摘要:
A process for producing a relatively large-area, lightweight array of thin film photovoltaic cells includes depositing a semiconductor alloy film, such as amorphous silicon, onto a surrogate substrate, affixing a support material to the deposited film and separating the film and support material from the surrogate substrate.
摘要:
A large-area photovoltaic cell tolerant of puncture damage to its small-area segments and exhibiting only a proportional loss of electrical output from low resistance current paths formed through those small-area segments. The small-area segments are electrically connected in series in rows that are electrically connected in parallel. Columns of the small-area segments are connected by bridges of semiconductor material simplifying manufacture. The lateral resistance of the semiconducting material electrically isolates the columns from each other. The large-area cell also includes a pressurized sealant that is released when the cell is pierced. The sealant flows through the damaged portion and protects the edges of the puncture from degradation by ambient conditions.
摘要:
@ A lightweight, photosensitive structure is formed on a electroplated substrate, characterized by a substantially reduced number of surface defects. The substrate is prepared in an electroforming process by electroplating it on and removing it from the surface of a specifically prepared, substantially defect-free mandrel. The substrate may be provided with a preselected surface finished by either texturing the mandrel or controlling the parameters of the electroplating process to determine the morphology of the deposit. The substrate is especially useful for the fabrication of thin film photoresponsive devices that incorporate specular or diffuse back reflectors, since the substrate surface texture may be controlled to provide for the appropriate type of reflectivity. Large-area, thin film semiconductor devices incorporating the electroplated substrate are readily scribed to form electrically isolated small-area segments for the fabrication of modules, arrays and the like.
摘要:
A large area solar photovoltaic power module (30) comprises a plurality of flexible large area solar panels (32, 34, 36, 38) interconnected by a flexible hinge (42). The module may thus be folded and subsequently rolled into a compact, stowable cylindrical configuration.
摘要:
A process for producing a relatively large-area, lightweight array of thin film photovoltaic cells includes depositing a semiconductor alloy film, such as amorphous silicon, onto a surrogate substrate, affixing a support material to the deposited film and separating the film and support material from the surrogate substrate.
摘要:
An extremely lightweight, interconnected array of semiconductor devices, such as solar cells, is formed from a large continuous area of semiconductor material (3, 23, 43, 83, 123) disposed on an unconventonally thin, electrically conducting stubstrate (1, 21, 41, 81, 121). The interconnections are formed by removing portions of the substrate to form substrate islands (13, 35, 55, 95, 141, 163, 183) underlying a layer of semiconductor material which underlies a transparent conductive oxide (5, 25, 45, 83,125, 179). The oxide layer may likewise be formed into mutually isolated islands (7, 29, 47,89,131,181) that overlay the areas between the substrate islands. Individual units or cells so formed may be interconnected by depositing a conducting material on, alongside and at least partially between islands of oxide and/or semiconductor, by depositing a metal grid (27) on the oxide layer and burning conducting paths (31) to the substrate islands, or by piercing the layers and disposing a conducting material in the holes (133) pierced. The unconventionally thin substrate may be a sheet of electroformel nickel or other thin metal or may be an initially thick substrate that is thinned by chemical etching after other array processing steps are completed. To maximize the output power-to-weight ratio of a solar cell array, the conventional substrate (159, 171) may be removed entirely. In that process, a dissimilar layer (161, 173), such as a back reflector, is deposited on a support, such as a conventional substrate, before the semiconductor material (23, 177) is deposited. After all other processing, the support (159, 171) is removed by chemical etching to produce a substrateless array of devices. Typically, the array is encapsulated by a protective glass or polymer film. An encapsulant (33) is preferably applied to the exposed surface of the semiconductor material to protect it while the substrate is being thinned or removed. Subsequently, an encapsulant (37) is applied to the rear of substrate side of the array. An insulating layer (173) may be interposed between the support (171) and semiconductor layer (177) and act to encapsulate the rear of a substrateless array when the support is etched away to produce an ultimate power-to-weight ratio array.
摘要:
A large area solar photovoltaic power module (30) comprises a plurality of flexible large area solar panels (32, 34, 36, 38) interconnected by a flexible hinge (42). The module may thus be folded and subsequently rolled into a compact, stowable cylindrical configuration.
摘要:
An extremely lightweight, interconnected array of semiconductor devices, such as solar cells, is formed from a large continuous area of semiconductor material (3, 23, 43, 83, 123) disposed on an unconventonally thin, electrically conducting stubstrate (1, 21, 41, 81, 121). The interconnections are formed by removing portions of the substrate to form substrate islands (13, 35, 55, 95, 141, 163, 183) underlying a layer of semiconductor material which underlies a transparent conductive oxide (5, 25, 45, 83,125, 179). The oxide layer may likewise be formed into mutually isolated islands (7, 29, 47,89,131,181) that overlay the areas between the substrate islands. Individual units or cells so formed may be interconnected by depositing a conducting material on, alongside and at least partially between islands of oxide and/or semiconductor, by depositing a metal grid (27) on the oxide layer and burning conducting paths (31) to the substrate islands, or by piercing the layers and disposing a conducting material in the holes (133) pierced. The unconventionally thin substrate may be a sheet of electroformel nickel or other thin metal or may be an initially thick substrate that is thinned by chemical etching after other array processing steps are completed. To maximize the output power-to-weight ratio of a solar cell array, the conventional substrate (159, 171) may be removed entirely. In that process, a dissimilar layer (161, 173), such as a back reflector, is deposited on a support, such as a conventional substrate, before the semiconductor material (23, 177) is deposited. After all other processing, the support (159, 171) is removed by chemical etching to produce a substrateless array of devices. Typically, the array is encapsulated by a protective glass or polymer film. An encapsulant (33) is preferably applied to the exposed surface of the semiconductor material to protect it while the substrate is being thinned or removed. Subsequently, an encapsulant (37) is applied to the rear of substrate side of the array. An insulating layer (173) may be interposed between the support (171) and semiconductor layer (177) and act to encapsulate the rear of a substrateless array when the support is etched away to produce an ultimate power-to-weight ratio array.