TEMPORALLY VARIABLE DEPOSITION RATE OF CDTE IN APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR CONTINUOUS DEPOSITION

摘要

APPARATUS 100 IS GENERALLY PROVIDED FOR VAPOR DEPOSITION OF A SUBLIMATED SOURCE MATERIAL AS A THIN FILM ON A PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE SUBSTRATE 14. THE APPARATUS 100 INCLUDES A DISTRIBUTION PLATE 152 DISPOSED BELOW THE DISTRIBUTION MANIFOLD 124 AND AT A DEFINED DISTANCE ABOVE A HORIZONTAL CONVEYANCE PLANE OF AN UPPER SURFACE OF A SUBSTRATE 14 CONVEYED THROUGH THE APPARATUS 100. THE DISTRIBUTION PLATE 152 DEFINES A PATTERN OF PASSAGES 153 THERETHROUGH CONFIGURED TO PROVIDE GREATER RESISTANCE TO THE FLOW OF SUBLIMATED SOURCE VAPORS AT A FIRST LONGITUDINAL END 160 THAN A SECOND LONGITUDINAL END 161. A PROCESS FOR VAPOR DEPOSITION OF A SUBLIMATED SOURCE MATERIAL TO FORM THIN FILM ON A PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE SUBSTRATE 14 IS ALSO PROVIDED VIA DISTRIBUTING THE SUBLIMATED SOURCE MATERIAL ONTO AN UPPER SURFACE OF THE SUBSTRATES 14 THROUGH A DISTRIBUTION PLATE 152 POSITIONED BETWEEN THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE SUBSTRATE 14 AND THE RECEPTACLE 116.