Licensable Technologies : Materials : Superconductors

Biaxially-Oriented Silicon Film on Conducting Layer on Metal Tape

Abstract
This invention builds off of the earlier invention "Biaxially Oriented Silicon on Polycrystalline Substrate." This invention allows current to be extracted from a potential solar cell which uses the previous invention. It also simplifies the previous invention as it allows the overall number of layers to be reduced, reducing time of production and cost of production. The conducting layer in this method is TiN. Combined with the previous invention, these inventions allow photovoltaic (solar) cells to be constructed that have the efficiency considerably more than that achievable using amorphous silicon (8%). This should open up new areas of commercialization and now that the current can be extracted from the cell, allows a device to be created without concerns for getting the current out of the cell. In addition, this method allows for the cost reduction (via layer reduction) of the whole cell using the IBAD method.

Application(s)

• Solar cells
• Thin-film transistors
• Semiconductors

Advantages

• Wide ranges of substrates and semiconductor materials can be used
• Therefore it is possible to customize the material to customer needs
• Large-area manufacturing capability
• Allowing manufacturing cost savings and ease of installation
• Efficient use of rare semiconductor supplies
• Resulting in additional manufacturing cost savings
• High-performance solar cells at lower prices than currently-available high-performing, expensive solar cells
• High-performance solar cells relative to their weight

IP Status: Available both Exclusively and Non Exclusively

Reference Number: 636

S Number: DOE reference no.(s): 104,913

Patents & Applications:
United States National Patent Number 7288332 Issued on 10/30/2007

Posted: 09-07-2006

Contact
John Mott
Technology Transfer Division
Los Alamos National Laboratory
P.O. Box 1663, MailStop C334
(505) 665-0883
jmott@lanl.gov