PHOTOVOLTAIC PRODUCTION LINE
First Claim
1. An automated integrated solar cell production line, comprising:
- a substrate loading station to load substrates into the integrated production line that comprises a plurality of automation devices which are configured to serially transfer substrates along a path;
a front contact isolation module disposed along the path and downstream from the substrate loading station, and adapted to etch a front contact layer deposited thereon to provide isolation therebetween;
a plurality of cluster tools disposed along the path and downstream from the front contact isolation module, and having at least one processing chamber that is adapted to deposit a silicon-containing layer on a surface of the substrate;
an interconnect formation module disposed along the path and downstream from the plurality of cluster tools, and adapted to etch the silicon-containing layer;
one or more metal deposition chambers disposed along the path and downstream from the back contact isolation module, and adapted to deposit a metal layer over the silicon-containing layer;
a back contact isolation module disposed along the path and downstream from the one or more metal deposition chambers;
one or more edge deletion modules disposed along the path and downstream from the one or more metal deposition chambers that are adapted to remove material from a perimeter area of a substrate;
a bonding wire attach module disposed along the path and downstream from the one or more material removal chambers; and
a lamination device disposed along the path and downstream from the bonding wire attach module that is adapted to bond a second substrate to the first substrate by applying heat and pressure to the first and second substrates which have the silicon-containing layer and a bonding layer disposed therebetween.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention generally relates to a system that can be used to form a photovoltaic device, or solar cell, using processing modules that are adapted to perform one or more steps in the solar cell formation process. The automated solar cell fab is generally an arrangement of automated processing modules and automation equipment that is used to form solar cell devices. The automated solar fab will thus generally comprise a substrate receiving module that is adapted to receive a substrate, one or more absorbing layer deposition cluster tools having at least one processing chamber that is adapted to deposit a silicon-containing layer on a surface of the substrate, one or more back contact deposition chambers, one or more material removal chambers, a solar cell encapsulation device, an autoclave module, an automated junction box attaching module, and one or more quality assurance modules that are adapted to test and qualify the completely formed solar cell device.
148 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An automated integrated solar cell production line, comprising:
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a substrate loading station to load substrates into the integrated production line that comprises a plurality of automation devices which are configured to serially transfer substrates along a path; a front contact isolation module disposed along the path and downstream from the substrate loading station, and adapted to etch a front contact layer deposited thereon to provide isolation therebetween; a plurality of cluster tools disposed along the path and downstream from the front contact isolation module, and having at least one processing chamber that is adapted to deposit a silicon-containing layer on a surface of the substrate; an interconnect formation module disposed along the path and downstream from the plurality of cluster tools, and adapted to etch the silicon-containing layer; one or more metal deposition chambers disposed along the path and downstream from the back contact isolation module, and adapted to deposit a metal layer over the silicon-containing layer; a back contact isolation module disposed along the path and downstream from the one or more metal deposition chambers; one or more edge deletion modules disposed along the path and downstream from the one or more metal deposition chambers that are adapted to remove material from a perimeter area of a substrate; a bonding wire attach module disposed along the path and downstream from the one or more material removal chambers; and a lamination device disposed along the path and downstream from the bonding wire attach module that is adapted to bond a second substrate to the first substrate by applying heat and pressure to the first and second substrates which have the silicon-containing layer and a bonding layer disposed therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of processing a solar cell substrate in an automated and integrated solar cell production system, comprising:
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loading a substrate into an automated and integrated solar cell production system that comprises a plurality of automation devices which are configured to serially transfer substrates along a path; depositing a plurality of photoabsorbing layers on a surface of a substrate having a front contact layer deposited thereon in a cluster tool disposed along the path; removing at least a portion of the photoabsorbing layers from a region on a surface of the substrate to form a plurality of interconnects therethrough in a first scribe module disposed along the path; depositing a conductive back contact layer on the photoabsorbing layers and in the interconnects formed therethrough in a processing module disposed along the path; removing at least a portion of the back contact layer from a region on the surface of the substrate to form isolated regions of the back contact layer in a second scribe module disposed along the path; bonding a back glass substrate to the surface of the substrate to form a composite structure in a bonding module disposed along the path; positioning the composite structure in a processing region of an autoclave chamber that is disposed along the path; and heating the composite structure and delivering a gas into the processing region of the autoclave to form an improved bond between the back glass and substrate. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of processing a solar cell substrate in an automated and integrated solar cell production system, comprising:
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depositing a plurality of photoabsorbing layers on a surface of a substrate having a front contact layer deposited thereon, wherein depositing a plurality of photoabsorbing layers comprises; forming a p-type silicon containing layer over the surface of the substrate in a first processing chamber coupled to a first cluster tool; transferring the substrate from the first processing chamber to one of at least four second processing chambers coupled to the first cluster tool; and forming an intrinsic type silicon containing layer and an n-type silicon containing layer over the p-type silicon containing layer in one of the at least four second processing chambers; removing at least a portion of the photoabsorbing layers from a region on the surface of the substrate to form a plurality of interconnects therethrough using a first scribe module; depositing a back contact layer over the plurality of photoabsorbing layers and in the plurality of interconnects formed therethrough using a processing module; removing at least a portion of the back contact layer and at least a portion of the plurality of photoabsorbing layers from two or more regions on the surface of the substrate generally simultaneously using two or more material removal devices disposed in an edge deletion module; and bonding a back glass substrate to the surface of the substrate to form a composite structure using a bonding module. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An automated and integrated system for forming a solar cell, comprising:
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one or more cluster tools having at least one processing chamber that is adapted to deposit a silicon-containing layer on a surface of a first substrate, wherein each of the one or more cluster tools is disposed proximate an automation transfer line which is configured to serially transfer substrates there along; one or more processing modules that are adapted to deposit a metal layer on a surface of the first substrate; an edge deletion module that is adapted to remove at least a portion of the metal layer and at least a portion of the silicon-containing layer from two or more regions on the surface of the first substrate generally simultaneously using two or more material removal devices; a bonding wire attach module that is adapted to substantially simultaneously positioning two or more buss lines on the metal layer; and a bonding module that is adapted to bond a second substrate to the first substrate by applying heat and pressure to the first and second substrates which have the silicon-containing layer and a bonding layer disposed therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification