Solar-Tectic Awarded Patent for III-V Thin Film Solar Cell Manufacturing

Solar-Tectic LLC has been awarded a patent for its production of III-V thin-film tandem solar cells with high performance by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The patent, the first ever for a thin III-V layer on crystalline silicon thin-film, covers group III-V elements such as gallium arsenide and indium gallium phosphide for the top layer, as well as all inorganic materials including silicon, germanium and more for the bottom layer. Group III-V compounds are proven photovoltaic materials with high efficiencies but, until now, have been cost prohibitive due to expensive materials. The cost of substrates on which to grow III-V materials has previously kept the technology from market entry.

In this breakthrough technology, invented by Solar-Tectic CEO Ashok Chaushari, ultrathin films of III-V materials replace expensive, thicker wafers and lower the cost. With no wafer involved, material and energy is saved. A thin film allows for precise control of growth parameters. A glass substrate allows for a bifacial cell design for increased efficiency, and the entire patented process can be environmentally friendly due to the use of nontoxic metals to deposit the crystalline thin-film materials. Applications include various industrial uses such as rooftop installations, electric automobiles and LED manufacturing.