2-terminal metal halide semiconductor/C-silicon multijunction solar cell with tunnel junction

US10535791B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University · US
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology · US

Inventors

• Jonathan Mailoa · Cambridge, US
• Colin David Bailie · معلمی نژاد, US
• Eric Carl Johlin · Iowa City, US
• Michael D. McGehee · Palo Alto, US
• Tonio Buonassisi · Cambridge, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 3, 2015
• Grant date: Jan 14, 2020
• Expiry date: Dec 3, 2035

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02E10/549

Abstract

A 2-terminal multi-junction solar cell having a thin film of metal halide semiconductor as the top solar-cell material and crystalline silicon as the bottom solar-cell material. In the illustrative embodiment, the top solar-cell material is a perovskite of the form AM(IxH1-x)3, where A is a cation, preferably methylammonium (CH3NH3), formamidinium ([R2N—CH═NR2]+), or cesium; M is metal, preferably Pb, Sn, Ge; H is a halide, preferably Br or Cl; and x=iodine fraction, in the range of 0 to 1, inclusive. The integration of the two solar-cell materials is enabled by the use of a tunnel junction composed of indirect band-gap material.