Patent ID: 7687707
Filing Date: 2010-03-30
Classification: H01L,Y02E,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A solar cell comprising: a semiconductor body having an upper surface and an opposing lower surface, the semiconductor body including a substrate, a multijunction solar cell disposed between said upper and lower surfaces, and a bypass diode electrically connected across said multijunction solar cell for passing current when said solar cell is shaded; and an electrically conducting via extending through the semiconductor body and a set of p-type and n-type layers of the bypass diode and making contact with a terminal of said bypass diode and extending from said upper surface to a contact on said lower surface; wherein the semiconductor body comprises a sequence of layers of semiconductor material including a first region in which the sequence of layers of semiconductor material forms a sequence of subcells of said multijunction solar cell, and a second region separated from said first region by a trough in said sequence of layers and in which the sequence of layers forms a support for said bypass diode.