INTEGRATED SOLAR COLLECTORS USING EPITAXIAL LIFT OFF AND COLD WELD BONDED SEMICONDUCTOR SOLAR CELLS

摘要

There is disclosed ultrahigh-efficiency single- and multi-junction thin-film solar cells. This disclosure is also directed to a substrate-damage-free epitaxial lift-off ("ELO") process that employs adhesive-free, reliable and lightweight cold-weld bonding to a substrate, such as bonding to plastic or metal foils shaped into compound parabolic metal foil concentrators. By combining low-cost solar cell production and ultrahigh- efficiency of solar intensity-concentrated thin-film solar cells on foil substrates shaped into an integrated collector, as described herein, both lower cost of the module as well as significant cost reductions in the infrastructure is achieved.