US 12,249,667 B2
Space vehicles including multijunction metamorphic solar cells
Daniel Derkacs, Albuquerque, NM (US)
Assigned to SolAero Technologies Corp., Albuquerque, NM (US)
Filed by SolAero Technologies Corp., Albuquerque, NM (US)
Filed on Feb. 19, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/180,210.
Application 17/180,210 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/722,732, filed on Dec. 20, 2019, granted, now 11,211,511.
Application 17/180,210 is a continuation in part of application No. 15/681,144, filed on Aug. 18, 2017, granted, now 10,700,230.
Prior Publication US 2021/0202777 A1, Jul. 1, 2021
Int. Cl. H01L 31/0725 (2012.01); H01L 31/074 (2012.01); H01L 31/18 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 31/0725 (2013.01) [H01L 31/074 (2013.01); H01L 31/1808 (2013.01); H01L 31/1844 (2013.01); H01L 31/1852 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A plurality of space vehicles, each space vehicle comprising:
a housing having a first side and opposite side, and an axis;
a first elongated rectangular sheet including an array of transducer devices including multijunction solar cells mounted on, and extending from a surface of the first side of the housing, and
a second elongated, rectangular sheet including an array of transducer devices including multijunction solar cells mounted on and extending from a surface of the second side of the housing,
wherein the multijunction solar cell on the first and second rectangular sheet comprises:
a germanium growth substrate;
a first or bottom solar subcell disposed over or in the germanium growth substrate;
a graded interlayer disposed over the germanium growth substrate,
a first middle solar subcell disposed over the graded interlayer and lattice mismatched with respect to the growth germanium substrate having a band gap in the range of 1.06 to 1.41 eV;
a second middle solar subcell disposed over the first middle solar subcell and having a band gap in the range of approximately 1.35 to 1.66 eV;
a third middle solar subcell disposed over and lattice mismatched with respect to the growth substrate and having a band gap in the range of 1.665 to 1.95 eV; and
an upper solar subcell disposed over the third middle solar subcell and having a band gap in the range of 1.95 to 2.20 eV;
wherein the graded interlayer is compositionally graded to lattice match the growth substrate on one side and the first middle solar subcell on the other side, and is composed of the As, P, N, Sb based III-V compound semiconductors subject to the constraints of having the in-plane lattice parameter throughout its thickness being greater than or equal to that of the growth substrate.