Abstract: A solar cell includes a semiconductor substrate; a conductive region on or at the semiconductor substrate; an electrode electrically connected to the conductive region; and a silicon oxynitride layer on a light incident surface of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the silicon oxynitride layer comprises a first phase region having a first oxygen content and a first nitrogen content; a second phase region having a second oxygen content higher than the first oxygen content and a second nitrogen content lower than the first nitrogen content; and a third phase region having a third oxygen content lower than the second oxygen content and a third nitrogen content lower than the second nitrogen content.

Abstract: A solar cell includes a semiconductor substrate; a conductive region on or at the semiconductor substrate; an electrode electrically connected to the conductive region; and a silicon oxynitride layer on a light incident surface of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the silicon oxynitride layer comprises a first phase region having a first oxygen content and a first nitrogen content; a second phase region having a second oxygen content higher than the first oxygen content and a second nitrogen content lower than the first nitrogen content; and a third phase region having a third oxygen content lower than the second oxygen content and a third nitrogen content lower than the second nitrogen content.

Abstract: Disclosed is a solar cell including: a semiconductor substrate; a conductive region on or at the semiconductor substrate; an electrode electrically connected to the conductive region; and a passivation layer on a light incident surface of the semiconductor substrate. The passivation layer includes a first layer in contact with the light incident surface of the semiconductor substrate and formed of silicon oxynitride for ultraviolet stability. The first layer includes a plurality of phases of the silicon oxynitride, and the plurality of phases are formed of the silicon oxynitride having different compositions.

Abstract: Disclosed is a solar cell including: a semiconductor substrate; a conductive region on or at the semiconductor substrate; an electrode electrically connected to the conductive region; and a passivation layer on a light incident surface of the semiconductor substrate. The passivation layer includes a first layer in contact with the light incident surface of the semiconductor substrate and formed of silicon oxynitride for ultraviolet stability. The first layer includes a plurality of phases of the silicon oxynitride, and the plurality of phases are formed of the silicon oxynitride having different compositions.

Abstract: Disclosed is a solar cell including a plurality of first electrodes electrically connected to a plurality of first conductive regions; and a plurality of second electrodes electrically connected to a plurality of second conductive regions. The plurality of first conductive regions and the plurality of second conductive regions are spaced apart from an edge of a semiconductor substrate by a first interval, the plurality of first conductive regions and the plurality of second conductive regions are spaced apart from each other in a second direction crossing a first direction by a second interval, and the second interval is the same as or less than the first interval.

Abstract: Dual coated optical fibers and methods for forming dual coated optical fibers are disclosed herein. The dual coated optical fibers include a glass fiber comprising a core region, a cladding region and a dual coating layer surrounding the glass fiber. The dual coating layer includes an inner coating and an outer coating. The inner coating surrounds the glass fiber and includes a first polyimide material. In one embodiment the first polyimide material also includes an adhesion promoter. The outer coating surrounds and is in direct contact with the inner coating and includes a second polyimide material having a decomposition threshold temperature greater than the first polyimide material. The second polyimide material may also have a modulus of elasticity greater than the first polyimide material and a moisture uptake lower than the first polyimide material.

Abstract: A large-mode-area (LMA) optical fiber (10) that operates as a single-mode optical fiber. The optical fiber includes a core region (20) surrounded by an inner cladding (32), which in turn is surrounded by an outer cladding (40). The inner cladding includes at least one up-doped ring region (32R1). The ring region is configured to form a large attenuation differential between the higher-order modes and the fundamental mode so only that the fundamental mode remains traveling in the optical fiber. If necessary, the optical fiber can include a bend (10B) having a select “resonant” bend diameter (DB) that increases the relative attenuation of the fundamental and higher-order modes. The optical fiber supports an effective mode field diameter (MFD) of up to 40 ?m to 50 ?m. As a result, detrimental non-linear effects are suppressed, which allows the optical fiber to carry substantially more optical power than conventional LMA optical fibers.

Abstract: Dual coated optical fibers and methods for forming dual coated optical fibers are disclosed herein. The dual coated optical fibers include a glass fiber comprising a core region, a cladding region and a dual coating layer surrounding the glass fiber. The dual coating layer includes an inner coating and an outer coating. The inner coating surrounds the glass fiber and includes a first polyimide material. In one embodiment the first polyimide material also includes an adhesion promoter. The outer coating surrounds and is in direct contact with the inner coating and includes a second polyimide material having a decomposition threshold temperature greater than the first polyimide material. The second polyimide material may also have a modulus of elasticity greater than the first polyimide material and a moisture uptake lower than the first polyimide material.

Abstract: A method for making low PMD fiber comprising the steps of: (i) making an initial fiber preform; (ii) modifying said initial fiber preform to introduce higher birefringence than that of the initial fiber preform into modified preform; and (iii) drawing an optical fiber from the modified preform and bi-directionally spinning the drawn fiber during draw.

Abstract: Generation of a cylindrically polarized light beam, and in particular, a hybrid-azimuthal-radial polarization beams, called HARP modes, generated from an input linearly polarized Gaussian beam using a spun optical waveguide device is taught. The HARP modes are comprised of hybrid-azimuthal polarization (HAP) and hybrid-radial polarization (HRP) superposition modes. These beams possess a non-zero local angular momentum density that is spatially varying and a zero total angular momentum.

