US4005698A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Photon energy converter
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1974-10-18
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Granted: 1977-02-01
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Expires: 1994-10-18
Abstract
Abstract An efficient converter of photon energy to heat has been devised comprising a dense array of metal whiskers grown with spacings between the whiskers of a few wavelengths of visible light. The material selected, and tungsten is exemplary of such materials, has low emissivity, but achieves significant optical absorption by trapping the light impinging on the dense array by a geometric maze effect. The characteristics of the surface are excellent for the conversion of solar energy to heat.
Inventors
- 👤 Jerome John Cuomo
- 👤 Jerry MacPherson Woodall
- 👤 James Francis Ziegler
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 05:04
CPC Classifications
F; F24; F24S; F24S70/00; F24S70/20; F24S70/25; F24S70/225; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E10/00; Y02E10/40; Y10; Y10S; Y10S126/00; Y10S126/907; Y10S126/908; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/12; Y10T428/12451; Y10T428/12493; Y10T428/12535; Y10T428/12611; Y10T428/12771; Y10T428/12806; Y10T428/12826; Y10T428/1284; Y10T428/12861; Y10T428/12889; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24174; Y10T428/24355
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
95 words
An efficient broad band absorber of photons, comprising; a thermally conductive substrate; a dendritic distribution of material on said thermally conductive substrate, said distribution including effectively aligned needle-like protrusions extending from said substrate and arrayed in a random pattern thereover, the density of said protrusions being such that their individual height and width dimensions as well as their respective separations are of the order of a few incident photon wavelengths such that said protrusions act as a broad band photon absorber to convert the energy of said photons to heat in said thermally conductive substrate.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
95 words
An efficient broad band absorber of photons, comprising; a thermally conductive substrate; a dendritic distribution of material on said thermally conductive substrate, said distribution including effectively aligned needle-like protrusions extending from said substrate and arrayed in a random pattern thereover, the density of said protrusions being such that their individual height and width dimensions as well as their respective separations are of the order of a few incident photon wavelengths such that said protrusions act as a broad band photon absorber to convert the energy of said photons to heat in said thermally conductive substrate.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
101 words
A photon energy converter for converting photon energy to heat, comprising; a thermally conductive substrate; a dendritic distribution of protrusions projecting from said thermally conductive substrate and arrayed in a random pattern thereover of random sizes with the individual height and width dimensions as well as the respective separations between said protrusions being of the order of a few incident photon wavelengths wherein said dendritic distribution comprises a dense array of said protrusions which acts as a broad band photon absorber to dissipate said photon energy into lattice vibrations in said protrusions to form heat therefrom in said thermally conductive substrate.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
101 words
A photon energy converter for converting photon energy to heat, comprising; a thermally conductive substrate; a dendritic distribution of protrusions projecting from said thermally conductive substrate and arrayed in a random pattern thereover of random sizes with the individual height and width dimensions as well as the respective separations between said protrusions being of the order of a few incident photon wavelengths wherein said dendritic distribution comprises a dense array of said protrusions which acts as a broad band photon absorber to dissipate said photon energy into lattice vibrations in said protrusions to form heat therefrom in said thermally conductive substrate.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
The converter of claim 2 wherein said dendritic distribution of protrusions is composed of a low emissivity material.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
The converter of claim 2 wherein said dendritic distribution of protrusions is composed of a refractory material.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
13 words
The converter of claim 4 wherein said dendritic distribution of protrusions is tungsten.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
10 words
The converter of claim 2 wherein said substrate is sapphire.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
10 words
The converter of claim 2 wherein said substrate is tungsten.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
11 words
The converter of claim 2 wherein said substrate is stainless steel.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
37 words
The converter of claim 3 wherein said dendritic distribution of protrusions has a coating over it, said coating having an emissivity considerably lower than said protrusions so as to lower the hemispherical emissivity of said dendritic surface.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
The converter of claim 3 wherein said dendritic distribution of protrusions has a thin passivating coating over it.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
112 words
A broad band energy converter for converting photon energy to heat, comprising; a thermally conductive substrate; a dendritic distribution of protrusions projecting from said thermally conductive substrate and distributed in a random pattern of varying height dimensions thereover with the individual height dimensions and the respective separations between adjacent protrusions of similar height dimensions all being within an order of magnitude of a few wavelengths of incident photon energy wherein said protrusions form a dense distribution of varying height dimensions and separations which act to provide a broad band photon absorber to dissipate said photon energy into lattice vibrations in said protrusions to thereby produce heat therefrom in said thermally conductive substrate.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
112 words
A broad band energy converter for converting photon energy to heat, comprising; a thermally conductive substrate; a dendritic distribution of protrusions projecting from said thermally conductive substrate and distributed in a random pattern of varying height dimensions thereover with the individual height dimensions and the respective separations between adjacent protrusions of similar height dimensions all being within an order of magnitude of a few wavelengths of incident photon energy wherein said protrusions form a dense distribution of varying height dimensions and separations which act to provide a broad band photon absorber to dissipate said photon energy into lattice vibrations in said protrusions to thereby produce heat therefrom in said thermally conductive substrate.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
27 words
The energy converter as set forth in claim 11 wherein said dendritic distribution of protrusions acts to absorb photon energy having wavelengths between 0.2 and 40 microns.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
105 words
A broad band energy converter for converting photon energy to heat, comprising; a thermally conductive substrate; a dendritic distribution of protrusions projecting from said thermally conductive substrate and distributed in a random pattern of varying height dimensions thereover with the individual height and width dimensions and the respective separations between said protrusions being within an order of magnitude of a few wavelengths of incident photon energy wherein said protrusions form a dense distribution of varying height dimensions which acts as a broad band photon absorber to dissipate said photon energy into lattice vibrations in said protrusions to form heat therefrom in said thermally conductive substrate.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
105 words
A broad band energy converter for converting photon energy to heat, comprising; a thermally conductive substrate; a dendritic distribution of protrusions projecting from said thermally conductive substrate and distributed in a random pattern of varying height dimensions thereover with the individual height and width dimensions and the respective separations between said protrusions being within an order of magnitude of a few wavelengths of incident photon energy wherein said protrusions form a dense distribution of varying height dimensions which acts as a broad band photon absorber to dissipate said photon energy into lattice vibrations in said protrusions to form heat therefrom in said thermally conductive substrate.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
19 words
The energy converter as set forth in claim 13 wherein said dendritic distribution of protrusions comprises a low-emissivity material.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
19 words
The energy converter as set forth in claim 13 wherein said dendritic distribution of protrusions comprises a refractory material.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
17 words
The energy converter as set forth in claim 13 wherein said dendritic distribution of protrusions is tungsten.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
14 words
The energy converter as set forth in claim 13 wherein said substrate is sapphire.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
14 words
The energy converter as set forth in claim 13 wherein said substrate is tungsten.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
15 words
The energy converter as set forth in claim 13 wherein said substrate is stainless steel.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
15 words
The energy converter as set forth in claim 16 wherein said substrate is stainless steel.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
36 words
The energy converter as set forth in claim 20 wherein said dendritic distribution of protrusions has a coating thereover with said coating exhibiting an emissivity lower than that of said dendritic distribution of protrusions of tungsten.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
17 words
The energy converter as set forth in claim 21 wherein said coating acts to passivate said tungsten.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1980-02-01 | 1980-08-02 | 1981-02-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1984-02-01 | 1984-08-02 | 1985-02-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1988-02-01 | 1988-08-02 | 1989-02-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |