The present disclosure provides interconnect elements and methods of using interconnect elements. In one embodiment, the interconnect element includes: a first end including at least three members, each member having a pair of parallel gap apertures for mounting an adjoining first component; a second opposing end including at least two members, each member having a pair of parallel gap apertures for mounting an adjoining second component; and one or more interconnect connecting portions to attach the first end of the interconnect element to the second end of the interconnect element.

A solar-cell module comprising a tandem solar cell and a controller that substantially optimizes the power output the tandem solar cell is disclosed. The tandem solar cell includes a first solar cell having a first energy bandgap and a second solar cell having a second energy bandgap, where the first and second solar cells are arranged such that light not absorbed by the first solar cell passes through it to the second solar cell to be absorbed. The controller controls an electrical parameter, such as current or voltage, of at least one of the first and second solar cells such that the electrical parameter is equal in both cells, thereby substantially optimizing the output power of the tandem solar cell.

The disclosure provides for a direct wafer bonding method including providing a bonding layer upon a first and second wafer, and directly bonding the first and second wafers together under heat and pressure. The method may be used for directly bonding an GaAs-based, InP-based, GaP-based, GaSb-based, or Ga(In)N-based device to a GaAs device by introducing a highly doped (Al)(Ga)InP(As)(Sb) layer between the devices. The bonding layer material forms a bond having high bond strength, low electrical resistance, and high optical transmittance.

An integrated thin-film lateral multi-junction solar device and fabrication method are provided. The device includes, for instance, a substrate, and a plurality of stacks extending vertically from the substrate. Each stack may include layers, and be electrically isolated against another stack. Each stack may also include an energy storage device above the substrate, a solar cell above the energy storage device, a transparent medium above the solar cell, and a micro-optic layer of spectrally dispersive and concentrating optical devices above the transparent medium. Furthermore, the device may include a first power converter connected between the energy storage device and a power bus, and a second power converter connected between the solar cell and the power bus. Further, different solar cells of different stacks may have different absorption characteristics.

The disclosure provides a multi-junction solar cell structure and the manufacturing method thereof, comprising a first photovoltaic structure and a second photovoltaic structure; wherein at least one of the first photovoltaic structure and the second photovoltaic structure comprises a discontinuous photoelectric converting structure.

An optical power converter device includes a light source configured to emit monochromatic light, and a multi-junction photovoltaic cell including respective photovoltaic cell layers having different bandgaps and/or thicknesses. The respective photovoltaic cell layers are electrically connected to collectively provide an output voltage and are vertically stacked relative to a surface of the multi-junction photovoltaic cell that is arranged for illumination by the monochromatic light from the light source. Responsive to the illumination of the surface by the monochromatic light from the light source, the respective photovoltaic cell layers are configured to generate respective output photocurrents that are substantially equal. Related devices and methods of operation are also discussed.

A highly doped layer for interconnecting tunnel junctions in multijunction solar cells is presented. The highly doped layer is a delta-doped layer in one or both layers of a tunnel diode junction used to connect two or more p-on-n or n-on-p solar cells in a multijunction solar cell. A delta-doped layer is made by interrupting the epitaxial growth of one of the layers of the tunnel diode, depositing a delta dopant at a concentration substantially greater than the concentration used in growing the layer of the tunnel diode, and then continuing to epitaxially grow the remaining tunnel diode.

An optoelectronic device has a hybrid metal-dielectric optoelectronic interface including an array of nanoscale dielectric resonant elements (e.g., nanopillars), and a metal film disposed between the dielectric resonant elements and below a top surface of the resonant elements such that the dielectric resonant elements protrude through the metal film. The device may also include an anti-reflection coating. The device may further include a metal film layer on each of the dielectric resonant elements.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a solar cell and a photovoltaic module. The solar cell includes a bottom cell, a recombination layer, and a top cell stacked in a first direction. The bottom cell includes at least one first electrode, a first semiconductor conductive layer, a substrate, and a second semiconductor conductive layer stacked in the first direction. The recombination layer includes a dielectric layer and a first transparent conductive layer stacked in the first direction, the second semiconductor conductive layer has a first surface facing towards the top cell, and the dielectric layer is formed on at least a portion of the first surface. In this way, the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the solar cell can be at least improved.

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to a solar cell and a photovoltaic module, where the solar cell includes a bottom cell, a recombination layer, and a top cell which are stacked in sequence in a first direction. The bottom cell includes a first semiconductor conductive layer, a substrate, and a second semiconductor conductive layer that are stacked in sequence in the first direction, and the second semiconductor conductive layer is disposed between the substrate and the top cell. The recombination layer is disposed between the second semiconductor conductive layer and the top cell and includes transparent conductive layers and at least one metal layer that are alternatingly stacked in the first direction, a top layer and a bottom layer of the recombination layer are both transparent conductive layers.