Patents by Inventor Steven S. HEGEDUS

Steven S. HEGEDUS 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).

  • Processes for fabricating all-back-contact heterojunction photovoltaic cells
    Patent number: 8450141
    Abstract: Processes for fabricating back contacts for photovoltaic cell devices are disclosed. The processes involve depositing a passivation layer on the back surface of a wafer, depositing an emitter layer on the passivation layer, depositing a metal layer on the emitter layer, laser firing selected areas of the metal layer to form base contacts, laser cutting the metal layer to create at least one isolation region between emitter contacts and base contacts, and applying a stream of reactive gas to form a second passivation layer in the isolation region. The process may further involve inkjetting a resist on the passivation layer in a pattern corresponding to a boundary between the one or more emitter contacts and the one or more base contacts, and laser cutting the metal layer over the resist to create the isolation region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: University of Delaware
    Inventors: Robert W. Birkmire, Steven S. Hegedus, Ujjwal K. Das
  • PROCESSES FOR FABRICATING ALL-BACK-CONTACT HETEROJUNCTION PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
    Publication number: 20100319769
    Abstract: Processes for fabricating back contacts for photovoltaic cell devices are disclosed. The processes involve depositing a passivation layer on the back surface of a wafer, depositing an emitter layer on the passivation layer, depositing a metal layer on the emitter layer, laser firing selected areas of the metal layer to form base contacts, laser cutting the metal layer to create at least one isolation region between emitter contacts and base contacts, and applying a stream of reactive gas to form a second passivation layer in the isolation region. The process may further involve inkjetting a resist on the passivation layer in a pattern corresponding to a boundary between the one or more emitter contacts and the one or more base contacts, and laser cutting the metal layer over the resist to create the isolation region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2010
    Publication date: December 23, 2010
    Applicant: UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
    Inventors: Robert W. BIRKMIRE, Steven S. HEGEDUS, Ujjwal K. DAS