, AMENDED CLAIMS received by the International Bureau on 29 September 2008 (29.p9.2008)
1. An integrated roll-to-roll rapid thermal processing (RTP) tool for forming a solar cell absorber by reacting a precursor layer on a surface of a continuous flexible she et workpiece, the tool comprising; an elongated housing that includes a sealed common chamber, the common chamber including a heating chamber, a supply chamber, and a receiving chamber, wherein; the heating chamber comprises a narrow process gap that applies a predetermined temperature profile to that portion of the continuous flexible sheet workpiece disposed therein, the narrow process gap defined by a top wall, a bottom wall, and side walls that form an opening in which a height is substantially less than a width thereof, and wherein the narrow process gap has an input opening, an output opening, and an exhaust line disposed between the input opening and the output opening so as to remove gaseous species from the narrow process gap of the heating chamber; the supply chamber holds a supply roll of the continuous flexible sheet workpiece and has a supply chamber opening, wherein the supply chamber opening aligns with the narrow process gap input opening and wherein the continuous flexible sheet workpiece is configured to be advanced into the heating chamber from the supply chamber; the receiving chamber holds a receiving roil to collect the continuous flexible sheet workpiece from the heating chamber and has a receiving chamber opening, wherein the receiving chamber opening aligns with the nairow process gap output opening and wherein the continuous flexible sheet workpiece is configured to be advanced into the receiving chamber from the heating chamber; and a moving mechanism to hold the continuous flexible sheet workpiece within the common chamber and move the continuous flexible sheet workpiece through the narrow process gap of the heating chamber by feeding previously unrolled portions of the continuous flexible sheet workpiece from tfie supply roll and p taking up and wrapping processed portions of the continuous flexible sheet workpiece on the receiving roll in the receiving chamber.
2. The tool of Claim 1 further including a vacuum line associated with the common chamber that allows formation of a vacuum therein and evacuation thereof.
3. The tool of claim 2 further comprising a cylindrical enclosure around the heating chamber wherein the cylindrical enclosure is sealed to the elongated housing.
4. The tool of Claim 1 wherein the process gap of the heating chamber is heated by a heating element disposed outside the narrow process gap, thereby causing heating of an outer surface of the top wall, the bottom wall and the side walls that define the process gap when the predetermined temperature profile is formed.
5. The tool of Claim 4 further comprising a gas inlet line disposed adjacent to the narrow process gap input opening and configured to introduce a process gas into the narrow process gap of the heating chamber, such that the process gas flows in the direction of movement of the continuous flexible sheet workpiece.
6. The tool of Claim 5 wherein the supply chamber and the receiving chamber each include a gas inlet to deliver an inert gas into the supply and receiving chambers, respectively, and thereby establish an inert gas flow from the supply chamber into the narrow process gap through the input opening and from the receiving chamber into the narrow process gap through the output opening to thus prevent gaseous species in the narrow process gap from entering the supply chamber and the receiving chamber.
7. The tool of Claim 6 wherein a distance between the top wall and the bottom wall varies across the length of the narrow process gap of the heating chamber.
S. The tool of Claim 7 wherein the narrow process gap input opening anli output opening each include a spacer that defines a gap that is smaller than the narrow process gap.
9. The tool of Claim 5wherein the gas inlet line provides a Group VIA material process gas into the heating chamber.
10. The tool of Claim 4, wherein the supply chamber and the receiving chamber each include a gas inlet to deliver an inert gas into the supply and receiving chambers, respectively, and thereby establish an inert gas flow from the supply chamber into the narrow process gap through the input opening and from the receiving chamber into the narrow process gap through the output opening to thus prevent gaseous species in the narrow process gap from entering the supply chamber and the receiving chamber,
11. The tool of Claim 10 wherein a distance between the top wall and the bottom wall varies across the length of the narrow process gap of the heating chamber.
12. The tool of Claim 11 , wherein the narrow process gap input opening and output opening each include a spacer that defines a gap that is smaller than the narrow process gap.
13. The tool of Claim 4, wherein the top wall of the narrow process gap is substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the narrow process gap.
