Abstract: A system for generating electrical power from solar radiation utilizing a thin film III-V compound multijunction semiconductor solar cell mounted on a support in a non-planar configuration is disclosed herein.

Abstract: Multijunction solar cells that may include a first solar subcell with a first band gap, and a second solar subcell disposed over the first solar subcell and having a second band gap smaller than said first band gap. The solar cells may also include a grading interlayer disposed over the second solar subcell that may include a third band gap greater than the second band gap. The grading interlayer may not include phosphorus. The solar cells may also include a third solar subcell disposed over the interlayer that is lattice mismatched with respect to the second solar subcell. The third solar subcell may have a fourth band gap smaller than the third band gap.

Abstract: A method of forming a multijunction solar cell comprising an upper subcell, a middle subcell, and a lower subcell comprising providing first substrate for the epitaxial growth of semiconductor material; forming a first solar subcell on said substrate having a first band gap; forming a second solar subcell over said first subcell having a second band gap smaller than said first band gap; and forming a grading interlayer over said second subcell having a third band gap larger than said second band gap forming a third solar subcell having a fourth band gap smaller than said second band gap such that said third subcell is lattice mismatched with respect to said second subcell.

Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including a window layer with a gradation in doping from the region in the window layer adjacent to the emitter region to the region in the window layer adjacent to the surface layer overlying the window layer, so that minority carriers in the window layer experience an electric field which would tend to drive them in the direction of the emitter layer, thereby increasing the efficiency of the solar cell.

Abstract: A system for generating electrical power from solar radiation utilizing a thin film III-V compound multijunction semiconductor solar cell mounted on a support in a non-planar configuration.

Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including a window layer with a gradation in doping; an upper first solar subcell having a first band gap adjacent to the window layer; a second solar subcell adjacent to said first solar subcell; a first graded interlayer adjacent to said second solar subcell, said first graded interlayer having a third band gap greater than said second band gap; a third solar subcell adjacent to said first graded interlayer; a second interlayer adjacent to said third solar subcell, said second graded interlayer having a fifth band gap greater than said fourth band gap; a fourth solar subcell adjacent to said second graded interlayer, such that said fourth subcell is lattice mismatched with respect to said third subcell.

Abstract: A method of forming a solar cell including: providing a semiconductor body including at least one photoactive junction; forming a semiconductor contact layer composed of GaAs deposited over the semiconductor body; and depositing a metal contact layer including a germanium layer and a palladium layer over the semiconductor contact layer so that the specific contact resistance is less than 5×10?4 ohms-cm2.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a process for manufacturing a solar cell by selectively freeing an epitaxial layer from a single crystal substrate upon which it was grown. In some embodiments the process includes, among other things, providing a first substrate; depositing a separation layer on said first substrate; depositing on said separation layer a sequence of layers of semiconductor material forming a solar cell; mounting and bonding a flexible support on top of the sequence of layers; etching said separation layer while applying an agitating action to the etchant solution so as to remove said flexible support with said epitaxial layer from said first substrate.

Abstract: Inverted metamorphic multijunction solar cells having a heterojunction middle subcell and a graded interlayer, and methods of making same, are disclosed herein. The present disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a solar cell using an MOCVD process, wherein the graded interlayer is composed of (InxGa1-x)y Al1-yAs, and is formed in the MOCVD reactor so that it is compositionally graded to lattice match the middle second subcell on one side and the lower third subcell on the other side, with the values for x and y computed and the composition of the graded interlayer determined so that as the layer is grown in the MOCVD reactor, the band gap of the graded interlayer remains constant at 1.5 eV throughout the thickness of the graded interlayer.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a solar cell by providing a first substrate; depositing sequentially on the first substrate a plurality of semiconductor layers, the plurality of semiconductor layers comprising a first layer and a last layer in the direction of deposition; forming a backside contact layer on the last semiconductor layer; forming on the last semiconductor layer a back cathode contact isolated from at least a first portion of the backside contact layer, the first portion forming the anode contact; attaching a second substrate on the backside contact layer and removing the first substrate to expose the first semiconductor layer and to define a front surface and an opposite back surface of a solar cell; forming a front cathode contact on the front surface of the solar cell; etching a first trench through the plurality of semiconductor layers to define an active portion of the solar cell with a first mesa structure including the front cathode contact and the anode contact and being surrounded by the firs

Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including an upper first solar subcell, and the base-emitter junction of the upper first solar subcell being a homojunction; a second solar subcell adjacent to said first solar subcell; a third solar subcell adjacent to said second solar subcell. A first graded interlayer is provided adjacent to said third solar subcell. A fourth solar subcell is provided adjacent to said first graded interlayer, said fourth subcell is lattice mismatched with respect to said third subcell. A second graded interlayer is provided adjacent to said fourth solar subcell; and a lower fifth solar subcell is provided adjacent to said second graded interlayer, said lower fifth subcell is lattice mismatched with respect to said fourth subcell.

