Applied Materials, Inc.

First Solar, Inc.

David J Eaglesham

David P Bour

Sergey D Lopatin

Lori D Washington

Sandeep Nijhawan

Jacob W Smith

Charles Gay

Timothy Weidman

Arulkumar P Shanmugasundram

Michael P Stewart

Nicolay Kovarsky

Akhlesh Gupta

John O Dukovic

John M White

Yan Ye

Peter G Borden

Ravisekhar Nadimpalli Raju

Robert Z Bachrach

Rick C Powell

Ricky Charles Powell

Christopher Thompson

Ranjan Kumar Gupta

John Busch

Michael Schenck

A system for connecting and disconnecting rail vehicle system for storing, transporting, and delivering bulk electric energy using railroads is described. The system includes. The system includes at least one rail vehicle system. The rail vehicle system includes a locomotive and a group of rail cars. The group of rails cars includes several rail cars with energy storage, power electronics and communication system. The rail car further includes a pantograph. The system also includes a plurality of electrical feeders. The electrical feeders are substantially dedicated for providing power transfer to and from the respective groups of rail cars. The system further includes at least one position controls system. The position control system is configured to be coupled to the geographical location of at least one electrical feeder, and it is substantially dedicated for aligning the geographical location of at least one group of rail cars with the geographical location of the respective electrical feeders for the group of rail cars. The system further includes energy management system for the controls of charging and discharging of onboard energy storage on the rail vehicle system.

System and method of electrical connection of rail vehicle for storing, transporting and delivering electric energy

A photovoltaic cell can include a dopant in contact with a semiconductor layer. The photovoltaic cell can include a transparent conductive layer and a first semiconductor layer in contact with the transparent conductive layer, the first semiconductor layer including magnesium. In certain circumstances, a substrate can be a glass substrate. In other circumstances, a substrate can be a metal layer. The first semiconductor layer can include CdS. The first semiconductor layer can have a thickness of between about 200 or 3000 Angstroms. The first semiconductor layer can include 1-20% magnesium. A method of manufacturing a photovoltaic cell can include providing a transparent conductive layer and depositing a first semiconductor layer in contact with the transparent conductive layer, the first semiconductor layer treated with magnesium.

Photovoltaic devices including MG-doped semiconductor films

A photovoltaic cell including a first semiconductor layer that includes a III-V compound semiconductor, the first semiconductor layer positioned over a transparent conductive layer, and a second semiconductor layer that includes a II-VI compound semiconductor, the second semiconductor layer positioned between the first semiconductor layer and a back metal contact. The photovoltaic cell further includes an interfacial layer between the first and second semiconductor layers that enhances a rectifying junction formed between the III-V and II-VI compound semiconductor materials.

Photovoltaic devices including heterojunctions

A copper indium gallium selenide photovoltaic cell can include a substrate having a transparent conductive oxide layer. The copper indium gallium selenide can be deposited using sputtering and vapor transport deposition.

Photovoltaic devices including copper indium gallium selenide

A photovoltaic cell can include a heterojunction between semiconductor layers. The first semiconductor layer can include a III-V compound semiconductor, the first semiconductor layer positioned over a transparent conductive layer. A second semiconductor layer can include a II-VI compound semiconductor, the second semiconductor layer positioned between the first semiconductor layer and a back metal contact.

A photovoltaic cell can include a dopant in contact with a semiconductor layer.

Photovoltaic devices including Mg-doped semiconductor films

Embodiments as described herein provide methods for depositing a material on a substrate during electroless deposition processes, as well as compositions of the electroless deposition solutions. In one embodiment, the substrate contains a contact aperture having an exposed silicon contact surface. In another embodiment, the substrate contains a contact aperture having an exposed silicide contact surface. The apertures are filled with a metal contact material by exposing the substrate to an electroless deposition process. The metal contact material may contain a cobalt material, a nickel material, or alloys thereof. Prior to filling the apertures, the substrate may be exposed to a variety of pretreatment processes, such as preclean processes and activations processes. A preclean process may remove organic residues, native oxides, and other contaminants during a wet clean process or a plasma etch process. Embodiments of the process also provide the deposition of additional layers, such as a capping layer.

Electroless deposition process on a silicon contact

Embodiments disclosed include photovoltaic power systems and methods for manufacturing the same. A photovoltaic power system can include a photovoltaic array, a DC to AC inverter, a positive conductor electrically connecting a positive inverter terminal of the DC to AC inverter to the positive array terminal and a negative conductor electrically connecting a negative inverter terminal of the DC to AC inverter to the negative array terminal, a positive-conductor ground electrically connected by a switch to the positive conductor, and a negative-conductor ground electrically connected by a switch to the negative conductor.

