Author: claimsbot

1. A method for preparing an A-B-C2 or A2-(Dx,E1-x)-C4 absorber thin film for photovoltaic cells where 0\u2266x\u22661, A is an element or a mixture of elements selected from group 11, B is an element or a mixture of elements selected from group 13, C is an element or a mixture of elements selected from group 16, D is an element or a mixture of elements selected from group 12 and E is an element or a mixture of elements selected from group 14, said method comprising the following successive steps:
electrodeposition of a thin film of a mixture of oxides andor hydroxides comprising, for an A-B-C2 film, at least one element from group 11 and one element from group 13 or, for an A2-(Dx,E1-x)-C4 film, at least one element from group 11, at least one element from group 12 if x>0, and at least one element from group 14 if x<1,
annealing of the thin film in a reducing atmosphere,
supply of at least one element from group 16 in order to form an A-B-C2 or A2-(Dx,E1-x)-C4 thin film where 0\u2266x\u22661.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrodeposition is carried out at a temperature of at least 5\xb0 C. and not greater than 95\xb0 C.
3. The method as claimed claim 1, wherein the annealing in reducing atmosphere is carried out at a temperature of at least 300\xb0 C. and not greater than 650\xb0 C.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the annealing in reducing atmosphere has a duration of at least 20 seconds and not greater than 15 minutes.
5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, prior to the electrodeposition of the thin film, an aqueous solution is prepared containing a mixture of salts of A and B for an A-B-C2 film or a mixture of salt of A, D andor E for an A2-(Dx,E1-x)-C4 film, in the presence of at least one oxygen donor species.
6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the oxygen donor species consists of a nitrate ion, or of dioxygen, or of hydrogen peroxide or of hypochlorite ions.
7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein A is copper or silver or a mixture of copper and silver and C is selenium or sulfur or a mixture of selenium and sulfur.
8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the absorber thin film for photovoltaic cells is the A-B-C2 type and B comprises one or more elements selected from indium, gallium, aluminum or mixtures thereof.
9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the electrodeposition is carried by imposing a current density of between 1 and 30 mA\xb7cm\u22122 or a voltage of at least \u22121.8 V and not greater than \u22120.5 V to an electrode comprising an insulating substrate coated with a film of molybdenum and a saturated HgHg2SO4K2SO4 reference electrode.
10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the atomic ratio of the elements A and B in the electrolyte solution is at least 0.2 and not greater than 1.5.
11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the absorber thin film for photovoltaic cells is the A-B-C2 type and B comprises a mixture of indium and gallium, and wherein the ratio of the indium and gallium concentrations in the electrolyte solution is at least 0.2 and not greater than 1.5.
12. A method for manufacturing a solar cell, comprising the method for preparing an absorber thin film for photovoltaic cells as claimed in claim 1.

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 silicon carbide semiconductor device comprising:
an insulation film, and
a silicon carbide layer having a surface covered with said insulation film, said surface including a first region, said first region having a first plane orientation at least partially, said first plane orientation being any of a (0-33-8) plane, (30-3-8) plane, (-330-8) plane, (03-3-8) plane, (\u2212303-8) plane, and (3-30-8) plane,
wherein
said surface of said silicon carbide layer further includes a second region, said second region having a second plane orientation differing from said first plane orientation, at least partially,
said second plane orientation is any of the (0-33-8) plane, (30-3-8) plane, (-330-8) plane, (03-3-8) plane, (-303-8) plane, and (3-30-8) plane.
2. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein
said surface of said silicon carbide layer further includes third to sixth regions, said third to sixth regions, at least partially, having third to sixth plane orientations respectively, said first to sixth plane orientations differing from each other, and
each of said first to sixth plane orientations is any of the (0-33-8) plane, (30-3-8) plane, (-330-8) plane, (03-3-8) plane, (-303-8) plane, and (3-30-8) plane.
3. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein an interface between said silicon carbide layer and said insulation film has an interface state density less than 5\xd71011 cm\u22122 eV\u22121.
4. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said silicon carbide semiconductor device has an S value less than or equal to 200 mVdecade.
5. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising a gate electrode provided on said insulation film.
6. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein said gate electrode constitutes a trench gate structure.
7. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein said gate electrode constitutes a planar gate structure.
8. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said silicon carbide layer has channel mobility higher than or equal to 70 cm2Vs at room temperature on said surface.
9. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein said silicon carbide layer has an impurity concentration greater than or equal to 1\xd71017 cm\u22123 on said surface.
10. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein said silicon carbide semiconductor device has a threshold value greater than or equal to 4V.
11. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said silicon carbide layer has channel mobility higher than or equal to 100 cm2Vs at room temperature on said surface.
12. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein said silicon carbide layer has an impurity concentration greater than or equal to 2\xd71016 cm\u22123 on said surface.
13. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 12, wherein said silicon carbide semiconductor device has a threshold value greater than or equal to 2.5V.
14. A silicon carbide semiconductor device comprising:
an insulation film, and
a silicon carbide layer having a surface covered with said insulation film, said surface including a first region, said first region having a first plane orientation at least partially, an off orientation of said first plane orientation to a {0001} plane being within a range of \xb15\xb0 to a <1-100> direction, an off angle of said first plane orientation to a {03-38} plane in the <1-100> direction being greater than or equal to \u22123\xb0 and less than or equal to 3\xb0, and an inclination of said first plane orientation to a (000-1) plane being less than 90\xb0,
wherein
said surface of said silicon carbide layer further includes a second region, said second region having a second plane orientation differing from said first plane orientation at least partially, an off orientation of said second plane orientation to the {0001} plane being within the range of \xb15\xb0 to the <1-100> direction, an off angle of said second plane orientation to the {03-38} plane in the <1-100> direction being greater than or equal to \u22123\xb0 and less than or equal to 3\xb0, and an inclination of said second plane orientation to the (000-1) plane being less than 90\xb0.
15. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 14, wherein
said surface of said silicon carbide layer further includes third to sixth regions, said third to sixth regions, at least partially, having third to sixth plane orientations respectively, said first to sixth plane orientations differing from each other, each off orientation of said first to sixth plane orientations to the {0001} plane being within the range of \xb15\xb0 to the <1-100> direction, each off angle of each of said first to sixth plane orientations to the {03-38} plane in the <1-100> direction being greater than or equal to \u22123\xb0 and less than or equal to 3\xb0, and each inclination of each of said first to sixth plane orientations to the (000-1) plane being less than 90\xb0.
16. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 14, wherein an interface between said silicon carbide layer and said insulation film has an interface state density less than 5\xd71011 cm\u22122 eV\u22121.
17. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 14, wherein said silicon carbide semiconductor device has an S value less than or equal to 200 mVdecade.
18. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 14, further comprising a gate electrode provided on said insulation film.
19. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 18, wherein said gate electrode constitutes a trench gate structure.
20. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 18, wherein said gate electrode constitutes a planar gate structure.
21. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 14, wherein said silicon carbide layer has channel mobility higher than or equal to 70 cm2Vs at room temperature on said surface.
22. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 21, wherein said silicon carbide layer has an impurity concentration greater than or equal to 1\xd71017 cm\u22123 on said surface.
23. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 22, wherein said silicon carbide semiconductor device has a threshold value greater than or equal to 4V.
24. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 14, wherein said silicon carbide layer has channel mobility higher than or equal to 100 cm2Vs at room temperature on said surface.
25. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 24, wherein said silicon carbide layer has an impurity concentration greater than or equal to 2\xd71016 cm\u22123 on said surface.
26. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 25, wherein said silicon carbide semiconductor device has a threshold value greater than or equal to 2.5V.

