Batteries: thermoelectric and photoelectric – Photoelectric – Cells
Patent
1982-03-03
1983-12-06
Weisstuch, Aaron
Batteries: thermoelectric and photoelectric
Photoelectric
Cells
136249, 136258, 357 30, H01L 3106
Patent
active
044195338
ABSTRACT:
There is disclosed new and improved photovoltaic devices which provide increased short circuit currents and efficiencies over that previously obtainable from prior devices. The disclosed devices include incident radiation directing means for directing at least a portion of the incident light through the active region or regions thereof at angles sufficient to substantially confine the directed radiation in the devices. This allows substantially total utilization of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Further, because the light is directed through the active region or regions at such angles, the active regions can be made thinner to also increase collection efficiencies.
The incident radiation directors can be random surface or bulk reflectors to provide random scattering of the light, or periodic surface or bulk reflector to provide selective scattering of the light.
While the present invention is applicable to photovoltaic devices formed from any type of semiconductor material, as for example, crystalline, polycrystalline, or amorphous semiconductor alloys or any combination thereof, disclosure herein is primarily directed to photovoltaic devices formed from amorphous silicon alloys preferably incorporating fluorine as a density of states reducing element. The disclosure is also directed to, without limitation, photovoltaic devices of the p-i-n configuration, both as single cells and multiple cells arranged in tandem.
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Allred David D.
Czubatyj Wolodymyr
Doehler Joachim
Reyes Jaime M.
Singh Rajendra
Energy Conversion Devices Inc.
Norris Lawrence G.
Weisstuch Aaron
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