Energy Conversion Devices, Inc.

Ovonic Battery Company, Inc.

Ovonyx Inc.

Ovonic Synthetic Materials Company Inc.

Sovonics Solar Systems

Ovonic Fuel Cell Company LLC

Texaco Ovonic Fuel Cell LLC

Other

Ovshinsky Innovation LLC

Texaco Ovonic Hydrogen Systems LLC

Ovonic Hydrogen Systems LLC

Voltaix, LLC

Texaco Ovonic Battery Systems, LLC

Intel Corporation

Stmicroelectronics S.r.l.

Stanford R Ovshinsky

Rosa T Young

Srinivasan Venkatesan

Michael A Fetcenko

Subhash K Dhar

Boyko Aladjov

Stephen J Hudgens

Kwo Young

David A Strand

Boil Pashmakov

Wolodymyr Czubatyj

Benjamin Reichman

Guy Charles Wicker

Dennis A Corrigan

Masatsugu Izu

Hong Wang

Thomas J Hopper

Kevin Fok

Patrick K Klersy

William C Mays

Krishna Sapru

David D Allred

Benjamin S Chao

Vitaliy Myasnikov

Sergey A Kostylev

Subhendu Guha

Baoquan Huang

Lin R Higley

Arthur Holland

Beth Sommers

Philippe Gow

Anthony Osgood

Cristian Fierro

Zdravko Menjak

Arun Madan

Lee Walter

Robert C Stempel

Tyler A Lowrey

David V Tsu

Vincent D Cannella

John E Keem

James D Flasck

Peter H Klose

Yang Li

Donn Fillmore

Ronald Himmler

Rajeev Puttaiah

Christian Fierro

Prem Nath

Chi C Yang

Robert R Johnson

Taihei Ouchi

Marshall D Muller

James L Strebe

Kenneth Laming

John P De Neufville

Jun Su Im

Hellmut Fritzsche

Dalbir Rajoria

Joachim Doehler

Roger W Pryor

Patrick J Klersy

Robert W Hallman

Lester R Peedin

Jeffrey M Krisko

John M Koch

James Kulman

Bora Tekkanat

Charles C Kuo

Ward D Parkinson

Ilya V Karpov

Terry T Yu

George A Gordon

Qiuyi Ye

John M Peters

Subramanian Ramachandran

Buddie R Dotter, Ii

Avram Zallen

Zhaosheng Tan

James L Wood

Wayne P Messing

Annette J Krisko

Keith L Hart

Alan M Kadin

Ronald W Citkowski

Zvi Yaniv

Jason S Reid

Richard A Flasck

Semyon D Savransky

Kuochih C Hong

Kuo-Wei Chang

Ned T Stetson

Annette G Johncock

Feng Li

Jaime M Reyes

Kozo Kajita

James Reed

Harvey H Wacks

Kevin Dean

Herbert L Ovshinsky

Apparatus and method for plasma deposition of thin film photovoltaic materials at microwave frequencies. The apparatus avoids unintended deposition on windows or other microwave transmission elements that couple microwave energy to deposition species. The apparatus includes a microwave applicator with one or more conduits passing therethrough that carry deposition species. The applicator transfers microwave energy to the deposition species to activate or energize them to a reactive state. The conduits physically isolate deposition species that would react or otherwise combine to form a thin film material at the point of microwave power transfer and deliver the microwave-excited species to a deposition chamber. One or more supplemental material streams may be delivered directly to the deposition chamber without passing through the microwave applicator and may combine with deposition species exiting the one or more conduits to form a thin film material. Precursors for the microwave-excited deposition species include fluorinated forms of silicon. Precursors delivered as supplemental material streams include hydrogenated forms of silicon. The invention allows for the ultrafast formation of silicon-containing amorphous semiconductors that exhibit high mobility, low porosity, little or no Staebler-Wronski degradation, and low defect concentration.

