APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SOLAR CELLS WITH A HEATER APPARATUS
A method and apparatus for forming a solar cell can include a heater apparatus having one or more heater elements in a deposition processing system, a front cover covering the one or more heater elements from a front side, and a back metal reflector mating with the front cover on a back side and enclosing the one or more heater elements. The method can include disposing a plurality of substrates about a plurality of surfaces of a substrate apparatus that is operatively coupled to sequentially feed a substrate within a vacuum chamber, forming an absorber layer over a surface of each one of the plurality of substrates and heating the surface of each one of the plurality of substrates with the heater apparatus as described above.
1 . A heater apparatus for forming a solar cell, comprising:
one or more heater elements in a deposition processing system;
a front cover covering the one or more heater elements from a front side; and
a back metal reflector mating with the front cover on a back side and enclosing the one or more heater elements.
2 . The heater apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the deposition processing system is a rotating deposition processing system.
3 . The heater apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the deposition processing system is an in-line deposition processing system.
4 . The heater apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the deposition processing system is a vertical deposition processing system.
5 . The heater apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heater elements are one of infrared heater elements, microwave tube heating elements, or electric resistive heating elements.
6 . The heater apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the back metal reflector is one of planar shaped, arc shaped, or curved shaped.
7 . The heater apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heater apparatus is placed between adjacent sputtering cathodes of the deposition processing system.
8 . The heater apparatus of claim 1 , wherein substrates of a plurality of substrates are each sequentially fed in front or above the front quart cover of the heater apparatus for a predetermined period.
9 . The heater apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the back metal reflector is made of a stainless plate and the front cover is made of one of quartz, graphite, silicon carbide, ceramic, or any material having high thermal conductivity.
10 . The heater apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the back metal reflector includes grooved elements or alternative shaped elements that enhance a thermal irradiation focus on a substrate or solar cell being processed.
11 . The heater apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the back metal reflector is made of a plate having a high-reflectivity metal coating.
12 . The heater apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the high-reflectivity metal coating is made of one of gold, copper, or aluminum.
13 . The heater apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the back metal reflector includes grooved elements.
14 . The heater apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heater apparatus resides with a housing defining a vacuum chamber of the deposition processing system and wherein the deposition processing system further includes at least a first sputtering source configured to deposit a plurality of absorber layer atoms of a first type over at least a portion of a surface of each one of a plurality of substrates and at least an evaporation source disposed in a first subchamber of the vacuum chamber and configured to deposit a plurality of absorber layer atoms of a second type over at least a portion of the surface of each one of the plurality of substrates.
15 . A method of forming a solar cell, comprising:
disposing a plurality of substrates about a plurality of surfaces of a substrate apparatus that is operatively coupled to sequentially feed a substrate within a vacuum chamber;
forming an absorber layer over a surface of each one of the plurality of substrates; and
heating the surface of each one of the plurality of substrates with a heater apparatus having one or more heater elements encased between a front cover covering the one or more heater elements from a front side and a back metal reflector mating with the front cover on a back side.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the step of heating comprises providing uniform thermal irradiation by reflecting infrared light sources forming the one or more heater elements upon a shaped surface of the back metal reflector constructed to focus thermal radiation towards the surface of a substrate being processed.
17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the disposing comprises rotating the substrate apparatus to sequentially feed the substrate within the vacuum chamber.
18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the disposing comprises in-line feeding of the substrate apparatus to sequentially feed the substrate within the vacuum chamber.
19 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the step of forming the absorber layer comprises:
depositing a plurality of copper and gallium atoms over at least a portion of the surface of each one of the plurality of substrates using a first sputtering source;
depositing a plurality of selenium atoms over at least a portion of the surface using an evaporation source;
depositing a plurality of indium atoms over at least a portion of the surface of each one of the plurality of substrates using a second sputtering source; and
reacting the plurality of copper, gallium, and indium atoms with the plurality of selenium atoms to form the absorber layer.
20 . An apparatus for forming a solar cell, comprising:
a housing defining a vacuum chamber of a deposition processing system;
a heating apparatus within the vacuum chamber, the heating apparatus comprising:
one or more heater elements;
a front cover covering the one or more heater elements from a front side; and
a back metal reflector mating with the front cover on a back side and enclosing the one or more heater elements.