1. A system for calculating the remaining capacity of an energy storage device, the system comprising:
voltage detection means for detecting the terminal voltage of the energy storage device;
current detection means for detecting the charge and discharge current of the energy storage device;
first calculation means for integrating the charge and discharge current detected by the current detection means to calculate a first remaining capacity;
second calculation means for estimating the open circuit voltage of the energy storage device on the basis of the terminal voltage detected by the voltage detection means, the charge and discharge current detected by the current detection means, and the impedance of the equivalent circuit of the energy storage device to calculate a second remaining capacity based on the estimated open circuit voltage; and
third calculation means for weighting the first and second remaining capacities with a weight determined depending on the operating conditions of the energy storage device and combining the weighted remaining capacities into the remaining capacity of the energy storage device.
2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the third calculation means determines the weight on the basis of the moving average of the charge and discharge current detected by the current detection means.
3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second calculation means obtains the second remaining capacity on the basis of the open circuit voltage of the energy storage device and the temperature thereof in accordance with the electrochemical relationship therebetween in the energy storage device.
4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the second calculation means obtains the second remaining capacity on the basis of the open circuit voltage of the energy storage device and the temperature thereof in accordance with the electrochemical relationship therebetween in the energy storage device.
5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second calculation means calculates the impedance on the basis of the moving average of the charge and discharge current detected by the current detection means and the temperature of the energy storage device.
6. The system according to claim 2, wherein the second calculation means calculates the impedance on the basis of the moving average of the charge and discharge current detected by the current detection means and the temperature of the energy storage device.
7. The system according to claim 3, wherein the second calculation means calculates the impedance on the basis of the moving average of the charge and discharge current detected by the current detection means and the temperature of the energy storage device.
8. The system according to claim 4, wherein the second calculation means calculates the impedance on the basis of the moving average of the charge and discharge current detected by the current detection means and the temperature of the energy storage device.
9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first calculation means integrates the charge and discharge current using the remaining capacity, combined by the third calculation means, as a base value to obtain the first remaining capacity.
10. The system according to claim 2, wherein the first calculation means integrates the charge and discharge current using the remaining capacity, combined by the third calculation means, as a base value to obtain the first remaining capacity.
11. The system according to claim 3, wherein the first calculation means integrates the charge and discharge current using the remaining capacity, combined by the third calculation means, as a base value to obtain the first remaining capacity.
12. The system according to claim 4, wherein the first calculation means integrates the charge and discharge current using the remaining capacity, combined by the third calculation means, as a base value to obtain the first remaining capacity.
13. The system according to claim 5, wherein the first calculation means integrates the charge and discharge current using the remaining capacity, combined by the third calculation means, as a base value to obtain the first remaining capacity.
14. The system according to claim 6, wherein the first calculation means integrates the charge and discharge current using the remaining capacity, combined by the third calculation means, as a base value to obtain the first remaining capacity.
15. The system according to claim 7, wherein the first calculation means integrates the charge and discharge current using the remaining capacity, combined by the third calculation means, as a base value to obtain the first remaining capacity.
16. The system according to claim 8, wherein the first calculation means integrates the charge and discharge current using the remaining capacity, combined by the third calculation means, as a base value to obtain the first remaining capacity.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of forming a phase change material, comprising:
forming a chalcogenide compound on a substrate; and
simultaneously applying a bias voltage to the substrate to alter a stoichiometry of the chalcogenide compound.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein forming a chalcogenide compound on a substrate comprises depositing the chalcogenide compound by physical vapor deposition.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein forming a chalcogenide compound on a substrate comprises forming the chalcogenide compound having an empirical formula of GexSb100\u2212(x+y)Tey, wherein x ranges from approximately 5 atomic percent to approximately 60 atomic percent and y ranges from approximately 20 atomic percent to approximately 70 atomic percent.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein forming a chalcogenide compound on a substrate comprises forming the chalcogenide compound comprising a chalcogen ion selected from the group consisting of oxygen, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, and polonium and at least one electropositive element selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, silicon, nickel, gallium, germanium, arsenic, silver, indium, tin, antimony, gold, lead, and bismuth.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein simultaneously applying a bias voltage to the substrate comprises removing at least a portion of the chalcogen ion from the chalcogenide compound.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein simultaneously applying a bias voltage to the substrate comprises applying a constant bias voltage to the substrate.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein simultaneously applying a bias voltage to the substrate comprises applying a stepwise bias voltage to the substrate.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein simultaneously applying a bias voltage to the substrate to alter the stoichiometry of the chalcogenide compound comprises producing a phase change material comprising less chalcogen ion than the chalcogenide compound.
9. A method of forming a phase change material, comprising:
positioning a substrate and a deposition target in a deposition chamber, the deposition target comprising a first stoichiometry;
generating a plasma in the deposition chamber;
forming a phase change material on the substrate, the phase change material comprising a stoichiometry substantially similar to the first stoichiometry of the deposition target; and
applying a bias voltage to the substrate to convert the stoichiometry of the phase change material to a second stoichiometry.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein generating a plasma in the deposition chamber comprises generating a helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, or radon plasma.
11. The method of claim 10, further comprising including nitrogen in the plasma.
12. The method of claim 9, wherein forming a phase change material on the substrate comprises forming a crystalline phase change material on the substrate.
13. The method of claim 9, wherein applying a bias voltage to the substrate to convert the stoichiometry of the phase change material to a second stoichiometry comprises applying a bias voltage of from approximately 25 W to approximately 200 W to the substrate.
14. The method of claim 9, wherein applying a bias voltage to the substrate to convert the stoichiometry of the phase change material to a second stoichiometry comprises applying the bias voltage to the substrate to convert the phase change material to a different stoichiometry than the deposition target.
15. The method of claim 9, wherein applying a bias voltage to the substrate to convert the stoichiometry of the phase change material to a second stoichiometry comprises forming a substantially homogeneous phase change material.
16. The method of claim 9, wherein applying a bias voltage to the substrate to convert the stoichiometry of the phase change material to a second stoichiometry comprises forming a heterogeneous phase change material.
17. The method of claim 9, wherein forming a phase change material on the substrate and applying a bias voltage to the substrate to convert the stoichiometry of the phase change material to a second stoichiometry comprises substantially simultaneously forming the phase change material on the substrate and applying the bias voltage to the substrate.
18. A method of forming a phase change material, comprising:
forming a chalcogenide compound on a substrate, the chalcogenide compound comprising a different stoichiometry than a stoichiometry of a deposition target from which the chalcogenide compound is formed.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein forming a chalcogenide compound on a substrate comprises depositing the chalcogenide compound by physical vapor deposition.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein forming a chalcogenide compound on a substrate comprises forming the chalcogenide compound comprising a reduced chalcogen content compared to a chalcogen content of the deposition target.