DEVICE COMPONENTS WITH SURFACE-EMBEDDED ADDITIVES AND RELATED MANUFACTURING METHODS

• US 20120132930A1
• Filed: 08/08/2011
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TPK Holding Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Innova Dynamics, Inc. (TPK Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: YOUNG, MICHAEL EUGENE, SRINIVAS, ARJUN DANIEL, ROBINSON, MATTHEW R., MITTAL, ALEXANDER CHOW
• Granted Patent: US 8,749,009 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/84
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0481 characterised by the composition of the encapsulation material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/05 Electrical interconnection means between PV cells inside the PV module, e.g. series connection of PV cells electrodes H01L31/0224; electrical interconnection of thin film solar cells formed on a common substrate H01L31/046; particular structures for electrical interconnecting of adjacent thin film solar cells in the module H01L31/0465; electrical interconnection means specially adapted for electrically connecting two or more PV modules H02S40/36
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/055 where light is absorbed and re-emitted at a different wavelength by the optical element directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. by using luminescent material, fluorescent concentrators or up-conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0274 Optical details, e.g. printed circuits comprising integral optical means H05K1/0269 takes precedence; coupling light guides with opto-electronic components G02B6/42
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0313 Organic insulating material
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/09 Use of materials for the conductive, e.g. metallic pattern
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/115 Via connections; Lands around holes or via connections H05K1/112 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0302 Properties and characteristics in general
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0326 Inorganic, non-metallic conductor, e.g. indium-tin oxide [ITO]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0364 Conductor shape
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10977 Encapsulated connections applying non-metallic protective coatings for encapsulating mounted components H05K3/284
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/52 PV systems with concentrators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/542 Dye sensitized solar cells

Abstract

Active or functional additives are embedded into surfaces of host materials for use as components in a variety of electronic or optoelectronic devices, including solar devices, smart windows, displays, and so forth. Resulting surface-embedded device components provide improved performance, as well as cost benefits arising from their compositions and manufacturing processes.

Claims

1. A solar device comprising:

a front cover;

a back cover;

a photoactive layer disposed between the front cover and the back cover; and

an encapsulant layer disposed between the front cover and the back cover and adjacent to the photoactive layer, wherein the encapsulant layer includes additives at least partially embedded into the encapsulant layer, the additives are at least one of electrically conductive and semiconducting, and the additives include at least one of a sub-nano-sized additive, a nano-sized additive, and a micron-sized additive.

2. The solar device of claim 1, wherein the encapsulant layer has an embedding surface, and the additives are localized within an embedding region adjacent to the embedding surface.

3. The solar device of claim 2, wherein the embedding surface is facing the photoactive layer.

4. The solar device of claim 2, wherein a thickness of the embedding region is less than an overall thickness of the encapsulant layer.

5. The solar device of claim 4, wherein the thickness of the embedding region is no greater than 50% of the overall thickness of the encapsulant layer.

6. The solar device of claim 5, wherein the thickness of the embedding region is no greater than 20% of the overall thickness of the encapsulant layer.

7. The solar device of claim 1, further comprising a set of bus bars at least partially covered by the encapsulant layer and extending into the encapsulant layer.

8. The solar device of claim 1, wherein a loading of the additives in the encapsulant layer is above an electrical percolation threshold.

9. The solar device of claim 1, wherein the encapsulant layer has a sheet resistance that is no greater than 100 Ω

/sq.

10. The solar device of claim 9, wherein the sheet resistance is no greater than 15 Ω

/sq.

11. The solar device of claim 1, wherein the encapsulant layer is disposed between the front cover and the photoactive layer, and the encapsulant layer has a solar-flux weighted transmittance of at least 85%.

12. The solar device of claim 1, wherein the additives are in electrical contact with the photoactive layer, and function as an electrode of the solar device.

13. A solar device comprising:

a set of front device layers;

a set of back device layers; and

a photoactive layer disposed between the set of front device layers and the set of back device layers,

wherein at least one of the set of front device layers and the set of back device layers includes;

a host material having an embedding surface; and

additives at least partially embedded into the host material and localized within an embedding region adjacent to the embedding surface, wherein a thickness of the embedding region is less than an overall thickness of the host material.

14. The solar device of claim 13, wherein the thickness of the embedding region is no greater than 5 times a characteristic dimension of the additives.

15. The solar device of claim 14, wherein the thickness of the embedding region is no greater than 2 times the characteristic dimension.

