US4816420A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of producing tandem solar cell devices from sheets of crystalline material
Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
•
Filing: 1987-12-04
•
Granted: 1989-03-28
•
Expires: 2007-12-04
Abstract
Abstract A method of producing sheets of crystalline material is disclosed which is employed in the construction of tandem solar cells. In the method, a growth mask is formed upon a substrate and crystalline material is grown at areas of substrate exposed through the mask and laterally over the surface of the mask to form a sheet of crystalline material. This sheet is then separated and used to form a tandem solar cell while the substrate can be reused to form additional sheets.
Inventors
- 👤 Carl O. Bozler
- 👤 John C. C. Fan
- 👤 Robert W. McClelland
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 00:12
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10F; H10F10/00; H10F10/10; H10F10/14; H10F10/142; C; C30; C30B; C30B25/00; C30B25/02; C30B25/04; C30B29/00; C30B29/60; C30B33/00; H10F19/00; H10F19/40; H10F71/00; H10F71/121; H10F71/127; H10P; H10P14/00; H10P14/20; H10P14/24; H10P14/27; H10P14/271; H10P14/276; H10P14/29; H10P14/2901; H10P14/2902; H10P14/2905; H10P14/32; H10P14/3202; H10P14/3214; H10P14/3218; H10P14/3221; H10P14/34; H10P14/3402; H10P14/3404; H10P14/3411; H10P14/3414; H10P14/3418; H10P14/3421; H10P90/00; H10P90/19; H10P90/1904; H10P90/1906; H10P90/1914; H01; H01S; H01S5/00; H01S5/02; H01S5/0206; H01S5/0207; H01S5/0217; H10P72/00; H10P72/70; H10P72/74; H10P72/7412; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E10/00; Y02E10/50; Y02E10/544; Y02E10/547; Y02P; Y02P70/00; Y02P70/50; Y10; Y10S; Y10S117/00; Y10S117/901; Y10S117/902; Y10S117/903; Y10S117/904; Y10S117/905; Y10S117/915; Y10S148/00; Y10S148/026; Y10S148/048; Y10S148/054; Y10S148/09; Y10S148/135; Y10S438/00; Y10S438/977
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
89 words
A method for producing a tandem solar cell comprising: forming a crystal growth mask on a crystallization substrate; depositing crystalline material at exposed areas of said substrate under conditions to provide lateral growth of crystalline material over said mask; continuing lateral overgrowth until a sheet of essentially single crystal material having the desired dimensions has formed; separating the sheet of crystalline material from the substrate; forming a thin-film solar cell from said separated sheet; and bonding the solar cell to another solar cell to form a tandem solar cell.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
89 words
A method for producing a tandem solar cell comprising: forming a crystal growth mask on a crystallization substrate; depositing crystalline material at exposed areas of said substrate under conditions to provide lateral growth of crystalline material over said mask; continuing lateral overgrowth until a sheet of essentially single crystal material having the desired dimensions has formed; separating the sheet of crystalline material from the substrate; forming a thin-film solar cell from said separated sheet; and bonding the solar cell to another solar cell to form a tandem solar cell.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of making a tandem solar cell according to claim 1 wherein the thin-film solar cell is bonded onto said other solar cell and wired to decouple the current and voltage of the thin-film solar cell and the other solar cell.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of making a tandem solar cell according to claim 2 wherein the thin-film solar cell is formed from gallium arsenide.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of making a tandem solar cell according to claim 3 wherein the thin-film solar cell is bonded to the other solar cell by a transparent insulating resin optically matched to the said thin-film solar cell.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of making a tandem solar cell of claim 1 wherein the thin-film solar cell is bonded onto the other solar cell and wired to connect the current and voltage of the said solar cells in series.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of making a tandem solar cell according to claim 5 wherein the thin-film solar cell is bonded to the other solar cell by transparent conducting resin optically matched to the said thin-film solar cell.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of making a tandem solar cell according to claim 1 wherein the thin-film solar cell is bonded to the other solar cell Sn-doped In 2 O 3 .
Claim 9
Independent Claim
101 words
A method of making a tandem solar cell comprising: forming a crystal growth mask on a crystallization substrate; depositing crystalline material at exposed areas of said substrate under conditions to provide lateral growth of crystalline material over said mask; continuing lateral overgrowth until a sheet of essentially single crystal material having the desired dimensions has formed; separating the sheet of crystalline material from the substrate; forming a thin-film solar cell from said separated sheet; repeating the above steps to produce a plurality of thin film solar cells; and bonding the plurality of solar cells together to form a tandem solar cell.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
101 words
A method of making a tandem solar cell comprising: forming a crystal growth mask on a crystallization substrate; depositing crystalline material at exposed areas of said substrate under conditions to provide lateral growth of crystalline material over said mask; continuing lateral overgrowth until a sheet of essentially single crystal material having the desired dimensions has formed; separating the sheet of crystalline material from the substrate; forming a thin-film solar cell from said separated sheet; repeating the above steps to produce a plurality of thin film solar cells; and bonding the plurality of solar cells together to form a tandem solar cell.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of making a tandem solar cell according to claim 8 wherein the plurality of thin-film solar cells are bonded and wired to each other and to the other solar cell to decouple the current and voltage of the said solar cells.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of making a tandem solar cell according to claim 8 wherein the plurality of thin-film solar cells are bonded to each other and to the other solar cell by a transparent insulating resin optically matched to said thin-film solar cells.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of making a tandem solar cell according to claim 8 wherein the plurality of thin-film solar cells are bonded to each other and to the other solar cell and are wired to connect the current and voltage of the said solar cells in series.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of making a tandem solar cell according to claim 11 wherein the plurality of thin-film solar cells are bonded to each other and to the other solar cell by a transparent conducting resin optically matched to said thin-film solar cells.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of making a tandem solar cell according to claim 11 wherein the plurality of thin-film solar cells are bonded to each other and to the other solar cell by Sn-doped In 2 O 3 .
References Cited (Backward Citations)
DE1047911B
Cited
DE1029941B
Cited
FR1129220A
Cited
US2992903A
Cited
US3112997A
Cited
US3031275A
Cited
US3133336A
Cited
US3341376A
Cited
US3172778A
Cited
DE1289831B
Cited
US3186880A
Cited
US3247576A
Cited
US3370980A
Cited
US3372069A
Cited
US3425879A
Cited
US3816906A
Cited
US3884733A
Cited
US3900943A
Cited
US4053350A
Cited
US4116751A
Cited
US4027053A
Cited
US4094704A
Cited
US4168998A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1992-03-27 | 1992-09-26 | 1993-03-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1996-03-27 | 1996-09-26 | 1997-03-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2000-03-27 | 2000-09-26 | 2001-03-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |