Integrated thin-film solar battery

Abstract

A sputtering-deposition method usable in forming on an insulator substrate a film including a conductive layer includes the steps of: preparing a conductive substrate holder in the form of a frame having an opening at its central area and electrically grounded; positioning the insulator substrate to cover the opening of the holder; arranging a flexible spacer on a peripheral edge of the substrate and also superposing a back plate on the spacer to press the substrate against the holder via the spacer; pressing and fixing the back plate to the holder; and then sputtering a separately provided target to deposit a new layer on a region of the substrate exposed in the holder's opening.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.