Back to results
US 8,298,339 B2Granted
Roll-to-roll continuous thin film PV manufacturing process and equipment with real time online IV measurement
AssigneeXunlight Corporation
InventorsAarohi Vijh, Xinmin Cao, Bradley S. Mohring
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatuses and methods are provided for the continuous, roll-to-roll formation of photovoltaic (PV) cells. Apparatuses include reel-to-reel transport chambers, one or more deposition chambers, a differential process isolation unit and a chamber for obtaining real time quality data, including IV data, yield data and uniformity data.
Claims26
A vacuum deposition apparatus, comprising:
- a substrate pay-out chamber and a substrate take-up chamber;
- a substrate support system extending from the substrate pay-out chamber to the substrate take-up chamber;
- a high-pressure vacuum deposition chamber;
- a low-pressure vacuum deposition chamber;
- and
- a differential process isolation unit (DPIU) disposed between the high-pressure vacuum deposition chamber and the low-pressure vacuum deposition chamber.
3 more elements
A system for forming a thin film over a substrate, comprising:
- a substrate pay-out chamber configured to provide the substrate;
- a first reaction space configured to form a semiconductor thin film over the substrate;
- a second reaction space configured to form a transparent conductor over the substrate;
- a differential process isolation unit (DPIU) disposed between the first reaction space and the second reaction space, the DPIU configured to maintain a pressure differential between the first reaction space and the second reaction space;
- a substrate take-up chamber for collecting the substrate;
- and
- a substrate support system configured to move the substrate from the substrate pay-out chamber to the first reaction space, from the first reaction space to the second reaction space, and from the second reaction space to the substrate take-up chamber.
4 more elements
A differential process isolation unit, comprising:
- an evacuation space;
- and
- at least two process isolation units in fluid communication with the evacuation space, each process isolation unit comprising:
- a first port configured to permit movement of a substrate into the process isolation unit;
- a second port configured to permit movement of a substrate out of the process isolation unit;
- a first conduction space between the first port and the second port, the first conduction space disposed below a substrate;
- a second conduction space between the first port and second port, the second conduction pace above the substrate;
- a first restrictor disposed between the first conduction space and the first port;
- and
- a second restrictor disposed between the first conduction space and the second port.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.