Enjoy your
FREE PREVIEW which shows only 2022 data and 25 documents. Contact
Patent Forecast for full access.
Solar Thin Film Photovoltaics
Search All Patents in Solar Thin Film Photovoltaics
Patent US10121925
Issued 2018-11-06
Thin Film Photovoltaic Devices With Microlens Arrays
Textured transparent layers are formed on the incident light receiving surface of thin film solar cells to increase their efficiency by altering the incident light path and capturing a portion of the light reflected at the MLA. The textured transparent layer is an array of lenses of micrometer proportions such as hemispheres, hemi-ellipsoids, partial-spheres, partial-ellipsoids, cones, pyramids, prisms, half cylinders, or combinations thereof. A method of forming the textured transparent layer to the light incident surface of the solar cell is by forming an array of lenses from a photocurable resin and its subsequent curing. The photocurable resin can be applied by inkjet printing or can be applied by roll to roll imprinting or stamping with a mold.
Much More than Average Length Specification
View the Patent Matrix® Diagram to Explore the Claim Relationships
USPTO Full Text Publication >
- 1. A thin film solar cell, comprising:
a transparent microlens array (MLA) layer; a transparent substrate including an upper surface and a lower surface opposite the upper surface, the upper surface being an essentially flat transparent light receiving surface; a transparent electrode directly contacting the lower surface of the transparent substrate; an active layer; and a distal reflective electrode; wherein the MLA layer comprises an array of lenses comprising a multiplicity of hemisphere lenses of equal or different sizes, a lower flat surface of the array of lenses directly contacts the essentially flat transparent light receiving surface of the transparent substrate; wherein at least 60% of the essentially flat transparent light receiving surface is occupied by the array of lenses; wherein the transparent electrode, the active layer, and the distal reflective electrode are continuous essentially flat layers; wherein the diameter of each of the multiplicity of hemisphere lenses of the array of lenses is less than the thickness of the transparent substrate; and wherein the MLA layer is configured not to focus light to a particular spot or area in the thin film solar cell.
