Cabot Corporation

Kovio, Inc.

Superior Micropowders LLC

Thin Film Electronics Asa

Sicpa Holding Sa

University of New Mexico

Ferro Corporation

Heraeus Deutschland Gmbh & Co Kg

Heracus Precious Metals North America Conshohocken LLC

Klaus Kunze

Mark J Hampden-Smith

Toivo T Kodas

Paolina Atanassova

James F Caruso

Joerg Rockenberger

Daniel J Skamser

Quint H Powell

Brent Ridley

Scott T Haubrich

Paul Napolitano

David E Dericotte

Fabio R Zurcher

Plamen B Atanassov

Wenzhuo Guo

Karel Vanheusden

Aaron Stump

Allen B Schult

Rimple Bhatia

Mao Takashima

Fabio Zürcher

Hugh Denham

James Montague Cleeves

Vladimir K Dioumaev

Laila Francisco

Hyungrak Kim

Mark H Kowalski

Chuck Edwards

Anthony R James

Aziz S Shaikh

Chris Gudeman

Chris Spindt

James C Dunphy

Srinivasan Sridharan

James H Brewster

Nassrin Sleiman

May Nyman

Nathan E Stott

Arvind Kamath

Ned J Hardman

Kenneth C Koehlert

Miodrag Oljaca

Aditi Chandra

Junfeng Mei

Li Li

Inna Tregub

Yi Yang

Ranko Panayotov Bontchev

Isao Tanaka

Brian N Hubert

Roupen Keusseyan

Brian Bedwell

Christian Muschelknautz

Mao Ito

Himal Khatri

Gregory Nyce

Kristina McVicker

Hyungrak Kiim

Colin Bulthaup

Heng Yu

Jun Li

Toshinori Wada

Ralph E Kornbrekke

Andrew M Argo

Aaron D Stump

Plamen Antanassov

Multi-component particles comprising inorganic nanoparticles distributed in an organic matrix and processes for making and using same. A flowing aerosol is generated that includes droplets of a precursor medium dispersed in a gas phase. The precursor medium contains a liquid vehicle and at least one precursor. At least a portion of the liquid vehicle is removed from the droplets of precursor medium under conditions effective to convert the precursor to the nanoparticles or the matrix and form the multi-component particles.

Multi-component particles comprising inorganic nanoparticles distributed in an organic matrix and processes for making and using same

The invention relates to an electro-conductive paste comprising Ag nano-particles and spherical Ag micro-particles in the preparation of electrodes, particularly in electrical devices, particularly in temperature sensitive electrical devices or solar cells, particularly in HIT (Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin-layer) solar cells. In particular, the invention relates to a paste, a process for preparing a paste, a precursor, a process for preparing an electrical device and a module comprising electrical devices. The invention relates to a paste comprising the following paste constituents:

Electro-conductive paste comprising Ag nano-particles and spherical Ag micro-particles in the preparation of electrodes

In one aspect, the present invention relates to a method of making multi-phase particles that include nanoparticulates and matrix, which maintains the nanoparticulates in a dispersed state. A flowing gas dispersion is generated that includes droplets of a precursor medium dispersed in a gas phase. The precursor medium contains liquid vehicle and at least a first precursor to a first material and a second precursor to a second material. The multi-phase particles are formed from the gas dispersion by removing at least a portion of the liquid vehicle from the droplets of precursor medium. The nanoparticulates in the multi-phase particles include the first material and the matrix in the multi-phase particles includes the second material.

Gas dispersion manufacture of nanoparticulates, and nanoparticulate-containing products and processing thereof

Paste compositions, methods of making a paste composition, and methods of making a solar cell contact are disclosed. The paste composition can contain a nickel intermetallic compound such as nickel silicide, nickely boride or nickel phosphide, a glass frit, a metal additive and an organic vehicle system. The paste can be used for making a solar cell contact.

Solar cell contacts with nickel intermetallic compositions

Printable dopant formulations, methods of making such dopant formulations, and methods of using such dopant formulations are disclosed. The dopant formulations provide a printable dopant ink with a viscosity sufficient to prevent ink spreading when deposited in a pattern on a substrate. Furthermore, an ion exchange purification process provides the dopant formulation with a reduced metal ion concentration, and thus a relatively high purity level. Consequently, the dopant residue remaining on the substrate after curing and/or dopant activation process is relatively uniform, and therefore can be easily removed.

Dopant inks, methods of making dopant inks, and methods of using dopant inks

Silicon solar cells and contacts thereof are printed in at least a two stage printing process where the busbars and fingerlines may be printed separately. A reduction in silver content in busbars and fingerlines through use of the techniques of the invention have been realized, including the use of certain base metals, while maintaining low contact resistance similar to silve pastes.

Methods of printing solar cell contacts

Compositions and methods for controlled polymerization and/or oligomerization of silane (and optionally cyclosilane) compounds, including those of the general formulae SiHand SiH, as well as halosilanes and arylsilanes, to produce soluble polysilanes, polygermanes and/or polysilagermanes having low levels of carbon and metal contaminants, high molecular weights, low volatility, high purity, high solubility and/or high viscosity. The polysilanes, polygermanes and/or polysilagermanes are useful as a precursor to silicon- and/or germanium-containing conductor, semiconductor and dielectric films.

