GB845994A - Improvements in photovoltaic cells - Google Patents
Improvements in photovoltaic cellsInfo
- Publication number
- GB845994A GB845994A GB31479/56A GB3147956A GB845994A GB 845994 A GB845994 A GB 845994A GB 31479/56 A GB31479/56 A GB 31479/56A GB 3147956 A GB3147956 A GB 3147956A GB 845994 A GB845994 A GB 845994A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- radiation
- radioactive
- intrinsic
- intrinsic region
- incident radiation
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
- 230000005855 radiation Effects 0.000 abstract 5
- 230000002285 radioactive effect Effects 0.000 abstract 3
- 238000005215 recombination Methods 0.000 abstract 3
- 230000006798 recombination Effects 0.000 abstract 3
- WPYVAWXEWQSOGY-UHFFFAOYSA-N indium antimonide Chemical compound [Sb]#[In] WPYVAWXEWQSOGY-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 abstract 2
- 206010073306 Exposure to radiation Diseases 0.000 abstract 1
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 abstract 1
- 239000002131 composite material Substances 0.000 abstract 1
- 230000005611 electricity Effects 0.000 abstract 1
- 238000005530 etching Methods 0.000 abstract 1
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 abstract 1
- 230000035515 penetration Effects 0.000 abstract 1
- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 abstract 1
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
- H01L31/04—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices
- H01L31/06—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices characterised by potential barriers
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
- Y02E10/50—Photovoltaic [PV] energy
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
- Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
- Power Engineering (AREA)
- Photovoltaic Devices (AREA)
Abstract
845,994. Photovoltaic devices. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. Oct. 16, 1956 [Oct. 17, 1955], No. 31479/56. Drawings to Specification. Class 37. A photovoltaic cell comprises a PIN junction semiconductor body the intrinsic region of which has surfaces for exposure to radiation admitted thereto without passing through either the P or the N type region. The distance between the PI and NI junctions should preferably be less than the transport length L which is defined by the equation L = #ÁVgT, where Á is the carrier mobility, Vg the width of the forbidden energy band, and T is the carrier lifetime. The thickness of the body in the direction of the incident radiation should be as small as possible consistent with being greater than the penetration depth of the incident radiation and great enough to keep the effective carrier lifetime due to surface recombination much greater than the effective lifetime due to volume recombination. In addition the surface of the intrinsic region may be treated by'known etching processes to reduce the surface recombination rate. In a preferred embodiment P and N zones of 1 ohm. cm. resistivity are arranged at opposite ends of a wafer of 50-60 ohm cm. intrinsic Ge. The device operates at optimum efficiency when the intensity of the incident light is just above the minimum necessary to keep the output' approximately equal to Vg. If very high intensities are expected the body thickness should be greater than L. The efficiency may be improved by using a system of reflectors to refocus and return light reflected from the body. The cell is responsive to radioactive radiation and a radioactive battery is envisaged utilizing a radioactive source which is either embedded in the intrinsic region or mounted near the body. A composite photocell is also described consisting of PIN bodies of Si, Ge and InSb mounted so that incident radiation passes through them in that order. The high energy photons produce electron hole pairs in the Si, whereas the lower energy photons pass through to the Ge or InSb which have narrower forbidden energy bands. This arrangement thus gives a highly efficient conversion to electricity of polychromatic radiation such as sunlight.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US845994XA | 1955-10-17 | 1955-10-17 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB845994A true GB845994A (en) | 1960-08-24 |
Family
ID=22186000
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB31479/56A Expired GB845994A (en) | 1955-10-17 | 1956-10-16 | Improvements in photovoltaic cells |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB845994A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN114762130A (en) * | 2019-10-02 | 2022-07-15 | 哥伦布光伏有限责任公司 | Improvements in direct semiconductor solar devices |
-
1956
- 1956-10-16 GB GB31479/56A patent/GB845994A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN114762130A (en) * | 2019-10-02 | 2022-07-15 | 哥伦布光伏有限责任公司 | Improvements in direct semiconductor solar devices |
| CN114762130B (en) * | 2019-10-02 | 2024-05-10 | 哥伦布光伏有限责任公司 | Improvements in direct semiconductor solar devices |
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