36973 results about "Solar cell" patented technology

The present invention provides an efficiency booster circuit and accompanying switch mode power conversion technique to efficiently capture the power generated from a solar cell array that would normally have been lost, for example, under reduced incident solar radiation. In an embodiment of the invention, the efficiency booster circuit generates an output current from the solar cell power source using a switch mode power converter. A control loop is closed around the input voltage to the converter circuit and not around the output voltage. The output voltage is allowed to float, being clamped by the loading conditions. If the outputs from multiple units are tied together, the currents will sum. If the output(s) are connected to a battery, the battery's potential will clamp the voltage during charge. This technique allows all solar cells in an array that are producing power and connected in parallel to work at their peak efficiency.

The present invention provides a converter circuit and accompanying switch mode power conversion technique to efficiently capture the power generated from a solar cell array that would normally have been lost, for example, under reduced incident solar radiation. In an embodiment of the invention, the converter circuit generates an output current from the solar cell power source using a switch mode power converter. A control loop is closed around the input voltage to the converter circuit and not around the output voltage. The output voltage is allowed to float, being clamped by the loading conditions. If the outputs from multiple units are tied together, the currents will sum. If the output(s) are connected to a battery, the battery's potential will clamp the voltage during charge. This technique allows all solar cells in an array that are producing power and connected in parallel to work at their peak efficiency.

A solar cell that is readily manufactured using processing techniques which are less expensive than microelectronic circuit processing. In preferred embodiments, printing techniques are utilized in selectively forming masks for use in etching of silicon oxide and diffusing dopants and in forming metal contacts to diffused regions. In a preferred embodiment, p-doped regions and n-doped regions are alternately formed in a surface of the wafer in offset levels through use of masking and etching techniques. Metal contacts are made to the p-regions and n-regions by first forming a seed layer stack that comprises a first layer such as aluminum that contacts silicon and functions as an infrared reflector, second layer such titanium tungsten that acts as diffusion barrier, and a third layer functions as a plating base. A thick conductive layer such as copper is then plated over the seed layer, and the seed layer between plated lines is removed. A front surface of the wafer is preferably textured by etching or mechanical abrasion with an antireflection layer provided over the textured surface. A field layer can be provided in the textured surface with the combined effect being a very low surface recombination velocity.

Methods and apparatus having a gradient spacing created between a substrate support assembly and a gas distribution plate for depositing a silicon film for solar cell applications are provided. In one embodiment, an apparatus for depositing films for solar cell applications may include a processing chamber, a substrate support disposed in the processing chamber and configured to support a quadrilateral substrate thereon, and a gas distribution plate disposed in the processing chamber above the substrate support, wherein a bottom surface of the gas distribution plate has a perimeter that includes edges and corners, and wherein the corners of the gas distribution plate are closer to the substrate support than the edges of the gas distribution plate.

Methods and apparatus having a flow gradient created from a gas distribution plate are provided. In one embodiment, the method and apparatus are particularly useful for, but not limited to, depositing a silicon film for solar cell applications. The apparatus for depositing a uniform film for solar cell applications includes a processing chamber, and a quadrilateral gas distribution plate disposed in the processing chamber and having at least four corners separated by four sides. The gas distribution plate further includes a first plurality of chokes formed through the gas distribution plate, the first plurality of chokes located in the corners, and a second plurality of chokes formed through the gas distribution plate, the second plurality of chokes located along the sides of the gas distribution plate between the corner regions, wherein the first plurality of chokes have a greater flow resistance than that of the second plurality of chokes.

The present invention discloses power extractor circuit used to capture the power of a solar cell array during its less-than-optimum conditions. Under reduced incident solar radiation, the low power level supplied by the solar cell array normally would not be adequate to operating a load, but with the presence of the power extractor circuit, the low power generated by the solar panel would be accumulated to a high enough level to overcome the energy barrier of the battery or the load. The power extractor circuit preferably comprises a voltage and current booster circuit, and is designed to operated at all power levels of the solar cell array: low power level to provide the booster function during the low power period of the solar cell array, and high power level to prevent component failure during the normal operation of the solar cell array. Many power extractor circuits can also be installed in series to cover a wide range of power level of the solar cell array. The present invention power extractor circuit can also be used in other power sources to utilize the portion of power which normally would have been lost.

A multi-mode renewable power converter system is disclosed. The system includes a control unit, a boost converter, an inverter and optional bi-directional charger, wherein the boost converter converts DC output of a solar cell or a renewable source to high DC bus voltage, and the inverter converts this DC bus voltage to an AC output. This power converter can be used to support standalone load or grid-connected system with a dynamic maximum power point tracking (MPPT) circuit. The MPPT circuit detects the current and voltage from the solar cell and indicates to the inverter to provide power to the load connected. When the optional bi-directional charger is installed, the MPPT signal is also fed to this charger to make the power efficiency maximized for the system.

