Energy Conversion Devices
ECD Ovonics is the leader in the synthesis of new materials and the development of advanced production technology and innovative products. It has invented, pioneered and developed enabling technologies in the fields of energy and information leading to new products and production processes based on amorphous, disordered and related materials. ECD Ovonics' proprietary advanced information technologies include Ovonic™ phase-change electrical memory, Ovonic™ phase-change optical memory and the Ovonic™ Threshold Switch.
The Company's portfolio of alternative energy solutions includes thin-film amorphous solar cells, modules, panels and systems for generating solar electric power; NiMH batteries; hydride storage materials capable of storing hydrogen in the solid state for use as a feedstock for fuel cells or internal combustion engines or as an enhancement or replacement for any type of hydrocarbon fuel; and fuel cell technology. ECD Ovonics designs and builds manufacturing machinery that incorporates its proprietary production processes, maintains ongoing research and development programs to continually improve its products and develops new applications for its technologies. ECD Ovonics holds the basic patents in its fields.
Technology Overview
ECD has maintained a strong core competence in materials research and advanced product development throughout its history, and the company protects the results of these efforts through an extensive collection of patents. ECD now holds more than 350 issued U.S. patents and more than 800 foreign patents covering basic material compositions, product applications, and manufacturing processes. These patents, coupled with more than thirty years of accumulated background know-how in the field, represent powerful intellectual assets that form the basis for ECD's many licensing agreements and manufacturing partnerships. The research and product development staff at ECD and its subsidiaries and joint ventures publish extensively in the technical literature, and their efforts are focused on the development of new products and technology that will benefit ECD's commercial partners.