Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including an upper first solar subcell having a first band gap and positioned for receiving an incoming light beam; and a second solar subcell disposed below and adjacent to and lattice matched with said upper first solar subcell, and having a second band gap smaller than said first band gap; wherein at least one of the solar subcells has a graded band gap throughout the thickness of at least a portion of its emitter layer and base layer.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a multijunction solar cell panel by providing a plurality of multijunction solar cells; dispensing out uncured silicone coating on the solar cells using an automated process with visual recognition, and curing the silicone coating on the solar cell to complete the Cell-Interconnect-Cover Glass (CIC) assembly.

Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including an upper first solar subcell having an emitter and base layers forming a photoelectric junction; a second solar subcell disposed under and adjacent to the upper first solar subcell, and having an emitter and base layers forming a photoelectric junction; and a third solar subcell disposed under and adjacent to the second solar subcell and having an emitter and base layers forming a photoelectric junction; wherein at least one of the base and emitter layers of at least a particular solar subcell from among the upper first solar subcell, the second solar subcell, and the third solar subcell has a graded band gap throughout at least a portion of thickness of its active layer adjacent to the photoelectric junction and being in a range of 20 to 300 MeV greater than a band gap in the active layer away from the photoelectric junction.

Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including a metamorphic layer, and particularly the design and specification of the composition, lattice constant, and band gaps of various layers above the metamorphic layer in order to achieve reduction in “bowing” of the semiconductor wafer caused by the lattice mismatch of layers associated with the metamorphic layer.

Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including an upper first solar subcell having a first band gap and positioned for receiving an incoming light beam; a second solar subcell disposed below the upper first solar subcell, and having a second band gap smaller than said first band gap; wherein a light scattering layer is provided below the second solar subcell and adjacent to the second solar subcell for redirecting the incoming light that has passed through the second solar subcell back into the second solar subcell to be scattered along longer path lengths in the second solar subcell.

Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including an upper first solar subcell having a first band gap and positioned for receiving an incoming light beam; a second solar subcell disposed below and adjacent to and lattice matched with said upper first solar subcell, and having a second band gap smaller than said first band gap; wherein at least one of the solar subcells has a graded band gap throughout the thickness of at least a portion of the active layer of the one solar subcell.

Abstract: A multijunction solar cell comprising a first solar subcell having a first band gap; a second solar subcell disposed adjacent to said first solar subcell and including an emitter layer, and a base layer having a second band gap less than the first band gap, and being lattice mismatched with the upper first solar subcell, and an intermediate layer directly adjacent to and disposed between first and the second solar subcells and compositionally graded to lattice match the first solar subcell on one side and the second solar subcell on the other side, and arranged so that light can enter and pass through the first solar subcell and at least a portion of which can be reflected back into the first solar subcell by the intermediate layer, and is composed of a plurality of layers of materials with discontinuities in their respective indices of refraction.

Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including a substrate and a top (or light-facing) solar subcell having an emitter layer, a base layer, and a window layer adjacent to the emitter layer, the window layer composed of a material that is optically transparent, has a band gap of greater than 2.6 eV, and includes an appropriately arranged multilayer antireflection coating on the top surface thereof.

Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including an upper first solar subcell having a first band gap and positioned for receiving an incoming light beam; and a second solar subcell disposed below and adjacent to and lattice matched with said upper first solar subcell, and having a second band gap smaller than said first band gap; wherein at least one of the solar subcells has a graded band gap throughout the thickness of at least a portion of its emitter layer and base layer.

Abstract: A solar cell module comprising a plurality of solar cells mounted on a flexible support, the support comprising a conductive layer on the top surface thereof divided into two electrically isolated portions—a first conductive portion and a second conductive portion. Each solar cell comprises a front surface, a rear surface, and a first contact on the rear surface and a second contact on the front surface. Each one of the plurality of solar cells is placed on the first conductive portion with the first contact electrically connected to the first conductive portion so that the solar cells are connected through the first conductive portion. A second contact of each solar cell is then connected to the second conductive portion by a respective interconnect.

Abstract: A four junction solar cell and its method of manufacture including an upper first solar subcell composed of a semiconductor material having a first band gap; a second solar subcell adjacent to said first solar subcell and composed of a semiconductor material having a second band gap smaller than the first band gap and being lattice matched with the upper first solar subcell; a third solar subcell adjacent to said second solar subcell and composed of a semiconductor material having a third band gap smaller than the second band gap and being lattice matched with the second solar subcell; a graded interlayer adjacent to the third solar subcell and having a fourth band gap greater than the third band gap; and a bottom solar subcell adjacent to the graded interlayer and being lattice mismatched from the third solar subcell and having a fifth band gap smaller than the fifth band gap, wherein the selection of composition of the subcells and their band gaps maximizes the efficiency of the solar cell at a predetermine

Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including an upper first solar subcell having a first band gap and positioned for receiving an incoming light beam; a second solar subcell disposed below and adjacent to and lattice matched with said upper first solar subcell, and having a second band gap smaller than said first band gap; wherein at least one of the solar subcells has a graded band gap throughout the thickness of at least a portion of the active layer.

