Extremely lightweight, flexible semiconductor device arrays
First Claim
1. A process for producing an electronic device, said process including the steps of:
- providing a substrate member;
depositing a semiconductor body atop the substrate;
subjecting the semiconductor body bearing side of the device to further processing steps;
encapsulating the semiconductor body bearing side;
subjecting the substrate side of the device to further processing steps; and
encapsulating the substrate side of the device.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An extremely lightweight, interconnected array of semiconductor devices, such as solar cells, is formed from a large continuous area of semiconductor material disposed on an unconventionally thin, electrically conducting substrate. The interconnections are formed by removing portions of the substrate to form substrate islands underlying a layer of semiconductor material which underlies a transparent conductive oxide. The oxide layer may likewise be formed into mutually isolated islands that overlay the areas between the substrate islands. Individual units or cells so formed may be interconnected by depositing a conducting material on, alongside and at least partially between islands of oxide and/or semiconductor, by depositing a metal grid on the oxide layer and burning conducting paths to the substrate islands, or by piercing the layers and disposing a conducting material in the holes pierced.
The unconventionally thin substrate may be a sheet of electroformed nickel or other thin metal or an initially thick substrate that is thinned by chemical etching after other array processing steps are completed. An encapsulant is preferably applied to the exposed surface of the semiconducting material to protect it while the substrate is being thinned or removed. Subsequently, an encapsulant is applied to the rear of substrate side of the array.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A process for producing an electronic device, said process including the steps of:
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providing a substrate member; depositing a semiconductor body atop the substrate; subjecting the semiconductor body bearing side of the device to further processing steps; encapsulating the semiconductor body bearing side; subjecting the substrate side of the device to further processing steps; and encapsulating the substrate side of the device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification