Seagate Technology Incorporated

Other

Tenksolar, Inc.

Finisar Corporation

Miasole

International Business Machines Corporation

Western Digital (fremont), Inc.

Read Rite Corporation

Dallas W Meyer

Zine-Eddine Boutaghou

Bo Wei

Lowell James Berg

Chung Yuang Shih

Jason Stephen Corneille

Steven Thomas Croft

Steven B Slade

Subrahmanyan Nagarajan

Jeffery K Berkowitz

Forrest C Meyer

William James McColl

Mulugeta Zerfu Wudu

John P Novotny

Jing Gui

Bruno Jean Marchon

Peter Raymond Segar

Mark James Schaenzer

Lance Eugene Stover

Jialuo Jack Xuan

Zine Eddine Boutaghou

Zhu Feng

John L Brand

William R Freeman

David Gerard Wobbe

Joseph C Liu

Steven Ernest Wheeler

Ting Shi

Zhengda Pan

Vidyadhara K Gubbi

Tien-Chih Lin

Chiu-Shing Frank Poon

Venkat R Koka

Michael A Stacy

Raymond W Knight

Thomas L Murnan

Orville Dodd

Edward M Simpson

Mark A Gaertner

Hal Hjalmar Ottesen

Ramesh Sundaram

Joel William Hoehn

Monty Aaron Forehand

Daniel Paul Burbank

Huan H Tang

Michael B Hintz

Jorge Vicente Hanchi

Mary Cynthia Hipwell

David Shiao-Min Kuo

Andreas Argyros Polycarpou

Joel David Limmer

Dale E Egbert

Jerry Lee Neubauer

Kurt J Korkowski

Mukund Channagiri Rao

Thomas S Larson

Paul E Kupinski

Brian W Sudman

Chung Fai Lam

Hong Jin Jiang

Krishna Rameshwara Malakapalli

Jay Michael Mosbrucker

Joseph S Stoutenburgh

Caleb Kai-Lo Chang

Alex Klajic

William C Little

Dino Tommy Anthony Martinez

Todd Phillip Fracek

Seila Chao Chim

Shady Gross

Orville D Dodd

In an embodiment, a solar energy system includes multiple photovoltaic modules, each oriented substantially at a same angle relative to horizontal. The angle is independent of a latitude of an installation site of the solar energy system and is greater than or equal to 15 degrees. The solar energy system defines a continuous area within a perimeter of the solar energy system. The solar energy system is configured to capture at the photovoltaic modules substantially all light incoming towards the continuous area over an entire season.

Space and energy efficient photovoltaic array

One example embodiment includes a PV module comprising a conductive backsheet, a substantially transparent front plate, a plurality of PV cells, a plurality of conductive spacers, and a power conversion device. The PV cells can be disposed between the conductive backsheet and the front plate and can be arranged in a plurality of rows. The PV cells within each row can be connected to each other in parallel and the rows can be connected in series. The PV cells can be interconnected between the conductive spacers. The power conversion device can be redundantly connected to the PV cells via a last conductive spacer connected to a last row. The power conversion device can substantially maintain a maximum peak power of the PV module and can convert a lower voltage collectively generated by the PV cells to a predetermined stepped up voltage greater than or equal to 12 volts.

Redundant electrical architecture for photovoltaic modules

In one example, a head is provided that may include a slider body, a transducer body, a transducer connected to the transducer body, and an interleaver assembly interconnecting the slider body and the transducer body. The interleaver assembly may include an interleaver body to which the transducer body is attached, the interleaver body having a plurality of geometric features that enable temporary deformation of the interleaver body in response to exertion of a force on the interleaver body, and the interleaver body may further include piezoelectric elements positioned in the interleaver body, the piezoelectric elements operable such that, when selectively actuated, the piezoelectric elements exert a force on the interleaver body so as to effect selective movement of the transducer with respect to a surface of a medium.

Integrated recording head with selective movement

In one example, a photovoltaic module includes a plurality of discrete photovoltaic cells arranged in a plurality of cell rows, and a substantially electrically conductive and continuous area backsheet. The photovoltaic cells in each cell row are electrically connected in parallel to each other. The cell rows are electrically connected in series to each other and include a first row and a last row. The backsheet forms a current return path between the first and last rows. The photovoltaic cells are configured such that, in operation, current flows substantially uni-directionally through the plurality of photovoltaic cells between the first row and the last row.

Illumination agnostic solar panel

In an embodiment, a photovoltaic system includes multiple photovoltaic modules and a module-to-module bus. Each photovoltaic module defines a first end and a second end opposite the first end. Each photovoltaic module includes multiple photovoltaic cells and multiple converters. Energy generated by each photovoltaic cell has multiple paths through the photovoltaic cells to the second end. The converters are electrically coupled to the photovoltaic cells at the second end such that energy generated by each photovoltaic cell is receivable at any of the converters. The module-to-module bus is electrically coupled to each of the photovoltaic modules. The module-to-module bus has an output. Energy generated by each photovoltaic module is receivable at the output independent of any other of the photovoltaic modules.