Abstract: A double-clad optical fiber includes a core, an inner cladding and an outer cladding of silica-based glass. The core may have a radius of less than about 5 ?m, a first index of refraction n1 and does not contain any active rare-earth dopants. The inner cladding may surround the core and includes a radial thickness of at least about 25 ?m, a numerical aperture of at least about 0.25, and a second index of refraction n2 such that n2<n1. The relative refractive index percent (?%) of the core relative to the inner cladding may be greater than about 0.1%. The outer cladding may surround the inner cladding and include a radial thickness from about 10 ?m to about 50 ?m and a third index of refraction n3 such that n3<n2. The relative refractive index percent (?%) of the inner cladding relative to the outer cladding may be greater than about 1.5%.

Abstract: A detection system comprising: (i) an optical fiber, the optical fiber having (a) a length L?1 km; (b) beat length between 10 m and 100 m; and (c) beat length uniformity over any distance of at least 100 m within the length L is characterized by standard deviation ?, where |?|?10 m; (ii) an OTDR coupled to the fiber and including (a) a radiation source providing pulsed radiation to the fiber, (b) a detection system capable of detecting radiation that is backscattered back through the fiber; and (iii) at least one polarizer situated between the fiber and the detector, such that the backscattered radiation passes through the polarizer before reaching the detector.

Abstract: A double-clad optical fiber includes a core, an inner cladding and an outer cladding of silica-based glass. The core may have a radius of less than about 5 ?m, a first index of refraction n1 and does not contain any active rare-earth dopants. The inner cladding may surround the core and includes a radial thickness of at least about 25 ?m, a numerical aperture of at least about 0.25, and a second index of refraction n2 such that n2<n1. The relative refractive index percent (?%) of the core relative to the inner cladding may be greater than about 0.1%. The outer cladding may surround the inner cladding and include a radial thickness from about 10 ?m to about 50 ?m and a third index of refraction n3 such that n3<n2. The relative refractive index percent (?%) of the inner cladding relative to the outer cladding may be greater than about 1.5%.

Abstract: According to one example of the invention an optical fiber comprises: (i) a core comprising of Al doped silica having a first index of refraction n1; (ii) at least one silica based cladding surrounding the core and having a second index of refraction n2, such that n1>n2; (iii) a hermetic carbon based coating surrounding said cladding, said hermetic coating being 300 nm-1000 nm thick; and (iv) a second coating surrounding said hermetic coating, said second coating being 5 ?m to 80 ?m thick.

Abstract: A large-mode-area (LMA) optical fiber (10) that operates as a single-mode optical fiber. The optical fiber includes a core region (20) surrounded by an inner cladding (32), which in turn is surrounded by an outer cladding (40). The inner cladding includes at least one up-doped ring region (32R1). The ring region is configured to form a large attenuation differential between the higher-order modes and the fundamental mode so only that the fundamental mode remains traveling in the optical fiber. If necessary, the optical fiber can include a bend (10B) having a select “resonant” bend diameter (DB) that increases the relative attenuation of the fundamental and higher-order modes. The optical fiber supports an effective mode field diameter (MFD) of up to 40 ?m to 50 ?m. As a result, detrimental non-linear effects are suppressed, which allows the optical fiber to carry substantially more optical power than conventional LMA optical fibers.

Abstract: Generation of a cylindrically polarized light beam, and in particular, a hybrid-azimuthal-radial polarization beams, called HARP modes, generated from an input linearly polarized Gaussian beam using a spun optical waveguide device is taught. The HARP modes are comprised of hybrid-azimuthal polarization (HAP) and hybrid-radial polarization (HRP) superposition modes. These beams possess a non-zero local angular momentum density that is spatially varying and a zero total angular momentum.

Abstract: An optical fiber, comprising: (i) a core having a core center and a radius or a width a, (ii) a cladding surrounding the core, and (iii) at least one stress member situated proximate to the fiber core within the cladding, said stress member comprising silica co-doped with F and at least one dopant selected from the list consisting of: GeO2, P2O5, Y2O3, TiO2 and Al2O3, wherein distance b between the stress member and the core center satisfies the following equation: 1?b/a<2.

Abstract: A method for making low PMD fiber comprising the steps of: (i) making an initial fiber preform; (ii) modifying said initial fiber preform to introduce higher birefringence than that of the initial fiber preform into modified preform; and (iii) drawing an optical fiber from the modified preform and bi-directionally spinning the drawn fiber during draw.

Abstract: A detection system comprising: (i) an optical fiber, the optical fiber having (a) a length L?1 km; (b) beat length between 10 m and 100 m; and (c) beat length uniformity over any distance of at least 100 m within the length L is characterized by standard deviation ?, where |?|?10 m; (ii) an OTDR coupled to the fiber and including (a) a radiation source providing pulsed radiation to the fiber, (b) a detection system capable of detecting radiation that is backscattered back through the fiber; and (iii) at least one polarizer situated between the fiber and the detector, such that the backscattered radiation passes through the polarizer before reaching the detector.

Abstract: According to one example of the invention an optical fiber comprises: (i) a silica based core, said core having a core diameter greater than 80 ?m and a numerical aperture NA?0.24; and (ii) a silica based cladding in contact with and surrounding the core and having a second index of refraction n2, such that n1>n2; wherein the cladding includes B and F. Preferably the numerical aperture NA is at least 0.3.