Patents by Inventor Bruce Gardiner Aitken

Bruce Gardiner Aitken has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9533912
    Abstract: Boron-containing network sulfide glass which may be useful in IR transmitting applications, such as IR optics, laser or fiber amplifiers doped with rare earths with emission in the near IR, and methods of making the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, Stephen Charles Currie, Randall Eugene Youngman
  • Patent number: 9530910
    Abstract: Sodium containing aluminosilicate and boroaluminosilicate glasses are described herein. The glasses can be used as substrates or superstrates for photovoltaic devices, for example, thin film photovoltaic devices such as CIGS photovoltaic devices. These glasses can be characterized as having strain points ?535° C., for example, ?570° C., thermal expansion coefficients of from 8 to 9 ppm/° C., as well as liquidus viscosities in excess of 50,000 poise. As such they are ideally suited for being formed into sheet by the fusion process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: CORSAM Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, James Edward Dickinson, Jr., Timothy J. Kiczenski
  • Patent number: 9475725
    Abstract: Selenogermanate, selenogallo- or selenoindo-germanate glasses that are modified by alkali metals, for example, Na or Li and, as such, are characterized by high alkali ion mobility or conductivity. Ionic conducting chalcogenide glasses have potential application as an electrolyte medium for solid state batteries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, Stephen Charles Currie
  • Publication number: 20160289115
    Abstract: Selenogermanate, selenogallo- or selenoindo-germanate glasses that are modified by alkali metals, for example, Na or Li and, as such, are characterized by high alkali ion mobility or conductivity. Ionic conducting chalcogenide glasses have potential application as an electrolyte medium for solid state batteries.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2016
    Publication date: October 6, 2016
    Inventors: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, Stephen Charles Currie
  • Publication number: 20160280587
    Abstract: A non-stoichiometric glass composition having greater than or equal to about 50 mol. % to less than or equal to about 95 mol. % GeX2; greater than or equal to about 0.5 mol. % to less than or equal to about 35 mol. % Ga2X3, In2X3, or a combination thereof; and greater than or equal to about 0.5 mol. % to less than or equal to about 40 mol. % RX. R can be an alkaline earth metal. X can be present in a non-stoichiometric amount and can be selected from Se, Te, S, and combinations thereof. A method for making a non-stoichiometric glass including forming a GaGeX precursor material, grinding the precursor material, loading the ground pre-cursor material with an alkaline earth metal component, and forming an alkaline earth metal GaGeX glass.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Publication date: September 29, 2016
    Inventors: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, Stephen Charles Currie
  • Patent number: 9371247
    Abstract: A compositional range of fusion-formable, high strain point sodium free, silicate, aluminosilicate and boroaluminosilicate glasses are described herein. The glasses can be used as substrates for photovoltaic devices, for example, thin film photovoltaic devices such as CIGS photovoltaic devices. These glasses can be characterized as having strain points?540° C., thermal expansion coefficient of from 6.5 to 10.5 ppm/° C., as well as liquidus viscosities in excess of 50,000 poise. As such they are ideally suited for being formed into sheet by the fusion process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Corsam Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, James Edward Dickinson, Jr., Timothy J Kiczenski, Michelle Diane Pierson-Stull
  • Publication number: 20160163899
    Abstract: A compositional range of fusion-formable, high strain point sodium free, silicate, aluminosilicate and boroaluminosilicate glasses are described herein. The glasses can be used as substrates for photovoltaic devices, for example, thin film photovoltaic devices such as CIGS photovoltaic devices. These glasses can be characterized as having strain points ?540° C., thermal expansion coefficient of from 6.5 to 10.5 ppm/° C., as well as liquidus viscosities in excess of 50,000 poise. As such they are ideally suited for being formed into sheet by the fusion process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2016
    Publication date: June 9, 2016
    Inventors: Bruce Gardiner AITKEN, James Edward DICKINSON, Timothy J. KICZENSKI, Michelle Diane PIERSON-STULL
  • Publication number: 20160145146
    Abstract: CTE-matched silicate glasses and more particularly to low-alkali CTE-matched silicate glasses that are useful in semiconductor-based applications, such as photovoltaics are described along with methods of making such glasses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2016
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Inventors: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, Carlo Anthony Kosik Williams
  • Patent number: 9266769
    Abstract: CTE-matched silicate glasses and more particularly to low-alkali CTE-matched silicate glasses that are useful in semiconductor-based applications, such as photovoltaics are described along with methods of making such glasses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: CORSAM TECHNOLOGIES LLC
    Inventors: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, Carlo Anthony Kosik Williams
  • Publication number: 20150329410
    Abstract: Selenogermanate, selenogallo- or selenoindo-germanate glasses that are modified by alkali metals, for example, Na or Li and, as such, are characterized by high alkali ion mobility or conductivity. Ionic conducting chalcogenide glasses have potential application as an electrolyte medium for solid state batteries.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2013
    Publication date: November 19, 2015
    Applicant: CORNING INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, Stephen Charles Currie
  • Publication number: 20150197445
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to glass frits containing phosphors that can be used in LED lighting devices and for methods associated therewith for making the phosphor containing glass frit and their use in glass articles, for example, LED devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Publication date: July 16, 2015
