Patent ID: 7846759

Claim:
A method of making a multi-junction solar cell, comprising: providing an active silicon subcell; bonding a first non-silicon subcell to a first side of the active silicon subcell; and bonding a second non-silicon subcell to a second side of the active silicon subcell: wherein: the step of bonding the first non-silicon subcell to the first side of the active silicon subcell comprises epitaxially growing at least one first non-silicon layer of the first non-silicon subcell on a first template layer located on a first handle substrate, bonding the first non-silicon subcell to the first side of the active silicon subcell, and removing the first handle substrate; and the step of bonding the second non-silicon subcell to the second side of the active silicon subcell comprises epitaxially growing at least One second non-silicon layer of the second non-silicon subcell on a second template layer located on a second handle substrate, bonding the second non-silicon subcell to the second side of the active silicon subcell, and removing the second handle substrate; and further comprising: implanting ions into a first donor substrate, bonding the first donor substrate to the first handle substrate, and annealing the first donor substrate after the step of bonding the first donor substrate to exfoliate the first template layer from the first donor substrate; and implanting ions into a second donor substrate, bonding the second donor substrate to the second handle substrate, and annealing the second donor substrate after the step of bonding the second donor substrate to exfoliate the second template layer from the second donor substrate.