Demounting of inverted metamorphic multijunction solar cells

US7741146B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Emcore Solar Power, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Arthur Cornfeld · Sandia Park, US
• Tansen Varghese · Regensburg, DE
• Jacqueline Diaz · Albuquerque, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 12, 2008
• Grant date: Jun 22, 2010
• Expiry date: Sep 19, 2028

Classification

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

Abstract

A method of forming a multifunction solar cell including an upper subcell, a middle subcell, and a lower subcell by providing a first substrate for the epitaxial growth of semiconductor material; forming a first solar subcell on the substrate having a first band gap; forming a second solar subcell over the first solar subcell having a second band gap smaller than the first band gap; forming a graded interlayer over the second subcell, the graded interlayer having a third band gap greater than the second band gap; forming a third solar subcell over the graded interlayer having a fourth band gap smaller than the second band gap such that the third subcell is lattice mismatched with respect to the second subcell; attaching a surrogate second substrate over the third solar subcell and removing the first substrate; and etching a first trough around the periphery of the solar cell to the surrogate second substrate so as to form a mesa structure on the surrogate second substrate and facilitate the removal of said solar cell from the surrogate second substrate.