US3982964A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Dotted contact fine geometry solar cell
Assignee: Comsat Corp
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Filing: 1975-01-17
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Granted: 1976-09-28
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Expires: 1995-01-17
Abstract
Abstract An improvement in a fine geometry solar cell having a top surface contact comprising substantially more and finer metallic fingers spaced close together for collecting photo current is disclosed. The improvement comprises a reduction in the ohmic contact area of the fine metallic fingers with the light-incident surface of the solar cell. The improved solar cell is constructed by etching a fine line pattern into the anti-reflective coating of the solar cell and then depositing a fine line electrode onto the surface of the solar cell but oriented perpendicular to the etched fine line pattern in the anti-reflective coating. Due to the 90° rotation between the etched fine line pattern in the anti-reflective coating and the fine line electrode, only point contacts are made between the fine line electrode and the exposed light-incident surface of the solar cell.
Inventors
- 👤 Joseph Lindmayer
- 👤 James Frederick Allison
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 10:06
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10F; H10F77/00; H10F77/20; H10F77/206; H10F77/211; H10F77/215; H10F77/30; H10F77/306; H10F77/311; H10F77/315; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E10/00; Y02E10/50; Y10; Y10S; Y10S148/00; Y10S148/033
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
114 words
A solar cell comprising a semi-conductor material having top and bottom surfaces and having a p-n junction at a distance of between 500 A and 2,000 A from the top semi-conductor surface thereof, said top surface having a metal oxide anti-reflective coating and being adapted to receive incident light radiation, said metal oxide coating having a fine line pattern etched therein to expose said top surface, an electrode on said bottom semi-conductor surface, and a patterned electrode deposited over said etched metal oxide coating such that the patterned electrode is generally transverse to said fine line pattern to produce a plurality of point contact areas between said patterned electrode and said top semi-conductor surface.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
114 words
A solar cell comprising a semi-conductor material having top and bottom surfaces and having a p-n junction at a distance of between 500 A and 2,000 A from the top semi-conductor surface thereof, said top surface having a metal oxide anti-reflective coating and being adapted to receive incident light radiation, said metal oxide coating having a fine line pattern etched therein to expose said top surface, an electrode on said bottom semi-conductor surface, and a patterned electrode deposited over said etched metal oxide coating such that the patterned electrode is generally transverse to said fine line pattern to produce a plurality of point contact areas between said patterned electrode and said top semi-conductor surface.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
A solar cell as recited in claim 1 wherein said etched fine line pattern in said metal oxide coating is in the form of parallel line openings three to four microns wide.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
51 words
A solar cell as recited in claim 2 wherein said patterned electrode comprises a plurality of parallel, thin metallic fingers electrically connected together, said thin metallic fingers being separated by distances on the order of n × 10 - 2 cm., where n is a whole number between 1 and 9.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
A solar cell as recited in claim 3 wherein said thin metallic fingers are separated by distances of approximately 0.03 cm.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
A solar cell as recited in claim 3 wherein said metal oxide coating is tantalum oxide and has a thickness of one-fourth λ in the blue-violet region of the spectrum.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
A solar cell as recited in claim 3 wherein said metal oxide coating is niobium oxide and has a thickness of one-fourth λ in the blue-violet region of the spectrum.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
14 words
A solar cell as recited in claim 3 wherein said semi-conductor material is silicon.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
A solar cell as recited in claim 7 wherein said p-n junction divides said semi-conductor material into a top n type layer and a bottom p type layer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
33 words
A solar cell as recited in claim 3 wherein said line openings are distributed substantially evenly over said metal oxide coating at a density in one dimension of approximately fifty openings per centimeter.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
34 words
A solar cell as recited in claim 9 wherein said metallic fingers are spread substantially evenly over said metal oxide coating at a density in one dimension of approximately thirty metallic fingers per centimeter.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3811954A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1979-09-28 | 1980-03-29 | 1980-09-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1983-09-28 | 1984-03-29 | 1984-09-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1987-09-28 | 1988-03-29 | 1988-09-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |