US 2010/0140078 A1 · METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING CONTACT LAYERS FOR CONTINUOUS WORKPIECES

Abstract

The present invention provides a roll to roll system and a method to sputter deposit various conductive films on a back surface and a front surface of a continuous substrate to form protected base structures for Group IBIIIAVIA thin film solar cells. In one embodiment of the invention, a back protection film is sputter deposited onto the entire back side of the substrate in a first deposition station without transferring heat from the substrate. Next, a first front film is sputter deposited in a second deposition station to partially cover the front side of the substrate while heat is transferred from substrate by a cooling surface of a cooling mechanism in the second deposition station. The second film does not cover the edges of the substrate to avoid contaminating the cooling surface with the depositing material. Other embodiments are directed to specifics regarding the depositing of these films, adding other films, and a system for depositing the films.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A method of sputter depositing a plurality of films on a back surface and a front surface of a continuous substrate that is advanced in a process direction through a deposition chamber, comprising:

depositing a first film onto a back surface portion of the back surface of the continuous substrate, the back surface portion including an entire width of the back surface, wherein the depositing of the first film uses at least a first sputtering target disposed across from the back surface portion of the continuous substrate as the continuous substrate is advanced in the process direction past the first sputtering target;
and
depositing a second film over a front surface portion of the front surface of the continuous substrate, the second film being shaped as a central region that is not disposed over a pair of edge regions of the front surface portion along the width of the front surface, wherein the depositing of the second film uses at least one second sputtering target disposed across from the front surface portion of the continuous substrate as the continuous substrate is advanced in the process direction past the at least one second sputtering target, and wherein the depositing of the second film occurs while a corresponding back surface portion is supported and cooled by a cooling surface of a cooling mechanism as the continuous substrate is moved along the process direction past the at least one second sputtering target,

A system to deposit a plurality of films on a back surface and a front surface of a continuous substrate that is advanced in a process direction, comprising:

a first deposition station including at least a first sputtering target disposed across from a back surface portion of the continuous substrate to continuously deposit a first film onto the back surface portion to form a first film on the back surface;
and
a second deposition station, including at least one second sputtering target and a cooling mechanism having a cooling surface to deposit a second film over a front surface portion of the front surface of the continuous substrate, the second film being shaped as a central region that is not disposed over a pair of edge regions of the front surface portion along the width of the front surface, wherein the at least one second sputtering target is disposed across from a front surface portion of the continuous substrate as the continuous substrate is advanced in the process direction past the at least one second sputtering target, and wherein the depositing of the second film occurs while a corresponding back surface portion is supported and cooled by the cooling surface of the cooling mechanism as the continuous substrate is moved along the process direction past the at least one second sputtering target.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for forming contact layers for continuous workpieces

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for forming contact layers for continuous workpieces

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims25