Patents Assigned to Silevo, Inc.
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Publication number: 20160240722Abstract: A system is described for fabricating photovoltaic structures. The system can include a photovoltaic cell enclosure that communicatively couples a first processing station and a second processing station while providing a microenvironment for a plurality of photovoltaic cells. The microenvironment can be separated from a surrounding environment. Furthermore, a microenvironment controller can control density of at least one chemical that could contaminate or react with an oxide layer on a respective photovoltaic cell, thereby protecting the photovoltaic cell between processes.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 19, 2015Publication date: August 18, 2016Applicants: Silevo China Co., Ltd., Silevo, Inc.Inventors: Jiunn Benjamin Heng, Chunguang Xiao, Dongzhi Yan, Jiansheng Zhou, Zhiquan Huang, Zheng Xu
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Patent number: 9012766Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a solar cell. The solar cell includes a substrate, a first heavily doped crystalline-Si (c-Si) layer situated above the substrate, a lightly doped c-Si layer situated above the first heavily doped crystalline-Si layer, a second heavily doped c-Si layer situated above the lightly doped c-Si layer, a front side electrode grid situated above the second heavily doped c-Si layer, and a backside electrode grid situated on the backside of the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: November 12, 2009Date of Patent: April 21, 2015Assignee: Silevo, Inc.Inventors: Chentao Yu, Zheng Xu, Jiunn Benjamin Heng, Jianming Fu
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Patent number: 8968473Abstract: One embodiment provides a reactor for material deposition. The reactor includes a chamber and at least one gas nozzle. The chamber includes a pair of susceptors, each having a front side and a back side. The front side mounts a number of substrates. The susceptors are positioned vertically so that the front sides of the susceptors face each other, and the vertical edges of the susceptors are in contact with each other, thereby forming a substantially enclosed narrow channel between the substrates mounted on different susceptors. The gas nozzle includes a gas-inlet component situated in the center and a detachable gas-outlet component stacked around the gas-inlet component. The gas-inlet component includes at least one opening coupled to the chamber, and is configured to inject precursor gases into the chamber. The detachable gas-outlet component includes at least one opening coupled to the chamber, and is configured to output exhaust gases from the chamber.Type: GrantFiled: September 13, 2010Date of Patent: March 3, 2015Assignee: Silevo, Inc.Inventors: Steve Poppe, Yan Rozenzon, Peijun Ding
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Patent number: 8872020Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a heterojunction solar cell. The solar cell includes a metallurgical-grade Si (MG-Si) substrate, a layer of heavily doped crystalline-Si situated above the MG-Si substrate, a layer of lightly doped crystalline-Si situated above the heavily doped crystalline-Si layer, a backside ohmic-contact layer situated on the backside of the MG-Si substrate, a passivation layer situated above the heavily doped crystalline-Si layer, a layer of heavily doped amorphous Si (a-Si) situated above the passivation layer, a layer of transparent-conducting-oxide (TCO) situated above the heavily doped a-Si layer, and a front ohmic-contact electrode situated above the TCO layer.Type: GrantFiled: September 25, 2012Date of Patent: October 28, 2014Assignee: Silevo, Inc.Inventors: Chentao Yu, Jiunn Benjamin Heng, Zheng Xu, Jianming Fu, Jianjun Liang
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Patent number: 8845809Abstract: One embodiment provides an apparatus for material deposition. The apparatus includes a reaction chamber, and a pair of susceptors. Each susceptor has a front side mounting substrates and a back side. The front sides of the vertically positioned susceptors face each other, and the vertical edges of the susceptors are in contact with each other. The apparatus also includes a number of gas nozzles for injecting reaction gases. The gas flow directions inside the chamber can be alternated by controlling the gas nozzles. The gas nozzles are configured to inject a small amount of purge gas including at least one of: HCl, SiCl4, and H2 when the gas nozzles are not injecting reaction gas. The apparatus includes a number of heating units situated outside the reaction chamber. The heating units are arranged in such a way that they radiate heat energy directly to the back sides of the susceptors.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2009Date of Patent: September 30, 2014Assignee: Silevo, Inc.Inventors: Steve Poppe, Yan Rozenzon, David Z. Chen, Xiaole Yan, Peijun Ding, Zheng Xu
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Publication number: 20140283902Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a back junction solar cell. The solar cell includes a base layer, a quantum-tunneling-barrier (QTB) layer situated below the base layer facing away from incident light, an emitter layer situated below the QTB layer, a front surface field (FSF) layer situated above the base layer, a front-side electrode situated above the FSF layer, and a back-side electrode situated below the emitter layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 6, 2014Publication date: September 25, 2014Applicant: Silevo, Inc.Inventors: Jiunn Benjamin Heng, Jianming Fu, Zheng Xu, Zhigang Xie
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Publication number: 20140102524Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a solar cell. The solar cell includes a base layer comprising crystalline Si (c-Si), an electron collector situated on a first side of the base layer, and a hole collector situated on a second side of the base layer, which is opposite the first side. The electron collector includes a quantum-tunneling-barrier (QTB) layer situated adjacent to the base layer and a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) layer situated adjacent to the QTB layer. The TCO layer has a work function of less than 4.2 eV.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 15, 2013Publication date: April 17, 2014Applicant: Silevo, Inc.Inventors: Zhigang Xie, Jiunn Benjamin Heng, Wei Wang, Jianming Fu, Zheng Xu
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Publication number: 20140096823Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a solar cell. The solar cell includes a photovoltaic structure and a front-side metal grid situated above the photovoltaic structure. The front-side metal grid also includes one or more electroplated metal layers. The front-side metal grid includes one or more finger lines, and each end of a respective finger line is coupled to a corresponding end of an adjacent finger line via an additional metal line, thus ensuring that the respective finger line has no open end.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 3, 2013Publication date: April 10, 2014Applicant: Silevo, Inc.Inventors: Jianming Fu, Jiunn Benjamin Heng, Christopher J. Beitel, Zheng Xu
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Publication number: 20140096817Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a solar cell. The solar cell includes a base layer comprising crystalline Si (c-Si), a hole collector situated on a first side of the base layer, and an electron collector situated on a second side of the base layer, which is opposite the first side. The hole collector includes a quantum-tunneling-barrier (QTB) layer situated adjacent to the base layer and a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) layer situated adjacent to the QTB layer. The TCO layer has a work function of at least 5.0 eV.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 10, 2013Publication date: April 10, 2014Applicant: Silevo, Inc.Inventors: Zhigang Xie, Jiunn Benjamin Heng, Wei Wang, Jianming Fu, Zheng Xu
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Patent number: 8686283Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a tunneling junction based solar cell. The solar cell includes a base layer; a quantum-tunneling-barrier (QTB) layer situated adjacent to the base layer; an emitter; a surface field layer; a front-side electrode; and a back-side electrode.Type: GrantFiled: November 12, 2010Date of Patent: April 1, 2014Assignee: Silevo, Inc.Inventors: Jiunn Benjamin Heng, Chentao Yu, Zheng Xu, Jianming Fu
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Patent number: 8652259Abstract: One embodiment provides an apparatus for material deposition. The apparatus includes a reaction chamber, and a pair of susceptors. Each susceptor has a front side and a back side, and the front side mounts substrates. The susceptors are positioned vertically in such a way that the front sides of the susceptors face each other, and the vertical edges of the susceptors are in contact with each other, thereby forming a substantially enclosed narrow channel between the substrates. The apparatus also includes a number of gas nozzles for injecting reaction gases. The gas nozzles are controlled in such a way that gas flow directions inside the chamber can be alternated, thereby facilitating uniform material deposition. The apparatus includes a number of heating units situated outside the reaction chamber. The heating units are arranged in such a way that they radiate heat energy directly to the back sides of the susceptors.Type: GrantFiled: January 16, 2009Date of Patent: February 18, 2014Assignee: Silevo, Inc.Inventors: Steve Poppe, Yan Rozenzon, David Z. Chen, Xiaole Yan, Peijun Ding, Zheng Xu
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Patent number: 8637761Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a method for fabricating a solar cell. The method includes: melting a metallurgical-grade (MG) Si feedstock, lowering a single-crystalline Si seed to touch the surface of the molten MG-Si, slowly pulling out a single-crystal Si ingot of the molten MG-Si, processing the Si ingot into single crystal Si wafers to form MG-Si substrates for subsequent epitaxial growth, leaching out residual metal impurities in the MG-Si substrate, epitaxially growing a layer of single-crystal Si thin film doped with boron on the MG-Si substrate, doping phosphor to the single-crystal Si thin film to form an emitter layer, depositing an anti-reflection layer on top of the single-crystal Si thin film, and forming the front and the back electrical contacts.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2008Date of Patent: January 28, 2014Assignee: Silevo, Inc.Inventors: Jianming Fu, Zheng Xu, Peijun Ding, Chentao Yu, Guanghua Song, Jianjun Liang
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Publication number: 20130298973Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a tunneling junction solar cell. The solar cell includes a base layer, an emitter layer situated adjacent to the shallow counter doping layer, a surface field layer situated adjacent to a side of the base layer opposite to the shallow counter doping layer, a front-side electrode, and a back-side electrode. The base layer includes a shallow counter doping layer having a conduction doping type that is opposite to a remainder of the base layer. The emitter layer has a bandgap that is wider than that of the base layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 31, 2012Publication date: November 14, 2013Applicant: SILEVO, INC.Inventors: Zhigang Xie, Jiunn Benjamin Heng, Jianming Fu, Zheng Xu
