Patents by Inventor Rick Powell
Rick Powell 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).
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Publication number: 20240088319Abstract: A photovoltaic device includes a substrate structure and at least one Se-containing layer, such as a CdSeTe layer. A process for manufacturing the photovoltaic device includes forming the CdSeTe layer over a substrate by at least one of sputtering, evaporation deposition, CVD, chemical bath deposition process, and vapor transport deposition process. The process can also include controlling a thickness range of the Se-containing layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 13, 2023Publication date: March 14, 2024Applicant: First Solar, Inc.Inventors: Dan Damjanovic, Markus Gloeckler, Feng Liao, Andrei Los, Dan Mao, Benjamin Milliron, Gopal Mor, Rick Powell, Kenneth Ring, Aaron Roggelin, Jigish Trivedi, Zhibo Zhao
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Publication number: 20240030367Abstract: A photovoltaic device includes a substrate structure and a p-type semiconductor absorber layer. A photovoltaic device may include a CdSeTe layer. A process for manufacturing a photovoltaic device includes forming a CdSeTe layer over a substrate. The process includes forming a p-type cadmium selenide telluride absorber layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 25, 2023Publication date: January 25, 2024Applicant: First Solar, Inc.Inventors: Dan Damjanovic, Feng Liao, Rick Powell, Rui Shao, Jigish Trivedi, Zhibo Zhao
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Patent number: 11817516Abstract: A photovoltaic device includes a substrate structure and at least one Se-containing layer, such as a CdSeTe layer. A process for manufacturing the photovoltaic device includes forming the CdSeTe layer over a substrate by at least one of sputtering, evaporation deposition, CVD, chemical bath deposition process, and vapor transport deposition process. The process can also include controlling a thickness range of the Se-containing layer.Type: GrantFiled: October 25, 2019Date of Patent: November 14, 2023Assignee: First Solar, Inc.Inventors: Dan Damjanovic, Markus Gloeckler, Feng Liao, Andrei Los, Dan Mao, Benjamin Milliron, Gopal Mor, Rick Powell, Kenneth Ring, Aaron Roggelin, Jigish Trivedi, Zhibo Zhao
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Patent number: 11769844Abstract: A photovoltaic device includes a substrate structure and a p-type semiconductor absorber layer. A photovoltaic device may include a CdSeTe layer. A process for manufacturing a photovoltaic device includes forming a CdSeTe layer over a substrate. The process includes forming a p-type cadmium selenide telluride absorber layer.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2021Date of Patent: September 26, 2023Assignee: First Solar, Inc.Inventors: Dan Damjanovic, Feng Liao, Rick Powell, Rui Shao, Jigish Trivedi, Zhibo Zhao
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Publication number: 20230082682Abstract: Structures and methods for manufacturing photovoltaic devices by forming perovskite layers and perovskite precursor layers using vapor transport deposition (VTD) are described.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 19, 2021Publication date: March 16, 2023Applicant: First Solar, Inc.Inventors: Le Chen, David Ho, Xiaoping Li, Rick Powell, Tze-Bin Song, Vera Steinmann, Aravamuthan Varadarajan, Dirk Weiss, Gang Xiong, Zhibo Zhao
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Publication number: 20220069151Abstract: A photovoltaic device includes an electron blocking layer (EBL) and an absorber layer. The EBL is positioned between the absorber layer and a back contact layer. A material of the EBL is a cadmium zinc telluride Cd(1-y)Zn(y)Te, and a material of the absorber layer is a cadmium telluride selenide CdTe(1-x)Se(x) producing a lattice mismatch between the materials of the EBL and between the materials of the absorber of less than about two tenths of a percent when x˜y and has a value less than about 0.4.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2019Publication date: March 3, 2022Applicant: First Solar, Inc.Inventors: Rick Powell, Jongwoo Choi