14. The tool of Claim 13, wherein the height of the narrow process gap is in the range of 0.5- 10 mm.
15. The tool of Claim 14 wherein the width of the narrow process gap is ifr the range of 100 to 2000 mm.
16. A rapid thermal processing (RTP) system to form a solar cell absorber by reacting a precursor layer previously deposited on a surface of a continuous flexible sheet workpiece, the system comprising: a heating chamber that allows formation of a vacuum therein and evaluation thereof, the heating chamber including a first process section, a diffusion barrier section and a second process section, the heating chamber providing a predetermined temperature profile to that portion of the continuous flexible sheet workpiece thai is advanced therethrough, wherein the first process section processes by heating that portion of the continuous flexible sheet workpiece disposed therein in presence of at least one first gaseous species, the first process section including a first narrow process gap; the second process section processes by heating that portion of the continuous flexible sheet workpiece disposed therein in presence of at least one second gaseous species, the second process section including a second narrow process gap, and wherein the first narrow process gap and the second narrow proc ess gap each apply a different portion of the predetermined temperature profile to that portion of the continuous flexible sheet workpiece disposed within the respective first narrow process gap and second narrow process gap, and wherein the first narrow process gap and the second narrow process gap are each defined by a top wall, a bottom wall, and side walls that foim an opening in which a height is substantially less than a width thereof, an ϊ wherein the first and second narrow process gaps each have an input opening , an output opening, and an exhaust line disposed between the input opening and the output opening so as to remove gaseous species from the respective first and second narrow process gaps; the diffusion barrier section disposed between the first and the second narrow process gaps, separates the processes of the first and second narrow process gaps by establishing an inert gas flow from a central area of the diffusion barrier section to the first narrow process gap through its output opening and to the second narrow process gap through its input opening, thereby creating a barrier to reduce intermixing of the at least one first gaseous species and the at least one second gaseous species; and a moving mechanism to hold and move the continuous flexible sheet workpiece within and through the sections of the heating chamber by feeding previously unrolled portions of the continuous flexible sheet workpiece from a supply roll into the heating chamber and taking up and wrapping processed portions of the continuous flexible sheet workpiece around a receiving roll.
17. The system of Claim 16 further comprising a supply chamber to hold the Supply roll of the continuous flexible sheet workpiece, wherein the supply chamber is integrated with the heating chamber.
18. The system of Claim 17 further comprising a receiving chamber to hold the receiving roll of the continuous flexible sheet workpiece, wherein receiving chamber is integrated with the heating chamber.
19. The system of Claim 17, wherein the supply chamber and the receiving chamber each include a gas inlet to deliver an inert gas into the supply and receiving chambers, respectively, and thereby establish an inert gas flow from the supply chamber into the first narrow process gap through its input opening and from the receiving chamber into the second narrow process gap through its output opening to thus prevent gaseous species in the first and second narrow process gaps from entering the supply chamber and the receiving chamber, respectively
20. The system of Claim 19, wherein the first and second narrow process gaps each include a gas inlet for the at least one first gaseous species and the at least one second gaseous species, respectively.
21. The system of Claim 19, wherein the first and second narrow process gaps each include a gas inlet for the at least one first gaseous species and the at least one second gaseous species, respectively.
22. The system of Claim 19, wherein the top wall is parallel to the bottom wall of each of the first and second narrow process gaps, and wherein the diffusion barrier section contains atop diffusion barrier wall that is parallel to a bottom diffusion barrier wall. b b3. The system of Claim 22, wherein a height between the top wall and the bottom wall of each of the first and second narrow process gaps is at least twice the height between the top diffusion barrier wall and the bottom diffusion barrier wall of the diffusion barrier section..
24. The system of Claim 14, wherein a height between the top wall and the bottom wall of the first and second narrow process gaps is in the range of 0,5-10 mm.
25. The system of Claim 24, wherein a width between sidewalls of the first and second narrow process gaps is in the range of 100 to 2000 mm,
26. A process of forming a thin film Group IBIIIAVIA solar cell absorber layer on a surface of a continuous flexible sheet workpiece as the continuous flexible sheet workpiece is advanced through a roll-to-roll rapid thermal processing (RTP) chamber including a firs process section, , a second process section and a diffusion barrier section with a gas inlet disposec in the diffusion barrier section between the first and second process sections, wherein the first process section comprises a first entry opening , a first outlet opening, and a first exhaust and the second process section comprises a second entry opening, a second outlet opening and a secqnd exhaust, , the process comprising: forming a precursor layer on the surface of the continuous flexible workpiece, the precursor layer comprising a Group IB material, and at least one of a Group IQA material and a Group VIA material; moving a portion of the continuous flexible sheet workpiece with the formed precursor layer thereon through the first entry opening into the first process section and towards the first outlet opening by feeding previously unrolled portions of the continuous flexible sheet workpiece from a supply roll; processing the precursor layer in the first process section by applying a first temperature profile and using a first gaseous species while establishing an inert gas flow rom the gas inlet into the diffusion barrier section and to the first outlet opening and the second en iy opening so that the first gaseous species in the first process section is substantially prevented from entering the second process section, a second gaseous species in the second process section is substantially prevented from entering the first process section; r advancing the porti n of the continuous flexible sheet workpiece through the diffusion barrier section and toward the second process section; processing the precursor layer in the second process section by applying a second temperature profile and using the second gaseous species while continuing the inert gas flow; and taking up the processed portion of the continuous flexible sheet workpiece from the exit opening of the second process section and wrapping up around a receiving roll
27. The process according to claim 25 wherein the Group IB material is copper (Cu). the Group IIIA material is at least one of indium (In) and gallium (Ga) and the Group VIA. material is selenium (Se),
28. The process according to claim 27 wherein first temperature profile comprises a profile that changes from substantially a room temperature near the entry opening to a first temperature towards the first exhaust and the second temperature profile comprises another profile that changes from a second temperature near the second exhaust to substantially the room temperature near the exit opening.
29, The process according to claim 26 wherein the first gaseous species and the second gaseous species are selected from the group comprising an inert gas, a selenium containing gas and a sulfur containing gas.
30. The process according to claim 26 further including establishing a first gas flow using a first gas through the entry opening into the first process section and a second gas flow using a second gas through the exit opening into the second process section so that the first gaseous species in the first process section is prevented from leaving the first process section through the entry opening and first exhaust gases generated therefrom are directed towards the first exhaust by the first gas flow and the second gaseous species in the second process section is prevented from leaving the second process section through the exit opening and second exhaust gases generated therefrom are directed towards the second exhaust by the second gas flow. ; 1 , The process according to claim 30 wherein the first gas and the second gas are selected from the group comprising an inert gas. a selenium containing gas and a sulfur containing gas.
32. The process according to claim 30 wherein the first gas, the second gas, the first gaseous species and the second gaseous species are selected from the group comprising an inert gas, a selenium containing gas and a sulfur containing gas.
33. The process according to claim 32, wherein the first gas and the second gas are inert gases. the first gaseous species is a selenium containing gas and the second gaseous species is a sulfur containing gas.
34. The process according to claim 32 , wherein the precursor layer cotnp: ises selenium (Se) and the first gas, the second gas and the first gaseous species are inert gases, and the second gaseous species is a sulfur containing gas.
35. The process according to claim 32, wherein the precursor layer comprises selenium (Se) and the first gas, the second gas and the first gaseous species are inert gases, and the second gaseous species is a selenium containing gas.
36. The process according to claim 32, wherein the precursor layer comprises selenium (Se) and the first gas, the second gas, the first gaseous species and the second gaseous : species are inert gases.
37. A process of forming a thin film Group IBIIIAVlA solar cell absorber layer on a surface of a continuous flexible sheet workpiece as the continuous flexible sheet worl apiece is advanced through a roll-to-roll rapid thermal processing (RTP) chamber including a narrow gap process section comprising an entry opening, an exit opening and an exhaust between! the entry opening and the exit opening, the process comprising: forming a precursor layer on the surface, the precursor layer comprising a Group IB material, and at least one of a Group IDA material and a Group VIA material; moving a portion of the continuous flexible sheet workpiece through thle entry opening into the narrow gap process section and towards the exit opening by feeding previously unrolled portions of the continuous flexible sheet workpiece from a supply roll; processing the precursor layer in the narrow gap process section by appyilng a first temperature profile while establishing a first gas flow from, the entry opening into the narrow gap process section and a second gas flow from the exit opening into the narrow gap process section so that gaseous species in the process section are substantially prevented from leaving the process section through the entry opening and the exit opening and are directed towards the exhaust; and taking up the processed portion of the continuous flexible sheet workpiece from, the exit opening of the narrow gap process section and wrapping up around a receiving roll.
38. The process according to claim 37 wherein the Group IB material is copper (Cu), the Group IIIA material is at least one of indium (In) and gallium (Ga) and the Group VIA material is selenium (Se).
39. The process according to claim 38 wherein the first temperature profile comprises a profile that changes from substantially a room temperature near the entry opening and the exit opening of the narrow gap process section to an elevated temperature between the entry oepning and the exit opening and wherein the velocities of the first gas flow and the second gas flow are selected to prevent the gaseous species in the narrow gap process section to diffuse to the, entry opening and the exit opening and condense on the continuous flexible sheet workpiece.
40. . The process according to claim 39 wherein the first gas and the second gas are selected from the group comprising an inert gas, a selenium containing gas and a sulfur containing gas.
41 , The process according to claim 39 further comprising providing a process gas to the narrow gap process section.
42. The process according to claim 41 wherein the first gas and the second gas are inert gases and the process gas is selected from the group comprising an inert gas, a selenium containing gas and a sulfur containing gas.
43. The process according to claim 42, wherein the precursor layer comprises : selenium (Se), wherein the first gas and the second gas are inert gases, and wherein the process gas is selected from the group comprising an inert gas, a selenium containing gas and a sulfui containing gas.