Spire has proclaimed that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has awarded a patent titled, ‘Nanophotovoltaic Devices,’ to the company. Global solar firm, Spire offers turn-key production lines and capital equipment to manufacture photovoltaic modules.
The US Patent No. 7,955,965 has been awarded to the company for its discovery of a nanophotovoltaic (Nano-PV) device that can manipulate or restrict the growth of biological cells like cancer cells during its application over them.
Spire’s discovery offers Nano-PV devices with sizes ranging between 50 nm and 5 µm and a process for their production. The devices are designed to target particular biological cells and are then triggered selectively by light to produce an electrical charge to kill or hinder the growth of those cells.
Roger G. Little, co-inventor and Spire’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated that the new patent is the third patent awarded from its original invention. The company coupled its expertise in the biomedical field and its knowledge of photovoltaics, he said. The company is happy about the issuance of this patent and excited that it will create an impact in the medical field, he added.
Little further said that the new patent further leverages its intellectual property portfolio in the biomedical and optoelectronic market fields. It is a proof to the inventiveness of the company’s research and development staff, he concluded.