Astropower, Inc.

University of Delaware

Astrosystems, Inc.

Heritage Power LLC

Allen M Barnett

Robert B Hall

James A Rand

David H Ford

Christopher L Kendall

Joseph C Checchi

James V Masi

Sandra R Collins

Chad Byron Moore

Anthony W Catalano

Vikram L Dalal

Michael G Mauk

Bill N Baron

T W Russell

Mark Mrohs

James B McNeely

John D Meakin

William A Tiller

Jason Schripsema

Nancy Terranova

Jacob E Brown

Jerome S Culik

William P Mulligan

Todd R Ruffins

Steven M Lampo

Roger F Clark

Jeff W Edington

Alexander P Davidson

John C Zolper

John B Berryhill

There are provided monitors which sense a magnitude of power (and/or energy) being consumed by a facility and which sense a magnitude of power (and/or energy) being produced by at least one energy-producing system. There are provided facilities comprising at least one main panel bus, at least one external power line, at least one energy-producing system, at least one critical load sub-panel bus and at least one monitor which senses a magnitude of power (and/or energy) being consumed by the facility and a magnitude of power (and/or energy) being produced by the at least one energy-producing system. There are provided methods of monitoring power (and/or energy) consumed and power (and/or energy) produced in a facility, and devices which display magnitude of power (and/or energy) being consumed and magnitude of power (and/or energy) being produced in a battery.

Power and/or energy monitor, method of using, and display device

A method of purifying silicon, comprising feeding a sparging gas into a liquid melt &lsqb; &rsqb; containing molten silicon and at least one impurity, in which the sparging gas is used to react with or move one or more impurity contained within the silicon. The products of such reaction or movement may be removed, e.g., by liquid-gas extraction, by liquid-liquid extraction or by liquid-solid extraction.

Method for purifying silicon

A polycrystalline film of silicon including silicon grains having an aspect ratio, d/t, of more than 1:1, wherein &ldquo;d&rdquo; is the grain diameter and &ldquo;t&rdquo; is the grain thickness. The polycrystalline film of silicon can be used to form an electronic device, such as a monolithically integrated solar cell having ohmic contacts formed on opposed surfaces or on the same surface of the film. A plurality of solar cells can be monolithically integrated to provide a solar cell module that includes an electrically insulating substrate and at least two solar cells disposed on the substrate in physical isolation from one another. Methods for manufacturing the film, solar cell and solar cell module are also disclosed. The simplified structure and method allow for substantial cost reduction on a mass-production scale, at least in part due to the high aspect ratio silicon grains in the film.

Silicon thin-film, integrated solar cell, module, and methods of manufacturing the same

The invention relates to a silicon sheet having columnar grains extending axially through the sheet from one free surface of the sheet to the other free surface. The sheet has an electrical resistivity in the range of 0.1 to 10 ohm-cm.

Columnar-grained polycrystalline solar cell substrate

The invention relates to improved techniques for manufacturing columnar-grained polycrystalline sheets which have particular utility as substrates or wafers for solar cells. The sheet is made from silicon on a setter material which supports the silicon material. The setter material and silicon are subjected to a thermal profile all of which promote columnar growth. The thermal profile sequentially creates a melt region where a thin-film capping layer grows at the top of the silicon, a nucleation region where preferential nucleation occurs at the capping-layer/molten-silicon interface, and then a growth region where both liquid and a growing polycrystalline sheet layer coexist. An annealing region is created where the temperature of the grown polycrystalline silicon sheet layer is controllably reduced to effect stress relief.

Columnar-grained polycrystalline solar cell substrate and improved

The invention relates to techniques for manufacturing columnar-grained polycrystalline sheets which have particular utility as substrates or wafers for solar cells. The sheet is made by applying granular silicon to a setter material which supports the granular material. The setter material and granular silicon are subjected to a thermal profile all of which promote columnar growth by melting the silicon from the top downwardly. The thermal profile sequentially creates a melt region at the top of the granular silicon and then a growth region where both liquid and a growing polycrystalline sheet layer coexist. An annealing region is created where the temperature of the grown polycrystalline silicon sheet layer is controllably reduced to effect stress relief.

Columnar-grained polycrystalline solar cell and process of manufacture

A method for growing a compound semiconductor, such as GaAs or InP, on a non-lattice matched substrate, such as Si, utilizes close-spaced vapor transport to deposit nucleation enhancing interlayer and liquid phase epitaxy to form the compound semiconductor. When used in conjunction with a growth mask, the method is also adapted to selective area epitaxy.

Hetero-epitaxial growth of non-lattice matched semiconductors

A plurality of thin polycrystalline silicon solar cells formed on a ceramic substrate and which are electrically series connected to form a monolithically interconnected submodule. Adjacent solar cells are electrically separated by a vertical trench and electrically connected by interconnects located below the light receiving surface of each solar cell. The submodules are provided with external electrical contacts for electrically connecting into a photovoltaic module assembly.

Interconnected silicon film solar cell array

A high-speed heterojunction light-emitting diode is formed by providing a dielectric layer on a heavily doped semiconductor substrate having short minority carrier lifetime. A semiconductor layer of opposite conductivity to the substrate is epitaxially grown through vias in the dielectric layer. This results in a junction area equal to the useful light-emitting area. An electrical contact is formed on the laterally overgrown area of the epitaxially grown material. The diode manufacture is compatible with planar processing techniques commonly used in integrated circuit manufacture.

High-speed heterojunction light-emitting diode

A thin-film photovoltaic solar cell features a thin polycrystalline silicon active semiconductor formed over a conductive ceramic substrate. Between the substrate and the adjacent active semiconductor layer is a barrier layer which provides for reflection of light, minimizes back surface recombination and prevents contamination of the active semiconductor.

Deposited-silicon film solar cell

The effects of excessive lattice mismatch in solution grown heterostructures are reduced by incorporating a lattice graded interface layer between the substrate and the heteroepitaxial layer. The effects of lattice mismatch are also reduced by reducing the contact area with a selective growth mask which controls where growth initiates on the substrate. The effect of mismatched solubility is reduced by double saturation of the solvent and selective supersaturation of the solvent.

Solution growth of lattice mismatched and solubility mismatched

High efficiency, thin active-layer silicon solar cells and a process for their fabrications have been provided. The cells are characterized by a capability of employing a low-cost, metallurgical grade silicon for the substrate. The substrate has a silicon dioxide barrier coating with electrical conductivity to the active semiconductor layers provided by a multiplicity of fine holes through the oxide. The holes have silicon therein to afford electrical continuity between the active layers and the silicon of the substrate. The process comprises in situ formation of silicon dioxide on the silicon, formation of the holes in the oxide by photolithography, and etching enabling nucleation and growth of silicon in the holes by epitaxy.

Growing community of inventors

Newark, DE, United States of America

Allen M Barnett