Solar-Tectic receives patent for hybrid thin-film solar cell and OLED technology
Solar-Tectic LLC has announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has allowed a patent for hybrid organic/inorganic thin-film growth on expensive substrates, such as flexible and ordinary soda-lime glass. The technology was invented by Ashok Chaudhari and is based on the work of the late Dr. Praveen Chaudhari, winner of the 1995 U.S. Medal of Technology. It has applications in various industries such as solar, displays and OLED, and OLETs (Organic Light Emitting Diodes and Transistors).
US patent (14/571,800) titled "Hybrid organic/inorganic eutectic solar cell" discloses a unique growth technique that for the first time allows for low temperature deposition of exceptionally high quality polymer/inorganic semiconductor films from a variety of materials such as silicon, and germanium on inexpensive substrates, solving an intractable problem.
The cost-effective thin-film growth process is very well suited for large-scale industrial applications using common deposition processes, such as e-beam, CVD, etc. It is ideal technology for displays used in smartphones, computers, and televisions.
The technology falls under the category of "Third Generation Photovoltaics".