1. A method for billing a user for the use of a network-enabled application that is integrated with a social networking site having a plurality of users and a plurality of communication channels with a respective plurality of wireless carriers, the method comprising:
a web page establishment step of establishing, on the social networking site, a user profile web page associated with each of the plurality of users;
an application access step of making a plurality of network-enabled applications available, in the social networking site, to the plurality of users via an area on the social networking site and allowing each of the plurality of users the ability to place one of the plurality of network-enabled application on their web page and to access or use the network-enabled application on the web-page;
a billing event detection step of detecting, in the social networking site, a billing event generated by a network-enabled application for access to or use of the network enabled application by a user, the billing event containing an identification code corresponding to the user;
a billing validation step of validating, in the social networking site, the billing event generated by the network-enabled application by determining if the billing event is in accordance with a predetermined pricing structure corresponding to the network-enabled application;
a billing message step of sending, in the case that the billing event is determined to be valid in the billing validation step, a billing message from the social networking site to an external billing mechanism, the billing message containing a billing amount which the external billing mechanism is to bill the user; and
a billing event discard step of discarding, in the case that the billing event is determined to be invalid in the billing validation step, the billing event from the social networking site.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the external billing mechanism is one of the wireless carriers that corresponds to the user, and further including:
a selection receipt step of receiving, in the social networking site, a selection indication from the user via an application webpage operated by the social networking site, the selection indication including an application identifier corresponding to the network-enabled application; and
a subscription step of subscribing the user to the network-enabled application by entering information related to the user into a database in the social networking site in association with the network-enabled application,
wherein, upon subscription of the user to the network-enabled application, the user is enabled to utilize the services of the network-enabled application.
3. A method according to claim 2, wherein, upon subscription of the user to the network-enabled application, the user can access the network-enabled application via a user profile webpage operated by the social networking site and associated with the user.
4. A method according to claim 2, further including:
a pricing display step of displaying, in response to the selection indication from the user in the selection step, a pricing structure on a pricing webpage operated by the social networking site, the pricing structure corresponding to the network-enabled application; and
a confirmation step of receiving a confirmation indication from the user in response to the display of the pricing structure in the pricing display step, the confirmation indication instructing the social networking site to proceed to subscribe the user to the network-enabled application.
5. A method according to claim 2, wherein, in order to enable the user to utilize the services of the network-enabled application, the network-enabled application provides an application, or portion of an application that is downloadable to at least one mobile device of the user.
6. A method according to claim 1, wherein, in the billing validation step, it is determined if the billing event is in accordance with the predetermined pricing structure by comparing a recorded history of previous billing events for the user from the network-enabled application to a predetermined message limit, and determining if the billing event would result in exceeding the predetermined message limit.
7. A method according to claim 1, wherein, in the billing validation step, the billing event is further validated by comparing a number of received user complaints associated with the network-enabled application to a predetermined complaint threshold, and determining that the billing event is invalid in the case that the number of received user complaints associated with the network-enabled application exceed the predetermined complaint threshold.
8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the user complaints associated with the network-enabled application are received from one or more of the plurality of users via a webpage operated by the social networking site.
9. A method according to claim 1, wherein, in the billing event detection step, the billing event is a text message request sent from the network-enabled application to the social networking site, the text message request containing the identification code corresponding to the user.
10. A method according to claim 1, wherein, in the billing message step, the billing message is a text message that contains the identification code corresponding to the user and that also contains a billing amount, and the billing message is sent from the social networking site to the wireless carrier via the respective one of the communication channels corresponding to the wireless carrier.
11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the wireless carrier bills the user based on the billing amount.
12. A method according to claim 1, wherein, in the billing event discard step, the social networking site sends a message to an operator of the network-enabled application that includes an error message indicating that the billing event is invalid.
13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the billing event is triggered by the transmission of data from the network-enabled application to at least one mobile device.
14. A method according to claim 1, wherein, in the billing message step, the billing amount includes one or more portions for sharing with one of the plurality of wireless carriers andor one or more application providers.
