Atmospheric‐Pressure Plasmas for Solar Cell Manufacturing

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)