Abstract: A method of forming a multijunction solar cell string by mounting first and second multijunction solar cells on a first side of a perforated carrier; attaching a first electrical interconnect to the contact pad of said first multijunction solar cell, the electrical interconnect extending through said perforated carrier; attaching a second electrical interconnect to the metal contact layer of said second multijunction solar cell, the electrical interconnect extending through said perforated carrier; and connecting said first electrical interconnect to said second electrical interconnect.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a solar cell by providing a first semiconductor substrate and depositing a first sequence of layers of semiconductor material to form a first solar subcell, including a first bond layer disposed on the top of the first sequence of layers. A second semiconductor substrate is provided, and on the top surface of the second substrate a second sequence of layers of semiconductor material is deposited forming at least a second solar subcell. A second bond layer is disposed on the top of said second sequence of layers. The first solar subcell is mounted on top of the second solar subcell by joining the first bond layer to the second bond layer in an ultra high vacuum chamber, and the first semiconductor substrate is removed.

Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including an upper first solar subcell disposed adjacent the top surface of the multijunction solar cell; a middle second solar subcell adjacent to the first solar subcell; a graded interlayer adjacent to the second solar subcell; and a lower solar subcell adjacent to the interlayer; a metal contact layer adjacent to the lower solar subcell for making an electrical contact thereto; and a cut-out extending from a peripheral edge along the top surface of the solar cell to the metal contact layer to allow an electrical contact to be made to the lower subcell from the top surface of the solar cell.

Abstract: A method of forming a multijunction solar cell including an upper subcell, a middle subcell, and a lower subcell by providing a first substrate for the epitaxial growth of semiconductor material; forming a first solar subcell on the substrate having a first band gap; forming a second solar subcell over the first solar subcell having a second band gap smaller than the first band gap; forming a graded interlayer over the second subcell; forming a third solar subcell over the graded interlayer having a fourth band gap smaller than the second band gap such that the third subcell is lattice mismatched with respect to the second subcell; attaching a surrogate second substrate over the third solar subcell and removing the first substrate; and etching a first trough around the periphery of the solar cell to the surrogate second substrate so as to form a mesa structure on the surrogate second substrate and facilitate the removal of the solar cell from the surrogate second substrate.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a solar cell by providing a first substrate; depositing on a first substrate a sequence of layers of semiconductor material forming a solar cell including at least a top subcell and a bottom subcell; mounting a surrogate substrate on top of the sequence of layers adjacent to the bottom subcell; removing the first substrate to expose the surface of the top subcell; removing the surrogate substrate; and holding the solar cell on a vacuum chuck to support it for subsequent fabrication operations, such as attaching interconnects to the solar cells to form an interconnected array.

Abstract: A multijunction solar cell comprising an upper first solar subcell having a first band gap; a middle second solar subcell adjacent to the first solar subcell and having a second band gap smaller than the first band gap, and having a base layer and an emitter layer; a graded interlayer adjacent to said second solar subcell, having a third band gap greater than the second band gap; a lower solar subcell adjacent to the grading interlayer, having a fourth band gap smaller than said second band gap such that the third subcell is lattice mismatched with respect to said second subcell; and a metal electrode layer deposited on said lower subcell and having a coefficient of thermal expansion substantially similar to that of the subcells.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a solar cell by providing a first substrate; depositing sequentially on the first substrate a plurality of semiconductor layers, the plurality of semiconductor layers comprising a first layer and a last layer in the direction of deposition; forming a backside contact layer on the last semiconductor layer; forming on the last semiconductor layer a back cathode contact isolated from at least a first portion of the backside contact layer, the first portion forming the anode contact; attaching a second substrate on the backside contact layer and removing the first substrate to expose the first semiconductor layer and to define a front surface and an opposite back surface of a solar cell; forming a front cathode contact on the front surface of the solar cell; etching a first trench through the plurality of semiconductor layers to define an active portion of the solar cell with a first mesa structure including the front cathode contact and the anode contact and being surrounded by the firs

Abstract: A solar cell including a semiconductor body including at least one photoactive junction, and a textured layer or coverglass having a textured surface disposed over the top surface of the semiconductor body. The textured layer may be between 200 and 1800 nm in thickness, and may have a graded index of refraction.

Abstract: A solar cell array comprising: a substrate having a carrier surface on which a plurality of electrically conductive bonding pads are provided, the bonding pads being spaced from one another along a main direction; a plurality of solar cells, each solar cell of the plurality including a back electrode bonded to a first portion of a respective bonding pad, wherein each bonding pad comprises a second portion defining an exposed contact region not covered by the back electrode of the respective solar cell, and wherein an interconnecting lead electrically connects the second portion of the bonding pad associated with a first solar cell with an electrode of a directly adjacent second solar cell. The substrate is an electrically insulating substrate and preferably a flexible film, made for instance of polyimide material.