Cell-to-grid redundandt photovoltaic system

A recording head for use in magnetic storage devices is disclosed. The recording head includes a transducer that is bi-directionally movable with respect to a surface of the magnetic storage medium, thereby enabling improved positioning of the transducer during recording head read and write operations. Various structures are disclosed to bi-directionally actuate the recording head transducer. In one embodiment, an interleaver assembly having a plurality of flexure assemblies employs a motor including magnetic portions for selective, bi-directional actuation. In another embodiment, electrostatic charges are employed in the flexure assemblies for selective actuation. In yet another embodiment, piezoelectric elements are included to provide for selective actuation.

In an example, a solar energy system includes multiple PV modules, multiple reflectors, and a racking assembly. Each of the reflectors is positioned opposite a corresponding one of the PV modules. The racking assembly mechanically interconnects the PV modules and the reflectors to form an interconnected system. The racking assembly defines gaps within the racking assembly and between adjacent PV modules and reflectors. The interconnected system includes multiple contact points associated with the gaps. The gaps and contact points configure the interconnected system to accommodate surface unevenness of an installation surface up to a predetermined surface unevenness.

Highly efficient solar arrays

A method of forming a longitudinally continuous photovoltaic (PV) module includes arranging strips of thin-film PV material to be spaced apart from and substantially parallel to each other. The method also includes laminating a bottom layer to a first surface of the strips of thin-film PV material, the bottom layer including multiple bottom layer conductive strips. The method also includes laminating a top layer to a second surface of the strips of thin-film PV material opposite the first surface, the top layer including multiple top layer conductive strips. Laminating the bottom layer to the first surface and laminating the top layer to the second surface includes serially and redundantly interconnecting the strips of thin-film PV material together by connecting each one of the strips of thin-film PV material to a different one of the bottom layer conductive strips and a different one of the top layer conductive strips.

Thin-film photovoltaic module

One example embodiment includes a PV module comprising a conductive backsheet, a non-conductive layer disposed on the conductive backsheet, a plurality of PV cells arranged in rows and collectively generating a first power output characterized by a first voltage, and a power conversion device. Each of the rows can include two or more PV cells. The PV cells within each row can be connected to each other in parallel. The rows can be connected in series. A top row can be connected to the conductive backsheet. The power conversion device can be redundantly connected to a bottom row and to the conductive backsheet to form a complete circuit. The power conversion device can convert the first power output to a second power output characterized by a second voltage that is larger than the first voltage. The power conversion device can also maintain peak power of the PV cells.

Flat-plate photovoltaic module

Provided herein are methods of incorporating additives into thin-film solar cell substrates and back contacts. In certain embodiments, sodium is incorporated into a substrate or a back contact of a thin-film photovoltaic stack where it can diffuse into a CIGS or other absorber layer to improve efficiency and/or growth of the layer. The methods involve laser treating the substrate or back contact in the presence of a sodium (or sodium-containing) solid or vapor to thereby incorporate sodium into the surface of the substrate or back contact. In certain embodiments, the surface is simultaneously smoothed.

Sodium-incorporation in solar cell substrates and contacts

Provided herein are methods of polishing, cleaning and texturing back contacts of thin-film solar cells. According to various embodiments, the methods involve irradiating sites on the back contact with laser beams to remove contaminants and/or smooth the surface of the back contact. The back contact, e.g., a molybdenum, copper, or niobium thin-film, is smoothed prior to deposition of the absorber and other thin-films of the photovoltaic stack. In certain embodiments, laser polishing of the back contact is used to enhance the diffusion barrier characteristics of the back contact layer, with all or a surface layer of the back contact becoming essentially amorphous. In certain embodiments, the adhesion of the absorber layer is enhanced by the textured back contact and by the presence of the amorphous metal at the deposition surface.

Laser polishing of a back contact of a solar cell

Provided herein are methods of polishing and texturing surfaces thin-film photovoltaic cell substrates. The methods involve laser irradiation of a surface having a high frequency roughness in an area of 5-200 microns to form a shallow and rapidly expanding melt pool, followed by rapid cooling of the material surface. The minimization of surface tension causes the surface to re-solidify in a locally smooth surface. the high frequency roughness drops over the surface with a lower frequency bump or texture pattern remaining from the re-solidification.

Laser polishing of a solar cell substrate

A method of assembling a recording head includes attaching a first segment having a plurality of toroidal coils to a second segment having a plurality of flexure beams to form a wafer assembly. The method also includes attaching the wafer assembly to a slider body such that a cavity portion of the second segment cooperates with a cavity portion in the slider body to form a transducer cavity. The method also includes vacuum attaching the slider body to a reference flat surface. The method also includes positioning a transducer body having a transducer in the transducer cavity using a touch sensor.

Micropositioning recording head for a magnetic storage device

Growing community of inventors

Burnsville, MN, United States of America

Dallas W Meyer