Thin film photodetector, method and system

Abstract

A photodetector, comprises a first section comprising at least one p-n junction that converts photon energy into a separate charge carrier and hole carrier; and another section of semiconductors of opposing conductivity type connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel in a heat dissipating and electric generating relationship to the cell to augment generation of electric energy of the first section.

1 - 59 . (canceled)  
     
     
         60 . A solar cell comprising: 
 at least one p-n junction that converts photon energy into a separate charge carrier and hole carrier; and    at least one thin film electric interconnect on an electric insulating and thermal transmissive substrate disposed in a heat dissipating and electric generating relationship to the at least one p-n junction.    
     
     
         61 . The solar cell of  claim 60 , wherein the at least one thin film electric interconnect on an electric insulating and thermal transmissive substrate comprises a substrate with an aligned thermal conductive upgraded SWNT coating or film.  
     
     
         62 . The solar cell of  claim 60 , wherein the at least one thin film electric interconnect on an electric insulating and thermal transmissive substrate comprises a substrate with a thermal conductive monolayer of upgraded SWNT film.  
     
     
         63 . The solar cell of  claim 60 , wherein the at least one thin film electric interconnect on an electric insulating and thermal transmissive substrate comprises a substrate with a thermal conductive monolayer of at least 80% SWNT.  
     
     
         64 . The solar cell of  claim 60 , wherein the at least one thin film electric interconnect on an electric insulating and thermal transmissive substrate comprises a substrate with upgraded SWNT comprising at least 90% SWNT.  
     
     
         65 . The solar cell of  claim 60 , wherein the at least one thin film electric interconnect on an electric insulating and thermal transmissive substrate comprises a substrate with upgraded SWNT comprising at least 95% SWNT.  
     
     
         66 . The solar cell of  claim 60 , wherein the at least one thin film electric interconnect on an electric insulating and thermal transmissive substrate comprises a substrate with upgraded SWNT comprising at least 99% SWNT.  
     
     
         67 . The solar cell of  claim 60 , wherein the at least one thin film electric interconnect on an electric insulating and thermal transmissive substrate comprises a substrate with upgraded SWNT comprising substantially aligned SWNT.  
     
     
         68 .- 78 . (canceled)  
     
     
         79 . A method of producing a photovoltaic cell, comprising forming a thermal conductive film on an electric insulating and thermal transmissive substrate and disposing the substrate with semiconductors of opposing conductivity type connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel in a heat dissipation and electric generating relationship to at least one p-n junction that converts photon energy into a separate charge carrier and hole carrier.  
     
     
         80 . The method of  claim 79 , comprising forming a thermal conductive substantially monolayer film on the electric insulating and thermal transmissive substrate.  
     
     
         81 . The method of  claim 79 , comprising controlling substrate exposure time or sublimation conditions to form a substantially monolayer film on the electric insulating and thermal transmissive substrate.  
     
     
         82 . The method of  claim 79 , comprising applying a fullerene coating to the substrate; and 
 applying a selective bond disrupting energy to the fullerene coating to cleave fullerene to fullerene molecular bonds without cleaving fullerene to substrate bonds to form a thermal conductive substantially monolayer fullerene layer on the substrate.    
     
     
         83 . The method of  claim 79 , comprising forming a substantially monolayer film on the substrate by a method selected from the group consisting of (i) are discharge process in the presence of a Group VIIIb transition metal anode, (ii) a laser ablation process, (iii) a high frequency plasma process, (iv) a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process and (v) a catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD)) process to form the fullerene coating on the substrate; and 
 applying a selective bond disrupting energy to cleave fullerene to fullerene molecular bonds without cleaving fullerene to substrate bonds to form a thermal conductive, substantially monolayer fullerene film on the substrate; and    disposing the substrate in the heat dissipation and electric generating relationship to or as part of the at least one p-n junction that converts photon energy into a separate charge carrier and hole carrier.    
     
     
         84 . The method of  claim 79 , wherein a substantially monolayer film is formed on the substrate by subliming a fullerene by heating to a temperature from about 450° C. to about 550° C. at a pressure less than about 1×10 −8  torr, to produce a fullerene coating on the substrate; 
 applying a selected bond disrupting energy to cleave fullerene to fullerene molecular bonds without cleaving fullerene to substrate bonds to form a substantially monolayer fullerene film on the substrate; and    disposing the substrate in the heat dissipation and electric generating relationship to or as part of the at least one p-n junction that converts photon energy into a separate charge carrier and hole carrier.    
     
     
         85 . The method of  claim 79 , wherein the substantially monolayer film is formed on the substrate by dissolving in toluene, loading the resulting solution into a resistively heated oven; placing the oven into a vacuum chamber, evacuating to approximately 20 −6  Torr. and heating the oven to about at least 450° C. to sublime a fullerene from the solvent onto the substrate surface to produce a fullerene coating on the substrate; 
 applying a selected bond disrupting energy to cleave fullerene to fullerene molecular bonds without cleaving fullerene to substrate bonds to form a substantially monomolecular fullerene film on the substrate; and    disposing the substrate in the heat dissipation and electric generating relationship to or as part of the at least one p-n junction that converts photon energy into a separate charge carrier and hole carrier.    
     
     
         86 . The method of  claim 79 , wherein substantially monolayer film is formed on the substrate by determining a target thickness for a fullerene film; depositing a coating of fullerene molecules onto the substrate; and removing layers of the coating to produce a residual film of the target thickness.  
     
     
         87 . The method of  claim 79 , wherein a fullerene substantially monolayer film is formed on the substrate by determining a target thickness for a fullerene film; depositing a SWNT coating onto the substrate; and removing layers of the coating by selectively breaking SWNT intermolecular bonds without breaking SWINT-to-substrate bonding to produce a SWNT film of the target thickness.  
     
     
         88 - 119 . (canceled)  
     
     
         120 . A photovoltaic cell comprising a photon to electric generating structure that comprises a substrate having a support face having a first electrode thereon and a second electrode spaced from the first electrode by a plurality of layers including at least one layer of a semiconducting material with an active junction interface with a second layer of a second semiconducting type and a cooling structure comprising semiconductors of opposing conductive type coupled electrically in series and thermally in parallel by at least one associated thin film, the cooling structure disposed in a heat dissipating a electric generating relationship to the photon to electric generating structure.  
     
     
         121 . A system for generating electrical power from solar radiation, comprising: a receiver comprising at least one photovoltaic cell that can receive incidental solar energy or converting incident solar energy into electrical energy and incidental solar energy in the form of heat; and a thermoelectric element comprising an at least one thermoelectric material layer disposed between an n-type semiconductor and a p-type semiconductor in heat dissipating and electric generating relationship to the receiver.  
     
     
         122 - 228 . (canceled)  
     
     
         129 . A photovoltaic system, comprising at least one photodetector cell comprising a substrate having a support face having disposed thereon a first electrode and a second electrode separated from the first electrode by a plurality of layers comprising at least a first layer of a first semiconducting type and at least a second layer of a second semiconducting type with an active junction at an interface of the first layer and second layer; and semiconductors of opposing conductivity type connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel in a heat dissipating and electric generation relationship.