Nano-architected/assembled solar cells and methods for their manufacture are disclosed. The solar cells comprise oriented arrays of nanostructures wherein two or more different materials are regularly arrayed and wherein the presence of two different materials alternates. The two or more materials have different electron affinities. The two materials may be in the form of matrixed arrays of nanostructures. The presence of the two different materials may alternate within distances of between about 1 nm and about 100 nm. An orientation can be imposed on the array, e.g. through solution deposition surfactant templation or other methods.

A solar cell unit comprising a substrate and a plurality of photovoltaic cells is provided. The substrate has a first end and a second end. The plurality of photovoltaic cells, which are linearly arranged on the substrate, comprises a first photovoltaic cell and a second photovoltaic cell. Each photovoltaic cell in the plurality of photovoltaic cells comprises (i) a back-electrode circumferentially disposed on the substrate, (ii) a semiconductor junction layer circumferentially disposed on the back-electrode, and, (iii) a transparent conductive layer circumferentially disposed on the semiconductor junction. The transparent conductive layer of the first photovoltaic cell in the plurality of photovoltaic cells is in serial electrical communication with the back-electrode of the second photovoltaic cell in the plurality of photovoltaic cells.

Solar power systems and structures are mountable to a power distribution structure, e.g. a power pole or tower, which supports alternating current (AC) power transmission lines. An exemplary power generation structure is fixedly attached to and extends from the power distribution structure, and comprises a mounting rack. A solar array, comprising at least one solar panel, is affixed to the mounting rack. A DC to AC invertor is connected between the DC outputs of the solar array and the AC power transmission lines. The length of the solar array is generally in alignment with the power distribution structure, and the width of the solar array is greater than half the is circumference of the power distribution structure. The mounting rack and solar array may preferably be rotatable, such as based on any of location, time of day, or available light.

An ink for forming CIGS photovoltaic cell active layers is disclosed along with methods for making the ink, methods for making the active layers and a solar cell made with the active layer. The ink contains a mixture of nanoparticles of elements of groups IB, IIIA and (optionally) VIA. The particles are in a desired particle size range of between about 1 nm and about 500 nm in diameter, where a majority of the mass of the particles comprises particles ranging in size from no more than about 40% above or below an average particle size or, if the average particle size is less than about 5 nanometers, from no more than about 2 nanometers above or below the average particle size. The use of such ink avoids the need to expose the material to an H₂Se gas during the construction of a photovoltaic cell and allows more uniform melting during film annealing, more uniform intermixing of nanoparticles, and allows higher quality absorber films to be formed.

The present invention is a system for providing power from solar cells whereby each cell or cell array is allowed to produce its maximum available power and converted by an operatively connected DC/DC converter. Each cell or cell array has its own DC/DC converter. In one form the system for providing power from solar cells includes one or more solar generators wherein each of said solar generators has one to nine solar cells; a maximum power tracker operatively associated with each solar generator, each of said maximum power tracker includes a buck type DC/DC converter without an output inductor, each of said maximum power trackers are operatively connected in series with each other; an inductor operatively connected to the series connected maximum power trackers; and means for providing electrical power from the inductor to load means, wherein each of said maximum power trackers is controlled so that the operatively associated solar generator operates at its maximum power point to extract maximum available power.

The present invention generally provides a method for processing a surface of a substrate in a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber that has a sputtering target that has separately biasable sections, regions or zones to improve the deposition uniformity. In general, aspects of the present invention can be used for flat panel display processing, semiconductor processing, solar cell processing, or any other substrate processing. In one aspect, each of the target sections of the multizone target assembly are biased at a different cathodic biases by use of one or more DC or RF power sources. In one aspect, each of the target sections of the multizone target assembly are biased at a different cathodic biases by use of one power source and one or more resistive, capacitive and/or inductive elements. In one aspect, the processing chamber contains a multizone target assembly that has one or more ports that are adapted deliver a processing gas to the processing region of the PVD chamber. In one aspect, the processing chamber contains a multizone target assembly that has one or more magnetron assemblies positioned adjacent to one or more of the target sections.

Solar-powered media systems and apparatuses are disclosed. The solar-powered media systems and apparatuses comprise shade structures, solar cells, energy storage devices, electronics and/or circuitry, docking stations, wireless communications devices, and audio and/or visual components capable of outputting media content. One aspect of the solar-powered media system and apparatus pertains to shade structures, which provide shade for one or more users. Another aspect of the disclosure pertains to energy storage devices, which store electrical energy to power the solar-powered media system. Another aspect of the disclosure pertains to docking stations, which allow communication and electrical energy transfer between various devices. Another aspect of the disclosure pertains to audio & visual components capable of outputting media content for one or more users. Another aspect of the disclosure pertains to solar cells integrated into or attached to the said shade structure. All aspects can be utilized alone or in combination with one another.

