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A method of making a thin gallium arsenide solar cell having a reflecting back surface and coplanar electrical contacts. A photovoltaic cell comprising gallium arsenide is produced in a self-supporting thickness by conventional methods. A pattern of contact lines and a bus contact are formed on the

A method of making a thin gallium arsenide solar cell having a reflecting back surface and coplanar electrical contacts. A photovoltaic cell comprising gallium arsenide is produced in a self-supporting thickness by conventional methods. A pattern of contact lines and a bus contact are formed on the front surface of the cell and a transparent coverslide is bonded thereover. The back of the cell is chemically etched away until the minimum effective thickness is reached, then etching in the bus contact region is continued until the bus is exposed. Any stop-etch material used to prevent excessive etching of the cell material is removed and a reflective contact material is applied to the back of the cell. The resulting solar cell is light in weight and both front and back connections can be made from the back of the cell, making it particularly suitable for use in space-based arrays.

대표청구항 ▼

A method of forming a thin gallium arsenide solar cell of improved efficiency, which comprises the steps of: providing a self-supporting photovoltaic cell comprising gallium arsenide having a thickness of at least about 250 micrometers; forming a pattern of contact lines across the front surface of

A method of forming a thin gallium arsenide solar cell of improved efficiency, which comprises the steps of: providing a self-supporting photovoltaic cell comprising gallium arsenide having a thickness of at least about 250 micrometers; forming a pattern of contact lines across the front surface of said photovoltaic cell and a bus bar contact along one edge of said front surface; bonding a thin visible-light transparent coverslide to said front surface; initially etching the back surface of said photovoltaic cell to uniformly reduce the thickness of said photovoltaic cell to a minimum useful thickness; applying a stop-etch material to said back surface except in the area corresponding to said bus; further etching said back surface down to said bus; removing said stop-etch material, and applying a light reflective electrically conductive material to the surface protected by said stop-etch.