15. A method according to claim 1, wherein the network-enabled application is selected from the group consisting of music data, video data, plaintext data or markup language data.
16. A method according to claim 1, wherein,
in the billing event detection step, the billing event is a message sent from the network-enabled application to the social networking site, the text message request containing an identification code corresponding to the user, and
in the billing message step, the billing message contains the identification code corresponding to the user and a billing amount, and the billing message is sent from the social networking site to the wireless carrier, and the wireless network carrier bills the user based on the billing amount.
17. A method according to claim 1, wherein, in the billing message step, the billing message contains a billing amount, and the billing message is sent from the social networking site to the wireless carrier which bills the user based on the billing amount.
18. A platform for supporting a social networking site and a network-enabled application and for billing a user for the use of the network-enabled application, comprising:
a plurality of communication channels to a respective plurality of wireless carriers, each of the wireless carriers having a plurality of users;
at least one interface having access to the internet to enable a plurality of social networking users to access the social networking site;
at least one processor; and
at least one computer readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for integrating the network-enabled application with the social networking site and billing a user for the use of the network-enabled application, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by the one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform:
a web page establishment step of establishing, on the social networking site, a user profile web page associated with each of the plurality of social networking users;
an application access step of making the network-enabled application available, in the social networking site, to the plurality of social networking users via an area on the social networking site and allowing each of the plurality of social networking users the ability to place one of the network-enabled application on their web page and to access or use the network-enabled application on the web-page;
a billing event detection step of detecting, in the social networking site, a billing event generated by the network-enabled application, the billing event containing an identification code corresponding to a user;
a billing validation step of validating, in the social networking site, the billing event generated by the network-enabled application by determining if the billing event is in accordance with a predetermined pricing structure corresponding to the network-enabled application;
a billing message step of sending, in the case that the billing event is determined to be valid in the billing validation step, a billing message from the platform to an external billing mechanism, the billing message containing a billing amount which the external billing mechanism bills to the user; and
a billing event discard step of discarding, in the case that the billing event is determined to be invalid in the billing validation step, the billing event from the social networking site.
19. A platform according to claim 18, wherein the external billing mechanism is one of the wireless carriers that corresponds to the user, and wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by the one or more processors further causes the one or more processors to perform:
a selection receipt step of receiving, in the platform, a selection indication from the user via an application webpage operated by the platform, the selection indication including an application identifier corresponding to the network-enabled application; and
a subscription step of subscribing the user to the network-enabled application by entering information related to the user into a database in the platform in association with the network-enabled application, wherein, upon subscription of the user to the network-enabled application, the user is enabled to utilize the services of the network-enabled application.
20. A platform according to claim 19, wherein, upon subscription of the user to the network-enabled application, the user is enabled to access the network-enabled application via a user profile webpage operated by the platform.
21. A platform according to claim 19, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by the one or more processors further causes the one or more processors to perform:
a pricing display step of displaying, in response to the selection indication from the user in the selection step, a pricing structure on a pricing webpage operated by the platform, the pricing structure corresponding to the network-enabled application; and
a confirmation step of receiving a confirmation indication from the user in response to the display of the pricing structure in the pricing display step, the confirmation indication instructing the platform to proceed to subscribe the user to the network-enabled application.
22. A platform according to claim 19, wherein, in order to enable the user to utilize the services of the network-enabled application, the network-enabled application provides an application that is downloadable to at least one mobile device of the user.
23. A platform according to claim 18, wherein, in the billing validation step, it is determined if the billing event is in accordance with the predetermined pricing structure by comparing a recorded history of previous billing events for the user from the network-enabled application to a predetermined message limit, and determining if the billing event would result in exceeding the predetermined message limit.
24. A platform according to claim 18, wherein, in the billing validation step, the billing event is further validated by comparing a number of received user complaints associated with the network-enabled application to a predetermined complaint threshold, and determining that the billing event is invalid in the case that the number of received user complaints associated with the network-enabled application exceeds the predetermined complaint threshold.
