Method and system for large scale manufacture of thin film photovoltaic devices using multi-chamber configuration
First Claim
1. A method for manufacturing a thin film photovoltaic module comprising:
- transferring a substrate into a first chamber of a multi-chamber system, the substrate being optically transparent and having a lateral dimension of at least 1.5 meters, wherein chambers of the multi-chamber system are mechanically coupled with one another;
forming an electrode layer overlying the substrate in the first chamber;
transferring the substrate to a second chamber of the multi-chamber system;
forming a copper (Cu)-bearing material layer overlying the electrode layer in the second chamber;
transferring the substrate to a third chamber of the multi-chamber system;
forming an indium (In) layer overlying the copper-bearing material layer in the third chamber thereby forming a Cu—
In composite film;
transferring the substrate comprising the Cu—
In composite film to a fourth chamber of the multi-chamber system;
subjecting the Cu—
In composite film to a thermal treatment process in the fourth chamber in an environment including sulfur-bearing species;
transforming the Cu—
In composite film to a copper-indium-disulfide material; and
forming a photovoltaic absorber layer for a thin film photovoltaic module using the copper-indium-disulfide material.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for large scale manufacture of photovoltaic devices includes loading a substrate into a load lock station and transferring the substrate in a controlled ambient to a first process station. The method includes using a first physical deposition process in the first process station to cause formation of a first conductor layer overlying the surface region of the substrate. The method includes transferring the substrate to a second process station, and using a second physical deposition process in the second process station to cause formation of a second layer overlying the surface region of the substrate. The method further includes repeating the transferring and processing until all thin film materials of the photovoltaic devices are formed. In an embodiment, the invention also provides a method for large scale manufacture of photovoltaic devices including feed forward control.
260 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method for manufacturing a thin film photovoltaic module comprising:
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transferring a substrate into a first chamber of a multi-chamber system, the substrate being optically transparent and having a lateral dimension of at least 1.5 meters, wherein chambers of the multi-chamber system are mechanically coupled with one another; forming an electrode layer overlying the substrate in the first chamber; transferring the substrate to a second chamber of the multi-chamber system; forming a copper (Cu)-bearing material layer overlying the electrode layer in the second chamber; transferring the substrate to a third chamber of the multi-chamber system; forming an indium (In) layer overlying the copper-bearing material layer in the third chamber thereby forming a Cu—
In composite film;transferring the substrate comprising the Cu—
In composite film to a fourth chamber of the multi-chamber system;subjecting the Cu—
In composite film to a thermal treatment process in the fourth chamber in an environment including sulfur-bearing species;transforming the Cu—
In composite film to a copper-indium-disulfide material; andforming a photovoltaic absorber layer for a thin film photovoltaic module using the copper-indium-disulfide material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method comprising:
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transferring a substrate into a first process chamber of a multi-chamber system, wherein chambers of the multi-chamber system are in process communication with one another such that environmental parameters may be maintained between chambers of the multi-chamber system; forming a conductive layer over a surface of the substrate in the first chamber; forming a copper layer over the conductive layer in a second chamber of the multi-chamber system; forming an indium layer over the copper layer in a third chamber of the multi-chamber system thereby forming a copper-indium composite layer; exposing the copper-indium composite layer to sulfur-bearing species at a first temperature in a fourth chamber of the multi-chamber system; forming a copper-indium-sulfide layer; and forming a cap layer over the copper-indium-sulfide layer. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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Specification