VAPOR DEPOSITION APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR CONTINUOUS DEPOSITION OF A THIN FILM LAYER ON A SUBSTRATE

摘要

AN APPARATUS (100) AND RELATED PROCESS ARE PROVIDED FOR VAPOR DEPOSITION OF A SUBLIMATED SOURCE MATERIAL AS A THIN FILM ON A PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) MODULE SUBSTRATE (14). A RECEPTACLE (116) IS DISPOSED WITHIN A VACUUM HEAD CHAMBER AND IS CONFIGURED FOR RECEIPT OF A SOURCE MATERIAL. A HEATED DISTRIBUTION MANIFOLD (124) IS DISPOSED BELOW THE RECEPTACLE (116) AND INCLUDES A PLURALITY OF PASSAGES (126) DEFINED THERETHROUGH. THE RECEPTACLE (116) IS INDIRECTLY HEATED BY THE DISTRIBUTION MANIFOLD (124) TO A DEGREE SUFFICIENT TO SUBLIMATE SOURCE MATERIAL WITHIN THE RECEPTACLE. A DISTRIBUTION PLATE (152) IS DISPOSED BELOW THE DISTRIBUTION MANIFOLD (124) AND AT A DEFINED DISTANCE ABOVE A HORIZONTAL PLANE OF A SUBSTRATE CONVEYED THROUGH THE APPARATUS. THE DISTRIBUTION PLATE (152) INCLUDES A PATTERN OF HOLES THERETHROUGH THAT FURTHER DISTRIBUTE THE SUBLIMATED SOURCE MATERIAL PASSING THROUGH THE DISTRIBUTION MANIFOLD (124) ONTO THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE UNDERLYING SUBSTRATE.