Patents Assigned to First Solar, Inc.
  • Vapor transport deposition method and system for material co-deposition
    Patent number: 10147838
    Abstract: An improved feeder system and method for continuous vapor transport deposition that includes at least two vaporizers coupled to a common distributor through an improved seal for separately vaporizing and collecting at least any two vaporizable materials for deposition as a material layer on a substrate. Multiple vaporizers provide redundancy and allow for continuous deposition during vaporizer maintenance and repair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: First Solar, Inc.
    Inventors: John Barden, Rick C. Powell
  • Photovoltaic devices and method of making
    Patent number: 10141473
    Abstract: Embodiments of a photovoltaic device are provided herein. The photovoltaic device can include a layer stack and an absorber layer disposed on the layer stack. The absorber layer can include a first region and a second region. Each of the first region of the absorber layer and the second region of the absorber layer can include a compound comprising cadmium, selenium, and tellurium. An atomic concentration of selenium can vary across the absorber layer. The first region of the absorber layer can have a thickness between 100 nanometers to 3000 nanometers. The second region of the absorber layer can have a thickness between 100 nanometers to 3000 nanometers. A ratio of an average atomic concentration of selenium in the first region of the absorber layer to an average atomic concentration of selenium in the second region of the absorber layer can be greater than 10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: First Solar, Inc.
    Inventors: Holly Ann Blaydes, Kristian William Andreini, William Hullinger Huber, Eugene Thomas Hinners, Joseph John Shiang, Yong Liang, Jongwoo Choi, Adam Fraser Halverson
  • Dry brush assembly and method of operating dry brush assembly for cleaning solar panel modules
    Patent number: 10130165
    Abstract: A solar panel cleaning brush assembly including a trolley frame having parallel first and second side frame members. A first guide member is connected to the first side frame member. A second guide member is connected to the second side frame member. A first belt rotatably disposed about a perimeter of the first guide member directly contacts a first array edge of a solar panel array. A second belt rotatably disposed about a perimeter of the second guide member directly contacts a second array edge of the solar panel array. At least one brush set is connected to the trolley frame, the at least one brush set having multiple fixed, non-rotating brushes each frictionally contacting and spanning across a module face of individual ones of multiple solar panel modules defining a solar panel array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: FIRST SOLAR, INC.
    Inventor: Eddie Bugg
  • Connection assembly protection
    Patent number: 10128393
    Abstract: A photovoltaic module may include an electrical connection assembly with increased corrosion protection. The module may be protected from corrosion by using a high number of photovoltaic cells, by providing protective materials over module components subject to corrosion, and/or by adjusting the size ratio of the positive components to the negative components within the module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: First Solar, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian E. Cohen, Jianjun Wang, Rui Xiao
  • Photovoltaic Devices and Method of Making
    Publication number: 20180323334
    Abstract: Embodiments of a photovoltaic device are provided herein. The photovoltaic device can include a layer stack and an absorber layer disposed on the layer stack. The absorber layer can include a first region and a second region. Each of the first region of the absorber layer and the second region of the absorber layer can include a compound comprising cadmium, selenium, and tellurium. An atomic concentration of selenium can vary across the absorber layer. The first region of the absorber layer can have a thickness between 100 nanometers to 3000 nanometers. The second region of the absorber layer can have a thickness between 100 nanometers to 3000 nanometers. A ratio of an average atomic concentration of selenium in the first region of the absorber layer to an average atomic concentration of selenium in the second region of the absorber layer can be greater than 10.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2018
    Publication date: November 8, 2018
    Applicant: First Solar, Inc.
    Inventors: Holly Ann Blaydes, Kristian William Andreini, William Hullinger Huber, Eugene Thomas Hinners, Joseph John Shiang, Yong Liang, Jongwoo Choi, Adam Fraser Halverson
  • Integrated Vapor Transport Deposition Method and System
    Publication number: 20180323332
    Abstract: A vapor transport deposition system and method that includes a vaporizer and distributor unit and at least one auxiliary process unit for integrating thin-film layer deposition with one or more pre- or post-deposition processes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2018
    Publication date: November 8, 2018
    Applicant: First Solar, Inc.
    Inventors: John Barden, Changming Jin, Feng Liao, Rick C. Powell, Gang Xiong
  • Photovoltaic devices and method of making
    Patent number: 10062800
    Abstract: A photovoltaic device is presented. The photovoltaic device includes a layer stack; and an absorber layer is disposed on the layer stack. The absorber layer includes selenium, and an atomic concentration of selenium varies non-linearly across a thickness of the absorber layer. A method of making a photovoltaic device is also presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: First Solar, Inc.
    Inventors: Holly Ann Blaydes, Kristian William Andreini, William Hullinger Huber, Eugene Thomas Hinners, Joseph John Shiang, Yong Liang, Jongwoo Choi, Adam Fraser Halverson
  • System for operation of photovoltaic power plant and DC power collection within
    Patent number: 10038321
    Abstract: A system is disclosed for extracting a medium DC voltage from a plurality of PV modules arranged in an array and supplying the medium DC voltage to inverters located outside the array near a point of interconnection with a utility grid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: First Solar, Inc.
    Inventors: Ranjan K. Gupta, Kevin G. Collins
  • Photovoltaic device and method of formation
    Patent number: 10026861
    Abstract: An improved photovoltaic device and methods of manufacturing the same that includes an interface layer adjacent to a semiconductor absorber layer, where the interface layer includes a material in the semiconductor layer which decreases in concentration from the side of the interface layer contacting the absorber layer to an opposite side of the interface layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: First Solar, Inc.
