer formed on the first cell, a section of the first metal layer extending beyond said first cell, said extended section of the first metal layer forming a first offset region;

an insulating spacer layer deposited on the first metal layer, said insulating spacer layer comprising a material selected to have a refractive index and thermal expansion coefficient closely matching a cell of said first cell adjacent to said first metal layer; and

a second metal layer formed on a side of the insulating spacer layer opposite a side of the insulating spacer layer the first metal layer is located on, a section of said second metal layer extending beyond said second cell, said extended section of said second metal layer forming a second offset region; and

a second cell, formed on the second metal layer, comprising;

a second cell group selected from a group consisting of;

an InGaP cell on a GaAsP cell and an AlInP cell on an InGaP cell, wherein

a first cell contact is formed on the first offset region; and

a second cell contact is formed on the second offset region.