Mask carrier plate device for PVD coating

Abstract

The utility model relates to solar cell manufacturing technology field, concretely relates to a kind of mask carrier plate device for PVD method coating.The device includes: carrier plate, for carrying silicon wafer, multiple stations are arranged on carrier plate, and one silicon wafer is placed on each station;Multiple mask plates, buckling on carrier plate, each mask plate includes a mask plate frame and at least one mask sheet, mask sheet is arranged on mask plate frame, and mask sheet and the position of station one-to-one correspondence, multiple grid lines are arranged on mask sheet with interval, for forming shielding area when silicon wafer is coated, shielding area is used to form insulating area on silicon wafer.The device can form specific shielding area on the surface of silicon wafer placed on station by grid line on mask sheet, and then form insulating area on silicon wafer after PVD coating treatment.The realization of once forming of insulating area on silicon wafer effectively improves production efficiency and reduces production cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of solar cell manufacturing technology, specifically to a mask carrier device for PVD (physical vapor deposition) coating. Background Technology

[0002] In the manufacturing process of existing hybrid passivated back contact (HPBC) solar cells, etching processes are typically used to construct insulating regions to achieve the crucial feature of electrical isolation between n-type and p-type semiconductor regions. Chemical etching is one common etching method for constructing insulating regions; the process involves first protecting the non-isolated areas with photoresist, ink, or other masking materials, and then selectively etching the conductive film (such as ITO film) with a specific chemical solution to form isolation trenches. However, this method suffers from problems such as cumbersome process flow, complex operation, high precision requirements for equipment, and the generation of waste liquid from the chemical solutions used, which can easily pollute the environment, thus affecting production efficiency and cell performance. Laser grooving technology is another commonly used method for constructing insulating regions. This technology relies on a high-precision laser to ablate insulating trenches on the cell surface, offering advantages in precision control, but its application also faces many challenges. On the one hand, the high cost of purchasing and maintaining laser equipment, coupled with its relatively slow processing speed, limits the efficiency of large-scale production. On the other hand, the thermal effect of lasers can damage semiconductor materials and passivation layers, disrupting the original three-dimensional passivation effect, leading to a decrease in open-circuit voltage, and ultimately affecting the cell's conversion efficiency. Currently, to optimize the isolation process, some research has proposed using a mask to block the insulating area, creating a blank area during ITO deposition to achieve electrical isolation. However, existing technologies remain at the theoretical discussion level and have not proposed feasible mask solutions. For example, they have not provided technical solutions to problems such as "how to implement masking" and "how to design a mask suitable for mass production," preventing the technology from moving from theory to practical application and making it difficult to meet the actual needs of large-scale, high-efficiency production of hybrid passivated back-contact solar cells. Therefore, there is an urgent need to design a PVD mask carrier suitable for mass production. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a mask carrier device for PVD coating, so as to realize the one-time forming of the insulating area, thereby effectively improving the production efficiency of hybrid passivated back contact solar cells and reducing production costs.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution: a mask carrier device for PVD coating, characterized in that it comprises: A carrier plate is used to support silicon wafers. Multiple workstations are arranged on the carrier plate, and one silicon wafer is placed at each workstation. Multiple photomasks are fastened to the carrier plate. Each photomask includes a photomask frame and at least one photomask sheet. The photomask sheet is disposed on the photomask frame and the photomask sheet corresponds one-to-one with the position of the work station. Multiple grid lines are spaced apart on the photomask sheet to form a shielding area when the silicon wafer is coated. The shielding area is used to form an insulating area on the silicon wafer.

[0005] Furthermore, the mask plate frame is provided with at least one loading area for loading and fixing the mask sheet, and the mask sheet is detachably disposed in the loading area.

[0006] Furthermore, the mask is made of steel or Invar alloy, and the mask is laser-grooved to form multiple grid lines.

[0007] Furthermore, the thickness of the mask sheet does not exceed 100 μm.

[0008] Furthermore, the cross-section of the grid line is semicircular, triangular, or trapezoidal.

[0009] Furthermore, the carrier plate includes a rectangular frame with multiple rows of workstations arranged along the length of the frame, each row of workstations including multiple workstations arranged at equal intervals along the width of the frame.

[0010] Furthermore, the length of the mask plate is the same as the width of the carrier plate, the width of the mask plate is an integer multiple of the width of one row of the workstations on the carrier plate, and the same number of mask sheets are arranged along the length direction of the mask plate as the number of workstations arranged along the width direction of the frame.

[0011] Furthermore, the carrier plate also includes a plurality of positioning pins, which are evenly distributed on the frame; The mask plate has positioning holes at corresponding positions to accommodate the positioning pins. The positioning holes cooperate with the positioning pins to achieve precise positioning of the carrier plate and the mask plate.

[0012] Furthermore, the frame is provided with reinforcing ribs to prevent the carrier plate from deforming; the reinforcing ribs are made of stainless steel.

[0013] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: The mask carrier device has multiple stations on the carrier plate, and multiple masks corresponding to each station are set on the mask plate. Through the grid lines on the masks, specific shielding areas can be formed on the surface of the silicon wafer placed at the station, thereby forming an insulating area on the silicon wafer after PVD coating. When this mask carrier device is applied to the manufacturing process of hybrid passivated back contact solar cells, it can not only achieve one-time forming of the insulating area on the silicon wafer, avoiding the cumbersome secondary processing steps of the silicon wafer in traditional processes, but also enable large-scale PVD coating of silicon wafers, thereby effectively improving production efficiency and reducing production costs. It can meet the actual needs of large-scale, high-efficiency production of hybrid passivated back contact solar cells and is conducive to promoting the industrialization of this type of solar cell.

[0014] This mask carrier device allows for the detachable mounting of the mask onto a mask frame, enabling the replacement of the mask to meet different coating requirements and flexibly adjusting the grid pattern on the mask. This allows for arbitrary switching of the insulating region pattern after PVD coating, improving coating accuracy and quality. By designing the grid cross-sectional morphology, edge effects caused by the grid lines during coating can be reduced. Using a material with a low coefficient of thermal expansion to fabricate the mask effectively prevents coating around the mask due to deformation during coating.

[0015] Compared to the chemical solutions used in chemical etching to form insulating areas on silicon wafers, which are prone to environmental pollution, this mask carrier device is more environmentally friendly and in line with the concept of sustainable development.

[0016] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of this utility model. In order to better understand the technical means of this utility model and to implement it in accordance with the contents of the specification, the preferred embodiments of this utility model are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the mask carrier device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a mask plate according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the grid wires shown in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the grid wires shown in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the grid wires shown in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the carrier plate according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure label: 11. Carrier plate; 12. Station; 13. Frame; 14. Positioning pin; 2. Mask plate; 21. Mask plate frame; 22. Mask sheet; 23. Grid line; 24. Positioning hole; 3. Reinforcing rib. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The technical solution of this utility model will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0019] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0020] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances. Furthermore, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of this utility model described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0021] Please see Figure 1This application discloses a preferred embodiment of a PVD coating mask carrier device, comprising a carrier plate 1 for supporting silicon wafers and a plurality of mask plates 2 fastened to the carrier plate 1. The carrier plate 1 has a plurality of workstations 11 arranged on it, each workstation 11 capable of stably placing a silicon wafer to ensure the stability of the silicon wafer during the coating process. Each mask plate 2 includes a mask frame 21 and a plurality of mask sheets 22. The mask sheets 22 are disposed on the mask frame 21, and these mask sheets 22 correspond one-to-one with the positions of the plurality of workstations 11 on the carrier plate 1, so as to accurately cover the silicon wafer placed at the workstation 11. Each mask sheet 22 has a plurality of grid lines 23 spaced apart, used to form specific masking areas on the silicon wafer during subsequent coating processes, thereby forming the required insulating areas on the silicon wafer. In other embodiments, each mask 2 may also include at least one mask sheet 22, that is, one or more mask sheets 22 can be installed on a mask frame 21 according to actual needs. This design enables a mask 2 to cover one or more stations 11 on the carrier plate 1 in a targeted manner, thereby meeting the diverse needs of different coating scenarios.

[0022] In this embodiment, such as Figure 2 As shown, the mask frame 21 has the same number of loading areas as the mask sheets 22 for loading and fixing the mask sheets 22. The size and shape of each loading area are adapted to the mask sheet 22, and each loading area detachably loads one mask sheet 22. This detachable structure facilitates the replacement and maintenance of the mask sheets 22. When a mask sheet 22 is damaged or needs to be replaced according to different coating requirements, the operator can quickly and easily complete the replacement, thereby significantly improving the applicability and flexibility of the mask 2 and helping to improve the processing efficiency of silicon wafers. In other embodiments, the mask frame 21 may have only one large loading area, with multiple mask sheets 22 arranged and fixed sequentially within this loading area, so that the device can be adapted to the centralized loading requirements of specific scenarios. The mask frame 21 may also have multiple independent loading areas, each of which can load one or more mask sheets 22 as needed. This modular design further enhances the adaptability and scalability of the device, meeting the diverse configuration requirements of different coating tasks.