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Publication number: 20220045226Abstract: A photovoltaic device includes a substrate structure and a p-type semiconductor absorber layer. A photovoltaic device may include a CdSeTe layer. A process for manufacturing a photovoltaic device includes forming a CdSeTe layer over a substrate. The process includes forming a p-type cadmium selenide telluride absorber layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 19, 2021Publication date: February 10, 2022Applicant: First Solar, Inc.Inventors: Dan Damjanovic, Feng Liao, Rick Powell, Rui Shao, Jigish Trivedi, Zhibo Zhao
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Publication number: 20210301387Abstract: Distributor assemblies for vapor transport deposition systems, and methods of conducting vapor transport deposition, are described.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 9, 2019Publication date: September 30, 2021Applicant: First Solar, Inc.Inventors: John Barden, Rick Powell, Aaron Roggelin, Nirav Vora
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Patent number: 10861994Abstract: A photovoltaic cell can include a dopant in contact with a semiconductor layer.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 2019Date of Patent: December 8, 2020Assignee: First Solar, Inc.Inventors: Anke Abken, Markus Gloeckler, Roger Green, Akhlesh Gupta, Upali Jayamaha, Peter Meyers, Rick Powell
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Publication number: 20200270744Abstract: Distributor assemblies for vapor transport deposition systems, and methods of conducting vapor transport deposition, are described.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 24, 2018Publication date: August 27, 2020Applicant: First Solar, Inc.Inventors: Zhigang Ban, John Barden, Jerry Drennan, Litian Liu, Rick Powell, Nirav Vora, Yaojun Xu
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Publication number: 20200066928Abstract: Methods and devices are described for a photovoltaic device. The photovoltaic device includes a glass substrate, a semiconductor absorber layer formed over the glass substrate, a metal back contact layer formed over the semiconductor absorber layer, and a p-type back contact buffer layer formed from one of MnTe, Cd1-xMnxTe, and SnTe, the buffer layer disposed between the semiconductor absorber layer and the metal back contact layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 28, 2019Publication date: February 27, 2020Applicant: First Solar, Inc.Inventors: Benyamin Buller, Markus Gloeckler, Akhlesh Gupta, Rick Powell, Rui Shao, Gang Xiong, Ming Lun Yu, Zhibo Zhao
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Publication number: 20200058818Abstract: A photovoltaic device includes a substrate structure and at least one Se-containing layer, such as a CdSeTe layer. A process for manufacturing the photovoltaic device includes forming the CdSeTe layer over a substrate by at least one of sputtering, evaporation deposition, CVD, chemical bath deposition process, and vapor transport deposition process. The process can also include controlling a thickness range of the Se-containing layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 25, 2019Publication date: February 20, 2020Applicant: First Solar, Inc.Inventors: Dan Damjanovic, Markus Gloeckler, Feng Liao, Andrei Los, Dan Mao, Benjamin Milliron, Gopal Mor, Rick Powell, Kenneth Ring, Aaron Roggelin, Jigish Trivedi, Zhibo Zhao
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Patent number: 10529883Abstract: A photovoltaic device includes a substrate structure and at least one Se-containing layer, such as a CdSeTe layer. A process for manufacturing the photovoltaic device includes forming the CdSeTe layer over a substrate by at least one of sputtering, evaporation deposition, CVD, chemical bath deposition process, and vapor transport deposition process. The process can also include controlling a thickness range of the Se-containing layer.Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 2014Date of Patent: January 7, 2020Assignee: First Solar, Inc.Inventors: Dan Damjanovic, Markus Gloeckler, Feng Liao, Andrei Los, Dan Mao, Benjamin Milliron, Gopal Mor, Rick Powell, Kenneth Ring, Aaron Roggelin, Jigish Trivedi, Zhibo Zhao
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Patent number: 10461207Abstract: A photovoltaic device includes a substrate structure and at least one Se-containing layer, such as a CdSeTe layer. A process for manufacturing the photovoltaic device includes forming the CdSeTe layer over a substrate by at least one of sputtering, evaporation deposition, CVD, chemical bath deposition process, and vapor transport deposition process. The process can also include controlling a thickness range of the Se-containing layer.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 2015Date of Patent: October 29, 2019Assignee: First Solar, Inc.Inventors: Dan Damjanovic, Markus Gloeckler, Feng Liao, Andrei Los, Dan Mao, Benjamin Milliron, Gopal Mor, Rick Powell, Kenneth Ring, Aaron Roggelin, Jigish Trivedi, Zhibo Zhao
