Stacked ALD equipment
By designing a stacked ALD (Automatic Leading Module) device, the shortcomings of existing equipment in capacity matching are solved, enabling flexible adjustment and efficient production to adapt to different capacity requirements and improve production efficiency and product quality.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-03-21
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-20
AI Technical Summary
Existing ALD equipment is difficult to adapt to the varying upstream and downstream capacity matching needs in different workshops, resulting in waste of process gas when capacity demand is low, and limited capacity of individual process chambers when capacity demand is high, making it impossible to adjust effectively.
A stackable ALD device is provided, comprising at least two housing units, each housing unit including a support platform and a spraying mechanism. The number of housing units can be increased simultaneously or as needed, supporting spraying and heating of various process gases. Combined with a suction and sealing structure, it ensures the uniformity and safety of process gases.
It enables flexible adjustments when production capacity demand changes, saves process gas consumption, improves production efficiency and product yield, has high applicability, and can adapt to different production capacity needs.
Smart Images
Figure CN224015769U_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of photovoltaic cell processing equipment, in particular, the present application relates to a stacked ALD equipment. BACKGROUND
[0002] In the field of photovoltaic cell production and manufacturing, most component manufacturers use half pieces, three-quarter pieces, and four-quarter pieces formed by laser cutting to connect, layout, and laminate, and finally form photovoltaic modules. The cut pieces will form a cross section at the cut, resulting in a decrease in the power generation efficiency of the module. Experiments have shown that applying ALD treatment (Atomic Layer Deposition) to the cross section of the cell piece can effectively reduce the decrease in power generation efficiency.
[0003] The existing ALD equipment usually has a single process processing cavity, a group of half pieces are contained in the magazine and only the cross section is exposed, and multiple magazines are placed in the process processing cavity to receive ALD treatment. The existing ALD equipment is difficult to meet the varying front and rear process capacity matching requirements in different workshops: when the capacity demand is low, the capacity can only be reduced by reducing the number of half pieces placed in the process processing cavity, while the process gas consumption remains the same, resulting in waste; when the capacity demand is high, as many half pieces as possible can be placed in the process processing cavity, but the half piece capacity of a single process processing cavity has an upper limit, or multiple existing ALD equipment are set up. SUMMARY
[0004] The present application aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present application provides a stacked ALD equipment, and the technical solution is as follows:
[0005] A stacked ALD equipment, the stacked ALD equipment comprises at least two box body devices, the box body device comprises a carrying table, a spraying mechanism, and a box body with a first end opening, the carrying table is configured to carry an array of magazines, each magazine contains a group of vertically arranged cell pieces with the cross section facing upward, and the spraying mechanism is arranged at the top of the box body, and the spraying mechanism is configured to spray process gas downward from the top of the box body.
[0006] The stacked ALD equipment provided by the present application can use two box body devices for ALD treatment when the capacity requirement is low, while saving the amount of process gas; when the capacity requirement is high, at least two box body devices can be used for ALD treatment at the same time, and even the number of box body devices can be increased according to the capacity demand, to increase the upper limit of the number of cell pieces for one-time ALD treatment. It can be seen that the stacked ALD equipment provided by the present application is more easily matched with the front and rear equipment in terms of capacity, and has high applicability.
[0007] Optionally, the spraying mechanism comprises a first air inlet cavity, a second air inlet cavity, a third air inlet cavity, and three groups of first spraying heads respectively communicating with the three air inlet cavities, each group of first spraying heads being uniformly distributed on the downward side of the spraying mechanism, and the first air inlet cavity, the second air inlet cavity, and the third air inlet cavity all spraying different process gases to the battery piece section through a group of first spraying heads.
[0008] According to the types of process gases used in ALD, the corresponding first air inlet cavity, second air inlet cavity, third air inlet cavity, and three groups of first spraying heads respectively communicating with the three air inlet cavities are provided to ensure that different types of process gases enter different air inlet cavities at different times and are sprayed out from the corresponding first spraying heads, thereby realizing passivation treatment.
[0009] Optionally, the top of the box and / or the bottom of the box is further provided with a heating element.
[0010] By providing a heating element on the top of the box and / or the bottom of the box, the inside of the process cavity can reach the required heating temperature for the process, so that the passivation treatment can proceed smoothly and the product yield can be improved.
