Solar cell junction processing system
First Claim
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1. An integrated dry junction processing system for solar cells comprising:
- (a) a unitary housing provided with a solar cell input lock and a solar cell output lock;
(b) means for maintaining said housing under vacuum said means including a number of cryogenic pumps;
(c) continuous means including a combination vacuum lock-solar cell transport system and an ion beam implanter and a pulsed electron beam annealer for forming p-n junctions in solar cells within said housing, said pulsed electron beam annealer including a plurality of transmission line capacitors disposed circumferentially about a central horizontal axis;
(d) said housing featuring process controls for said ion beam implanter and said pulsed electron beam annealer and including an ion beam current integrator for implant dose control.
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Abstract
An integrated system and process for the continuous formation of p-n junctions in solar cells in a cost-effective manner and under computer control. The integrated system essentially comprises an ion beam implanter, an electron beam annealer and a combination vacuum lock-and-wafer transport system, all disposed within a unitary housing maintained under a common vacuum environment.
The integrated system employs no wet chemistry operations and, is characterized by high reproducibility and narrow solar cell performance distribution.
57 Citations
16 Claims
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1. An integrated dry junction processing system for solar cells comprising:
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(a) a unitary housing provided with a solar cell input lock and a solar cell output lock; (b) means for maintaining said housing under vacuum said means including a number of cryogenic pumps; (c) continuous means including a combination vacuum lock-solar cell transport system and an ion beam implanter and a pulsed electron beam annealer for forming p-n junctions in solar cells within said housing, said pulsed electron beam annealer including a plurality of transmission line capacitors disposed circumferentially about a central horizontal axis; (d) said housing featuring process controls for said ion beam implanter and said pulsed electron beam annealer and including an ion beam current integrator for implant dose control. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A junction processing system for solar cells comprising:
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(a) a housing; (b) means for maintaining said housing under vacuum, said means including a number of cryogenic pumps; (c) means for forming p-n junctions in solar cells within said housing, including an ion beam implanter and a pulsed electron beam annealer; (d) said ion beam implanter including an ion source and a magnetic scanner to focus the ion beam of said implanter seriatim at said solar cells; (e) said pulsed electron beam annealer including a plurality of transmission line capacitors disposed circumferentially about a central horizontal axis; (f) means for transporting solar cells past said means for forming p-n junctions therein, said transporting means including a combination vacuum lock-solar cell transport system; (g) computer means for operating said junction processing system; (h) said housing provided with a solar cell input lock and a solar cell output lock forming a part of said transport system, with a plurality of said solar cells contained in cassette when introduced into said housing via said input lock, and being further characterized in that the processed solar cells are reloaded into cassettes in said output lock; (i) said housing featuring process controls for said implanter and said annealer, said process controls including an ion beam current integrator for implant dose control. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A continuous, microprocessor-controlled process for the formation of p-n junctions in solar cells comprising:
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(a) providing a plurality of semiconductor wafers integrally formed with one dopant material; (b) loading a number of said wafers into cassettes; (c) introducing said wafers with said cassettes via vacuum locks into a vacuum environment; (d) removing said wafers from said cassettes and ion implanting said wafers within said vacuum environment with a second dopant material; (e) annealing said ion implanted wafers by pulsing said wafers with an electron beam of an annealer including a plurality of transmission line capacitors; (f) reloading said annealed wafers into cassettes; and (g) removing said wafers with said cassettes via vacuum locks from said vacuum environment.
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Specification