25. A platform according to claim 24, wherein the user complaints associated with the network-enabled application are received from one or more of the plurality of users via a webpage operated by the platform.
26. A platform according to claim 18, wherein, in the billing event detection step, the billing event is a text message request sent from the network-enabled application to the platform, the text message request containing the identification code corresponding to the user.
27. A platform according to claim 18, wherein, in the billing message step, the billing message is a text message that contains the identification code corresponding to the user and that also contains a billing amount, and the billing message is sent from the platform to the wireless carrier via the respective one of the communication channels corresponding to the wireless carrier.
28. A platform according to claim 18, wherein, in the billing event discard step, the platform sends a message to an operator of the network-enabled application that includes an error message indicating that the billing event is invalid.
29. A platform according to claim 18, wherein the billing event is triggered by the transmission of data from the network-enabled application to at least one mobile device.
30. A platform according to claim 18, wherein, in the billing message step, the billing amount includes one or more portions for sharing with one of the plurality of wireless carriers andor one or more application providers.
31. A platform according to claim 18, wherein the network-enabled application is selected from the group consisting of music data, video data, plaintext data or markup language data.

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 backlight system, comprising:
a direct-view backlight, comprising three light shaping diffuser films, comprising two elliptical and one circular scattering radiation profiles, placed on each other, and arranged as an elliptical, elliptical, and circular film stack such that the light enters via the first elliptical diffuser and then leaves via the last circular diffuser.
2. A backlight system, comprising:
a direct-view backlight, comprising three light shaping diffuser films, comprising two elliptical and one circular scattering radiation profiles, placed on each other, and arranged as an elliptical, elliptical, and circular film stack, with the first elliptical diffuser clear film side substrate facing at least one illuminator and the clear side of the last, circular, diffuser facing away from the at least one illuminator such that the light enters via the first elliptical diffuser and then leaves via the last circular diffuser.
3. The backlight system of claim 2, further comprising:
a collimator-diffusing support panel of 1 to 2 mm thickness with arrays of 400-900 hundred micron lenses and having a pre-diffused agent for the purpose of light collimation and pre-diffusion, with a lenslet lenticular screen imprinted on one side and being the first surface on which the light from the at least one illuminator is radiating, and configured as a support on which the entire diffuser film stack is placed and its glossy side opposite to lenslet lenticular side facing the entering light.
4. The backlight of claim 2, wherein, when there is at least one elongated light source, the two elliptical films each comprise a 60 degrees\xd71 degree full width half maximum angular scattering profile, coaxed with each other in the scattering directions, with the largest scattering directions running along the cross-section of the elongated sources, such as CCFL, for both elliptical diffusers, to maximize the spread and obscure the elongated sources.
5. The backlight system of claim 2, further comprising:
at least one passive diffuser film of 100 to 150 microns on a clear film side, bearing a predetermined material profile, engineered by holographic recording, harnessing the light from the said light source to an exit of the display system as a viewing screen or in viewing directions,
wherein each layer of the diffuser film is manufactured by a UV rapid replication process in which a micro-relief pattern is imprinted on a transparent film.
6. The backlight system of claim 1, wherein the diffuser layers each comprise a micro-relief pattern on a substrate by web-processing by a drum embossed with metal imprints by holographic recording and post-processing, and by illuminating the drum with UV light while pressing the drum against a substrate film to imprint the substrate with the surface micro-relief structure and being the integral part of the film, the substrate film having been prepared by surface coating curing UV resin with a refractive index in close proximity to that of the substrate.
7. The backlight system of claim 1, wherein a surface relief pattern of the diffuser film is manufactured on both sides of a clear film, creating a film comprising a micro-relief surface pattern on both sides of the clear film.
8. The backlight system in claim 2, comprising fewer than three diffusive films in the assembly, with one diffuser combining functionality of the two diffusers, where at least one such diffuser has micro-relief layers on both sides of a clear film substrate and the micro-relief layers.