[0011] Optionally, the first air inlet cavity, the second air inlet cavity, and the third air inlet cavity are further provided with at least one gas uniformizing plate, and the gas uniformizing plate is provided with a plurality of through holes.
[0012] By providing a gas uniformizing plate in the three air inlet cavities for uniformizing the process gas, the first spraying head can spray uniform process gas, reducing the phenomenon of uneven concentration of sprayed process gas and improving the passivation effect.
[0013] Optionally, the box device further comprises an air extraction mechanism, which is arranged at the lower part of the box or the second end opposite to the first end, and the air extraction mechanism is configured to extract the gas in the box.
[0014] By providing an air extraction mechanism inside the box device, the process gas in the box can be easily extracted, preventing adverse reactions between different types of process gases, or preventing process gas from leaking out of the box opening during feeding and discharging of the box device, which can harm the health of workers.
[0015] Optionally, the box device further comprises a track module, and the carrying table is slidably arranged on the track module.
[0016] By providing a track module, the carrying table can enter or move out of the box substantially in the horizontal direction, avoiding the sliding of the material box due to the downward inclination of the carrying table, and preventing accidents such as damage to the battery piece.
[0017] Optionally, the box device further comprises a carrier driving mechanism, the carrier table is arranged on a driving end of the carrier driving mechanism, and the carrier driving mechanism is configured to drive the carrier table carrying the cartridge to enter or exit the box; or, the box device further comprises a driving module, the carrier table of each box device is arranged on a driving end of the driving module, and the driving module is used to drive the carrier table of each box device to enter or exit the box.
[0018] By arranging the driving module, the carrier table can be automatically sent into or taken out of the box, thereby improving the production efficiency.
[0019] Optionally, an end of the carrier table away from the box is provided with a flange, and the flange is used to cooperate with the opening of the box to form a seal; or, the box device further comprises a door driving mechanism and a sealing door, and the door driving mechanism is used to drive the sealing door to cooperate with the opening of the box to form a seal or to release the seal.
[0020] By arranging the flange or the sealing door, the box can form a sealed process cavity when being buckled, thereby preventing process gas from leaking and external factors from interfering, and improving the passivation effect.
[0021] Optionally, the carrier surface of the carrier table is provided with an array of limiting structures, and each limiting structure corresponds to one cartridge.
[0022] By arranging the limiting structure, the cartridges can be prevented from moving on the surface of the carrier table during feeding and discharging, so that the cartridges are prevented from being overturned and the solar cell pieces are prevented from being damaged.
[0023] Optionally, the box device further comprises at least one temperature measuring element, and the temperature measuring element is located on the carrier surface of the carrier table.
[0024] By arranging the at least one temperature measuring element, the temperature in the box can be obtained in time, and each process parameter can be adjusted according to the temperature, for example, the air inlet amount is increased, the heating power is increased, and the like, thereby improving the passivation effect.
[0025] Optionally, the box devices are arranged in a stacked manner, or the box devices are arranged side by side, or at least part of the box devices are arranged in a stacked manner.
[0026] By stacking the box devices in the vertical direction, the space occupation of the stacked ALD equipment in the horizontal direction can be reduced; or by arranging the box devices side by side, the space occupation of the stacked ALD equipment in the vertical direction can be reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0027] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the box device in one perspective view;
[0028] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the box device in one perspective view;
[0029] Figure 3 Fig. 1 is a schematic view of the structure of the carrier driving mechanism, the carrier and the box from a first perspective;
[0030] Figure 4 Fig. 2 is a schematic view of the structure of the carrier driving mechanism, the carrier and the box from a second perspective;
[0031] Figure 5 Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the carrier and the furnace structure from a top perspective;
[0032] Fig. 1 is a schematic view of the structure of the carrier driving mechanism, the carrier and the box from a first perspective;
[0033] 1, box device; 10, box; 101, first end of the box; 102, second end of the box; 103, heating element; 11, carrier; 111, second track; 112, caster; 12, spraying mechanism; 13, box; 14, track module; 141, driving motor; 142, coupling; 143, lead screw; 144, lead screw nut; 145, connecting part; 146, first track. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0034] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.
[0035] In the field of photovoltaic cell production and manufacturing, experiments have verified that applying ALD treatment to the cross section of a cell can effectively reduce the reduction of power generation efficiency, also known as passivation treatment. Existing ALD equipment usually has a single process treatment cavity, a group of half cells are contained in the box 13 and only the cross section is exposed, and multiple boxes 13 are placed in the process treatment cavity to receive ALD treatment. The existing ALD equipment is difficult to cope with the variable front and rear capacity matching requirements in different workshops: when the capacity demand is low, only by reducing the number of half cells placed in the process treatment cavity can the capacity be reduced, while the process gas consumption remains the same, resulting in waste; when the capacity demand is high, as many half cells as possible can be placed in the process treatment cavity, but the half cell capacity of a single process treatment cavity has an upper limit, or multiple existing ALD equipment is set up.
[0036] To solve this problem, as Figures 1-2As shown, the application provides a stacked ALD device, the stacked ALD device comprises at least two box devices 1, the box device 1 comprises a bearing table 11, a spraying mechanism 12, and a first-end-opened box 10, the bearing table 11 is configured to bear a plurality of material boxes 13 arranged in an array, each material box 13 contains a group of battery pieces arranged vertically with the cross section of the battery piece upward, and the spraying mechanism 12 is arranged on the top of the box 10 and is configured to spray process gas downward from the top of the box 10.
[0037] As can be seen, the stacked ALD device provided by the application can use two box devices 1 to perform ALD processing when the production capacity requirement is low, while saving the amount of process gas; when the production capacity requirement is high, more than two box devices 1 can be used to perform ALD processing at the same time, and the number of box devices 1 can be further increased according to the production capacity requirement to increase the upper limit of the number of battery pieces in one ALD processing. The stacked ALD device provided by the application is easier to match the production capacity of the front and rear devices, and has higher applicability.
[0038] In order to ensure the smooth progress of the ALD process, at least three kinds of process gas need to be sprayed into the box device 1 according to the process requirement, so the spraying mechanism 12 needs to include at least a first gas inlet cavity, a second gas inlet cavity, a third gas inlet cavity, and three groups of first spraying heads respectively communicating with the three gas inlet cavities, each group of first spraying heads is uniformly distributed on the downward side of the spraying mechanism 12, and the first gas inlet cavity, the second gas inlet cavity, and the third gas inlet cavity all spray different process gas to the cross section of the battery piece through a group of first spraying heads. In this way, different types of process gas can enter different gas inlet cavities at different times and be sprayed out from the corresponding first spraying heads to achieve cross section passivation processing.
[0039] As a feasible embodiment, the top of the box 10 and / or the bottom of the box 10 is also provided with a heating element 103. Obviously, if the heating element 103 is only arranged at the top of the box 10, it will at least be beneficial to heat the sprayed process gas; or, as Figure 2 or Figure 5 , if the heating element 103 is only arranged at the bottom of the box 10, it will be beneficial to preheat the cross section of the battery piece and the gas beside the cross section. In this way, the inside of the box 10 can reach the required heating temperature for the process, so that the passivation processing can be carried out smoothly or the passivation processing effect can be further improved, and the product yield can be improved.
[0040] Generally, as shown in Figure 2 or Figure 5 , the heating element 103 can adopt an armored heater, the heating part is arranged in the box 10, and the electrical harness extends out of the furnace body; the heating element 103 can also adopt a resistance wire arranged around, which also achieves the heating effect.
[0041] Under the heating effect of the heating element 103, the temperature inside the box 10 is relatively high. In order to adjust various process parameters according to the actual temperature, for example, increase the air intake, increase the heating power, etc., a temperature measuring element can be arranged on the surface of the bearing table 11, so as to determine the temperature around the broken section of the battery piece; or, arranged at the upper part inside the box 10, not moving with the bearing table 11, also can measure the temperature inside the box 10.
[0042] In addition, considering that the gas in the three air inlet cavities may not be uniform in concentration, for example, the inlet concentration is high, and the outlet concentration is low, which may cause the concentration of the sprayed process gas to be uneven, as a feasible embodiment, at least one gas equalizing mechanism or gas equalizing structure is arranged inside the first air inlet cavity, the second air inlet cavity and the third air inlet cavity. The gas equalizing mechanism can include at least one gas equalizing plate provided with a plurality of through holes; the gas equalizing structure can adopt an arch-shaped rotating gas path to fully and uniformly distribute the gas, and the two can also be combined for implementation.
