A hybrid photovoltaic device (1) comprising a thin film solar cell (2) disposed in a first layer (21) comprising an array of vertically aligned nanowires (25), said nanowires having a junction with a first band gap corresponding to a first spectral range. The nanowires (25) form absorbing regions, and non-absorbing regions are formed between the nanowires. A bulk solar cell (3) s disposed in a second layer (31), positioned below the first layer (21), having a junction with a second band gap, which is smaller than said first band gap and corresponding to a second spectral range. The nanowires are provided in the first layer with a lateral density selected a such that a predetermined portion of an incident photonic wave-front will pass through the non-absorbing regions without absorption in the first spectral range, into the bulk solar cell for absorption in both the first spectral range and the second spectral range.

This invention includes multiple quantum well and quantum dot channel FETs, which can process multi-state/multi-bit logic, and multibit-bit inverters configured as static random-access memories (SRAMs). SRAMs can be implemented as flip-flops and registers. In addition, multiple quantum well and quantum dot channel structures are configured to function as multi-bit high-speed quantum dot (QD) random access memories (NVRAMs). Multi-bit Logic, SRAMs and QD-NVRAMs are spatially located on a chip, depending on the application, to provide a low-power consumption and high-speed hardware platform. The multi-bit logic, SRAM and register, and QD-NVRAM are implemented on a single chip in a CMOS-like platform for applications including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.

The present disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a solar cell comprising: providing a semiconductor growth substrate; depositing on said growth substrate a sequence of layers of semiconductor material forming a solar cell; applying a metal contact layer over said sequence of layers; and affixing the surface of a permanent supporting substrate composed of a carbon fiber reinforced polymer utilizing a conductive polyimide binding resin directly over said metal contact layer and permanently bonding it thereto by a thermocompressive technique.

An optoelectronic semiconductor device is disclosed. The optoelectronic device comprises a plurality of stacked p-n junctions. The optoelectronic semiconductor device includes a n-doped layer disposed below the p-doped layer to form a p-n layer such that electric energy is created when photons are absorbed by the p-n layer. Recesses are formed on top of the p-doped layer at the top of the plurality of stacked p-n junctions. The junctions create an offset and an interface layer is formed on top of the p-doped layer at the top of the plurality stacked p-n junctions. The optoelectronic semiconductor device also includes a window layer disposed below the plurality stacked p-n junctions. In another aspect, one or more optical filters are inserted into a multi-junction photovoltaic device to enhance its efficiency through photon recycling.

The present invention refers to a three terminal tandem solar generation unit (1) comprising: —a first absorbing layer (7) made of a perovskite type compound, —a second absorbing layer (11, 11′), —a first and a second interdigitated front contacts (5a, 5b) arranged on the front side of the first absorbing layer (7), the first front contact (5a) having a first polarity and the second front contact (5b) having a second polarity, —a back contact (17, 17′) having the first or the second polarity arranged on the back side of the second absorbing layer (11, 11′), —an interface layer (9, 90, 9′, 90′) arranged between the first (7) and the second (11, 11′) absorbing layers comprising a first semiconductor sub-layer (9a, 90a, 9a′, 90a′) doped according to the first polarity and a second sub-layer (9b, 90b, 9b′, 90b′) doped according to the second polarity and configured for enabling carriers associated with a polarity different than the polarity of the back contact (17, 17′) to be transferred from the second absorbing layer (11, 11′) to the first absorbing layer (7) to be collected by the front contact (5a, 5b) having a polarity different than the polarity of the back contact (17, 17′).

The present invention refers to a three terminal tandem solar generation unit (1) comprising: —a first absorbing layer (7) made of a perovskite type compound, —a second absorbing layer (11, 11′), —a first and a second interdigitated front contacts (5a, 5b) arranged on the front side of the first absorbing layer (7), the first front contact (5a) having a first polarity and the second front contact (5b) having a second polarity, —a back contact (17, 17′) having the first or the second polarity arranged on the back side of the second absorbing layer (11, 11′), —an interface layer (9, 90, 9′, 90′) arranged between the first (7) and the second (11, 11′) absorbing layers comprising a first semiconductor sub-layer (9a, 90a, 9a′, 90a′) doped according to the first polarity and a second sub-layer (9b, 90b, 9b′, 90b′) doped according to the second polarity and configured for enabling carriers associated with a polarity different than the polarity of the back contact (17, 17′) to be transferred from the second absorbing layer (11, 11′) to the first absorbing layer (7) to be collected by the front contact (5a, 5b) having a polarity different than the polarity of the back contact (17, 17′).

A method of manufacturing a solar cell assembly by providing a substrate; depositing on the substrate a sequence of layers of semiconductor material forming a solar cell; mounting a permanent laminate supporting member with a thickness of 50 microns or less on top of the sequence of layers; utilizing the laminate structure for supporting the epitaxial sequence of layers of semiconductor material forming a solar cell during the processes of removing the substrate and depositing and lithographically patterning a plurality of metal grid lines disposed on the top surface of the first solar subcell, and attaching a cover glass over at least the grid lines of the solar cell.

A method of manufacturing a multijunction solar cell having an upper first solar subcell composed of a semiconductor material having a first band gap; a second solar subcell adjacent to said first solar subcell and composed of a semiconductor material having a second band gap smaller than the first band gap and being lattice matched with the upper first solar subcell; a third solar subcell adjacent to said second solar subcell and composed of a semiconductor material having a third band gap smaller than the second band gap and being lattice matched with the second solar subcell; a graded interlayer adjacent to the third solar subcell; and a fourth solar subcell adjacent to said graded interlayer and composed of a semiconductor material having a fourth band gap smaller than the third band gap and being lattice mismatched with respect to the third solar subcell; wherein the fourth subcell has a direct bandgap of greater than 0.75 eV.

According to one embodiment, a multi-junction solar cell includes a first solar cell, a second solar cell, and an insulating layer. The first solar cell includes a first photoelectric conversion element. The second solar cell is connected in parallel with the first solar cell. The second solar cell includes multiple second photoelectric conversion elements connected in series. The insulating layer is provided between the first solar cell and the second solar cell. The second photoelectric conversion element includes a p-electrode and an n-electrode. The p-electrode is connected to a p.sup.+-region including a surface on a side opposite to a light incident surface. The n-electrode is connected to an n.sup.+-region including the surface on the side opposite to the light incident surface. The p-electrodes oppose each other or the n-electrodes oppose each other in a region where the multiple second photoelectric conversion elements are adjacent to each other.

According to one embodiment, a multi-junction solar cell includes a first solar cell, a second solar cell, and an insulating layer. The first solar cell includes a first photoelectric conversion element. The second solar cell is connected in parallel with the first solar cell. The second solar cell includes multiple second photoelectric conversion elements connected in series. The insulating layer is provided between the first solar cell and the second solar cell. The second photoelectric conversion element includes a p-electrode and an n-electrode. The p-electrode is connected to a p.sup.+-region including a surface on a side opposite to a light incident surface. The n-electrode is connected to an n.sup.+-region including the surface on the side opposite to the light incident surface. The p-electrodes oppose each other or the n-electrodes oppose each other in a region where the multiple second photoelectric conversion elements are adjacent to each other.