Patents by Inventor Mark A. Stan
Mark A. Stan 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).
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Publication number: 20130312818Abstract: A method of forming a multijunction solar cell comprising an upper subcell, a middle subcell, and a lower subcell comprising providing first substrate for the epitaxial growth of semiconductor material; forming a first solar subcell on said substrate having a first band gap; forming a second solar subcell over said first subcell having a second band gap smaller than said first band gap; and forming a grading interlayer over said second sub cell having a third band gap larger than said second band gap forming a third solar subcell having a fourth band gap smaller than said second band gap such that said third subcell is lattice mis-matched with respect to said second subcell.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 31, 2013Publication date: November 28, 2013Applicant: Emcore Solar Power, Inc.Inventors: Arthur Cornfeld, Mark A. Stan
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Publication number: 20130298961Abstract: A system for generating electrical power from solar radiation utilizing a thin film III-V compound multijunction semiconductor solar cell mounted on a support in a non-planar configuration is disclosed herein.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 19, 2013Publication date: November 14, 2013Inventors: Daniel McGlynn, Paul R. Sharps, Arthur Cornfeld, Mark A. Stan
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Patent number: 8536445Abstract: A method of forming a multijunction solar cell comprising an upper subcell, a middle subcell, and a lower subcell comprising providing first substrate for the epitaxial growth of semiconductor material; forming a first solar subcell on said substrate having a first band gap; forming a second solar subcell over said first subcell having a second band gap smaller than said first band gap; and forming a grading interlayer over said second subcell having a third band gap larger than said second band gap forming a third solar subcell having a fourth band gap smaller than said second band gap such that said third subcell is lattice mismatched with respect to said second subcell.Type: GrantFiled: June 2, 2006Date of Patent: September 17, 2013Assignee: Emcore Solar Power, Inc.Inventors: Arthur Cornfeld, Mark A. Stan
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Patent number: 8536446Abstract: Multijunction solar cells that may include a first solar subcell with a first band gap, and a second solar subcell disposed over the first solar subcell and having a second band gap smaller than said first band gap. The solar cells may also include a grading interlayer disposed over the second solar subcell that may include a third band gap greater than the second band gap. The grading interlayer may not include phosphorus. The solar cells may also include a third solar subcell disposed over the interlayer that is lattice mismatched with respect to the second solar subcell. The third solar subcell may have a fourth band gap smaller than the third band gap.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2010Date of Patent: September 17, 2013Assignee: Emcore Solar PowerInventors: Arthur Cornfeld, Mark A. Stan
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Publication number: 20120247535Abstract: A system for the generation of electrical power from sunlight includes a solar cell assembly with at least two sets of solar cells, each of these sets being adapted to a set-specific light frequency spectrum so as to convert light having said set-specific frequency spectrum into electrical energy with an optimized energy conversion efficiency. The system is arranged to respond to changes in the frequency spectrum of the sunlight, for example, in accordance with the time of the day, by causing the sunlight to selectively impinge on one or another of the different sets of solar cells. Thus, an enhanced energy conversion efficiency of the system is obtained.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 15, 2012Publication date: October 4, 2012Applicant: Emcore Solar Power, Inc.Inventors: Daniel McGlynn, Mark A. Stan
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Publication number: 20120227797Abstract: Inverted metamorphic multijunction solar cells having a heterojunction middle subcell and a graded interlayer, and methods of making same, are disclosed herein. The present disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a solar cell using an MOCVD process, wherein the graded interlayer is composed of (InxGa1-x)y Al1-yAs, and is formed in the MOCVD reactor so that it is compositionally graded to lattice match the middle second subcell on one side and the lower third subcell on the other side, with the values for x and y computed and the composition of the graded interlayer determined so that as the layer is grown in the MOCVD reactor, the band gap of the graded interlayer remains constant at 1.5 eV throughout the thickness of the graded interlayer.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 17, 2012Publication date: September 13, 2012Applicant: Emcore Solar Power, Inc.Inventors: Mark A. Stan, Arthur Cornfeld
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Patent number: 8263855Abstract: Apparatus and Method for Optimizing the Efficiency of a Bypass Diode in Solar Cells. In a preferred embodiment, a layer of TiAu is placed in an etch in a solar cell with a contact at a doped layer of GaAs. Electric current is conducted through a diode and away from the main cell by passing through the contact point at the GaAs and traversing a lateral conduction layer. These means of activating, or “turning on” the diode, and passing the current through the circuit results in greater efficiencies than in prior art devices. The diode is created during the manufacture of the other layers of the cell and does not require additional manufacturing.Type: GrantFiled: May 7, 2010Date of Patent: September 11, 2012Assignee: Emcore Solar Power, Inc.Inventors: Paul R. Sharps, Marvin Brad Clevenger, Mark A Stan