    Inventors: Igor Sankin, Markus Gloeckler, Benyamin Buller, Kieran Tracy
  • Process for making powder alloys containing cadmium and selenium
    Patent number: 10026855
    Abstract: A process for preparing alloy products powders is described using a self-sustaining or self-propagating SHS-type combustion process. Binary, ternary and quaternary alloy having cadmium, selenium and optionally a third element X or Y selected from Group VIA (such as S or Te) or from group IIB (such as Zn or Hg). The alloy products may be doped or not with a wide variety of other elements. The process involves heating to ignition, maintaining an elevated temperature less than melting for homogenization, followed by cooling and crushing. An optional de-oxidation process may follow to further purify the alloy and balance the stoichiometry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: FIRST SOLAR, INC.
    Inventors: Shrinivas Govindarajan, Michael Latusek, Feng Yan
  • Methods for Curing Anti-Reflective Coatings on Solar Glass
    Publication number: 20180083145
    Abstract: Methods of curing anti-reflective coatings, and photovoltaic modules produced using the methods, are described. The methods can include liquid metal curing, plasma curing, air knife curing, and flame curing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2017
    Publication date: March 22, 2018
    Applicant: First Solar, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Cohen, David Hwang, Mark Lewis, Gopal Mor, Nathan Martin Schuh, Frank Xia, Yu Yang, Zhibo Zhao
  • Photovoltaic devices
    Patent number: 9871154
    Abstract: A photovoltaic device is presented. The photovoltaic device includes a layer stack; and an absorber layer is disposed on the layer stack. The absorber layer includes cadmium, tellurium, and selenium. A semiconductor layer is further disposed on the absorber layer, wherein a valence band offset between the semiconductor layer and the absorber layer is less than about 1.3 electron Volts, and a band gap of the semiconductor layer is in a range from about 1.2 electron Volts to about 3.5 electron Volts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: First Solar, Inc.
    Inventors: Anil Raj Duggal, Joseph John Shiang, William Hullinger Huber, Adam Fraser Halverson
  • Photovoltaic device including a back contact and method of manufacturing
    Patent number: 9853177
    Abstract: A photovoltaic device includes a substrate, a transparent conductive oxide, an n-type window layer, a p-type absorber layer and an electron reflector layer. The electron reflector layer may include zinc telluride doped with copper telluride, zinc telluride alloyed with copper telluride, or a bilayer of multiple layers containing zinc, copper, cadmium and tellurium in various compositions. A process for manufacturing a photovoltaic device includes forming a 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 an electron reflector layer over a p-type absorber layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: First Solar, Inc.
    Inventors: San Yu, Veluchamy Palaniappagounder, Pratima Addepalli, Imran Khan
  • Mounting device for a photovoltaic module
    Patent number: 9845824
    Abstract: A bearing inner race for a solar panel tracker positioning system includes a semi-circular shaped body having a first upper land and an oppositely facing second upper land. A first elongated aperture is positioned proximate to the first upper land and a second elongated aperture is positioned proximate to the second upper land. A first alignment ring is centered within the first elongated through aperture and a second alignment ring is centered within the second elongated through aperture. The bearing inner race also includes a ground stud integrally connected to the body in an as-cast condition of the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: FIRST SOLAR, INC.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Lamb, Matthew Schneider, Bart Wiktorowicz
  • Photovoltaic Devices Including an Interfacial Layer
    Publication number: 20170352772
    Abstract: A photovoltaic cell can include an interfacial layer in contact with a semiconductor layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2017
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Applicant: First Solar, Inc.
    Inventors: David Eaglesham, Akhlesh Gupta, Peter V. Meyers
  • High efficiency photovoltaic device employing cadmium sulfide telluride and method of manufacture
    Patent number: 9799784
    Abstract: A photovoltaic device is disclosed including at least one Cadmium Sulfide Telluride (CdSxTe1?x) layer as are methods of forming such a photovoltaic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: First Solar, Inc.
    Inventors: Arnold Allenic, Zhigang Ban, Benyamin Buller, Markus Gloeckler, Benjamin Milliron, Xilin Peng, Rick C. Powell, Jigish Trivedi, Oomman K. Varghese, Jianjun Wang, Zhibo Zhao
  • PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE AND METHODS OF FORMING THE SAME
    Publication number: 20170288073
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2017
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Applicant: First Solar, Inc.
    Inventors: Benyamin Buller, Markus Gloeckler, Akhlesh Gupta, Rick Powell, Rui Shao, Gang Xiong, Ming Lun Yu, Zhibo Zhao
  • PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE INCLUDING A P-N JUNCTION AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING
    Publication number: 20170271533
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Publication date: September 21, 2017
    Applicant: First Solar, Inc.
    Inventors: Dan Damjanovic, Feng Liao, Rick Powell, Rui Shao, Jigish Trivedi, Zhibo Zhao
  • Photovoltaic Devices and Method of Making
    Publication number: 20170236956
    Abstract: A photovoltaic device is presented. The photovoltaic device includes a buffer layer disposed on a transparent conductive oxide layer; a window layer disposed on the buffer layer; and an interlayer interposed between the transparent conductive oxide layer and the window layer. The interlayer includes a metal species, wherein the metal species includes gadolinium, beryllium, calcium, barium, strontium, scandium, yttrium, hafnium, cerium, lutetium, lanthanum, or combinations thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2017
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Applicant: First Solar, Inc.
    Inventors: Yong Liang, Jinbo Cao, William Hullinger Huber
  • Photovoltaic device
    Patent number: D824847
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: FIRST SOLAR, INC.
    Inventors: Benyamin Buller, Joshua Conley, Richard S. Malik, Jr., Brian Maus, Thomas Truman