First Solar, Inc.

Tosoh Smd, Inc.

Tosoh Smd Etna, LLC

Charles Edward Wickersham

Thomas Truman

Benjamin C De Fresart

Joshua Conley

Peter Hruby

Weixin Li

Daniel Smith

Matthew Kuzila

Joseph Lindgren

Gang Xiong

Arnold Allenic

Kenneth Ring

Aaron Roggelin

Neil D Bultz

John P Matera

Bobby R Cosper

Kenneth G Schmidt

Nikhil Bhandari

Kuntal Kumar

Wiley Zane Reed

Rick C Powell

Ricky Charles Powell

Rhett Miller

Matthew Davis

Ken Ring

According to the embodiments provided herein, an island in a regular, closed shape is ablated in a first conductive layer. An interconnect is formed through the island, using the island as an alignment fiducial. The island and the interconnect are isolated from the remainder of the first conductive layer.

Photovoltaic devices with conducting layer interconnects

According to the embodiments provided herein, a method for scribing a layer stack of a photovoltaic device can include directing a laser scribing waveform to a film side of a layer stack. The laser scribing waveform can include pulse groupings that repeat at a group repetition period of greater than or equal to 1.5 &#x3bc;s. Each pulse of the pulse groupings can have a pulse width of less than or equal to 900 fs.

Photovoltaic devices with narrow scribes and methods and systems for forming the same

Photovoltaic device

A method for manufacturing a photovoltaic device includes a step of depositing one of an amorphous layer of ZnTe and a multilayer stack of Zn and Te adjacent a semiconductor layer. The one of the amorphous layer and the multilayer stack is then subjected to an energy impulse at a temperature equal to or greater than its critical temperature. The energy impulse results in an explosive crystallization to form a polycrystalline layer of ZnTe from the one of the amorphous layer and the multilayer stack.

Method and system for manufacturing back contacts of photovoltaic devices

A method to improve CdTe-based photovoltaic device efficiency is disclosed. The CdTe-based photovoltaic device can include oxygen or silicon in semiconductor layers.

A system and method are provided for manufacturing workpieces, such as metal articles like sputtering target, the system comprising: comparing one or more physical or chemical values of a respective one of a plurality of metal target blanks to one or more comparable values of at least one desired criterion; selecting one of the metal target blanks from a plurality of metal target blanks as a work-in-progress; assigning a serial route for the work-in-progress; processing the work-in-progress by translating the work-in-progress from note to node with an automated transport, after completion of the events at each node; rejecting or accepting the work-in-progress as a metal target by evaluating a result of at least one event of the one or more respective events to be completed at, at least one of the plurality of nodes.

Automated sputtering target production

A fixture and method is provided for gripping an article, such as a sputtering target. The fixture comprises a base, a first set of contact rollers, and a second set of contact rollers, wherein at least one of the first set and the second set are adjustably positioned relative to the other of the first set and the second set on the base. The contact rollers can be configured as v-grooved wheels that will only touch chamfered portions of an outer diameter of the sputtering target when the contact rollers are clamped against the sputtering target. At least one of the first set and the second set of contact rollers can be pivotally mounted on a slide, with the slide being adjustably positioned on the base of the fixture.

Automated sputtering target production and sub systems thereof

Growing community of inventors

Columbus, OH, United States of America

Charles Edward Wickersham