Patents Assigned to Enki Technology, Inc.
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Patent number: 9688863Abstract: Disclosed herein are polysilsesquioxane-based anti-reflective coating (ARC) compositions, methods of preparation, and methods of deposition on a substrate. In one embodiment, the polysilsesquioxane of this disclosure is prepared in a two-step process of acid catalyzed hydrolysis of organoalkoxysilane followed by addition of tetralkoxysilane that generates silicone polymers with >40 mol % silanol based on Si-NMR. These high silanol siloxane polymers are stable and have a long shelf-life in polar organic solvents at room temperature. Also disclosed are low refractive index ARC made from these compositions with and without additives such as porogens, templates, thermal radical initiator, photo radical initiators, crosslinkers, Si—OH condensation catalyst and nano-fillers. Also disclosed are methods and apparatus for applying coatings to flat substrates including substrate pre-treatment processes, coating processes and coating curing processes including skin-curing using hot-air knives.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 2016Date of Patent: June 27, 2017Assignee: Enki Technology, Inc.Inventors: Sina Maghsoodi, Brenor L. Brophy, Thomas E. Colson, Peter R. Gonsalves, Ze'ev R. Abrams
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Patent number: 9598586Abstract: Glass coating materials and methods are disclosed for the coating of glass substrates used in the manufacturer of photovoltaic solar modules such that the coating enhances the reliability of the module by reducing its susceptibility to potential induced degradation (PID). Coating materials are disclosed that reduce soiling on the front surface of the glass; that increase the surface resistivity of the glass and that repel moisture and that seal the surface from the ingress of moisture. Further electrically conductive coatings are disclosed that reduce the electric field between the front and back surfaces of the glass and hence reduce ion mobility within the glass and transport from the interior glass surface to the solar cell. There are additional configuration choices for fine tuning associated with separately optimizing the exterior and interior glass coating. Finally, coating processes and methods are disclosed for coating glass substrates with the disclosed materials.Type: GrantFiled: July 14, 2015Date of Patent: March 21, 2017Assignee: Enki Technology, Inc.Inventors: Brenor L. Brophy, Sina Maghsoodi, Kevin Kopczynski
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Patent number: 9461185Abstract: Disclosed herein is a coated glass element including a glass component and a coating adhered to the glass component through siloxane linkages, the coating having at least one of an anti-reflective property, a high abrasion resistance property and a hydrophobic property, wherein the coating comprises a dried gel formed from at least one hydrolyzed alkoxysilane-based sol and at least one hydrolyzed organosilane-based sol.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2015Date of Patent: October 4, 2016Assignee: Enki Technology, Inc.Inventors: Vinod Nair, Brenor L. Brophy
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Patent number: 9399720Abstract: Disclosed herein are polysilsesquioxane-based anti-reflective coating (ARC) compositions, methods of preparation, and methods of deposition on a substrate. In one embodiment, the polysilsesquioxane of this disclosure is prepared in a two-step process of acid catalyzed hydrolysis of organoalkoxysilane followed by addition of tetralkoxysilane that generates silicone polymers with >40 mol % silanol based on Si-NMR. These high silanol siloxane polymers are stable and have a long shelf-life in polar organic solvents at room temperature. Also disclosed are low refractive index ARC made from these compositions with and without additives such as porogens, templates, thermal radical initiator, photo radical initiators, crosslinkers, Si—OH condensation catalyst and nano-fillers. Also disclosed are methods and apparatus for applying coatings to flat substrates including substrate pre-treatment processes, coating processes and coating curing processes including skin-curing using hot-air knives.Type: GrantFiled: July 14, 2015Date of Patent: July 26, 2016Assignee: Enki Technology, Inc.Inventors: Sina Maghsoodi, Brenor L. Brophy, Thomas E. Colson, Peter R. Gonsalves, Ze'ev R. Abrams
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Patent number: 9382449Abstract: Disclosed herein are polysilsesquioxane based anti-reflective coating (ARC) compositions, methods of preparation, and methods of deposition on a substrate. In embodiments, the polysilsesquioxane of this disclosure is prepared in a two-step process of acid catalyzed hydrolysis of organoalkoxysilane followed by addition of tetralkoxysilane that generates silicone polymers with >40 mol % silanol based on Si-NMR. These high silanol siloxane polymers are stable and have a long shelf-life in the polar organic solvents at room temperature. Also disclosed are low refractive index ARC made from these compositions with and without additives such as porogens, templates, Si—OH condensation catalyst and/or nanofillers. Also disclosed are methods and apparatus for applying coatings to flat substrates including substrate pre-treatment processes, coating processes including flow coating and roll coating, and coating curing processes including skin-curing using hot-air knives.Type: GrantFiled: September 19, 2014Date of Patent: July 5, 2016Assignee: Enki Technology, Inc.Inventors: Sina Maghsoodi, Aravamuthan Varadarajan, Meisam Movassat
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Patent number: 9376593Abstract: Disclosed herein are coating materials and methods for applying a top-layer coating that is durable, abrasion resistant, highly transparent, hydrophobic, low-friction, moisture-sealing, anti-soiling, and self-cleaning to an existing conventional high temperature anti-reflective coating. The top coat imparts superior durability performance and new properties to the under-laying conventional high temperature anti-reflective coating without reducing the anti-reflectiveness of the coating. Methods and data for optimizing the relative thickness of the under-layer high temperature anti-reflective coating and the top-layer thickness for optimizing optical performance are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: September 17, 2015Date of Patent: June 28, 2016Assignee: Enki Technology, Inc.Inventors: Sina Maghsoodi, Brenor L. Brophy, Ze'ev R. Abrams, Peter R. Gonsalves
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Patent number: 9376589Abstract: Disclosed herein are single layer transparent coatings with an anti-reflective property, a hydrophobic property, and that are highly abrasion resistant. The single layer transparent coatings contain a plurality of oblate voids. At least 1% of the oblate voids are open to a surface of the single layer transparent coatings.Type: GrantFiled: July 14, 2015Date of Patent: June 28, 2016Assignee: Enki Technology, Inc.Inventors: Sina Maghsoodi, Brenor L. Brophy, Thomas E. Colson, Peter R. Gonsalves, Ze'ev R. Abrams
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Patent number: 9353268Abstract: The disclosure discloses abrasion resistant, persistently hydrophobic and oleophobic, anti-reflective and anti-soiling coatings for glass. The coatings described herein have wide application, including for example the front cover glass of solar modules. Methods of applying the coatings using various apparatus are disclosed. Methods for using the coatings in solar energy generation plants to achieve greater energy yield and reduced operations costs are disclosed. Coating materials are formed by combinations of hydrolyzed silane-base precursors through sol-gel processes. Several methods of synthesis and formulation of coating materials are disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: September 17, 2014Date of Patent: May 31, 2016Assignee: Enki Technology, Inc.Inventors: Brenor L. Brophy, Vinod Nair, Bakul Champaklal Dave
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Patent number: 9314811Abstract: Disclosed is a coating apparatus including flow coating and roll-coating that may be used for uniform sol-gel coating of substrates such as glass, solar panels, windows or part of an electronic display. Also disclosed are methods for substrate preparation, flow coating and roll coating. Lastly, systems and methods for curing sol-gel coatings deposited onto the surface of glass substrates using high temperature air-knives, infrared emitters and direct heat applicators are disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: May 11, 2015Date of Patent: April 19, 2016Assignee: Enki Technology, Inc.Inventors: Brenor L. Brophy, Peter R. Gonsalves, Sina Maghsoodi, Thomas E. Colson, Yu S. Yang, Ze'ev R. Abrams
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Patent number: 8960123Abstract: Disclosed are coating apparatus including flow coating and roll-coating that may be used for uniform sol-gel coating of substrates such as glass, solar panels, windows or part of an electronic display. Also disclosed are methods for substrate preparation, flow coating and roll coating. Lastly systems and methods for skin curing sol-gel coatings deposited onto the surface of glass substrates using a high temperature air-knife are disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2013Date of Patent: February 24, 2015Assignee: Enki Technology, Inc.Inventors: Brenor L. Brophy, Sina Maghsoodi, Patrick J. Neyman, Peter R. Gonsalves, Jeffrey G. Hirsch, Yu S. Yang
