Furnace muffle for sintering a ribbon material

A method of manufacturing, comprising:

• heating a ribbon material in a first zone of a furnace muffle using a first set of plates of a cover for transferring heat from a heat source to the ribbon material, wherein the first set of plates comprises a first material having a first thermal conductivity;
• moving the ribbon material from the first zone to a second zone of the furnace muffle while a contact plate supporting the ribbon material is separated from the cover by a gap, wherein the gap has a width greater than 8.5 inches between a plurality of walls;
• and
• heating the ribbon material in the second zone of the furnace muffle using a second set of plates of the cover such that a temperature of the second zone increases above about 1600 degrees Celsius, wherein the second set of plates comprises a second material having a second thermal conductivity greater than the first thermal conductivity.

A system, comprising:

• a ribbon material;
• and
• a furnace comprising:
• a heat source comprising one or more heaters;
• a furnace muffle configured to transfer heat from the heat source to the ribbon material, wherein the furnace muffle comprises:
• a cover comprising a first set of plates in a first zone and comprising a first material and a second set of plates in a second zone and comprising a second material, wherein the first set of plates in the first zone is positioned closer to an opening of the furnace muffle than the second set of plates in the second zone, and wherein the cover is configured such that a temperature of the second zone can increase above about 1600 degrees Celsius;
• and
• a contact plate configured to support the ribbon material and separated from the cover by a gap, wherein a width of the gap is greater than 8.5 inches.