Automated integrated solar cell production line composed of a plurality of automated modules and tools including an autoclave for curing solar devices that have been laminated

US8225496B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Applied Materials, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Robert Z. Bachrach · Burlingame, US
• Yong Kee Chae · Pleasanton, US
• Soo Young Choi · Fremont, US
• Nicholas G. J. de Vries · Alameda, US
• Yacov Elgar · Sunnyvale, US
• Eric A. Englhardt · Palo Alto, US
• Michel R. Frei · Berkeley Heights, US
• Charles Gay · San Fernando, US
• Parris Hawkins · Los Altos, US
• Choi (Gene) Ho · Sunnyvale, US
• James Craig Hunter · Los Gatos, US
• Penchala N. Kankanala · Santa Clara, US
• Liwei Li · Kunming, CN
• Wing Hoo (Hendrick) Lo · San Francisco, US
• Danny Cam Toan Lu · San Francisco, US
• Fang Mei · Foster City, US
• Stephen P. Murphy · Warwick, GB
• Srujal (Steve) Patel · San Jose, US
• Matthew J. B. Saunders · Sunnyvale, US
• Asaf Schlezinger · Sunnyvale, US
• Shuran Sheng · Sunnyvale, US
• Tzay-Fa Su · San Jose, US
• Jeffrey S. Sullivan · Rexford, US
• David Tanner · San Jose, US
• Teresa Trowbridge · Los Altos, US
• Brice Walker · Laguna Hills, US
• John M. White · Hayward, US
• Tae Kyung Won · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 29, 2008
• Grant date: Jul 24, 2012
• Expiry date: May 25, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T225/329
• WIPO field: Semiconductors
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

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.