Multi-junction photovoltaic cell

• US 6,660,928 B1
• Filed: 04/02/2002
• Issued: 12/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Essential Research, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Essential Research, Inc.
• Inventors: Weizer, Victor G., Sinharoy, Samar, Patton, Martin O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Diamond, Alan
• Application Number:
  US10/114,369
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 136/249, 136/255, 136/252, 136/262, 136/261, 257/461, 257/464, 257/431
• US Class Current: 136/249
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0687 Multiple junction or tandem solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0693 the devices including, apart from doping material or other impurities, only AIIIBV compounds, e.g. GaAs or InP solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/544 Solar cells from Group III-V materials

Abstract

A solar cell comprising a substrate, a buffer layer, a first subcell, a second subcell, and a third subcell, where said first subcell, said second subcell, and said third subcell are lattice matched, and where said substrate is lattice mismatched with said first, second, and third subcells.

Claims

1. A triple-junction photovoltaic device comprising:

a p-doped substrate comprising GaAs;

a p-doped buffer layer deposited on said substrate, where said buffer layer comprises In_0.13Ga_0.87As;

a bottom subcell deposited on said buffer layer, where said bottom subcell includes a p-doped back window layer comprising In_0.62Ga_0.38P, a p-doped base layer deposited on said back window layer and comprising In_0.13Ga_0.87As, an n-doped emitter layer deposited on said base layer and comprising In_0.13Ga_0.87As, and an n-doped front window layer comprising In_0.62Ga_0.38P;

a lower tunnel junction deposited on said bottom subcell, where said lower tunnel junction includes an n-doped lower layer comprising In_0.62Ga_0.38P, and a p-doped upper layer comprising Al_0.09Ga_0.91As;

a middle subcell deposited on the upper surface of said lower tunnel junction, where said middle subcell includes a p-doped back window layer comprising In_0.62Ga_0.38P, a p-doped base layer deposited on said back window layer and comprising In_0.49Ga_0.51As_0.23P_0.77, an n-doped emitter layer deposited on said base layer and comprising In_0.49Ga_0.51As_0.23P_0.77, and an n-doped front window layer comprising Al_0.42In_0.58P;

an upper tunnel junction deposited on said middle subcell, where said upper tunnel junction includes an n-doped lower layer comprising In_0.62Ga_0.38P, and a p-doped upper layer comprising Al_0.09Ga_0.91As;

a top subcell deposited on the upper surface of said upper tunnel junction, where said top subcell includes a p-doped back window layer comprising Al_0.42In_0.58P, a p-doped base layer deposited on said back window layer and comprising (In)_0.6(Ga_0.33Al_0.67)_0.4P, an n-doped emitter layer deposited on said base layer and comprising (In)_0.6(Ga_0.33Al_0.67)_0.4P, and an n-doped front window layer comprising Al_0.42In_0.58P; and

an n-doped cap layer deposited on said top subcell and comprising In_0.13Ga_0.87As.

2. The device of claim 1, where said buffer layer has a thickness from about 1.0 to about 2.0 μ

m.

3. The device of claim 1, where said back window layer of said bottom subcell has a thickness of about 0.03 to about 0.06 μ

m, where said base layer of said bottom subcell has a thickness of about 2.5 to about 3.5 μ

m, where said emitter layer of said bottom subcell has a thickness of from about 0.4 to about 0.6 μ

m, and where said front window layer of said bottom subcell has a thickness of about 0.03 to about 0.06 μ

m.

4. The device of claim 3, where said back window layer of said middle subcell has a thickness of about 0.03 to about 0.06 μ

m, where said base layer of said middle subcell has a thickness of about 0.4 to about 1.0 μ

m, where said emitter layer of said middle subcell has a thickness of from about 0.3 to about 0.6 μ

m, and where said front window layer of said middle subcell has a thickness of about 0.03 to about 0.05 μ

m.

5. The device of claim 4, where said back window layer of said top subcell has a thickness of about 0.03 to about 0.05 μ

m, where said base layer of said top subcell has a thickness of about 0.5 to about 0.8 μ

m, where said emitter layer of said top subcell has a thickness of from about 0.2 to about 0.4 μ

m, and where said front window layer of said top subcell has a thickness of about 0.03 to about 0.05 μ

m.

6. The device of claim 5, where said lower layer of said lower tunnel junction has a thickness of about 0.02 to about 0.03 μ

m, and where said upper layer of said lower tunnel junction has a thickness of about 0.02 to about 0.03 μ

m.

7. The device of claim 6, where said lower layer of said upper tunnel junction has a thickness of about 0.02 to about 0.03 μ

m, and where said upper layer of said upper tunnel junction has a thickness of about 0.02 to about 0.03 μ

m.

8. A solar cell comprising:

a substrate;

a buffer layer on said substrate;

first subcell on said buffer layer, where the first subcell includes a doped first base layer and a first emitter layer that is oppositely doped from the first base layer, and where the subcell comprises InGaAs;

a second subcell, where the second subcell includes a doped second base layer and a second emitter layer that is oppositely doped from the second base layer, and where the second subcell comprises InGaAsP; and

a third subcell, where the third subcell includes a doped third base layer and a third emitter layer that is oppositely doped from the third base layer, and where the third subcell comprises AlGaInP, where said first subcell, said second subcell, and said third subcell are lattice matched, and where said substrate is lattice mismatched with said first, second, and third subcells.

