Patents by Inventor Harald Hertlein

Harald Hertlein 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: 11936129
    Abstract: A ribbon cable connector is fixed at an end of a ribbon cable. The ribbon cable has a plurality of electrical conductors extending parallel and distanced to one another. The ribbon cable connector includes an insertion slot extending in a plugging direction and receiving the ribbon cable, a plurality of contact element receptacles extending parallel and distanced to one another, a plurality of structures in the insertion slot extending parallel to one another and aligned with the contact element receptacles, and a clamping device configured to clamp the ribbon cable in the insertion slot. An end of the insertion slot inside of the ribbon cable connector adjoins the contact element receptacles in the plugging direction. The structures are each separated from one another by a partition wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: TE Connectivity Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Harald Kraenzlein, Stefan Raab, Marina Hertlein
  • Patent number: 11936038
    Abstract: An anode active material for lithium ion batteries includes one or more unaggregated silicon particles having a mass-based chlorine content of from 5 to 200 ppm and a volume-weighted particle size distribution having diameter percentiles d50 of from 0.5 ?m to 10.0 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Wacker Chemie AG
    Inventors: Jürgen Pfeiffer, Eckhard Hanelt, Harald Hertlein, Karl Hesse, Robert Maurer
  • Publication number: 20230286809
    Abstract: Silicon granulate is produced in a fluidized bed reactor having a fluidized bed region fluidized by a gas flow and heated by a heating apparatus. Seed particles and a feed gas including hydrogen and silane and/or halosilane is continuously supplied, and elemental silicon is deposited on the seed particles to form the silicon granulate, which is discharged as a continuous product stream from the reactor. The fluidized bed temperature affects the quality and formation of the product stream, which may be determined as the temperature of an offgas stream from the fluidized bend region. The temperature, as a responding variable may be determined and controlled by means of the mass and energy balance of a defined scheme.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2020
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Applicant: WACKER CHEMIE AG
    Inventors: Michael GOTTANKA, Harald HERTLEIN, Benedikt KOENINGER
  • Patent number: 11667533
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for preparing polycrystalline silicon, comprising introducing a reaction gas containing hydrogen and silane and/or halogen silane into a reactor, wherein the reactor comprises at least one heated carrier body, on which elementary silicon has been deposited by means of pyrolysis, forming the polycrystalline silicon. In a continuous process, waste gas is led out of the reactor and hydrogen recovered from said waste gas is fed to the reactor again as circulating gas. The circulating gas has a nitrogen content of less than 1000 ppmv. The invention further relates to polycrystalline silicon having a nitrogen component of less than 2 ppba.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Wacker Chemie AG
    Inventors: Harald Hertlein, Heinz Kraus
  • Publication number: 20230129415
    Abstract: An anode active material for use within an anode of a lithium-ion battery along with a method or process for preparing the same. Where the anode active material includes one or more non-aggregated silicon particles having BET surface areas of 0.2 to 10.0 m2/g (determination according to DIN 66131 (with nitrogen), a chloride content of 220 to 5000 ppm and a volume-weighted particle size distribution having diameter percentiles d50 of 0.5 ?m to 10.0 ?m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2020
    Publication date: April 27, 2023
    Applicant: Wacker Chemie AG
    Inventors: Jürgen Pfeiffer, Harald Hertlein, Benedikt Köninger, Sebastian Liebischer
  • Patent number: 11440803
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing polycrystalline silicon granulate in a fluidized bed reactor. The method comprises a fluidization of silicon seed particles by means of a fluidizing gas in a fluidized bed, which is heated by a heating device, wherein elemental silicon is deposited by pyrolysis on the silicon seed particles by the addition of a reaction gas containing hydrogen and silane and/or halosilane to form the polycrystalline silicon granulate. In a continuous process, waste gas is discharged from the fluidized bed reactor and hydrogen recovered from said waste to gas is again supplied to the fluidized bed reactor as a circulating gas. The circulating gas has a nitrogen content of less than 1000 ppmv. The invention further relates to polycrystalline silicon granulate having a nitrogen content of less than 2 ppba.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: WACKER CHEMIE AG
