The Boeing Company

Dimitri Daniel Krut

Nasser H Karam

Richard Roland King

Christopher M Fetzer

Scott B Singer

Daniel C Law

Joseph Charles Boisvert

Xing-Quan Liu

Kenneth M Edmondson

William D Hong

Philip T Chiu

Xiaobo Zhang

Moran Haddad

Julie J Hoskin

Uming T Jeng

Steven M Bunyan

Vincent A Lim

Kent E Barbour

Hoon H Lee

John P Serra

Karim S Boutros

Rengarajan Sudharsanan

Dhananjay M Bhusari

Shoghig Mesropian

Charles B Morrison

Scott Benjamin Singer

Nassar H Karam

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an adjustable light assembly is disclosed. The adjustable light assembly comprises an enclosure and a plurality of illuminator groupings within the enclosure. Each of the illuminator groupings comprises a plurality of pre-focused light sources and is pivotably coupled to the enclosure. An adjustment mechanism is coupled to each of the illuminator groupings to pivot each of the illuminator groupings relative to the enclosure.

Adjustable light assembly

A low bandgap absorber region (LBAR) used in a laser power converter (LPC). The laser power converter is comprised of one or more subcells on a substrate, wherein at least one of the subcells has an emitter and base, with the low bandgap absorber region coupled between the emitter and base. The emitter and base are comprised of a material with a bandgap higher than a wavelength of incident laser light, and the low bandgap absorber region is comprised of a material with a bandgap lower than the emitter and base. The emitter and base are transparent to the incident laser light, and the low bandgap absorber region absorbs the incident laser light and generates a current in response thereto, such that the current is controlled by the material and thickness of the low bandgap absorber region. The low bandgap absorber region is configured to produce a current balanced to the subcells connected in series.

Use of a low bandgap absorber region in a laser power converter

In one aspect, optoelectronic devices are described herein. In some implementations, an optoelectronic device comprises a photovoltaic cell. The photovoltaic cell comprises a space-charge region, a quasi-neutral region, and a low bandgap absorber region (LBAR) layer or an improved transport (IT) layer at least partially positioned in the quasi-neutral region of the cell.

Solar cell structures for improved current generation and collection

A method for forming a solar cell including steps of (1) providing a semiconductor wafer having an upper surface; (2) applying an electrical contact material to the upper surface, the electrical contact material forming an electrically conductive grid that includes grid lines extending from a bus bar; (3) forming an isolation channel in the semiconductor wafer to define a solar cell portion and a wing portion, wherein the wing portion is electrically isolated from the solar cell portion, and wherein the wing portion is substantially free of the electrical contact material; (4) submerging the semiconductor wafer in a solvent, wherein formation of metal dendrites on the grid lines of the electrically conductive grid is inhibited; and (5) separating the solar cell portion from the wing portion.

Metal dendrite-free solar cell

A quantum efficiency test controller (QETC) and related techniques for measuring quantum efficiency are described. The QETC performs one or more test iterations to obtain test results regarding quantum efficiency of a multijunction photovoltaic device (MPD) having a number N of photovoltaic junctions (N&#x3e;0), where the QETC is associated with N bias light sources. During a test iteration, the QETC activates a grating monochromator to emit a first test probe of monochromatic light at a first wavelength; and while the grating monochromator is emitting the first test probe, iterates through and activates each of the N bias light sources to emit a corresponding bias band of wavelengths of light. After performing the test iteration(s), the QETC generates an output that is based on the test results related to the quantum efficiency of the MPD.

High speed quantum efficiency spectra of multijunction cells using monochromator-based hardware

A micro-concentrator solar array is provided, and includes a plurality of solar cells and a plurality of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) based reflectors. Each solar cell includes a focal point. The MEMS based reflectors are each selectively tiltable about at least one axis to reflect a beam of light onto the focal point of one of the solar cells.

Micro-concentrator solar array using micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) based reflectors

A method and apparatus for focusing light onto a plurality of solar cells. The apparatus comprises a plurality of solar cells, a plurality of groups of reflectors corresponding to the plurality of solar cells, and a control module in communication with the plurality of solar cells and the plurality of groups of reflectors. The control module includes control logic for monitoring an electrical output from the plurality of solar cells and repositioning the plurality of groups of reflectors when the electrical output is below a selected threshold.

A method and apparatus for calibrating a reflector in a solar array. A switch device is switched from a first state to a second state. A calibration voltage is applied to each of a set of actuation devices associated with the reflector in response to the switch device switching to the second state when the calibration circuit is electrically connected to the set of actuation devices.

Method and apparatus for calibrating a micro-concentrator solar array

A semiconductor device structure having increased photogenerated current density, and increased current output is disclosed. The device includes low bandgap absorber regions that increase the range of wavelengths at which photogeneration of charge carriers takes place, and for which useful current can be collected. The low bandgap absorber regions may be strain balanced by strain-compensation regions, and the low bandgap absorber regions and strain-compensation regions may be formed from the same ternary semiconductor family. The device may be a solar cell, subcell, or other optoelectronic device with a metamorphic or lattice-mismatched base layer, for which the low bandgap absorber region improves the effective bandgap combination of subcells and current balance within the multijunction cell, for higher efficiency conversion of the solar spectrum.

Metamorphic solar cell having improved current generation

Technologies for a micro-concentrator modular array. The micro-concentrator modular array may include two or more micro-concentrator solar modules. One or more of the micro-concentrator solar modules may be removable from the micro-concentrator modular array. Micro-concentrator solar modules may be added to a micro-concentrator modular array. One or more of the micro-concentrator solar modules may be electrically and/or mechanically connected to other micro-concentrator solar modules. To facilitate an electrical connection, a conductive connector may be used to connect an electrical output of one micro-concentrator solar module with an electrical input of another micro-concentrator solar module.

Modular self-tracking micro-concentrator for space power

A method and apparatus for managing a solar array. Light is measured using a threshold sensor to generate sensor data. A selected threshold is computed for an electrical output generated by a plurality of solar cells in the solar array based on the sensor data using control logic in a control module.

Dynamically setting a threshold output level for a solar array

A semiconductor device may include a first subassembly and a second subassembly. The first subassembly may include a first bonding layer. The second subassembly may include a second substrate and a second bonding layer directly bonded to the first bonding layer. The first bonding layer and the second bonding layer may be lattice-mismatched to one another. At least one of the following may be selected: the first bonding layer is lattice-mismatched to the first substrate, and the second bonding layer is lattice-mismatched to the second substrate.

Growing community of inventors

Encino, CA, United States of America

Dimitri Daniel Krut