Plasma deposition of amorphous semiconductors at microwave frequencies

A method and apparatus for the unusually high rate deposition of thin film materials on a stationary or continuous substrate. The method includes delivery of a pre-selected precursor intermediate to a deposition chamber and formation of a thin film material from the intermediate. The intermediate is formed outside of the deposition chamber and includes a metastable species such as a free radical. The intermediate is pre-selected to include a metastable species conducive to the formation of a thin film material having a low defect concentration. By forming a low defect concentration material, deposition rate is decoupled from material quality and heretofore unprecedented deposition rates are achieved. In one embodiment, the pre-selected precursor intermediate is SiH. The method further includes combining the pre-selected precursor intermediate with a carrier gas, preferably in a deactivated state, where the carrier gas directs the transport of the pre-selected precursor intermediate to a substrate for deposition of the thin film material.

High speed thin film deposition via pre-selected intermediate

Apparatus and method for plasma deposition of thin film photovoltaic materials at microwave frequencies. The apparatus avoids deposition on windows or other microwave transmission elements that couple microwave energy to deposition species. The apparatus includes a microwave applicator with conduits passing therethrough that carry deposition species. The applicator transfers microwave energy to the deposition species to transform them to a reactive state conducive to formation of a thin film material. The conduits physically isolate deposition species that would react to form a thin film material at the point of microwave power transfer. The deposition species are separately energized and swept away from the point of power transfer to prevent thin film deposition. The invention allows for the ultrafast formation of silicon-containing amorphous semiconductors that exhibit high mobility, low porosity, little or no Staebler-Wronski degradation, and low defect concentration.

A deposition system and process for the formation of thin film materials. In one embodiment, the process includes forming an initial plasma from a first material stream and allowing the plasma to evolve in space and/or time to extinguish species that are detrimental to the quality of the thin film material. After the initial plasma evolves to an optimum state, a second material stream is injected into the deposition chamber to form a composite plasma that contains a distribution of species more conducive to formation of a high quality thin film material. The deposition system includes a deposition chamber having a plurality of delivery points for injecting two or more streams (source materials or carrier gases) into a plasma region. The delivery points are staggered in space to permit an upstream plasma formed from a first material stream deposition source material to evolve before combining a downstream material stream with the plasma. Injection of different material streams is also synchronized in time. The net effect of spatial coordination and time synchronization of material streams is a plasma whose distribution of species is optimized for the deposition of a thin film photovoltaic material at high deposition rates. Delivery devices include nozzles and remote plasma sources.

Thin film deposition via a spatially-coordinated and time-synchronized process

A chalcogenide alloy that optimizes operating parameters of an ovonic threshold switch includes an atomic percentage of arsenic in the range of 9 to 39, an atomic percentage of germanium in the range of 10 and 40, an atomic percentage of silicon in the range of 5 and 18, an atomic percentage of nitrogen in the range of 0 and 10, and an alloy of sulfur, selenium, and tellurium. A ratio of sulfur to selenium in the range of 0.25 and 4, and a ration of sulfur to tellurium in the alloy of sulfur, selenium, and tellurium is in the range of 0.11 and 1.

Ovonic threshold switch film composition for TSLAGS material

A method and device for accomplishing transformation of a switching material from a resistive state to a conductive state. The method utilizes a non-electrical source of energy to effect the switching transformation. The switching material may be a chalcogenide switching material, where the non-electrical source of energy initiates switching by liberating lone pair electrons from bound states of chalcogen atoms. The liberated lone pair electrons form a conductive filament having the characteristics of a solid state plasma to permit high current densities to pass through the switching material. The device includes a switching material with electrical contacts and may be interconnected with other elements in a circuit to regulate electrical communication therebetween.

Optical ovonic threshold switch

A photovoltaic device including a current collection element and a method of making same. The photovoltaic device includes a substrate, a conductive layer, an active photovoltaic material, a transparent electrode and a current collection element. The current collection element includes a transparent support and one or more conductive wires integrated therewith. The conductive wires are in electrical communication with the transparent electrode. Current generated by the active photovoltaic material passes to the transparent electrode. The current collection element facilitates delivery of current passing through the transparent electrode to leads that deliver the current to an external load. The method includes placing a pre-fabricated current collection element in direct contact with the transparent electrode of the photovoltaic device. The time and expense of assembling the conductive wires during fabrication of the photovoltaic device is thereby avoided and higher manufacturing speeds are achieved.