16. The solar device of claim 14, wherein at least one of the additives is embedded into the host material to an extent of not more than 100% of the characteristic dimension.

17. The solar device of claim 14, wherein at least one of the additives is embedded into the host material to an extent of more than 100% of the characteristic dimension, but localized adjacent to the embedding surface.

18. The solar device of claim 13, wherein the additives include at east one of a nanotube, a nanowire, and a nanoparticle.

19. The solar device of claim 13, wherein the additives include a phosphor.

20. The solar device of claim 19, wherein the phosphor is configured to perform spectral shifting of incident light to match an absorption of the photoactive layer.

21. The solar device of claim 19, wherein the phosphor is configured to absorb light in the ultraviolet range and emit light in at least one of the visible range and the infrared range.

22. The solar device of claim 19, wherein the phosphor is configured to absorb light in the infrared range and emit light in the visible range.

23. The solar device of claim 19, wherein the phosphor is configured to absorb light in at least one of the ultraviolet range and the visible range and emit light in at least one of the visible range and the infrared range.

24. The solar device of claim 13, wherein the at least one of the set of front device layers and the set of back device layers corresponds to one of a front cover and a back cover.

25. The solar device of claim 13, wherein the at least one of the set of front device layers and the set of back device layers corresponds to an encapsulant layer.

26. A solar device comprising:

a photovoltaic cell; and

a luminescent solar concentrator optically connected to the photovoltaic cell, wherein the luminescent solar concentrator includes;

a front cover;

a back cover; and

an interlayer disposed between the front cover and the back cover, wherein the interlayer includes a phosphor at least partially embedded into the interlayer and localized within an embedding region of the interlayer, such that a remainder of the interlayer is substantially devoid of the phosphor, and wherein the phosphor is configured to absorb incident solar radiation and emit radiation that is guided towards the photovoltaic cell.

27. The solar device of claim 26, wherein the front cover is configured to face the incident solar radiation, and the phosphor is localized within the embedding region that is adjacent to the front cover.

28. The solar device of claim 27, wherein the phosphor is fully embedded into the interlayer, but localized adjacent to the front cover.

29. The solar device of claim 26, wherein the interlayer further includes a host material including at least one of a polymer and a ceramic, and the phosphor is at least partially embedded into the host material.

30. The solar device of claim 26, wherein the phosphor is configured to perform spectral shifting of the incident solar radiation.

31. The solar device of claim 26, wherein a thickness of the embedding region is no greater than 40% of an overall thickness of the interlayer.

32. The solar device of claim 31, wherein the thickness of the embedding region is no greater than 30% of the overall thickness of the interlayer.

33. A device with surface-embedded additives, comprising;

a first cover;

a second cover; and

an interlayer disposed between the first cover and the second cover, wherein the interlayer includes;

a host material; and

additives at least partially embedded into the host material and localized within an embedding region of the host material, wherein a thickness of the embedding region is no greater than 50% of an overall thickness of the host material.

34. The device of claim 33, wherein the thickness of the embedding region is no greater than 40% of the overall thickness of the host material.

35. The device of claim 34, wherein the thickness of the embedding region is no greater than 30% of the overall thickness of the host material.

36. The device of claim 33, wherein the additives are at least one of electrically conductive, semiconducting, photoluminescent, and multichromic.

37. The device of claim 33, wherein the additives include at least one of a nanotube, a nanowire, and a nanoparticle.

38. The device of claim 33, wherein the additives include a phosphor.

39. The device of claim 33, wherein the host material has a first surface adjacent to the first cover and an opposing, second surface adjacent to the second cover, and the additives are localized within the embedding region that is adjacent to the first surface of the host material.

40. The device of claim 39, wherein the additives and the embedding region correspond to first additives and a first embedding region of the host material, respectively, and the interlayer further includes second additives at least partially embedded into the host material and localized within a second embedding region of the host material.

41. The device of claim 40, wherein the first embedding region is spaced apart from the second embedding region.

42. The device of claim 41, wherein the second embedding region is adjacent to the second surface of the host material.

43. The device of claim 33, wherein the additives are at least one of patterned and unpatterned, and the device is a touch sensor.

44. A device component with surface-embedded additives, comprising:

an encapsulant including;

a host material; and

additives at least partially embedded into the host material and localized within an embedding region of the host material, wherein a thickness of the embedding region is no greater than 50% of an overall thickness of the host material.