    Inventors: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, Michael Edward Badding, Nicholas Francis Borrelli, Nadja Teresia Lönnroth, Mark Alejandro Quesada
  • Patent number: 9050622
    Abstract: A method for inhibiting oxygen and moisture degradation of a device and the resulting device are described herein. To inhibit the oxygen and moisture degradation of the device, a low liquidus temperature (LLT) material which typically has a low low liquidus temperature (or in specific embodiments a low glass transition temperature) is used to form a barrier layer on the device. The LLT material can be, for example, tin fluorophosphate glass, chalcogenide glass, tellurite glass and borate glass. The LLT material can be deposited onto the device by, for example, sputtering, evaporation, laser-ablation, spraying, pouring, frit-deposition, vapor-deposition, dip-coating, painting or rolling, spin-coating or any combination thereof. Defects in the LLT material from the deposition step can be removed by a consolidation step (heat treatment), to produce a pore-free, gas and moisture impenetrable protective coating on the device. Although many of the deposition methods are possible with common glasses (i.e.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, Mark Alan Lewis, Mark Alejandro Quesada
  • Patent number: 9011720
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to glass frits containing phosphors that can be used in LED lighting devices and for methods associated therewith for making the phosphor containing glass frit and their use in glass articles, for example, LED devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, Michael Edward Badding, Nicholas Francis Borrelli, Nadja Teresia Lonnroth, Mark Alejandro Quesada
  • Patent number: 8975199
    Abstract: A compositional range of high strain point and/or intermediate expansion coefficient alkali metal free aluminosilicate and boroaluminosilicate glasses are described herein. The glasses can be used as substrates or superstrates for photovoltaic devices, for example, thin film photovoltaic devices such as CdTe or CIGS photovoltaic devices or crystalline silicon wafer devices. These glasses can be characterized as having strain points?600° C., thermal expansion coefficient of from 35 to 50×10?7/° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Corsam Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, James Edward Dickinson, Jr., Timothy James Kiczenski, John Christopher Mauro, Adama Tandia
  • Publication number: 20150064576
    Abstract: A lithium-ion conductive glass-ceramic article has a crystalline component characterized by the formula MA2(XO4)3, where M represents one or more monovalent or divalent cations selected from Li, Na and Zn, A represents one or more trivalent, tetravalent or pentavalent cations selected from Al, Cr, Fe, Ga, Si, Ti, Ge, V and Nb, and X represents P cations which may be partially substituted by B cations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Inventors: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, Nadja Teresia Lonnroth
  • Publication number: 20150038314
    Abstract: Boron-containing network sulfide glass which may be useful in IR transmitting applications, such as IR optics, laser or fiber amplifiers doped with rare earths with emission in the near IR, and methods of making the same.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Publication date: February 5, 2015
    Inventors: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, Stephen Charles Currie, Randall Eugene Youngman
  • Publication number: 20140323286
    Abstract: Fusion-formable sodium-containing aluminosilicate and boroaluminosilicate glasses are described. The glasses are particularly useful for controlled release of sodium—useful in semiconductor applications, such as thin film photovoltaics where the sodium required to optimize cell efficiency is to be derived from the substrate glass.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2014
    Publication date: October 30, 2014
    Applicant: CORNING INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, Adam James Ellison, James Patrick Hamilton, Timothy James Kiczenski
  • Publication number: 20140238481
    Abstract: Photovoltaic devices where glass substrates have a composition where (RO+M2O)/Z2O3 is greater than 1. This ratio may affect sodium out-flux from the glass substrate and into the CIGS layer or the Mo layer or both.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicants: CORNING INCORPORATED, CORSAM TECHNOLOGIES LLC
    Inventors: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, James Edward Dickinson, JR., Adama Tandia, Kochuparambil Deenamma Vargheese
  • Publication number: 20140234542
    Abstract: A method for inhibiting oxygen and moisture degradation of a device and the resulting device are described herein. To inhibit the oxygen and moisture degradation of the device, a low liquidus temperature (LLT) material which typically has a low low liquidus temperature (or in specific embodiments a low glass transition temperature) is used to form a barrier layer on the device. The LLT material can be, for example, tin fluorophosphate glass, chalcogenide glass, tellurite glass and borate glass. The LLT material can be deposited onto the device by, for example, sputtering, evaporation, laser-ablation, spraying, pouring, frit-deposition, vapor-deposition, dip-coating, painting or rolling, spin-coating or any combination thereof. Defects in the LLT material from the deposition step can be removed by a consolidation step (heat treatment), to produce a pore-free, gas and moisture impenetrable protective coating on the device. Although many of the deposition methods are possible with common glasses (i.e.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2014
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: CORNING INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, Mark Alan Lewis, Mark Alejandro Quesada
  • Publication number: 20140158201
    Abstract: A silicon wafer-based photovoltaic module is described, which includes a first outer protective layer and a second outer protective layer, wherein both outer protective layers comprise a low- or no-sodium glass or low- or no-alkali compositions. The photovoltaic modules show resistance to water ingress, no or reduced potential-induced sodium ion drift, and reduced potential induced degradation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2012
    Publication date: June 12, 2014
    Inventors: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, Mark Francis Krol, James Ernest Webb