Acoustic energy shaping
US4052181A · kind A · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 13, 1976 |
| Grant date | Oct 4, 1977 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 13, 1996 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S65/04
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A suspended mass is shaped by melting all or a selected portion of the mass and applying acoustic energy in varying amounts to different portions of the mass. In one technique for forming an optical waveguide slug, a mass of oval section is suspended and only a portion along the middle of the cross-section is heated to a largely fluid consistency. Acoustic energy is applied to opposite edges of the oval mass to press the unheated opposite edge portions together so as to form bulges at the middle of the mass. In another technique for forming a ribbon of silicon for constructing solar cells, a cylindrical thread of silicon is drawn from a molten mass of silicon, and acoustic energy is applied to opposite sides of the molten thread to flatten it into a ribbon.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.