Coating processes – With winding – balling – rolling – or coiling
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-30
2003-05-13
Versteeg, Steven (Department: 1753)
Coating processes
With winding, balling, rolling, or coiling
C204S298240
Reexamination Certificate
active
06562400
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for forming a deposition film, particularly to a method and apparatus for forming a thin film to be used for a laminated thin film element such as a photovoltaic element on a substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
For continuously forming deposition films to be used for a photovoltaic element and the like on a substrate, independent deposition chambers for forming each semiconductor layer have been provided to deposit each semiconductor layer in respective deposition chambers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,409 discloses in its specification a continuous plasma CVD apparatus using a roll-to-roll method. This apparatus comprises plural glow discharge areas in which a sufficiently long and flexible substrate having a desired width is disposed along a passageway on which the substrate sequentially penetrates each glow discharge area. Using this apparatus, elements having semiconductor joints can be continuously formed by continuously conveying the substrate along its longitudinal direction while depositing a semiconductor layer of a desired conduction type in each glow discharge area. According to the specification described above, a gas gate is used for preventing diffusion and mingling of a dopant gas used for depositing each semiconductor layer into the other glow discharge areas. Practically, the glow discharge areas are isolated with each other using slits of separation passageways, and a flow of a sweeping gas such as Ar and H
2
is created in this separation passageway.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-32533 discloses, on the other hand, in its specification a method using a surface protection sheet for protecting the surface of a ribbon shaped substrate in the roll-to-roll apparatus.
An example of a sputtering apparatus is described below with reference to drawings.
FIG. 3
shows an example of the sputtering apparatus, in which a reel-off vacuum chamber
101
, a film deposition vacuum chamber
201
and a reel-up vacuum chamber
301
are connected with each other with gas gates
151
and
152
, and the chambers are evacuated with a vacuum pump (not shown) connected to evacuation ports
102
,
202
and
302
.
A ribbon shaped substrate
10
is wound on a reel-off bobbin
111
, and is conveyed toward the film deposition vacuum chamber
201
with its convey direction changed by a convey roller
112
(the direction denoted by an arrow A in the drawing).
The ribbon shaped substrate
10
is heated to a prescribed film deposition temperature with a lamp heater
203
in the film deposition vacuum chamber
201
, and films are deposited on the ribbon shaped substrate
10
in film deposition chambers
204
and
206
using various kinds of targets
205
and
207
. The ribbon shaped substrate
10
is reeled up with a reel-up bobbin
311
in the reel-up vacuum chamber
301
with its convey direction changed by a convey roller
312
. During this reel-up procedure, a surface protection sheet
313
for protecting the surface of the ribbon shaped substrate
10
is fed from a reel-off core
314
and is reeled up on the bobbin
311
together with the ribbon shaped substrate
10
.
A sweeping gas flows through the gas gates
151
and
251
by means of gas feed pipes
152
,
153
,
252
and
253
to prevent the gases from being mixed in each vacuum camber. The surface protection sheet
313
is provided in order to protect the surface of the ribbon shaped substrate
10
when it is reeled up on the bobbin. A sheet made of any materials may be used so long as it exhibits desired functions. Examples of the surface protection sheet available include fibrous sheets of paper and cloth, resin sheets such as polyethylene, polyester, PET, polyimide and polyamide sheets, and a sheet manufactured by coating a metal on one or both faces thereof.
For further improving photovoltaic conversion efficiency as a photovoltaic element, it is necessary to improve characteristics of a semiconductor film that absorbs a light and converts it into electricity, as well as characteristics of a back reflector film provided for reflecting a light. While this back reflector film is manufactured using conventional sputtering apparatus, the film is desirably formed with high quality and uniformity with good reproducibility.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for forming a deposition film with higher quality, better uniformity and better reproducibility as compared with the deposition films formed by the conventional methods and apparatus.
For solving the above problems, the present inventors have completed through intensive studies the present invention having the constructions as described below.
In one aspect, the preset invention provides a method for forming a deposition film on a substrate in a film deposition chamber, wherein a gas adsorptive member is placed in a space communicating with the film deposition chamber, and the deposition film is deposited while continuously feeding a released gas component generated from the gas adsorptive member into the space. Preferably, the released gas component is fed by reeling off the gas adsorptive member.
In another aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for forming a deposition film on a substrate in a film deposition chamber, comprising a gas adsorptive member disposed in a space communicating with a film deposition chamber, and a device for continuously feeding a released gas component generated from the member in the space. The apparatus may comprise a mechanism for reeling up a ribbon shaped gas adsorptive member on the roller. Preferably, the released gas component is continuously fed into the film deposition chamber.
In a different aspect, the present invention provides a method for treating a substrate comprising the steps of reeling off a rolled substrate in a first vacuum chamber, treating the substrate, and reeling up the substrate on a roll in a second vacuum chamber, wherein a rolled surface protection sheet is placed in the second vacuum chamber to reel up the sheet on the same axis as the axis of the rolled substrate while reeling off the sheet to release the gases from the surface of the sheet.
Further objects, featured and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions of the preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4400409 (1983-08-01), Izu et al.
patent: 4485125 (1984-11-01), Izu et al.
patent: 4492181 (1985-01-01), Ovshinsky et al.
patent: 4763601 (1988-08-01), Saida et al.
patent: 5192717 (1993-03-01), Kawakami et al.
patent: 5575855 (1996-11-01), Kanai et al.
patent: 5589007 (1996-12-01), Fujioka et al.
patent: 5720826 (1998-02-01), Hayashi et al.
patent: 5721019 (1998-02-01), Ashcraft et al.
patent: 5853801 (1998-12-01), Suga et al.
patent: 6031198 (2000-02-01), Moriyama et al.
patent: 6153013 (2000-11-01), Sakai et al.
patent: 6162988 (2000-12-01), Okabe et al.
patent: 58182220 (1983-10-01), None
patent: 9-2032533 (1992-05-01), None
Kanai Masahiro
Shimoda Hiroshi
Takai Yasuyoshi
Tamura Hideo
Tsuzuki Hidetoshi
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