Photovoltaic grounding

Embodiments of the invention contemplate the formation of a low cost flexible solar cell using a novel electroplating method and apparatus to form a metal contact structure. The apparatus and methods described herein remove the need to perform one or more high temperature screen printing processes to form conductive features on the surface of a solar cell substrate. The resistance of interconnects formed in a solar cell device greatly affects the efficiency of the solar cell. Solar cell substrates that may benefit from the invention include flexible substrates may have an active region that contains organic material, single crystal silicon, multi-crystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, germanium, and gallium arsenide, cadmium telluride, cadmium sulfide, copper indium gallium selenide, copper indium selenide, gallilium indium phosphide, as well as heterojunction cells that are used to convert sunlight to electrical power. The flexible substrates may have a flexible base that is adapted to support the active region of the solar cell device.

Electroplating on roll-to-roll flexible solar cell substrates

Embodiments of the invention contemplate the formation of a low cost solar cell using a novel electroplating apparatus and method to form a metal contact structure having metal lines formed using an electrochemical plating process. The apparatus and methods described herein remove the need to perform the often costly processing steps of performing a mask preparation and formation steps, such as screen printing, lithographic steps and inkjet printing steps, to form a contact structure. The resistance of interconnects formed in a solar cell device greatly affects the efficiency of the solar cell. It is thus desirable to form a solar cell device that has a low resistance connection that is reliable and cost effective. Therefore, one or more embodiments of the invention described herein are adapted to form a low cost and reliable interconnecting layer using an electrochemical plating process containing a common metal, such as copper. Embodiments of the invention may provide an apparatus and method of forming a solar cell device that utilizes a reusable masking device during one or more electrochemical deposition steps.

Precision printing electroplating through plating mask on a solar cell substrate

Embodiments of the invention contemplate the formation of a low cost solar cell using a novel high speed electroplating method and apparatus to form a metal contact structure having selectively formed metal lines using an electrochemical plating process. The apparatus and methods described herein remove the need to perform one or more high temperature screen printing processes to form conductive features on the surface of a solar cell substrate. The resistance of interconnects formed in a solar cell device greatly affects the efficiency of the solar cell. It is thus desirable to form a solar cell device that has a low resistance connection that is reliable and cost effective. Therefore, one or more embodiments of the invention described herein are adapted to form a low cost and reliable interconnecting layer using an electrochemical plating process containing a common metal, such as copper.

High-aspect ratio anode and apparatus for high-speed electroplating on a solar cell substrate

The present invention comprises a method of forming a zinc oxide based thin film transistor by blanket depositing the zinc oxide layer and the source-drain metal layer and then wet etching through the zinc oxide while etching through the source-drain electrode layer. Thereafter, the active channel is formed by dry etching the source-drain electrode layer without effectively etching the zinc oxide layer.

Process for making thin film field effect transistors using zinc oxide

A method of suppressing parasitic particle formation in a metal organic chemical vapor deposition process is described. The method may include providing a substrate to a reaction chamber, and introducing an organometallic precursor, a particle suppression compound and at least a second precursor to the reaction chamber. The second precursor reacts with the organometallic precursor to form a nucleation layer on the substrate. Also, a method of suppressing parasitic particle formation during formation of a III-V nitride layer is described. The method includes introducing a group III metal containing precursor to a reaction chamber. The group III metal precursor may include a halogen. A hydrogen halide gas and a nitrogen containing gas are also introduced to the reaction chamber. The nitrogen containing gas reacts with the group III metal precursor to form the III-V nitride layer on the substrate.

Parasitic particle suppression in growth of III-V nitride films using MOCVD and HVPE

Methods are provided of fabricating compound nitride semiconductor structures. A group-III precursor and a nitrogen precursor are flowed into a processing chamber to deposit a first layer over a surface of a first substrate with a thermal chemical-vapor-deposition process. A second layer is deposited over a surface of a second substrate with the thermal chemical-vapor-deposition process using the first group-III precursor and the first nitrogen precursor. The first and second substrates are different outer substrates of a plurality of stacked substrates disposed within the processing chamber as a stack so that the first and second layers are deposited on opposite sides of the stack. Deposition of the first layer and deposition of the second layer are performed simultaneously.

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Livermore, CA, United States of America

David J Eaglesham