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Publication number: 20120211068Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including an upper first solar subcell, and the base-emitter junction of the upper first solar subcell being a homojunction; a second solar subcell adjacent to said first solar subcell; a third solar subcell adjacent to said second solar subcell. A first graded interlayer is provided adjacent to said third solar subcell. A fourth solar subcell is provided adjacent to said first graded interlayer, said fourth subcell is lattice mismatched with respect to said third subcell. A second graded interlayer is provided adjacent to said fourth solar subcell; and a lower fifth solar subcell is provided adjacent to said second graded interlayer, said lower fifth subcell is lattice mismatched with respect to said fourth subcell.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 21, 2012Publication date: August 23, 2012Applicant: Emcore Solar Power, Inc.Inventors: Arthur Cornfeld, John Spann, Pravin Patel, Mark A. Stan, Benjamin Cho, Paul R. Sharps, Daniel J. Aiken
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Publication number: 20120211071Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including an upper first solar subcell having a first band gap; a second solar subcell adjacent to the first solar subcell and having a second band gap smaller than the first band gap; a graded interlayer adjacent to the second solar subcell, the first graded interlayer having a third band gap greater than the second band gap; and a third solar subcell adjacent to the graded interlayer, the third subcell having a fourth band gap smaller than the second band gap such that the third subcell is lattice mismatched with respect to the second subcell. A lower fourth solar subcell is provided adjacent to the third subcell and lattice matched thereto, the lower fourth subcell having a fifth band gap smaller than the fourth band gap.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 3, 2012Publication date: August 23, 2012Applicant: Emcore Solar Power, Inc.Inventors: Fred Newman, Benjamin Cho, Mark A. Stan, Paul Sharps
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Publication number: 20100240171Abstract: A multijunction solar cell is fabricated according to an embodiment by providing a substrate, depositing a nucleation first layer over and directly in contact with the substrate, depositing a second layer containing an arsenic dopant over the nucleation layer and depositing a sequence of layers over the second layer forming at least one solar subcell. The nucleation layer serves as a diffusion barrier to the arsenic dopant such that diffusion of the arsenic dopant into the substrate is limited in depth by the nucleation layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 8, 2010Publication date: September 23, 2010Applicant: Emcore Solar Power, Inc.Inventors: Mark A. Stan, Nein Y. Li, Frank A. Spadafora, Hong Q. Hou, Paul R. Sharps, Navid S. Fatemi
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Publication number: 20100229926Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including an upper first solar subcell having a first band gap; a second solar subcell adjacent to the first solar subcell and having a second band gap smaller than the first band gap; a graded interlayer adjacent to the second solar subcell; the first graded interlayer having a third band gap greater than the second band gap; and a third solar subcell adjacent to the graded interlayer, the third subcell having a fourth band gap smaller than the second band gap such that the third subcell is lattice mismatched with respect to the second subcell. A lower fourth solar subcell is provided adjacent to the third subcell and lattice matched thereto, the lower fourth subcell having a fifth band gap smaller than the fourth band gap.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 10, 2009Publication date: September 16, 2010Applicant: Emcore Solar Power, Inc.Inventors: Fred Newman, Benjamin Cho, Mark A. Stan, Paul Sharps
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Publication number: 20100229932Abstract: A method of forming a multijunction solar cell comprising an upper subcell, a middle subcell, and a lower subcell comprising providing a first substrate for the epitaxial growth of semiconductor material; forming a first solar subcell on said substrate having a first band gap; forming a second solar subcell over said first subcell having a second band gap smaller than said first band gap; and forming a grading interlayer over said second subcell having a third band gap larger than said second band gap forming a third solar subcell having a fourth band gap smaller than said second band gap such that said third subcell is lattice mismatched with respect to said second subcell.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 12, 2010Publication date: September 16, 2010Applicant: Emcore Solar Power, Inc.Inventors: Arthur Cornfeld, Mark A. Stan
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Publication number: 20100224239Abstract: In a preferred embodiment, a layer of TiAu is placed in an etch in a solar cell with a contact at a doped layer of GaAs. Electric current is conducted through a diode and away from the main cell by passing through the contact point at the GaAs and traversing a lateral conduction layer. These means of activating, or “turning on” the diode, and passing the current through the circuit results in greater efficiencies than in prior art devices. The diode is created during the manufacture of the other layers of the cell and does not require additional manufacturing.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 7, 2010Publication date: September 9, 2010Applicant: Emcore CorporationInventors: Paul R. Sharps, Marvin Brad Clevenger, Mark A. Stan
