Methods for fabricating thin film III-V compound solar cell

US7994419B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• MICROLINK DEVICES, INC. · US

Inventors

• Noren Pan · Wilmette, US
• Glen Hillier · Spring Grove, US
• Duy-Phach Vu · Taunton, US
• Rao Tatavarti · Des Plaines, US
• Christopher Youtsey · Libertyville, US
• David McCallum · West Chicago, US
• Genevieve Martin · Sherbrooke, CA

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 3, 2008
• Grant date: Aug 9, 2011
• Expiry date: Feb 25, 2029

Classification

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

Abstract

The present invention utilizes epitaxial lift-off in which a sacrificial layer is included in the epitaxial growth between the substrate and a thin film III-V compound solar cell. To provide support for the thin film III-V compound solar cell in absence of the substrate, a backing layer is applied to a surface of the thin film III-V compound solar cell before it is separated from the substrate. To separate the thin film III-V compound solar cell from the substrate, the sacrificial layer is removed as part of the epitaxial lift-off. Once the substrate is separated from the thin film III-V compound solar cell, the substrate may then be reused in the formation of another thin film III-V compound solar cell.