9. The backlight system of claim 1, further comprising a collimator-support panel comprising a collimating side bearing micron lens manufactured by heat embossing and comprising diffusion characteristics obtained by mixing a diffusing agent of certain concentration into the panel plastic of the collimator-support panel.
10. The backlight system of claim 1, further comprising a circular diffuser as part of the assembly as a top, final layer, whose angular characteristics are determined by the desired final viewing area.
11. The backlight system of claim 1, further comprising a light entering through the clear surface of an optional collimating-diffuser support panel and in the direction of the thickness of the panel, comprising a panel with a thickness ranging from 1 to 2 mm.
12. The backlight system of claim 1, further comprising a light entering through the clear surface of light shaping diffuser film, having 60 degrees\xd71 degree elliptical scattering pattern, and in the direction of the thickness of the film, with further propagation away from the illuminators and entering other films in the stack.
13. The backlight system of claim 1, further comprising:
an integral surface relief holographic pattern of elliptical and circular configuration on one; or
separate films with light shaping functions to homogenize the illumination sources and to direct light to desired directions.
14. The backlight system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of diverging sources, each source comprising one or more of: a CCFL, an LED, a laser diode, a fluorescent lamp, and a near IR irradiator.
15. The backlight system of claim 1, further comprising engineered surface relief pattern layers to direct light from the sources by effective light collection, harnessing, scattering, homogenizing, and propagating within the backlight by the specific micro structural shapes and configurations of the engineered layer components.
16. The backlight of claim 2, wherein, when there is at least one elongated light source, the two elliptical films each comprise a 60 degrees\xd71 degree full width half maximum angular scattering profile, coaxed with each other in the scattering directions, with the largest scattering directions running along the cross-section of the elongated sources, such as CCFL, for both elliptical diffusers, to maximize the spread and obscure the elongated sources.
17. The backlight system of claim 2, wherein the diffuser layers each comprise a micro-relief pattern on a substrate by web-processing by a drum embossed with metal imprints by holographic recording and post-processing, and by illuminating the drum with UV light while pressing the drum against a substrate film to imprint the substrate with the surface micro-relief structure and being the integral part of the film, the substrate film having been prepared by surface coating curing UV resin with a refractive index in close proximity to that of the substrate.
18. The backlight system of claim 2, wherein a surface relief pattern of the diffuser film is manufactured on both sides of a clear film, creating a film comprising a micro-relief surface pattern on both sides of the clear film.
19. The backlight system of claim 2, further comprising a collimator-support panel comprising a collimating side bearing micron lens manufactured by heat embossing and comprising diffusion characteristics obtained by mixing a diffusing agent of certain concentration into the panel plastic of the collimator-support panel.
20. The backlight system of claim 2, further comprising a circular diffuser as part of the assembly as a top, final layer, whose angular characteristics are determined by the desired final viewing area.
21. The backlight system of claim 2, further comprising a light entering through the clear surface of an optional collimating-diffuser support pane and in the direction of the thickness of the panel, comprising a panel with a thickness ranging from 1 to 2 mm.
22. The backlight system of claim 2, further comprising a light entering through the clear surface of light shaping diffuser film, having 60 degrees\xd71 degree elliptical scattering pattern, and in the direction of the thickness of the film, with further propagation away from the illuminators and entering other films in the stack.
23. The backlight system of claim 2, further comprising:
an integral surface relief holographic pattern of elliptical and circular configuration on one; or
separate films with light shaping functions to homogenize the illumination sources and to direct light to desired directions.
24. The backlight system of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of diverging sources, each source comprising one or more of: a CCFL, an LED, a laser diode, a fluorescent lamp, and a near IR irradiator.
25. The backlight system of claim 2, further comprising engineered surface relief pattern layers to direct light from the sources by effective light collection, harnessing, scattering, homogenizing, and propagating within the backlight by the specific micro structural shapes and configurations of the engineered layer components.