Semiconductor photoelectric generator

• US 4,140,142 A
• Filed: 04/06/1977
• Issued: 02/20/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Anatoly A. Dormidontov, Boris A. Nikitin, Dmitry S. Strebkov, Evgeny M. Zykov, Tatyana A. Litsenko, Vadim A. Unishkov, Vladimir I. Polyakov, Vyacheslav V. Chernyshov
• Original Assignee: Anatoly A. Dormidontov, Boris A. Nikitin, Dmitry S. Strebkov, Evgeny M. Zykov, Tatyana A. Litsenko, Vadim A. Unishkov, Vladimir I. Polyakov, Vyacheslav V. Chernyshov
• Inventors: Strebkov, Dmitry S., Litsenko, Tatyana A., Polyakov, Vladimir I., Chernyshov, Vyacheslav V., Dormidontov, Anatoly A., Unishkov, Vadim A., Nikitin, Boris A., Zykov, Evgeny M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mack, John H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weisstuch, Aaron
• Application Number:
  US05/785,045
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 136/89 PC, 136/89 SJ, 350/293
• US Class Current: 136/246
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/047 PV cell arrays including PV cells having multiple vertical junctions or multiple V-groove junctions formed in a semiconductor substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0543 comprising light concentrating means of the refractive type, e.g. lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0547 comprising light concentrating means of the reflecting type, e.g. parabolic mirrors, concentrators using total internal reflection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/52 PV systems with concentrators

Abstract

A semiconductor photoelectric generator, for converting radiation energy from a source, for example, the sun, into electric energy, comprises a matrix of photo electric converters made of a semiconductor material. Each photoelectric converter is doped to form a P-N junction and an isotype junction. Current-collecting conductors are connected to a base region and to an alloy region. An operating surface of the semiconductor photoelectric generator is secured by a translucent adhesive layer to a coating exposed directly to radiation from a radiation source. The coating is composed of optical concentrators which focus the radiation energy in a focal spot and are disposed on the operating surface so that the absorption band of the focussed radiation in the focal spot is located in the base region and is spaced from the P-N junction by a distance not exceeding the diffusion length of the minority carriers in the base region.

Claims

1. A semiconductor photoelectric generator, comprising:

at least one photoelectric converter for radiant-to-electric energy conversion;

a coating passing to said photoelectric converter at least the part of the spectrum of said radiation which is photoactive for said photoelectric converter;

an operating surface of said semiconductor photoelectric generator exposed to said radiation which has passed through said coating secured to said operating surface;

a base region of said photoelectric converter of the same type of conduction provided by carriers which are majority carriers for said base region, said base region having a thickness which is approximately equal to the average depth of absorption of said radiation;

at least one alloy region of said photoelectric converter of the opposite type of conduction provided by carriers which are majority carriers for said alloy region, said majority carriers of said alloy region acting as minority carriers for said base region;

at least one rectifying barrier of said photoelectric converter which separates said base region from said alloy region, a plane of said at least one rectifying barrier being parallel with said operating surface of said semiconductor photoelectric generator;

at least two current conductors connected to said photoelectric converter, one of said current conductors being connected to said base region and the other of said current conductors being connected to said alloy region;

a light-exposed surface of said coating which directly receives said radiation;

at least one optical concentrator constituting a part of said coating which focuses radiant energy and guides at least the part of said radiation spectrum which is photoactive for the photoelectric converter, onto said operating surface of this semiconductor photoelectric generator;

each said optical concentrator producing a focal spot in which said radiant energy is focused by said optical concentrator, at least one linear dimension of said focal spot of each said at least one optical concentrator being approximately equal to the diffusion length of said minority carriers in said base region;

said current conductor to said base region being made in the form of ribbons which are secured to said operating surface at places free from said focal spot of said at least one optical concentrator;

whereby

an absorption band of said radiant energy is focused in said focal spot which is disposed in said base region of said photoelectric converter and spaced from said at least one rectifying barrier of said photoelectric converter at a distance smaller than the diffusion length of said minority carriers in said base region.