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Atmospheric‐Pressure Plasmas for Solar Cell Manufacturing
Author(s) -
Dani I.,
Mäder G.,
Grabau P.,
Dresler B.,
Linaschke D.,
Lopez E.,
Kaskel S.,
Beyer E
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
contributions to plasma physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.531
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1521-3986
pISSN - 0863-1042
DOI - 10.1002/ctpp.200910071
Subject(s) - plasma , plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition , atmospheric pressure , atmospheric pressure plasma , materials science , plasma processing , etching (microfabrication) , process engineering , leakage (economics) , plasma cleaning , environmental science , silicon , nuclear engineering , nanotechnology , optoelectronics , meteorology , physics , nuclear physics , layer (electronics) , engineering , economics , macroeconomics
Innovative plasma technologies operating at atmospheric pressure are especially advantageous concerning continuous processing capability. They are characterized by low costs, easy integration in existing production lines, low processing temperatures and high throughput. These economic and technological benefits are especially interesting for the manufacturing of crystalline silicon solar cells. Potential applications include PECVD as well as plasma‐chemical etching. In this work two principles of a large area plasma activation are presented: a linearly extended DC arc discharge (LARGE) and a microwave plasma (CYRANNUS). The atmosphericpressure reactors are designed for the continuous air‐to‐air processing of flat or slightly curved substrates. Gas purge systems enable the control of the atmosphere in the deposition zone and prevent the leakage of toxic gases. Extensive fluid‐dynamic modeling is used for optimization of plasma sources and reactors. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)