US Patent No: 7,954,449

Number of patents in Portfolio can not be more than 2000

Wiring-free, plumbing-free, cooled, vacuum chuck

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ALSO PUBLISHED AS: 20080277885
ATTORNEY / AGENT: (SPONSORED)
 

Importance

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Abstract

A solar cell production system utilizes self-contained vacuum chucks that hold and cool solar cell wafers during transport on a conveyor between processing stations during a fabrication process. Each self-contained vacuum chuck includes its own local vacuum pump and a closed-loop cooling system. After each wafer is processed, it is removed from its vacuum chuck, and the vacuum chuck is returned to the start of the production line by a second conveyor belt. In one embodiment, each vacuum chuck includes an inductive power supply that is inductively coupled to an external source to drive that vacuum chuck's vacuum pump and cooling system. An optional battery is recharged by the inductive power supply, and is used to power the vacuum pump and cooling system during hand-off between adjacent processing stations.

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First Claim

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Patent Owner(s)

Patent OwnerAddressTotal Patents
SOLARWORLD INNOVATIONS GMBHPALO ALTO, CA, DE15

International Classification(s)

  • [Classification Symbol]
  • [Patents Count]

Inventor(s)

Inventor Name Address # of filed Patents Total Citations
Duff, David G Woodside, CA 43 87
Eldershaw, Craig Tarragindi, AU 23 30

Cited Art

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Patent Citation Ranking

Forward Cites

Patent Info (Count) # Cites Year
 
TOHOKU SEIKI INDUSTRIES, LTD. (1)
8,322,509 Solar cell module conveyer line 0 2007

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