Methods of polymerizing silanes and cyclosilanes using N-heterocyclic carbenes, metal complexes having N-heterocyclic carbene ligands, and lanthanide compounds

Heterocyclosilane compounds and methods for making the same. Such compounds (and/or ink compositions containing the same) are useful for printing or spin coating a doped silane film onto a substrate that can easily be converted into a doped amorphous silicon film (that may also be hydrogenated to some extent) or doped polycrystalline semiconductor film suitable for electronic devices. Thus, the present invention advantageously provides commercial qualities and quantities of doped semiconductor films from a 'doped liquid silicon' composition.

Heterocyclic semiconductor precursor compounds, compositions containing the same, and methods of making such compounds and compositions

A composition for the fabrication of reflective features using a direct-write tool is disclosed. The composition comprises metal nanoparticles having an average particle size less than 300 nm and which carry thereon a polymer for substantially preventing agglomeration of the nanoparticles, wherein the nanoparticles exhibit a metal-polymer weight ratio of 100:1 to 10:1. The composition further includes a vehicle for forming a dispersion with the metal nanoparticles. A number of electronic devices comprising a reflective layer formed from the composition are also disclosed. One example case provides an electronic device having a reflective electrode. The reflective electrode comprises a percolation network of the metal nanoparticles embedded in a matrix of the polymer and having an average particle size of less than 300 nm, wherein the reflective electrode is reflective in the visible light range and does not diffract incident light.

Metal nanoparticle compositions for reflective features

A method of making hydrogenated Group IVA compounds having reduced metal-based impurities, compositions and inks including such Group IVA compounds, and methods for forming a semiconductor thin film. Thin semiconducting films prepared according to the present invention generally exhibit improved conductivity, film morphology and/or carrier mobility relative to an otherwise identical structure made by an identical process, but without the washing step. In addition, the properties of the present thin film are generally more predictable than those of films produced from similarly prepared (cyclo)silanes that have not been washed according to the present invention. The present invention advantageously provides semiconducting thin film structures having qualities suitable for use in electronics applications, such as display devices or RF ID tags, while enabling high-throughput manufacturing processes that form such thin films in seconds or minutes, rather than hours or days as with conventional photolithographic processes.

Method of making a silicon-containing film

Processes for the production of metal nanoparticles. In one aspect, the invention is to a process comprising the steps of mixing a heated first solution comprising a base and/or a reducing agent (e.g., a non-polyol reducing agent), a polyol, and a polymer of vinyl pyrrolidone with a second solution comprising a metal precursor that is capable of being reduced to a metal by the polyol. In another aspect, the invention is to a process that includes the steps of heating a powder of a polymer of vinyl pyrrolidone; forming a first solution comprising the powder and a polyol; and mixing the first solution with a second solution comprising a metal precursor capable of being reduced to a metal by the polyol.

Production of metal nanoparticles

A process is described for producing a powder batch comprises a plurality of particles, wherein the particles include (a) a first catalytically active component comprising at least one transition metal or a compound thereof; (b) a second component different from said first component and capable of removing oxygen from, or releasing oxygen to, an exhaust gas stream; and (c) a third component different from said first and second components and comprising a refractory support. The process comprises providing a precursor medium comprising a liquid vehicle and a precursor to al least one of said components (a) to (c) and heating droplets of said precursor medium carried in a gas stream to remove at least part of the liquid vehicle and chemically convert said precursor to said at least one component.

Process for producing exhaust treatment catalyst powders, and their use

A metal nanoparticle composition for the fabrication of conductive features. The metal nanoparticle composition advantageously has a low viscosity permitting deposition of the composition by direct-write tools. The metal nanoparticle composition advantageously also has a low conversion temperature, permitting its deposition and conversion to an electrical feature on polymeric substrates.

Metal nanoparticle compositions

Methods for forming doped silane and/or semiconductor thin films, doped liquid phase silane compositions useful in such methods, and doped semiconductor thin films and structures. The composition is generally liquid at ambient temperatures and includes a Group IVA atom source and a dopant source. By irradiating a doped liquid silane during at least part of its deposition, a thin, substantially uniform doped oligomerized/polymerized silane film may be formed on a substrate. Such irradiation is believed to convert the doped silane film into a relatively high-molecular weight species with relatively high viscosity and relatively low volatility, typically by cross-linking, isomerization, oligomerization and/or polymerization. A film formed by the irradiation of doped liquid silanes can later be converted (generally by heating and annealing/recrystallization) into a doped, hydrogenated, amorphous silicon film or a doped, at least partially polycrystalline silicon film suitable for electronic devices. Thus, the present invention enables use of high throughput, low cost equipment and techniques for making doped semiconductor films of commercial quality and quantity from doped 'liquid silicon.'

Methods of forming a doped semiconductor thin film, doped semiconductor thin film structures, doped silane compositions, and methods of making such compositions

Silane compositions, methods of making the same, method for forming a semiconducting and/or silicon-containing film, and thin film structures formed therefrom

Growing community of inventors

Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

Klaus Kunze