Method of manufacturing a photovoltaic device

A method and apparatus for forming thin film materials via a plasma deposition process in the presence of a magnetic field. A precursor is delivered to a deposition chamber and activated to form a plasma. The plasma may be initiated in the presence of a magnetic field or subjected to a magnetic field after initiation. The plasma includes ionized and neutral species derived from the precursor and the magnetic field manipulates the plasma to effect a reduction in the population of ionized species and an enhancement of the population of neutral species. A thin film material is subsequently formed from the resulting neutral-enriched deposition medium. The method permits formation of thin film materials having a low density of defects. In one embodiment, the thin film material is a photovoltaic material and the suppression of defects leads to an enhancement in photovoltaic efficiency.

Thin film deposition via charged particle-depleted plasma achieved by magnetic confinement

Chalcogenide devices are delineated and sidewalls of the devices are sealed, in an anaerobic and/or anhydrous environment environment. Throughout the delineation and sealing steps, and any intervening steps, the sidewalls are not exposed to oxygen or water. In an illustrative embodiment, a cluster tool includes an etching tool and a sealing/deposition tool configured to etch and seal the chalcogenide devices and to maintain the devices in an anaerobic and/or anhydrous environment throughout the process.

Method and apparatus for chalcogenide device formation

A memory may be implemented with a stable chalcogenide glass which is defined as a generally amorphous chalcogenide material that does not change to a generally crystalline phase when exposed to 200&#xb0; C. for 30 minutes or less. Different states may be programmed by changing the threshold voltage of the material. The threshold voltage may be changed with pulses of different amplitude and/or different pulse fall times. Reading may be done using a reference level between the threshold voltages of the two different states. A separate access device is generally not needed.

Programming a normally single phase chalcogenide material for use as a memory of FPLA

A chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process for preparing electrical and optical chalcogenide materials. In a preferred embodiment, the instant CVD-deposited materials exhibit one or more of the following properties: electrical switching, accumulation, setting, reversible multistate behavior, resetting, cognitive functionality, and reversible amorphous-crystalline transformations. In one embodiment, a multilayer structure, including at least one layer containing a chalcogen element, is deposited by CVD and subjected to post-deposition application of energy to produce a chalcogenide material having properties in accordance with the instant invention. In another embodiment, a single layer chalcogenide material having properties in accordance with the instant invention is formed from a CVD deposition process including three or more deposition precursors, at least one of which is a chalcogen element precursor. Preferred materials are those that include the chalcogen Te along with Ge and/or Sb.

Chemical vapor deposition of chalcogenide materials via alternating layers

Multi-functional electronic switching and current control device comprising a chalcogenide material. The devices include a load terminal, a reference terminal and a control terminal. Application of a control signal to the control terminal permits the device to function in one or more of the following modes reversibly: (1) a gain mode in which gain is induced in the current passing between the load and reference terminals; (2) a conductivity modulation mode in which the conductivity of the chalcogenide material between the load and reference terminals is modulated; (3) a current modulation mode in which the current or current density between the load and reference terminals is modulated; and/or (4) a threshold modulation mode in which the voltage required to switch the chalcogenide material between the load and reference terminals from a resistive state to a conductive state is modulated. The devices may be used as interconnection devices or signal providing devices in circuits and networks.

Multi-functional chalcogenide electronic devices having gain

An onboard hydrogen storage unit for a hydrogen powered vehicle including one or more hydrogen storage vessels at least partially filled with a hydrogen storage material which stores hydrogen in metal hydride form. During operation of the hydrogen powered vehicle heat is provided to the hydrogen storage material within the one or more hydrogen storage vessels to aid in desorption of hydrogen from the hydrogen storage material. During hydrogen refueling, heat of hydride formation is removed from the hydrogen storage material within the one or more hydrogen storage vessels to aid in absorption of hydrogen into the hydrogen storage material. The heat of hydride formation is removed from the one or more hydrogen storage vessels via a heat transfer fluid circulated and/or cooled by a stream of compressed air.

Apparatus for refueling on-board metal hydride hydrogen storage tank

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Bloomfield Hills, MI, United States of America

Stanford R Ovshinsky