[0023] In this embodiment, the mask 22 is made of Invar alloy sheet, and the thickness of the mask 22 is 80 μm. Depending on the specific coating scenario requirements, the mask 22 is laser-grooved, such as... Figure 3As shown, multiple triangular-shaped gate lines 23 are formed on the mask 22 to provide masking and demarcation for subsequent coating. Subsequently, the laser-processed mask 22 is mounted on the mask frame 21 to form the mask 2. Laser grooving allows for precise control of the width and depth of the gate lines 23, ensuring their quality meets the coating process requirements. The Invar alloy sheet has an extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion, maintaining good morphological stability under temperature changes. This prevents deformation of the mask 22 during coating, thus effectively resisting the potential impact of temperature changes on coating accuracy and providing stable physical support for the coating process. More importantly, the triangular cross-section of the gate lines 23 ensures that the width of the bottom contact surface with the silicon wafer is greater than the width of the top. This effectively avoids interference from the thickness of the gate lines 23 on the coating process, significantly reducing the edge effect caused by the gate lines 23 during coating while forming an effective mask, ensuring coating quality and accuracy. In other embodiments, the mask 22 can also be made of metal materials such as steel sheets with high strength and hardness to ensure the stability of the mask during the deposition process. The thickness of the mask 22 is preferably no more than 100 μm. A thinner mask 22 can reduce interference with the deposition process, promote more uniform deposition of the thin film on the silicon wafer surface, and thus improve the accuracy and efficiency of the deposition. The cross-sectional shape of the gate line 23 can also be determined according to actual needs, such as... Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, other suitable shapes such as semicircles and trapezoids can be flexibly selected to meet diverse coating requirements. The width of the contact surface between the grid line 23 and the silicon wafer is determined by the width of the insulating area of ​​the solar cell. The grid line 23 can also be designed in straight, curved, or other shapes according to actual application requirements.

[0024] In this embodiment, the carrier plate 1 includes a rectangular frame 12. Multiple rows of workstations 11 are arranged along the length of the frame 12, each row including multiple workstations 11 spaced equally along the width of the frame 12, forming an orderly multi-row, multi-column workstation layout. This workstation layout greatly improves the space utilization of the carrier plate 1, enabling simultaneous coating of multiple silicon wafers, thereby significantly improving production efficiency and meeting the needs of large-scale production. The mask plate 2, matched to the carrier plate 1, can be designed with a length the same as the width of the carrier plate 1, and a width twice the width of the previous row of workstations 11 on the carrier plate 1. Two rows of mask sheets 22 are arranged along the width of the mask plate 2, and the same number of mask sheets 22 as the previous row of workstations 11 are arranged along the length of the mask plate 2, ensuring that each workstation 11 has a corresponding mask sheet 22 for precise masking. This one-to-one correspondence ensures that each silicon wafer achieves a precise masking effect, forming clear and accurate insulating areas on the wafer, providing strong support for subsequent processing. In other embodiments, the size of the mask 2 can be flexibly adjusted according to specific needs. For example, the length of the mask 2 can be designed to be the same as the width of the carrier 1, and the width of the mask 2 can be an integer multiple of the width of one row of stations 11 on the carrier 1; or, the length of the mask 2 can be the same as the length of the carrier 1, and the width of the mask 2 can be an integer multiple of the width of one column of stations 11 on the carrier 1; or, the length of the mask 2 can be an integer multiple of the width of one column of stations 11 on the carrier 1, and the width of the mask 2 can be an integer multiple of the width of one row of stations 11, etc. These design methods enable the device to adapt to the coating requirements of different scenarios, meet diverse coating needs, and demonstrate the wide applicability and flexibility of the device provided in this application.

[0025] In this embodiment, the carrier plate 1 further includes a plurality of positioning pins 13, which are evenly distributed on the frame 12. Positioning holes 24 are provided on the mask plate 2 at positions corresponding to the positioning pins 13 on the frame 12, for the positioning pins 13 to pass through. Through the cooperation of the positioning holes 24 and the positioning pins 13, the carrier plate 1 and the mask plate 2 can be precisely positioned. This positioning structure ensures the positional accuracy of the carrier plate 1 and the mask plate 2 during assembly, avoiding problems such as uneven coating or inaccurate formation of insulating areas due to positional deviations. In other embodiments, other components capable of achieving positioning functions can also be used to position the carrier plate 1 and the mask plate 2.

[0026] In this embodiment, to ensure the structural stability of the carrier plate 1 under long-term use and complex working conditions, reinforcing ribs 3 are added to the frame 12. The reinforcing ribs 3 are mainly used to effectively resist the deformation risks that the carrier plate 1 may encounter, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the coating process. Figure 6As shown, the reinforcing rib 3 is fixed between two mutually perpendicular beams in the frame 12, forming a stable mechanical support structure. Figure 3 As shown, the two ends of the stiffener 3 are respectively set between two interconnected beams in the frame 12, specifically as follows: Figure 3 As shown, one end of the reinforcing rib 3 is anchored to the crossbeam in the width direction of the frame 12, and the other end is fixed to the vertical beam in the length direction of the frame 12, thereby significantly improving the overall rigidity of the frame 12. The reinforcing rib 3 is made of stainless steel. The stainless steel reinforcing rib 3 has high strength and corrosion resistance, and can withstand large external forces without plastic deformation, thus effectively enhancing the structural strength of the frame 12. This ensures that the carrier plate 1 will not deform due to stress or environmental factors during long-term use, ensuring the stable placement of the silicon wafer on the carrier plate 1 and the smooth progress of the coating process. In other embodiments, the position of the reinforcing rib 3 on the frame 12 can be adjusted according to specific needs, such as arranging it only along the beams in the width or length direction, or adopting other optimized cross-layout methods, so that the reinforcing rib 3 can better adapt to carrier plate frames 12 of different sizes, shapes, and load requirements, thereby further expanding the applicability and application scenarios of the device.

[0027] The fabrication and usage method of the mask carrier device: A rectangular frame 12 made of stainless steel is selected, and multiple rows of workstations 11 are arranged along the length of the frame 12. Each row of workstations 11 includes multiple workstations 11 arranged at equal intervals along the width of the frame 12. The size of the workstations 11 should be designed according to the size of the silicon wafers they carry to ensure that the silicon wafers can be placed stably. Multiple positioning pins 13 are fixedly installed on the frame 12, and reinforcing ribs are installed on the frame 12 to form a carrier plate.

[0028] Stainless steel is selected to make the mask frame 21, and the loading area and positioning hole 24 are set on the mask frame 21; Invar alloy sheet is selected as the material of the mask sheet 22, and the mask sheet 22 is laser-grooved to form multiple grid lines 23; the laser-grooved mask sheet 22 is installed in the loading area to form the mask 2.

[0029] First, place the silicon wafer on station 11 of carrier plate 1; then fasten the mask plate 2 onto carrier plate 1, so that the positioning hole 24 on the mask plate 2 cooperates with the positioning pin 13 on carrier plate 1 to achieve precise positioning of carrier plate 1 and mask plate 2.

[0030] During the PVD coating process, the gate lines 23 on the mask 22 form a masking area on the silicon wafer, thereby creating an insulating area during the coating process.

[0031] After the coating is completed, the mask 22 can be replaced as needed to achieve coating requirements for different patterns.

[0032] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0033] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementations of this utility model, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the utility model patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this utility model, and these all fall within the protection scope of this utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A mask carrier device for PVD coating, characterized in that, include: A carrier plate (1) is used to carry silicon wafers. Multiple workstations (11) are arranged on the carrier plate (1), and a silicon wafer is placed on each workstation (11). Multiple photomasks (2) are fastened to the carrier plate (1). Each photomask (2) includes a photomask frame (21) and at least one photomask sheet (22). The photomask sheet (22) is disposed on the photomask frame (21) and the photomask sheet (22) corresponds one-to-one with the position of the work station (11). Multiple grid lines (23) are spaced apart on the photomask sheet (22) to form a shielding area when the silicon wafer is coated. The shielding area is used to form an insulating area on the silicon wafer.

2. The mask carrier device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The mask frame (21) is provided with at least one loading area for loading and fixing the mask sheet (22), and the mask sheet (22) is detachably disposed in the loading area.

3. The mask carrier device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The mask (22) is made of steel or Invar alloy and is formed into multiple grid lines (23) after laser grooving.

4. The mask carrier device as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The thickness of the mask (22) does not exceed 100 μm.

5. The mask carrier device as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The cross-section of the grid line (23) is a semicircle, triangle or trapezoid.

6. The mask carrier device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The carrier plate (1) includes a rectangular frame (12) with multiple rows of workstations (11) arranged along the length of the frame (12). Each row of workstations (11) includes multiple workstations (11) arranged at equal intervals along the width of the frame (12).

7. The mask carrier device as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The length of the mask plate (2) is the same as the width of the carrier plate (1). The width of the mask plate (2) is an integer multiple of the width of one row of the workstations (11) on the carrier plate (1). The mask sheets (22) are arranged along the length direction of the mask plate (2) in the same number as the workstations (11) arranged in the width direction of the frame.

8. The mask carrier device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that, The carrier plate (1) also includes a plurality of positioning pins (13), which are evenly distributed on the frame (12); The mask plate (2) is provided with a positioning hole (24) at a corresponding position for accommodating the positioning pin (13). The positioning hole (24) cooperates with the positioning pin (13) to achieve precise positioning of the carrier plate (1) and the mask plate (2).

9. The mask carrier device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that, The frame (12) is provided with reinforcing ribs (3) to prevent the carrier plate (1) from deforming; the reinforcing ribs (3) are made of stainless steel.

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