Method of making a thin-film solar cell

摘要

A method of making a thin gallium arsenide solar cell having a reflecting back surface and coplanar electrical contacts. A photovoltaic cell comprising gallium arsenide is produced in a self-supporting thickness by conventional methods. A pattern of contact lines and a bus contact are formed on the front surface of the cell and a transparent coverslide is bonded thereover. The back of the cell is chemically etched away until the minimum effective thickness is reached, then etching in the bus contact region is continued until the bus is exposed. Any stop-etch material used to prevent excessive etching of the cell material is removed and a reflective contact material is applied to the back of the cell. The resulting solar cell is light in weight and both front and back connections can be made from the back of the cell, making it particularly suitable for use in space-based arrays.