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Patent number: 7759572Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including first and second solar cells on a substrate with an integral bypass diode having an intrinsic layer and operative for passing current when the multijunction solar cell is shaded. In one embodiment, a vertical sequence of solar cells are epitaxially grown on a first portion of the substrate, and the layers of the diode are epitaxially grown on a second portion of the substrate with the layers of the bypass diode being deposited subsequent to the layers of the top solar cell.Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 2004Date of Patent: July 20, 2010Assignee: Emcore Solar Power, Inc.Inventors: Paul R. Sharps, Daniel J. Aiken, Doug Collins, Mark A. Stan
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Publication number: 20100170559Abstract: A system for the generation of electrical power from sunlight includes a solar cell assembly with at least two sets of solar cells, each of these sets being adapted to a set-specific light frequency spectrum so as to convert light having said set-specific frequency spectrum into electrical energy with an optimized energy conversion efficiency. The system is arranged to respond to changes in the frequency spectrum of the sunlight, for example, in accordance with the time of the day, by causing the sunlight to selectively impinge on one or another of the different sets of solar cells. Thus, an enhanced energy conversion efficiency of the system is obtained.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 6, 2009Publication date: July 8, 2010Applicant: Emcore Solar Power, Inc.Inventors: Daniel McGlynn, Mark A. Stan
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Publication number: 20100147366Abstract: A multijunction solar cell including an upper first solar subcell having a first band gap; a middle second solar subcell adjacent to the first solar subcell and having a second band gap smaller than the first band gap, and having a base layer and an emitter layer, a graded interlayer adjacent to the second solar subcell; the graded interlayer having a third band gap greater than said second band gap; a third solar subcell adjacent to the interlayer, the third subcell having a fourth band gap smaller than the second band gap such that the third subcell is lattice mismatched with respect to the second subcell; and a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) adjacent the second or third subcell.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 17, 2008Publication date: June 17, 2010Applicant: Emcore Solar Power, Inc.Inventors: Mark A. Stan, Arthur Cornfeld
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Patent number: 7732705Abstract: A solar cell array including a first solar cell with an integral bypass diode and an adjacent second solar cell and two discrete metal interconnection members coupling the anode of the bypass diode of the first cell with the anode of the second solar cell.Type: GrantFiled: October 11, 2005Date of Patent: June 8, 2010Assignee: Emcore Solar Power, Inc.Inventors: Mark A. Stan, Marvin Bradford Clevenger, Paul R. Sharps
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Patent number: 7727795Abstract: A method of forming a multijunction solar cell including an upper subcell, a middle subcell, and a lower subcell, including providing first substrate for the epitaxial growth of semiconductor material; forming a first solar subcell on the substrate having a first band gap; forming a second solar subcell over the first solar subcell having a second band gap smaller than the first band gap; forming a grading interlayer over the second subcell, the grading interlayer having a third band gap greater than the second band gap; and forming a third solar subcell over the grading interlayer having a fourth band gap smaller than the second band gap such that the third subcell is lattice mis-matched with respect to the second subcell, wherein at least one of the bases of a solar subcell has an exponentially doped profile.Type: GrantFiled: August 7, 2008Date of Patent: June 1, 2010Assignee: Encore Solar Power, Inc.Inventors: Mark A. Stan, Arthur Cornfeld, Vance Ley
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Patent number: 7709287Abstract: A method of forming a multijunction solar cell includes providing a substrate, forming a first subcell by depositing a nucleation layer over the substrate and a buffer layer including gallium arsenide (GaAs) over the nucleation layer, forming a middle second subcell having a heterojunction base and emitter disposed over the first subcell and forming first and second tunnel junction layers between the first and second subcells. The first tunnel junction layer includes GaAs over the first subcell and the second tunnel junction layer includes aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs) over the first tunnel junction layer. The method further includes forming a third subcell having a homojunction base and emitter disposed over the middle subcell.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2006Date of Patent: May 4, 2010Assignee: Emcore Solar Power, Inc.Inventors: Navid Fatemi, Daniel J. Aiken, Mark A. Stan
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Publication number: 20100012174Abstract: A method of forming a multijunction solar cell including an upper subcell, a middle subcell, and a lower subcell by providing a substrate for the epitaxial growth of semiconductor material; forming a first solar subcell on the substrate having a first band gap; forming a second solar subcell over the first solar subcell having a second band gap smaller than the first band gap; forming a graded interlayer over the second subcell, the graded interlayer having a third band gap greater than the second band gap; forming a third solar subcell over the graded interlayer having a fourth band gap smaller than the second band gap such that the third subcell is lattice mismatched with respect to the second subcell; and forming a contact layer over the third subcell having a fifth band gap greater than at least the magnitude of the second band gap.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 16, 2008Publication date: January 21, 2010Applicant: Emcore CorporationInventors: Tansen Varghese, Mark A. Stan, Arthur Cornfeld, Fred Newman, Allen A. Gray