Abstract:
The invention relates to a device for simultaneously tempering and processing several process goods by means of electromagnetic radiation. The device is a batch-type furnace. The process goods and the energy sources are arranged adjacent to each other in such a way that a process good is situated between two energy sources and an energy source is situated between two process goods. The device is especially useful for tempering the process goods in the presence of a process gas. A variable heating and cooling profile having variable processing parameters (e.g. gas pressure, heating rate, cooling rate) can be obtained using the inventive device. It is especially possible to securely temper a process good in the form of a large-surface multilayer body comprising layers of different physical characteristics (thermal conductivity coefficient, temperature expansion coefficient, absorption and emission capacity, etc.). According to the inventive method and device, a toxic and/or corrosive process gas can be used for processing the process good. The device and the method are useful for producing thin film solar modules for instance.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a device and a method for tempering at least one process good (3) under a certain process gas atmosphere (111) of at least one process gas (4) by means of a tempering unit (6) which is provided with at least one energy source (5) for receiving an amount of energy by means of the process good (3), a tempering container (11) comprising a tempering room (16) for storing the process good (3) under the process gas atmosphere (111) during tempering and a tempering chamber (13). The tempering container (11) is arranged at a distance (18) to the tempering chamber (13) and in the tempering chamber (13) in such a way that there is a gap (14) between the tempering container (11) and the tempering chamber (13). The tempering unit is also provided with a means (19) for producing an additional gas atmosphere (141) of an additional gas in the gap (14), whereby said additional gas atmosphere is different from the process gas atmosphere (111). The additional gas atmosphere is provided with a pressure gradient (2). According to the inventive device and method, a toxic and/or corrosive process gas can be used for processing the process good. It is especially possible to produce a photovoltaic thin-film chalcopyrite absorber of a solar cell and/or of a solar module using the inventive device and method.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a method of annealing a large-surface multi-layer body by adding an energy amount with an annealing rate of at least 1 DEG C/s. The aim of the invention is to prevent inhomogeneous temperatures from occurring during the annealing process. To this end, different partial amounts of the energy amount are supplied to the layers of the multi-layer body at different sites and times. The multi-layer body is annealed in a container that has a glass ceramics bottom and lid. The inventive method is used to produce thin-film solar modules.
Abstract:
Thermal evaporation apparatus for depositing of a material on a substrate, comprising material storage means; heating means to generate a vapour of the material in the material storage means; vapour outlet means comprising a vapour receiving pipe having vapour outlet passages, and emission reducing means arranged such that an external surface of the vapour outlet means directed to said substrate exhibits low emission, and wherein the apparatus further comprises pipe heating means in the interior of said vapour outlet means, wherein at least the surfaces of the material storage means, heating means, and emission reducing means and pipe heating means arranged to come into contact with the material vapour are of a corrosion-resistant material. Further a thermal evaporation apparatus for depositing a material on a substrate comprising a vapour outlet means arranged to receive in its interior the vapour of the material heated in a material storage means and having vapour outlet passages, wherein said vapour outlet means basically consist of a corrosion-resistant material and are gastight to such an extent that sufficient dynamic pressure of said material vapour is achievable for homogenous deposition of said material on said substrate. Also the use of the apparatus, and a method of depositing a material onto a substrate by thermal evaporation.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a method for sealing a light-capturing element, said element comprising a first pane-type substrate (1) and a second substrate (1'), said substrates enclosing, by means of a lamination spacer (8), an active stack of layers comprising conductive layers forming electrodes, and at least one functional layer based on an absorbent material enabling an energetic conversion of the light into electrical energy, the stack being placed on at least one portion of the surface of at least one of the substrates (1, 1') in such a way as to delimit, around the periphery and following lamination, a groove (9) suitable for receiving at least one means (10, 11) for sealing the module. The invention is characterised in that the sealing means (10, 11) is deposited before the autoclave phase.