Patents by Inventor Timothy D. Dennis

Timothy D. Dennis 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: 9530923
    Abstract: Diffusion regions of a solar cell are formed using a blanket layer of film that is doped with dopants of a first conductivity type. Dopants of a second conductivity type are implanted in select regions of the blanket layer of film to form dopant source regions of the second conductivity type. Diffusion regions of the solar cell are formed by diffusing dopants of the first conductivity type and dopants of the second conductivity type from the blanket layer of film into an underlying silicon material. The blanket layer of film may be a P-type dopant source layer doped with boron, with phosphorus being implanted in select regions of the P-type dopant source layer to form N-type dopant source regions in the P-type dopant source layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: SunPower Corporation
    Inventors: Steven E. Molesa, Timothy D. Dennis, Sheng Sun, Richard Sewell
  • Publication number: 20140174515
    Abstract: Diffusion regions of a solar cell are formed using a blanket layer of film that is doped with dopants of a first conductivity type. Dopants of a second conductivity type are implanted in select regions of the blanket layer of film to form dopant source regions of the second conductivity type. Diffusion regions of the solar cell are formed by diffusing dopants of the first conductivity type and dopants of the second conductivity type from the blanket layer of film into an underlying silicon material. The blanket layer of film may be a P-type dopant source layer doped with boron, with phosphorus being implanted in select regions of the P-type dopant source layer to form N-type dopant source regions in the P-type dopant source layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Inventors: Steven E. MOLESA, Timothy D. DENNIS, Sheng SUN, Richard SEWELL
  • Patent number: 8377738
    Abstract: A solar cell fabrication process includes printing of dopant sources over a polysilicon layer over backside of a solar cell substrate. The dopant sources are cured to diffuse dopants from the dopant sources into the polysilicon layer to form diffusion regions, and to crosslink the dopant sources to make them resistant to a subsequently performed texturing process. To prevent counter doping, dopants from one of the dopant sources are prevented from outgassing and diffusing into the other dopant source. For example, phosphorus from an N-type dopant source is prevented from diffusing to a P-type dopant source comprising boron.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: SunPower Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy D. Dennis, Bo Li, Peter John Cousins
  • Publication number: 20120000522
    Abstract: A solar cell fabrication process includes printing of dopant sources over a polysilicon layer over backside of a solar cell substrate. The dopant sources are cured to diffuse dopants from the dopant sources into the polysilicon layer to form diffusion regions, and to crosslink the dopant sources to make them resistant to a subsequently performed texturing process. To prevent counter doping, dopants from one of the dopant sources are prevented from outgassing and diffusing into the other dopant source. For example, phosphorus from an N-type dopant source is prevented from diffusing to a P-type dopant source comprising boron.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2010
    Publication date: January 5, 2012
    Inventors: Timothy D. DENNIS, Bo LI, Peter John COUSINS