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Patent number: 8864897Abstract: The embodiments of the invention are directed to coatings and their uses. More particularly, the embodiments of the invention are directed to coating compositions that include silane-based precursors that are used to form coatings through a sol-gel process. The coating comprise a dried gel formed from a sol comprising a hydrolyzed alkoxysilane, a hydrolyzed organosilane, and a hydrolyzed organofluorosilane, wherein the hydrolyzed organosilane and the hydrolyzed organofluorosilane are each separately prepared before combining with each other and with alkoxysilane or with another reagent. The coatings so formed are characterized by anti-reflective, abrasion resistant, and anti-soiling properties. The coatings also have extended weatherability to heat, humidity, and protection against ambient corrosives. The coatings formed from the compositions described herein have wide application, including, for example, use as coatings on the outer glass of solar cells.Type: GrantFiled: July 18, 2011Date of Patent: October 21, 2014Assignee: Enki Technology, Inc.Inventors: Vinod Nair, Bakul Champaklal Dave
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Publication number: 20140261673Abstract: Coating compositions disclosed herein include silane-based precursors that are used to form coatings through a sol-gel process including a hydrolyzed organosilane-based sol and a hydrolyzed tetraalkoxysilane-based sol. The coatings are characterized by anti-reflective, abrasion resistant, and anti-soiling properties and the tunability of those properties with respect to different glass substrates, solar cells or geographic locations of the solar panels. The coatings formed from the compositions described herein have wide application, including, for example, use as abrasion resistant coatings on the outer glass of solar cells, wherein the coating adheres through siloxane linkages. In some embodiments, when applied to glass and cured at a temperature of less than 300° C., the dried sol gel has abrasion resistance sufficient to pass standard EN-1096-2 with a loss of transmission of no more than 0.5% and enables a post-test light transmission gain of greater than 1% as compared to uncoated glass.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 14, 2014Publication date: September 18, 2014Applicant: Enki Technology, Inc.Inventors: Vinod Nair, Bakul Champaklal Dave
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Publication number: 20140261615Abstract: Functionalized coatings preferentially coated on the tin-side of float glass used in solar and other applications are disclosed. Coating compositions include silane-based precursors that are used to form coatings through a sol-gel process including hydrolyzed alkoxysilane-based sols. The coatings are characterized by anti-reflective, abrasion resistant, and anti-soiling properties and the tunability of those properties with respect to different applications. The coatings formed from the compositions described herein have wide application, including, for example, use as abrasion resistant coatings on the outer glass of solar modules, wherein the coating adheres through siloxane linkages. In some embodiments, when applied to glass and cured at a temperature of less than 300° C., the dried sol gel has abrasion resistance sufficient to pass standard EN-1096-2 with a loss of transmission of no more than 0.5% and enables a post-test light transmission gain of greater than 1% as compared to uncoated glass.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 10, 2014Publication date: September 18, 2014Applicant: Enki Technology, Inc.Inventors: Vinod Nair, Brenor L. Brophy
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Publication number: 20140227507Abstract: Disclosed are coating apparatus including flow coating and roll-coating that may be used for uniform sol-gel coating of substrates such as glass, solar panels, windows or part of an electronic display. Also disclosed are methods for substrate preparation, flow coating and roll coating. Lastly systems and methods for skin curing sol-gel coatings deposited onto the surface of glass substrates using a high temperature air-knife are disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2013Publication date: August 14, 2014Applicant: Enki Technology, Inc.Inventors: Brenor L. Brophy, Sina Maghsoodi, Patrick J. Neyman, Peter R. Gonsalves, Jeffrey G. Hirsch, Yu S. Yang
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Patent number: 8668960Abstract: Disclosed is a flow coating apparatus, comprising a slot that can dispense a coating material in an approximately uniform manner along a distribution blade that increases uniformity by means of surface tension and transfers the uniform flow of coating material onto an inclined substrate such as for example glass, solar panels, windows or part of an electronic display. Also disclosed is a method of flow coating a substrate using the apparatus such that the substrate is positioned correctly relative to the distribution blade, a pre-wetting step is completed where both the blade and substrate are completed wetted with a pre-wet solution prior to dispensing of the coating material onto the distribution blade from the slot and hence onto the substrate. Thereafter the substrate is removed from the distribution blade and allowed to dry, thereby forming a coating.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2013Date of Patent: March 11, 2014Assignee: Enki Technology, Inc.Inventors: Ramasubrahmaniam Hanumanthu, Patrick Neyman, Niles MacDonald, Brenor Brophy, Kevin Kopczynski, Vinod Nair