High voltage series connected tandem junction solar battery
First Claim
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1. An amorphous silicon solar battery comprising:
- (a) a transparent substrate having a major surface which is incident to solar radiation and an opposed major surface;
(b) a plurality of spaced apart transparent conductive oxide strips on said opposed major surface;
(c) a plurality of tandem-junction, hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cells fabricated over and electrically contacting a major portion of each of said transparent conductive oxide strips, said solar cells having a plurality of semiconductor layers of hydrogenated amorphous silicon having regions of differing conductivity type wherein said layers are separated by a tunnel junction, said solar cells having width such that the loss of power is less than the loss of power from the incorporation of a metallic grid electrode into the transparent conductive oxide; and
(d) means for interconnecting said solar cells in series.
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Abstract
A high voltage series connected tandem junction solar battery which comprises a plurality of strips of tandem junction solar cells of hydrogenated amorphous silicon having one optical path and electrically interconnected by a tunnel junction. The layers of hydrogenated amorphous silicon, arranged in a tandem configuration, can have the same bandgap or differing bandgaps. The tandem junction strip solar cells are series connected to produce a solar battery of any desired voltage.
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16 Claims
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1. An amorphous silicon solar battery comprising:
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(a) a transparent substrate having a major surface which is incident to solar radiation and an opposed major surface; (b) a plurality of spaced apart transparent conductive oxide strips on said opposed major surface; (c) a plurality of tandem-junction, hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cells fabricated over and electrically contacting a major portion of each of said transparent conductive oxide strips, said solar cells having a plurality of semiconductor layers of hydrogenated amorphous silicon having regions of differing conductivity type wherein said layers are separated by a tunnel junction, said solar cells having width such that the loss of power is less than the loss of power from the incorporation of a metallic grid electrode into the transparent conductive oxide; and (d) means for interconnecting said solar cells in series. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification