METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THERMALLY CONVERTING METALLIC PRECURSOR LAYERS INTO SEMICONDUCTING LAYERS, AND ALSO SOLAR MODULE

摘要

The present invention concerns a method for thermally converting metallic precursor layers on substrates into semiconducting layers, and also an apparatus for carrying out the method and for producing solar modules on substrates. The invention is based on the object of providing an accelerated and simple-to-realize fast method for thermally converting metallic layers on any desired substrates into semiconducting layers, and also an apparatus suitable for carrying out the method and serving for producing solar modules with high efficiency. This is achieved by virtue of the fact that the substrates (4) previously prepared at least with a metallic precursor layer (10) are heated in a furnace (1), which is segmented into a plurality of temperature regions, at a pressure at approximately atmospheric ambient pressure in a plurality of steps in each case to a predetermined temperature up to the end temperature between 400°C and 600°C and are converted into semiconducting layers whilst maintaining the end temperature in an atmosphere comprising a mixture of a carrier gas and vaporous chalcogens.