Process for making powder alloys containing cadmium and selenium
AssigneeFirst Solar, Inc.
InventorsShrinivas Govindarajan, Michael Latusek, Feng Yan
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Abstract
A process for preparing alloy products powders is described using a self-sustaining or self-propagating SHS-type combustion process. Binary, ternary and quaternary alloy having cadmium, selenium and optionally a third element X or Y selected from Group VIA (such as S or Te) or from group IIB (such as Zn or Hg). The alloy products may be doped or not with a wide variety of other elements. The process involves heating to ignition, maintaining an elevated temperature less than melting for homogenization, followed by cooling and crushing. An optional de-oxidation process may follow to further purify the alloy and balance the stoichiometry.
Claims21
A process for making powder alloys containing cadmium and selenium, comprising
- blending a mixture of cadmium particles and selenium particles, the cadmium and selenium particles having a size ranging from about 1 to about 600 microns;
- blending into the mixture a quantity of quenchant particles having a size ranging from about 1 to about 1000 microns;
- heating the mixture to an ignition temperature at a rate allowing the reaction to establish a self-propagation mode to form an alloy product;
- maintaining an inert environment at an elevated temperature less than a melting point of the alloy product for a time sufficient to ensure homogenization of the alloy product;
- and
- cooling and crushing the alloy product to form a homogeneous alloy powder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.