Abstract: A multijunction solar cell in accordance with an example implementation includes a growth substrate; a first solar subcell disposed over or in the growth substrate; a tunnel diode disposed over the first solar subcell; and a grading interlayer directly disposed over the tunnel diode; a sequence of layers of semiconductor material forming a solar cell disposed over the grading interlayer comprising a plurality of solar subcells. The multijunction solar cell also includes a first wafer bowing inhibition layer disposed directly over an uppermost sublayer of the grading interlayer, such bowing inhibition layer having an in-plane lattice constant greater than the in-plane lattice constant of the uppermost sublayer of the grading interlayer. A second wafer bowing inhibition layer is disposed directly over the first wafer bowing inhibition layer.

Abstract: A multijunction solar cell with a graded interlayer disposed between two adjacent solar subcells, the graded interlayer being compositionally graded to lattice match a first solar subcell on one side, and an adjacent second solar subcell on the other side, the graded interlayer being composed of at least four step layers, a particular step layer having a lattice constant in the range of 0.2 to 1.2% greater than the lattice constant of the adjacent layer on which it is grown, and the subsequent steps layers disposed directly on the particular step layer having a lattice constant in the range of 0.1 to 0.6% greater than the particular layer on which it is grown, and wherein the thickness of the particular step layer is at least twice the thickness of each of the other subsequent step layers.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a four junction solar cell by identifying the composition and band gaps of the upper first, second and third subcells that maximizes the efficiency of the solar cell at a predetermined time after initial deployment by simulation; fabricating one or more four-junction test solar cells in accordance with the identified composition and band gaps of the upper first, second and third subcells; performing one or more optical or electrical tests on the fabricated one or more four-junction test solar cells; based on results of the tests, determining one or more properties of at least one of the upper first, second or third subcells to be modified in subsequent fabrication of four-junction solar cells, including the band gap, doping level and profile, and thickness of each of the subcell layers; and fabricating a further four-junction solar cell in accordance with the modified properties of at least one of the upper first, second or third subcells to optimize the efficiency of the solar cell at

Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including interconnected first and second discrete semiconductor regions disposed adjacent and parallel to each other including first top solar subcell, second (and possibly third) lattice matched middle solar subcells; a graded interlayer adjacent to the last middle solar subcell; and a bottom solar subcell adjacent to said graded interlayer being lattice mismatched with respect to the last middle solar subcell; wherein an opening is provided from the bottom side of the semiconductor substrate to one or more of the solar subcells so as to allow a discrete electrical connector to be made extending in free space and to electrically connect contact pads on one or more of the solar subcells.

Abstract: A metamorphic multijunction solar cell having a growth semiconductor substrate with a top surface having a doping in the range of 1x1018 to 1x1020 charge carriers/cm3; a window layer for a top (light facing) subcell formed directly on the top surface of the growth substrate; a sequence of layers of semiconductor material forming a solar cell directly on the window layer; a surrogate substrate on the top surface of the sequence of layers of semiconductor material, wherein a portion of the semiconductor substrate is removed so that only the high doped surface portion of the substrate, having a thickness in the range of 0.5 ?m to 10 ?m, remains.

Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including an upper first solar subcell having a first band gap and positioned for receiving an incoming light beam; a second solar subcell disposed below and adjacent to and lattice matched with said upper first solar subcell, and having a second band gap smaller than said first band gap; wherein at least one of the solar cells has a graded band gap throughout its thickness.

Abstract: A five junction solar cell and its method of manufacture including an upper first solar subcell composed of a semiconductor material having a first band gap; a second solar subcell adjacent to said first solar subcell and composed of a semiconductor material having a second band gap smaller than the first band gap and being lattice matched with the upper first solar subcell; a third solar subcell adjacent to said second solar subcell and composed of a semiconductor material having a third band gap smaller than the second band gap and being lattice matched with the second solar subcell; a fourth solar subcell adjacent to said second solar subcell and composed of a semiconductor material having a fourth band gap smaller than the third band gap and being lattice matched with respect to the third solar subcell; a graded interlayer adjacent to the fourth solar subcell and having a fifth band gap greater than the fourth band gap; and a bottom solar subcell adjacent to the graded interlayer and being lattice mismatc