Multijunction solar cells having an indirect high band gap semiconductor emitter layer in the upper solar subcell

US10770612B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• SOLAERO TECHNOLOGIES CORP. · US

Inventors

• Daniel Derkacs · Albuquerque, US
• Daniel Aiken · Edgewood, US
• Samantha Whipple · Albuquerque, US
• Nathaniel Miller · Albuquerque, US
• Bed Pantha · Albuquerque, US
• Mark A. Stan · Albuquerque, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 13, 2019
• Grant date: Sep 8, 2020
• Expiry date: May 9, 2039

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02E10/544

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a multijunction solar cell comprising: an upper solar subcell having an indirect band gap semiconductor emitter layer composed of greater than 0.7 but less than 1.0 mole fraction aluminum and a base layer, the emitter layer and the base layer forming a heterojunction solar subcell; and a lower solar subcell disposed beneath the upper solar subcell, wherein the lower solar subcell has an emitter layer and a base layer forming a photoelectric junction. In some embodiments, the emitter layer of the upper solar subcell is an n-type AlxGa1-xAs layer with 0.7<x<1.0 and having a band gap of greater than 1.85 eV.