9. The cell of claim 8, where the cell further includes first and second tunnel junction layers, where the first tunnel junction layer includes a degenerately doped lower layer comprising InGaP and an upper layer comprising AlGaAs that is oppositely degenerately doped from the lower layer, and where the second tunnel junction includes a degenerately doped second lower layer comprising InGaP and a second upper layer comprising AlGaAs that is oppositely degenerately doped from the second lower layer.

10. The cell of claim 8, where said first base layer and said first emitter layer comprise In_0.13Ga_0.87As.

11. The cell of claim 8, where said second base layer and said second emitter layer comprise In_0.49Ga_0.51As_0.23P_0.77.

12. The cell of claim 8, where said third base layer and said third emitter layer comprise In_0.6(Ga_0.33Al_0.67)_0.4P.

13. The solar cell of claim 8, further comprising a first tunnel junction between said first subcell and said second subcell, and a second tunnel junction between said second subcell and said third subcell.

14. A multi-junction photovoltaic device comprising:

a bottom subcell, where said bottom subcell includes a p-doped base layer comprising germanium, and an n-doped emitter layer comprising germanium;

a bottom window layer deposited on said bottom subcell, where said bottom window layer comprises GaAs;

a p-doped buffer layer deposited on said bottom window layer, where said buffer layer comprises In_0.13Ga_0.87As;

a lower tunnel junction deposited on said buffer layer, where said lower tunnel junction includes a degenerately n-doped lower layer comprising In_0.13Ga_0.87As, and a degenerately p-doped upper layer comprising In_0.13Ga_0.87As;

a lower-middle subcell deposited on the upper surface of said lower tunnel junction, where said lower-middle subcell includes a p-doped back window layer comprising In_0.62Ga_0.38P, a p-doped base layer deposited on said back window layer and comprising In_0.13Ga_0.87As, an n-doped emitter layer deposited on said base layer and comprising In_0.13Ga_0.87As, and an n-doped front window layer comprising In_0.62Ga_0.38P;

a middle tunnel junction deposited on said lower-middle subcell, where said middle tunnel junction includes an n-doped lower layer comprising In_0.62Ga_0.38P, and a p-doped upper layer comprising Al_0.09Ga_0.91As;

an upper-middle subcell deposited on the middle tunnel junction, where said upper-middle subcell includes a p-doped back window layer comprising In_0.62Ga_0.38P, a p-doped base layer deposited on said back window layer and comprising In_0.49Ga_0.51As_0.23P_0.77, an n-doped emitter layer deposited on said base layer and comprising In_0.49Ga_0.51As_0.23P_0.77, and an n-doped front window layer comprising Al_0.42In_0.58P;

an upper tunnel junction deposited on said upper-middle subcell, where said upper tunnel junction includes an n-doped lower layer comprising In_0.62Ga_0.38P, and a p-doped upper layer comprising Al_0.09Ga_0.91As;

a top subcell deposited on the upper tunnel junction, where said top subcell includes a p-doped back window layer comprising Al_0.42In_0.58P, a p-doped base layer deposited on said back window layer and comprising (In)_0.6(Ga_0.33Al_0.7)_0.4P, an n-doped emitter layer deposited on said base layer and comprising (In)_0.6(Ga_0.33Al_0.67)_0.4P, and an n-doped front window layer comprising Al_0.42In_0.58P; and

an n-doped cap layer deposited on the top subcell and comprising In_0.13Ga_0.87As.

15. A photovoltaic device comprising:

a GaAs substrate, which has a lattice constant of 5.65 Å

;

a buffer layer on said substrate;

at least three subcells sequentially grown on said buffer layer, where said at least three subcells are lattice matched at a lattice constant of 5.67 Å

to 5.73 Å

, and where said at least three subcells include a first subcell that is engineered to have an energy gap of 1.2 to about 1.3 eV, a second subcell that is engineered to have an energy gap of 1.4 to 1.8 eV, and a third subcell that is engineered to have an energy gap of 1.9 to 2.3 eV.

16. The photovoltaic device of claim 15, where said first subcell comprises indium gallium arsenide, where said second subcell comprises indium gallium arsenide phosphide, and said third subcell comprises indium gallium aluminum phosphide.

17. The photovoltaic device of claim 15, where said first subcell, said second subcell, and said third subcell each include a base layer and an emitter layer.

18. The photovoltaic device of claim 17, where said first subcell, said second subcell, and said third subcell each include a front and back window, and where said base layer, said emitter layer, said front window, and said back window are lattice matched to one another.

19. The photovoltaic device of claim 18, where said base layer and said emitter layer are oppositely doped.

20. The photovoltaic device of claim 15, further comprising a GaAs epitaxial layer on said substrate.

21. The photovoltaic device of claim 19, where said at least three subcells are lattice matched at a lattice constant of 5.70 Å

to 5.73 Å

.

22. The photovoltaic device of claim 21, where said buffer layer is graded.

23. The photovoltaic device of claim 24, where said buffer comprises a top layer, a bottom layer, and a plurality of layers therebetween, where each layer comprises indium gallium arsenide, and where the indium concentration in each layer is increased from the bottom to the top layer to achieve said graded buffer.