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Patent number: 8562745Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a wafer-carrier system used in a deposition chamber for carrying wafers. The wafer-carrier system includes a base susceptor and a top susceptor nested inside the base susceptor with its wafer-mounting side facing the base susceptor's wafer-mounting side, thereby forming a substantially enclosed narrow channel. The base susceptor provides an upward support to the top susceptor.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 2010Date of Patent: October 22, 2013Assignee: Silevo, Inc.Inventors: Yan Rozenzon, Robert T. Trujillo, Steven C. Beese
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Publication number: 20130157404Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a double-sided heterojunction solar cell. The solar cell includes a lightly doped epitaxial crystalline Si (c-Si) base layer, a front-side passivation layer situated on the front side of the lightly doped epitaxial c-Si base layer, a back-side passivation layer situated on the back side of the lightly doped epitaxial c-Si base layer, a front-side emitter situated on the surface of the front-side passivation layer, a back surface field (BSF) layer situated on the surface of the back-side passivation layer, a front-side electrode, and a back-side electrode.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 14, 2013Publication date: June 20, 2013Applicant: SILEVO, INC.Inventor: Silevo, Inc.
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Publication number: 20130125974Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a solar cell. The solar cell includes a photovoltaic structure, a transparent-conductive-oxide (TCO) layer situated above the photovoltaic structure, and a front-side metal grid situated above the TCO layer. The TCO layer is in contact with the front surface of the photovoltaic structure. The front-side metal grid includes a first metal layer comprising Cu, and a second metal layer covering a top surface and sidewalls of the first metal layer. The second metal layer comprises at least one of: Ag and Sn.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 16, 2012Publication date: May 23, 2013Applicant: SILEVO, INC.Inventor: Silevo, Inc.
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Publication number: 20130112265Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a heterojunction solar cell. The solar cell includes a metallurgical-grade Si (MG-Si) substrate, a layer of heavily doped crystalline-Si situated above the MG-Si substrate, a layer of lightly doped crystalline-Si situated above the heavily doped crystalline-Si layer, a backside ohmic-contact layer situated on the backside of the MG-Si substrate, a passivation layer situated above the heavily doped crystalline-Si layer, a layer of heavily doped amorphous Si (a-Si) situated above the passivation layer, a layer of transparent-conducting-oxide (TCO) situated above the heavily doped a-Si layer, and a front ohmic-contact electrode situated above the TCO layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 25, 2012Publication date: May 9, 2013Applicant: SILEVO, INC.Inventor: SILEVO, INC.
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Publication number: 20120318340Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a back junction solar cell. The solar cell includes a base layer, a quantum-tunneling-barrier (QTB) layer situated below the base layer facing away from incident light, an emitter layer situated below the QTB layer, a front surface field (FSF) layer situated above the base layer, a front-side electrode situated above the FSF layer, and a back-side electrode situated below the emitter layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 31, 2012Publication date: December 20, 2012Applicant: SILEVO, INC.Inventors: Jiunn Benjamin Heng, Jianming Fu, Zheng Xu, Zhigang Xie
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Publication number: 20120305060Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a photovoltaic module. The photovoltaic module includes an optical concentrator and a tunneling-junction solar cell. The tunneling junction solar cell includes a base layer, a quantum-tunneling-barrier (QTB) layer situated above the base layer, an emitter layer, a front-side electrode, and a back-side electrode.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 24, 2012Publication date: December 6, 2012Applicant: SILEVO, INC.Inventors: Jianming Fu, Zheng Xu, Jiunn Benjamin Heng, Chentao Yu
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Patent number: 8283559Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a solar cell. The solar cell includes a metallurgical-grade Si (MG-Si) substrate, a first layer of heavily doped crystalline-Si situated above the MG-Si substrate, a layer of lightly doped crystalline-Si situated above the first heavily doped crystalline-Si layer, a backside ohmic-contact layer situated on the backside of the MG-Si substrate, a second layer of heavily doped crystalline-Si situated above the lightly doped crystalline-Si layer, a first layer of dielectric situated above the second heavily doped crystalline-Si layer, a second layer of dielectric situated above the first dielectric layer, and front electrodes situated above the second dielectric layer.Type: GrantFiled: April 9, 2009Date of Patent: October 9, 2012Assignee: Silevo, Inc.Inventors: Chentao Yu, Jianming Fu, Jiunn Benjamin Heng