Shallow-homojunction solar cells

US4227941A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology · US

Inventors

• Carl O. Bozler · Waltham, US
• Ralph L. Chapman · Winchester, US
• John C. C. Fan · Brookline, US
• Robert W. McClelland · Weymouth, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 21, 1979
• Grant date: Oct 14, 1980
• Expiry date: Mar 21, 1999

Classification

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

Abstract

Improvements in shallow-homojunction solar cells based upon a plurality of layers of a direct gap semiconductor material such as GaAs, as well as their fabrication, are disclosed. The shallow-homojunction solar cells have a n.sup.+ /p/p.sup.+ structure in which the n.sup.+ top layer is limited to a thickness which permits significant carrier generation to occur in a lower semiconductor layer. An anodic antireflection coating is applied over the n.sup.+ top layer, and a particularly preferred method for applying the antireflection coating is by anodization. These solar cells can be grown on relatively inexpensive substrates, if desired, such as silicon or germanium.