    Inventors: Harald Hertlein, Dirk Weckesser
  • Publication number: 20210376315
    Abstract: An anode active material for lithium ion batteries includes one or more unaggregated silicon particles having a mass-based chlorine content of from 5 to 200 ppm and a volume-weighted particle size distribution having diameter percentiles d50 of from 0.5 ?m to 10.0 ?m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2018
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Applicant: Wacker Chemie AG
    Inventors: Jürgen Pfeiffer, Eckhard Hanelt, Harald Hertlein, Karl Hesse, Robert Maurer
  • Publication number: 20200231449
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for preparing polycrystalline silicon, comprising introducing a reaction gas containing hydrogen and silane and/or halogen silane into a reactor, wherein the reactor comprises at least one heated carrier body, on which elementary silicon has been deposited by means of pyrolysis, forming the polycrystalline silicon. In a continuous process, waste gas is led out of the reactor and hydrogen recovered from said waste gas is fed to the reactor again as circulating gas. The circulating gas has a nitrogen content of less than 1000 ppmv. The invention further relates to polycrystalline silicon having a nitrogen component of less than 2 ppba.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2016
    Publication date: July 23, 2020
    Inventors: Harald Hertlein, Heinz Kraus
  • Publication number: 20200131043
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing polycrystalline silicon granulate in a fluidized bed reactor. The method comprises a fluidization of silicon seed particles by means of a fluidizing gas in a fluidized bed, which is heated by a heating device, wherein elemental silicon is deposited by pyrolysis on the silicon seed particles by the addition of a reaction gas containing hydrogen and silane and/or halosilane to form the polycrystalline silicon granulate. In a continuous process, waste gas is discharged from the fluidized bed reactor and hydrogen recovered from said waste to gas is again supplied to the fluidized bed reactor as a circulating gas. The circulating gas has a nitrogen content of less than 1000 ppmv. The invention further relates to polycrystalline silicon granulate having a nitrogen content of less than 2 ppba.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2016
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Inventors: Harald Hertlein, Dirk Weckesser
  • Patent number: 10544047
    Abstract: The rate of rod fallover in the production of polycrystalline silicon by the Siemens process is sharply reduced by cleaning the Siemens reactor base plate by at least a two-step procedure comprising suctioning the base plate in one step, and subsequently cleaning with liquid or solid cleaning medium in a second step, between each phase of rod removal and new support body installation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: WACKER CHEMIE AG
    Inventors: Friedrich Popp, Harald Hertlein
  • Patent number: 10363534
    Abstract: Assembly of a fluidized bed reactor for the preparation of polycrystalline silicon granules by chemical vapor deposition of silicon onto seed particles and removal of polycrystalline silicon granules is facilitated without breakage and with gas tightness by a specific assembly sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: WACKER CHEMIE AG
    Inventors: Dirk Weckesser, Gerhard Forstpointner, Harald Hertlein
  • Patent number: 10150675
    Abstract: The native oxide layer on silicon support rods in the Siemens polysilicon production process is removed by heating the rods to a temperature of 1100-1200° C. and contacting the rods with hydrogen at a system pressure of 1.1E5 to 6E6 Pa. Oxide is rapidly removed, reducing overall process time and increasing space time yield. The use of hydrogen, optionally purified from a polysilicon deposition and containing only traces of HCl reduces reactor corrosion and loss of silicon from the support rods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: WACKER CHEMIE AG
    Inventors: Harald Hertlein, Friedrich Popp
  • Patent number: 9988277
    Abstract: Granular polysilicon is produced in a fluidized-bed reactor by fluidizing silicon particles by means of a gas flow in a fluidized bed heated to a temperature of 850-1100° C., adding a silicon-containing reaction gas by means of a nozzle and depositing of silicon on the silicon particles, wherein, in at least 56% of an axially symmetric region around a nozzle opening of the nozzle, the reaction gas concentration is greater than 75% of the maximum concentration of the reaction gas (10 to 50 mol %), the fluidized-bed temperature is greater than 95% of the fluidized-bed temperature outside the axially symmetric region (850-1100° C.) and the solids concentration is greater than 85% of the solids concentration at the edge of the fluidized bed (55 to 90% by volume).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: WACKER CHEMIE AG