A solar cell assembly including a plurality of solar cells is formed on a common substrate, and a DC/DC converter which converts the output from the solar cell is connected to each solar cell to constitute a solar power generation apparatus. The output from the solar power generation apparatus is converted into an AC power by an inverter and supplied to a load or commercial AC power system. Since the arrangement is simplified, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the influence of partial shade or a variation in characteristic decreases.

The present invention generally provides an apparatus and method for selectively forming a metallized feature, such as an electrical interconnect feature, on a electrically insulating surface of a substrate. The present invention also provides a method of forming a mechanically robust, adherent, oxidation resistant conductive layer selectively over either a defined pattern or as a conformal blanket film. Embodiments of the invention also generally provide a new chemistry, process, and apparatus to provide discrete or blanket electrochemically or electrolessly platable ruthenium or ruthenium dioxide containing adhesion and initiation layers. In general, aspects of the present invention can be used for flat panel display processing, semiconductor processing, solar cell device processing, or any other substrate processing, being particularly well suited for the application of stable adherent coating on glass as well as flexible plastic substrates. This invention may be especially useful for the formation of electrical interconnects on the surface of flat panel display or solar cell type substrates where the line sizes are generally larger than semiconductor devices or where the formed feature are not generally as dense.

A semiconductor sensor, solar cell or emitter, or a precursor therefor, has a substrate and one or more textured semiconductor layers deposited onto the substrate. The textured layers enhance light extraction or absorption. Texturing in the region of multiple quantum wells greatly enhances internal quantum efficiency if the semiconductor is polar and the quantum wells are grown along the polar direction. Electroluminescence of LEDs of the invention is dichromatic, and results in variable color LEDs, including white LEDs, without the use of phosphor.

Photovoltaic devices, such as solar cells, and methods for their manufacture are disclosed. A device may be characterized by an architecture where two more materials having different electron affinities are regularly arrayed such that their presence alternates within distances of between about 1 nm and about 100 nm. The materials are present in a matrix based on a porous template with an array of template pores. The porous template is formed by anodizing a layer of metal. A photovoltaic device may include such a porous template disposed between a base electrode and a transparent conducting electrode. A first charge-transfer material fills the template pores, A second (complementary) charge-transfer material fills additional space not occupied by the first charge-transfer material.

Relaxed germanium buffer layers can be grown economically on misoriented silicon wafers by low-energy plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, in conjunction with thermal annealing and/or patterning, the buffer layers can serve as high-quality virtual substrates for the growth of crack-free GaAs layers suitable for high-efficiency solar cells, lasers and field effect transistors.

A large area nitride crystal, comprising gallium and nitrogen, with a non-polar or semi-polar large-area face, is disclosed, along with a method for making. The crystal is useful as a substrate for a light emitting diode, a laser diode, a transistor, a photodetector, a solar cell, or for photoelectrochemical water splitting for hydrogen generation.

A power converter for converting energy from a green power unit as e.g. a solar cell into energy fed into the commercial grid is described. The object is to provide a versatile modularized power converter with eased access to control of the power switches. Another object is to improve the electrical efficiency. This is achieved by using an independent controller on a DC/DC module and an independent controller on a DC/AC module, whereby the the two independent controllers communicate with each other and the outside world by means of a communication bus. Further, the DC/DC module of the power converter comprises a transformer which transfers energy from the DC/DC module to the DC/AC module. This design enables independent control of the modules and eases controllability of the power switches in order to suppress retroaction from pulsations generated on the mains when supplying energy to a single phase grid. Hereby the electrical efficiency of the power converter is increased. Also, an active snubber circuit is described which further increase the efficiency.

A solar cell comprising a substrate, a buffer layer, a first subcell, a second subcell, and a third subcell, where said first subcell, said second subcell, and said third subcell are lattice matched, and where said substrate is lattice mismatched with said first, second, and third subcells.

A solar cell regulator in a nanosatellite includes a pulse width modulated DC-DC boost converter and a peak power tracking controller for converting solar cell power to bus power for charging of system batteries and powering loads while the controller controls the pulse width modulation operation of the converter for sensing solar cell currents and voltages along a power characteristic curve of the solar cell for peak power tracking, for determining any power data point, including a peak power point, an open circuit voltage point, and a short circuit current point along the power characteristic curve of the solar cell, and for communicating the power data to a satellite processor for monitoring the performance of the solar cell during operational use of the satellite.