Methods of making energy conversion devices with a substantially contiguous depletion regions

• US 7,250,323 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2005
• Issued: 07/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Joyrral LLC, Rochester Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Betabatt Inc., Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Rochester
• Inventors: Kherani, Nazir P., Sun, Wei, Fauchet, Philippe M., Hirschman, Karl D., Gadeken, Larry L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nhu; David
• Application Number:
  US11/257,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20070134840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 438/56, 438/64, 438/106, 438/26, 438/51, 438/356, 438/441, 438/741, 438/107
• US Class Current: 438/56
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/153 in a repetitive configuration, e.g. LED bars
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0284 comprising porous silicon as part of the active layer(s) porous silicon as antireflective layer for photodiodes H01L31/0216; for solar cells H01L31/02168
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/035281 Shape of the body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/03529 Shape of the potential jump barrier or surface barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/068 the potential barriers being only of the PN homojunction type, e.g. bulk silicon PN homojunction solar cells or thin film polycrystalline silicon PN homojunction solar cells
• 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: H01L 33/24 of the light emitting region, e.g. non-planar junction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/547 Monocrystalline silicon PV cells

Abstract

A method of making an energy conversion device includes forming a plurality of pores within a substrate and forming a junction region within each of the plurality of pores. Each of the junction regions has a depletion region and each of the plurality of pores defines an opening size in the substrate and a spacing from adjacent pores so that the depletion regions of each of the pores is at least substantially in contact with the depletion region of the pores which are adjacent.

Claims

1. A method of making an energy conversion device, the method comprising:

forming a plurality of pores within a substrate;

forming a junction region within each of the plurality of pores, each of the junction regions has a depletion region and each of the plurality of pores defines an opening size in the substrate and a spacing from adjacent pores so that the depletion regions of each of the pores is at least substantially in contact with the depletion region of the pores which are adjacent;

forming a first portion of one or more side walls of at least one of the pores with a declination angle of less than about fifty-five degrees; and

forming a second portion of the one or more side walls of the at least one pore with a declination angle greater than about fifty-five degrees.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein one or more of the depletion regions of the pores overlap with the depletion regions of adjacent pores.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein an electrical field in a region of the plurality of pores is substantially continuous.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of the pores has an aspect ratio of greater than about 50:

1.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of the pores has a diameter of less than about 1 μ

m.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of the pores has a depth from a surface of the substrate of greater than about 100 μ

m.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the forming a plurality of pores within a substrate further comprises forming at least one of the pores with one or more side walls with a declination angle greater than about fifty-five degrees relative to a surface in a substrate in which the pores are formed.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising providing a convertible energy source which provides convertible energy to the junction regions.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein the convertible energy source is source of radioactive material.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9 wherein the radioactive material is tritium.

11. The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein the source of convertible energy is a light source.

12. A method of making an energy conversion device, the method comprising:

providing a substrate;

forming a plurality of junction regions in the substrate, wherein a first portion of at least one of the junction regions has a declination angle of greater than about fifty-five degrees relative to a second portion of each of the junction regions, wherein each of the junction regions has a depletion region and each of the junction regions is spaced from the adjacent junction regions so that the depletion regions are at least substantially in contact with each other;

forming a first section of at least one of the plurality of junction regions with a declination angle less than about fifty-five degrees relative to the second portion of the at least one of the junction regions; and

forming a second section of the at least one of the plurality of junction regions with a declination angle greater than about fifty-five degrees relative to the second portion of the at least one of the junction regions.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12 wherein one or more of the depletion regions of the junction regions overlap with the depletion regions of adjacent junction regions.

14. The method as set forth in claim 12 wherein an electrical field in a region of the plurality of junction regions is substantially continuous.

15. The method as set forth in claim 12 further comprising a convertible energy source which provides convertible energy to the junction regions.

16. The method as set forth in claim 15 wherein the convertible energy source is source of radioactive material.

17. The method as set forth in claim 16 wherein the radioactive material is tritium.

18. The method as set forth in claim 15 wherein the source of convertible energy is a light source.