    Inventors: Dirk Weckesser, Harald Hertlein
  • Patent number: 9962745
    Abstract: Contamination of surfaces of polysilicon rods removed from a Siemens reactor in a polysilicon production facility is reduced by cleaning the production facility at least every other week with a cleaning liquid containing water, optionally also containing neutral surfactants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: WACKER CHEMIE AG
    Inventors: Harald Hertlein, Friedrich Popp
  • Publication number: 20170320035
    Abstract: Assembly of a fluidized bed reactor for the preparation of polycrystalline silicon granules by chemical vapor deposition of silicon onto seed particles and removal of polycrystalline silicon granules is facilitated without breakage and with gas tightness by a specific assembly sequence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2015
    Publication date: November 9, 2017
    Applicant: Wacker Chemie AG
    Inventors: Dirk WECKESSER, Gerhard FORSTPOINTNER, Harald HERTLEIN
  • Publication number: 20170305748
    Abstract: The rate of rod fallover in the production of polycrystalline silicon by the Siemens process is sharply reduced by cleaning the Siemens reactor base plate by at least a two-step procedure comprising suctioning the base plate in one step, and subsequently cleaning with liquid or solid cleaning medium in a second step, between each phase of rod removal and new support body installation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Publication date: October 26, 2017
    Applicant: Wacker Chemie AG
    Inventors: Friedrich POPP, Harald HERTLEIN
  • Publication number: 20170001869
    Abstract: The native oxide layer on silicon support rods in the Siemens polysilicon production process is removed by heating the rods to a temperature of 1100-1200° C. and contacting the rods with hydrogen at a system pressure of 1.1E5 to 6E6 Pa. Oxide is rapidly removed, reducing overall process time and increasing space time yield. The use of hydrogen, optionally purified from a polysilicon deposition and containing only traces of HCl reduces reactor corrosion and loss of silicon from the support rods.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2015
    Publication date: January 5, 2017
    Applicant: Wacker Chemie AG
    Inventors: Harald HERTLEIN, Friedrich POPP
  • Publication number: 20160236940
    Abstract: Granular polysilicon is produced in a fluidized-bed reactor by fluidizing silicon particles by means of a gas flow in a fluidized bed heated to a temperature of 850-1100° C., adding a silicon-containing reaction gas by means of a nozzle and depositing of silicon on the silicon particles, wherein, in at least 56% of an axially symmetric region around a nozzle opening of the nozzle, the reaction gas concentration is greater than 75% of the maximum concentration of the reaction gas (10 to 50 mol %), the fluidized-bed temperature is greater than 95% of the fluidized-bed temperature outside the axially symmetric region (850-1100° C.) and the solids concentration is greater than 85% of the solids concentration at the edge of the fluidized bed (55 to 90% by volume).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2014
    Publication date: August 18, 2016
    Applicant: WACKER CHEMIE AG
    Inventors: Dirk WECKESSER, Harald HERTLEIN
  • Patent number: 9296616
    Abstract: Granular polycrystalline silicon includes a compact matrix including radiating acicular crystal aggregates of crystal size from 0.001-200 ?m. A process for producing granular polycrystalline silicon includes producing granular silicon in a fluidized bed reactor from a gas mixture containing TCS (20-29 mol %) and hydrogen at a fluidized bed temperature of 900-970° C., dividing the granular silicon in a screen system having at least one screen deck into at least two screen fractions, the smallest screen fraction being ground in a grinding system to give seed particles having a size of 100-1500 ?m and a mass-based median value from 400 to 900 ?m, and these seed particles being supplied to fluidized bed reactor, and a further screen fraction being supplied to a fluidized bed reactor, and being surface-treated with a gas mixture containing TCS (5.1-10 mol %) and hydrogen at a fluidized bed temperature of 870-990° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: Wacker Chemie AG
    Inventors: Harald Hertlein, Rainer Hauswirth, Dieter Weidhaus
  • Publication number: 20160045940
    Abstract: Contamination of surfaces of polysilicon rods removed from a Siemens reactor in a polysilicon production facility is reduced by cleaning the production facility at least every other week with a cleaning liquid containing water, optionally also containing neutral surfactants.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2014
    Publication date: February 18, 2016
    Inventors: Harald HERTLEIN, Friedrich POPP