[0043] At different process occasions, it is necessary to remove the gas in the box 10. As an optional embodiment, the box device 1 further comprises a gas suction mechanism arranged at the lower part of the box 10 or the second end 102 of the box opposite to the first end 101 of the box, and the gas suction mechanism is configured to remove the gas in the box 10. Specifically, the gas in the box can be removed during feeding and discharging, to prevent the gas from leaking out and causing harm to workers in the workshop; or, other gases in the box 10 are removed before formal process treatment, to improve the ALD processing effect.
[0044] In the multi-batch ALD processing, the bearing table 11 needs to be taken out of the box 10 or put into the box 10 many times, so, as an optional embodiment, referring to Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the box device 1 further comprises a track module 14, and the bearing table 11 is slidably arranged on the track module 14. Specifically, the track module 14 at least comprises a second track 111, and the bearing table 11 is slidably arranged on the second track 111. Optionally, on this basis, the lower surface of the bearing table 11 can be provided with a plurality of casters 112, and the casters 112 are in rolling contact with the second track 111. In this embodiment, the bearing table 11 can be manually pushed and pulled, to facilitate feeding and discharging.
[0045] Continuing to refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4, Artificial push-pull carrying table 11 may be slow, time-consuming and labor-intensive, so further, as the first embodiment of the automatic driving carrying table 11, the box device 1 further comprises a carrying table driving mechanism, the carrying table 11 is arranged on the driving end of the carrying table driving mechanism, and the carrying table driving mechanism is configured to drive the carrying table 11 carrying the box 13 to enter or leave the box 10. Specifically, the carrying table driving mechanism comprises a driving motor 141, a shaft coupling 142, a lead screw 143, a lead screw nut 144, a connecting plate 145 and a first track 146. The driving motor 141 is arranged on the rack and is coaxially fixedly connected with the lead screw 143 through the shaft coupling 142. The lead screw nut 144 is arranged on the lead screw 143, and the lead screw nut 144 is connected with the connecting plate 145. The connecting plate 145 is also fixedly connected with one end of the carrying table 11, so that the driving motor 141 drives the lead screw 143 to rotate, thereby driving the lead screw nut 144 to move along the lead screw 143, and then driving the carrying table 11 to move through the connecting plate 145, into the box 10 or leave the box 10. In this way, the feeding and discharging efficiency is significantly improved, thereby improving the production efficiency. Obviously, this way is more suitable for multiple boxes 10 arranged in a single layer and side by side.
[0046] Alternatively, the second embodiment, the box device 1 further comprises a driving module, the driving module is arranged on the same side of each box device 1, and the carrying table 11 of each box device 1 is arranged on at least one driving end of the driving module. The driving module is used to drive the carrying table 11 of each box device 1 to enter or leave the box 10 respectively. The driving module drives different carrying tables 11 to leave or enter the corresponding box 10, which is convenient for feeding and discharging. Obviously, this way is suitable for multiple boxes 10 arranged in a vertical direction in a stacked manner, and the driving module will not block any layer of the carrying table 11, which is convenient for feeding and discharging.
[0047] In order to ensure that the carrying table 11 is in a sealed process environment after entering the process cavity, optionally, a flange can be arranged at one end of the carrying table 11 away from the box 10, and the flange is used to cooperate with the opening of the box 10 to form a seal; or the box device 1 further comprises a door driving mechanism and a sealing door, the door driving mechanism drives the sealing door to cooperate with the opening of the first end 101 of the box after the carrying table 11 enters the box 10, to form a seal; or to remove the seal, so as to facilitate the carrying table 11 to leave the box 10.
[0048] During the feeding and discharging stage, the box 13 may move along the surface of the carrying table 11, causing mutual scratching or falling out of the carrying table 11, and the battery piece falling out and being damaged. In order to fix the box 13, the carrying surface array of the carrying table 11 is provided with a limiting structure, and each limiting structure corresponds to one box 13. The limiting structure can be in the form of a stop block, a groove, a magnet, a sharp head positioning pin and the like, that is, it can be cooperated and fixed with the bottom surface of the box 13. The specific implementation form is not limited, and even the above at least two ways can be combined.
[0049] In the description part of the present application, several embodiments are explained. At least two of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined and implemented to achieve corresponding technical effects without conflict. Obviously, the above-mentioned combined embodiments also belong to the content of the present application, and will not be repeated here. In the above description of the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms “fixed”, “mounted”, “connected” or “linked” and the like should be understood in a broad sense. For example, for the term “connected”, it can be fixed connection, detachable connection, or integral; it can be mechanical connection, electrical connection; it can be direct connection, or indirect connection through an intermediate medium; or it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. Therefore, unless otherwise explicitly specified in the present application, the above-mentioned terms in the present application should be understood according to the specific meaning of the skilled in the art.
[0050] According to the above description of the present application, the skilled in the art can also understand the terms used in the present application, such as “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “length”, “width”, “thickness”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inner”, “outer”, “axial”, “radial”, “circumferential”, “center”, “longitudinal”, “transverse”, “clockwise” or “counterclockwise”, and the like, which indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings of the present application. They are only for the purpose of facilitating the description of the present application and simplifying the description, and do not explicitly or implicitly indicate or suggest that the devices or elements involved must have the specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, the above-mentioned orientation or positional relationship terms cannot be understood or interpreted as a limitation on the present application.
[0051] In addition, the terms “first” or “second” and the like used in the present application are used to refer to the terms of number or ordinal number only for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as explicitly or implicitly indicating relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with “first” or “second” can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of “plurality” is at least two, such as two, three or more, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited.
[0052] While several embodiments of the application have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many changes, modifications, and substitutions can be made to the embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. It is to be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the application described herein can be employed in practicing the application. The appended claims are intended to cover all such alternatives as would be included within the spirit and scope of the application.
Claims
1. A stacked ALD device, characterized in that, The stacked ALD equipment includes at least two housing units, each housing unit including a support platform, a spraying mechanism, and a housing with a first end opening. The support platform is configured to carry an array of material boxes, each material box containing a set of vertically arranged solar cells with the cross-section of the solar cells facing upwards. The spraying mechanism is located at the top of the housing and is configured to spray process gas downwards from the top of the housing.
2. The stacked ALD device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The spraying mechanism includes a first air inlet chamber, a second air inlet chamber, and a third air inlet chamber that are not interconnected, and three sets of first spray heads that are respectively connected to the three air inlet chambers. Each set of first spray heads is evenly distributed on the downward side of the spraying mechanism. The first air inlet chamber, the second air inlet chamber, and the third air inlet chamber all spray different process gases onto the cross-section of the battery cell through a set of first spray heads.
3. The stacked ALD device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Heating elements are also provided at the top and / or bottom of the box.
4. The stacked ALD device according to claim 2, characterized in that, At least one air distribution plate is provided inside the first air intake chamber, the second air intake chamber, and the third air intake chamber, and the air distribution plate is provided with multiple through holes.
5. The stacked ALD device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing device further includes an air extraction mechanism, which is disposed at the lower part of the housing or at the second end opposite to the first end, and is configured to extract gas from the housing.
6. The stacked ALD device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing device also includes a track module, and the support platform is slidably mounted on the track module.
7. The stacked ALD device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing device further includes a platform driving mechanism, wherein the platform is disposed on the driving end of the platform driving mechanism, and the platform driving mechanism is configured to drive the platform carrying the material box into or out of the housing; or, the housing device further includes a driving module, wherein the platform of each housing device is disposed on the driving end of the driving module, and the driving module is used to drive the platform of each housing device into or out of the housing.
8. The stacked ALD device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support platform is provided with a flange at one end away from the box body. The flange is used to cooperate with the opening of the box body to form a seal. Alternatively, the box body device also includes a sealing door drive mechanism and a sealing door. The sealing door drive mechanism is used to drive the sealing door to cooperate with the opening of the box body to form a seal or release the seal.
9. The stacked ALD device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bearing surface array of the bearing platform is provided with a limiting structure, and each limiting structure corresponds to a material box.
10. The stacked ALD device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The enclosure device also includes at least one temperature measuring element, which is located on the bearing surface of the support platform.
11. The stacked ALD device according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, Each of the aforementioned housing devices The housing units may be arranged in a stacked arrangement, or the individual housing units may be arranged side by side, or at least some of the housing units may be stacked.