24 January 2017

Solar-Tectic granted US patent for perovskite/ crystalline germanium thin-film tandem solar cells

Solar-Tectic LLC of Briarcliff Manor, NY, USA says that a patent application for a germanium perovskite thin--film tandem solar cell has been allowed by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The patent (US 15/205,418) is 'Method of Making A Tandem Solar Cell Having a Germanium Perovskite/Germanium Thin-Film', for highly efficient and inexpensive solar cells, replacing the existing silicon wafer technology that currently dominates the global market.

Solar-Tectic is a thin-film specialist with focused on developing highly textured, single-crystal semiconductor films on glass or other inexpensive substrates (such as metal tape). Its technology was invented by the late materials physicist Dr Praveen Chaudhari, recipient of the 1995 US National Medal of Technology and Innovation, and have applications such as tandem solar cells, thin-film transistor (TFT) displays, and LEDs.

Perovskite materials have recently gained much attention as a solution to the long-standing problem of solar cell efficiency, says Solar-Tectic. While there have been reports of perovskite/germanium tandem solar cells, there have been none on perovskite/crystalline germanium thin-film tandem solar cells. Crystalline thin-film germanium promises to be more efficient and less expensive than silicon and germanium wafer technology due to low-temperature processing and less material use, notes the firm. An example of the perovskite layer is CsGeI3.

Importantly, the entire process is non-toxic, since germanium is non-toxic and tin (Sn) is used to deposit the crystalline germanium thin-film material for the bottom layer in the tandem configuration, so there is no toxic lead (Pb). The technology is claimed to be the first of its kind and, in addition to the USA, it is also eligible for world-wide protection, says the firm.

See related items:

Solar-Tectic awarded patent for low-temperature thin-film deposition on low-cost substrates

Solar-Tectic awarded US patent for single-crystal thin-film solar cell technology

Tags: Thin-film PV

Visit: www.solartecticllc.com