Method of making photovoltaic cell
| DWPI Title: Method for generating photovoltaic solar cell of photovoltaic system for generating electricity from sunlight, involves depositing semiconductor layer over nano-patterned substrate layer by accumulating material in nano-windows |
| Abstract: A photovoltaic solar cell comprises a nano-patterned substrate layer. A plurality of nano-windows are etched into an intermediate substrate layer to form the nano-patterned substrate layer. The nano-patterned substrate layer is positioned between an n-type semiconductor layer composed of an n-type semiconductor material and a p-type semiconductor layer composed of a p-type semiconductor material. Semiconductor material accumulates in the plurality of nano-windows, causing a plurality of heterojunctions to form between the n-type semiconductor layer and the p-type semiconductor layer. |
| Use: Method for generating a photovoltaic solar cell of photovoltaic power generation systems for generating electricity from sunlight. |
| Advantage: The method enables placing a nano-patterned substrate between semiconductor materials among junctions that results in enhanced efficiencies, thus reducing defects in crystal structures of the semiconductor materials. The method enables growing pseudomorphic to reduce formation of crystallographic defects, thus decreasing amount of lost carriers, and hence enhancing voltage, current and efficiency of a cell. The method enables minimizing distance between nano-windows to increase active area of the nano-patterned substrate layer. The method enables utilizing a graded material, so that a graded band gap can enhance current collection, thus reducing lattice mismatch between n-type and p-type semiconductor layers, respectively. |
| Novelty: The method involves etching nano-windows (108A-108C) into an intermediate substrate layer to form a nano-patterned substrate layer (106), where the nano-windows extend through an entirety of the intermediate layer. A semiconductor layer is formed over the nano-patterned layer, where the semiconductor layer comprises a p-type semiconductor material. The semiconductor layer is deposited over the nano-patterned layer by accumulating second semiconductor material in the nano-windows to form heterojunctions, where a p- type semiconductor layer (110) includes pseudomorphic crystal structure. |
| Filed: 9/14/2016 |
| Application Number: US15265374A |
| Tech ID: SD 12202.1 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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