INTERFEROMETRIC PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL

• US 20090078316A1
• Filed: 12/03/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Khazeni, Kasra, Xu, Gang, Kothari, Manish
• Application Number:
  US11/949,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20090078316A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 136/257
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/284 of etalon type comprising a resonant cavity other than a thin solid film, e.g. gas, air, solid plates etalons for fibre optic multiplexing G02B6/29358; etalons for spectral measurement G01J3/26
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02165 using interference filters, e.g. multilayer dielectric filters interference filters G02B5/28
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02167 for solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02325 the optical elements not being integrated nor being directly associated with the device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0322 comprising only AIBIIICVI chalcopyrite compounds, e.g. Cu In Se2, Cu Ga Se2, Cu In Ga Se2
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0336 in different semiconductor regions, e.g. Cu2X/CdX hetero- junctions, X being an element of Group VI of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/056 the light-reflecting means being of the back surface reflector [BSR] type
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/18 Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of these devices or of parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/52 PV systems with concentrators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/541 CuInSe2 material PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/548 Amorphous silicon PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

Certain embodiments include interferometrically tuned photovoltaic cells wherein reflection from interfaces of layered photovoltaic devices coherently sum to produce an increased field in an active region of the photovoltaic cell where optical energy is converted into electrical energy. Such interferometrically tuned or interferometric photovoltaic devices (iPV) increase the absorption of optical energy in the active region of the interferometric photovoltaic cell and thereby increase the efficiency of the device. In various embodiments, one or more optical resonant cavities and/or optical resonant layers is included in the photovoltaic device to increase the electric field concentration and the absorption in the active region.

Claims

1. A photovoltaic device comprising:

an active layer configured to produce an electrical signal as a result of light absorbed by said active layer;

a reflector layer disposed to reflect light transmitted through said active layer; and

an optical resonance cavity between said active layer and said reflector layer, said optical resonance cavity comprising a dielectric, the presence of said optical resonance cavity increasing the amount of light absorbed by said active layer.

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36. A photovoltaic device comprising:

an active layer configured to produce an electrical signal as a result of light absorbed by said active layer;

a reflector layer disposed to reflect light transmitted through said active layer; and

an optical resonance cavity between said active layer and said reflector layer, said optical resonance cavity comprising an air gap, the presence of said optical resonance cavity increasing the amount of light absorbed by said active layer.

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67. A photovoltaic device comprising:

an active layer configured to produce an electrical signal as a result of light absorbed by the active layer;

a reflector layer disposed to reflect light transmitted through said active layer; and

an optical resonance cavity between said active layer and said reflector layer, said optical resonance cavity comprising a plurality of layers, the presence of said optical resonance cavity increasing the amount of light absorbed by said active layer.

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108. A photovoltaic device comprising:

at least one active layer configured to produce an electrical signal as a result of light absorbed by the active layer; and

at least one optical resonance layer,

wherein said at least one active layer has an absorption efficiency for wavelengths in the solar spectrum, and the absorption efficiency integrated over the wavelengths in the solar spectrum increases by at least about 20% with the presence of said at least one optical resonance layer.

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147. A photovoltaic device comprising:

an active layer configured to produce an electrical signal as a result of light absorbed by said active layer; and

at least one optical resonance layer,

wherein said photovoltaic device has an overall conversion efficiency for wavelengths in the solar spectrum, and the overall conversion efficiency integrated over the wavelengths in the solar spectrum increases by at least about 15% by the presence of said at least one optical resonance layer.

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186. A photovoltaic device comprising:

an active layer configured to produce an electrical signal as a result of light absorbed by the active layer; and

an optical resonance layer, said optical resonance layer having a thickness such that said photovoltaic device has an overall conversion efficiency integrated over the solar spectrum that is greater than 0.7.

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225. A photovoltaic device comprising:

an active layer configured to produce an electrical signal as a result of light absorbed by the active layer, and

at least one optical resonant layer that increases the average electric field intensity in the said active layer,

wherein said active layer has an average electric field intensity therein for wavelengths in the solar spectrum when said photovoltaic device is exposed to sunlight, and

wherein the presence of said at least one optical resonant layer produces an increase in the average electric field intensity integrated over the solar spectrum that is greater for the active layer than the increase in average electric field intensity integrated over the solar spectrum for any other layers in said photovoltaic device.

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267. A photovoltaic device comprising:

an active layer configured to produce an electrical signal as a result of light absorbed by the active layer, said active layer having an average electric field intensity and absorbed optical power therein for wavelengths in the solar spectrum when said photovoltaic device is exposed to sunlight, and

at least one optical resonant layer that increases the average electric field intensity and absorbed optical power in the said active layer,

wherein the presence of said at least one optical resonant layer produces an increase in the absorbed optical power integrated over the solar spectrum that is greater for the active layer than the increase in absorbed optical power integrated over the solar spectrum for any other layers in said photovoltaic device.

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311. A photovoltaic device comprising:

a substrate;

an optical stack disposed on the substrate, the optical stack comprising at least one active layer and one or more layers; and

a reflector layer disposed on the optical stack,

wherein the at least one active layer comprises an absorption efficiency greater than 0.7 for light at approximately 400 nm.

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330. A method of increasing light absorption inside an active layer in a photovoltaic device using interference principles comprising:

providing at least one active layer for absorbing light and converting it into electrical energy; and

positioning at least one optically resonant layer with respect to the active layer,

wherein interference principles of electromagnetic radiation increases absorption of solar energy in the at least one active layer by at least 5%, the absorption being integrated for wavelengths in the solar spectrum.

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338. A photovoltaic device comprising:

at least one active layer for absorbing electromagnetic radiation and converting it into electrical energy; and

at least one optically resonant layer disposed with respect to the active layer,

wherein said optical resonance layer increases absorption of solar energy in the at least one active layer by at least 5% as a result of optical interference, said absorption being integrated across the solar spectrum.

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342. A photovoltaic device comprising:

an active layer configured to produce an electrical signal as a result of light absorbed by said active layer;

a reflector layer disposed to reflect light transmitted through said active layer, said reflector layer being partially optically transmissive such that said photovoltaic device is partially transmissive for some wavelengths; and

at least one optical resonance layer between said active layer and said reflector layer, the presence of said at least one optical resonance layer increasing the amount of light absorbed by said active layer.

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381. A photovoltaic device comprising:

an active layer configured to produce an electrical signal as a result of light absorbed by the active layer; and

at least one optical resonance layer, the presence of said at least one optical resonance layer increasing the amount of light absorbed by said active layer, wherein the thickness of the at least one optical resonance layer is adjustable with application of a control signal for controlling said thickness.

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420. A method of optimizing absorption efficiency of a photovoltaic cell comprising:

providing a photovoltaic cell comprising a stack of layers, wherein at least one layer comprises at least one active layer, wherein providing a photovoltaic cell comprises using interference principles to optimize absorption efficiency of said at least one active layer in the photovoltaic cell at a plurality of wavelengths.

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443. A photovoltaic device comprising:

a substrate;

an optical stack disposed on the transparent substrate; and

a reflector disposed on the substrate, wherein the optical stack comprises one or more thin film layers and an active layer optimized for absorbing a selected wavelength of light based upon a thickness of the one or more thin film layers, wherein the absorption of the active layer is optimized via an analysis of coherent summation of reflections from a plurality of interfaces.

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452. A photovoltaic device comprising:

first and second active layers configured to produce an electrical signal as a result of light absorbed by said active layers; and

a first optical resonance layer between said first and second active layers, the presence of said optical resonance layer increasing the amount of light absorbed by at least one of said first and second active layers.

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