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Publication number: 20190296180Abstract: A photovoltaic cell can include a dopant in contact with a semiconductor layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 10, 2019Publication date: September 26, 2019Applicant: First Solar, Inc.Inventors: Anke Abken, Markus Gloeckler, Roger Green, Akhlesh Gupta, Upali Jayamaha, Peter Meyers, Rick Powell
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Publication number: 20190221685Abstract: A photovoltaic device includes a substrate structure and a p-type semiconductor absorber layer. A photovoltaic device may include a CdSeTe layer. A process for manufacturing a photovoltaic device includes forming a CdSeTe layer over a substrate. The process includes forming a p-type cadmium selenide telluride absorber layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 25, 2019Publication date: July 18, 2019Applicant: First Solar, Inc.Inventors: Dan Damjanovic, Feng Liao, Rick Powell, Rui Shao, Jigish Trivedi, Zhibo Zhao
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Patent number: 10243092Abstract: A photovoltaic device includes a substrate structure and a p-type semiconductor absorber layer, the substrate structure including a CdSSe layer. A photovoltaic device may alternatively include a CdSeTe layer. A process for manufacturing a photovoltaic device includes forming a CdSSe layer over a substrate by at least one of sputtering, evaporation deposition, CVD, chemical bath deposition process, and vapor transport deposition process. The process includes forming a p-type absorber layer above the CdSSe layer.Type: GrantFiled: June 2, 2017Date of Patent: March 26, 2019Assignee: First Solar, Inc.Inventors: Dan Damjanovic, Feng Liao, Rick Powell, Rui Shao, Jigish Trivedi, Zhibo Zhao
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Publication number: 20170288073Abstract: Methods and devices are described for a photovoltaic device. The photovoltaic device includes a glass substrate, a semiconductor absorber layer formed over the glass substrate, a metal back contact layer formed over the semiconductor absorber layer, and a p-type back contact buffer layer formed from one of MnTe, Cd1-xMnxTe, and SnTe, the buffer layer disposed between the semiconductor absorber layer and the metal back contact layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 12, 2017Publication date: October 5, 2017Applicant: First Solar, Inc.Inventors: Benyamin Buller, Markus Gloeckler, Akhlesh Gupta, Rick Powell, Rui Shao, Gang Xiong, Ming Lun Yu, Zhibo Zhao
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Publication number: 20170271533Abstract: A photovoltaic device includes a substrate structure and a p-type semiconductor absorber layer, the substrate structure including a CdSSe layer. A photovoltaic device may alternatively include a CdSeTe layer. A process for manufacturing a photovoltaic device includes forming a CdSSe layer over a substrate by at least one of sputtering, evaporation deposition, CVD, chemical bath deposition process, and vapor transport deposition process. The process includes forming a p-type absorber layer above the CdSSe layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 2, 2017Publication date: September 21, 2017Applicant: First Solar, Inc.Inventors: Dan Damjanovic, Feng Liao, Rick Powell, Rui Shao, Jigish Trivedi, Zhibo Zhao
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Patent number: 9698285Abstract: A photovoltaic device includes a substrate structure and a p-type semiconductor absorber layer, the substrate structure including a CdSSe layer. A photovoltaic device may alternatively include a CdSeTe layer. A process for manufacturing a photovoltaic device includes forming a CdSSe layer over a substrate by at least one of sputtering, evaporation deposition, CVD, chemical bath deposition process, and vapor transport deposition process. The process includes forming a p-type absorber layer above the CdSSe layer.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 2014Date of Patent: July 4, 2017Assignee: First Solar, Inc.Inventors: Dan Damjanovic, Feng Liao, Rick Powell, Rui Shao, Jigish Trivedi, Zhibo Zhao
