Stable front contact current collector for photovoltaic devices and method of making same
Patent 4647711 Issued on March 3, 1987. Estimated Expiration Date: 
January 29, 2005. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.
January 29, 2005. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.Patent ReferencesSolar cell collector Method for producing solar energy panels by automation Patent #: 4084985 InventorsAssigneeApplicationNo. 06/696148 filed on 01/29/1985US Classes:136/256, Contact, coating, or surface geometry136/260, Cadmium containing257/462, Phototransistor427/74, Photoelectric427/76, Coating is selenium, tellurium, or compound thereof438/94, Heterojunction438/95, Chalcogen (i.e., oxygen (O), sulfur (S), selenium (Se), tellurium (Te)) containing438/98Contact formation (i.e., metallization)ExaminersPrimary: Weisstuch, AaronAttorney, Agent or FirmInternational ClassesH01L 31/18 (20060101)H01L 31/06 (20060101) H01L 31/072 (20060101) H01L 31/0224 (20060101) AbstractA large area, thin-film photovoltaic device 30 having a transparent front contact 32 is made more efficient by the use of a current collector grid 36. The current collector grid 36 is embedded in an optically transparent electrically conductive layer 34 and may extend partially into a substrate 32 or partially into a first semiconductor layer 38. The process for preparing such thin-film photovoltaic devices includes forming channels in the optically transparent electrically conductive layer 34 and depositing the current collector grid material in the channels. By this design, problems encountered in the deposition of thin-film semiconductor layers due to the presence of relatively large current collector grids are effectively eliminated. | |
