US4120705A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Vacuum deposition process for fabricating a CdS--Cu2 S heterojunction solar cell device
Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp
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Filing: 1976-02-11
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Granted: 1978-10-17
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Expires: 1996-02-11
Abstract
Abstract A solar cell is comprised of (1) a Cu 2 S thin film evaporated on a conductive substrate at an elevated temperature thereby growing a polycrystalline film of preferred orientation, and (2) an outer CdS layer grown epitaxially on the Cu 2 S film.
Inventors
- 👤 Fred A. Shirland
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 15:51
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10D; H10D62/00; H10D62/80; H10D62/82; H10F; H10F10/00; H10F10/10; H10F10/16; H10F10/169; H10P; H10P14/00; H10P14/20; H10P14/22; H10P14/29; H10P14/2901; H10P14/2923; H10P14/32; H10P14/3202; H10P14/3236; H10P14/34; H10P14/3402; H10P14/3424; H10P14/3428; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E10/00; Y02E10/50; Y10; Y10S; Y10S148/00; Y10S148/153
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 3
Claim 1
Independent Claim
102 words
A method for making an epitaxial heterojunction device comprising the steps of: (a) heating a substrate having an electrically conductive surface in a vacuum chamber to a temperature range of about 200° C to about 435° C; (b) vapor depositing a crystalline layer of Cu 2 S on said conductive surface from starting material maintaining close to a stoichiometric ratio of two copper atoms to one sulfur atom while maintaining said temperature range; and (c) halting step (b) and abruptly initiating vapor deposition of a crystalline layer of Cds on said crystalline layer of Cu 2 S while maintaining said temperature range.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
102 words
A method for making an epitaxial heterojunction device comprising the steps of: (a) heating a substrate having an electrically conductive surface in a vacuum chamber to a temperature range of about 200° C to about 435° C; (b) vapor depositing a crystalline layer of Cu 2 S on said conductive surface from starting material maintaining close to a stoichiometric ratio of two copper atoms to one sulfur atom while maintaining said temperature range; and (c) halting step (b) and abruptly initiating vapor deposition of a crystalline layer of Cds on said crystalline layer of Cu 2 S while maintaining said temperature range.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
46 words
A method for making an epitaxial heterojunction device as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the crystalline layer of Cu 2 S is between about 0.1 and 1.0 micron in thickness, and the crystalline layer of CdS is between about 1.0 and 10.0 microns in thickness.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1981-10-16 | 1982-04-17 | 1982-10-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1985-10-16 | 1986-04-17 | 1986-10-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1989-10-16 | 1990-04-17 | 1990-10-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |