Daryl Chapin
Daryl Muscott Chapin | |
---|---|
Ellensburg, Washington, USA | |
Died | January 19, 1995 Naples, Florida, USA | (aged 88)
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | |
Known for | Co-inventing the solar cell |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Physics |
Institutions |
Daryl Muscott Chapin
Biography
Chapin was born in
Prior to working on solar cells, he worked on magnetic materials. While working on power sources for remote telephone systems in humid areas such as the tropics, where dry cell batteries are unreliable, he investigated solar power as an energy source after considering alternatives like thermoelectric generators and small steam engines. Initially he investigated selenium, getting efficiencies which were too low with a yield of about 4.9 watts per square meter.[3][4][5]
At the same time, Pearson and Fuller were working on altering semiconductor properties through introduction of impurities. They created a p–n junction by dipping a gallium-doped silicon piece in lithium at around 500 °C before exposing it to sunlight, hence discovering its ability to generate photocurrents. Pearson informed Chapin of this discovery, prompting him to switch materials and after a year the functional solar cell was demonstrated on 25 April 1954.[3][6] The solar cells delivered a power of about 60 watts per square meter, for an efficiency of 6 percent, and was patented as a "solar energy converting apparatus".[7][8]
The initial discovery attracted major media attention, with the
For the discovery, Chapin was awarded an honorary doctorate by his alma mater, Willamette, and the John Scott Medal from Philadelphia, both in 1956. By 1959, he had simplified the solar cell's experiment to the point where it was performed by high school students across the United States. In order to bring down the cost, he experimented with polycrystalline silicon but was unable to reproduce the efficiencies of the single crystals.[10] He died in his home in Naples, Florida on 19 January 1995, at age 88. After his death, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2008 alongside his two co-workers.[2][11]
References
- ^ "Obituaries from June 1995 Columns - Alumni". University of Washington. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ a b Martin, Douglas (1995). "Daryl Chapin, 88, A Co-Developer Of Solar Energy Cell". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ a b "This Month in Physics History - April 2009". American Physical Society. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ "The Invention Of The Solar Cell". Popular Science. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ISBN 9781608681327.
- ISBN 9789814303385.
- .
- ^ US patent 2780765, Chapin, D. M.; Fuller, C. S.; Pearson, G. L., "Solar energy converting apparatus", published 1957-02-05
- ISBN 9781420026351.
- ISBN 9780937948149.
- ^ "Inductee Detail - Daryl Chapin". National Inventors Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 28 January 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2018.