Patent · US Expired

Linear circuit designs for solar photovoltaic concentrator and thermophotovoltaic applications using cell and substrate materials with matched coefficients of thermal expansion

US6232545A · kind A · utility

122Cited by
29References
29Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 6, 1999
Grant dateMay 15, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 6, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S136/293

Abstract

A shingle circuit array and a method of assembling the shingle circuit is provided. The array has a shingle circuit with a substrate, an insulation film layer, a metal layer and TPV cells connected to the metal layer in series forming a shingle pattern with terraces. The substrate is of CTE matched material. The metal layer may be copper pads deposited on the terraces. The TPV cells are bonded to the copper pads and may be GaSb cells. Examples of substrate materials include AlSiC or a Cu/Invar/Cu laminate sheet. The AlSiC material may be a microstructure having a continuous Al-metal phase with a discrete SiC particulate phase. The shingle circuit array may be provided in a TPV generator.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.