Applied Materials Italia S.r.l.

Applied Materials, Inc.

Andrea Baccini

Luigi De Santi

Daniele Gislon

Roberto Boscheratto

Mirko Galassi

Thomas Micheletti

Marco Galiazzo

Tommaso Vercesi

Timothy Weidman

Hongbin Fang

Giorgio Cellere

Diego Tonini

Zhenhua Zhang

Daniele Andreola

Christian Zorzi

Gianfranco Pasqualin

Marco Gallazzo

Sunhom (Steve) Paak

Marco Maiolini

John Telle

Andrea Sartoretto

Marco Gajotto

The present disclosure provides a support device for conveying at least one solar cell element in a transport direction, wherein the support device comprises a support element configured for supporting the at least one solar cell element and an electric arrangement configured for providing an electrostatic force for holding the at least one solar cell element on the support element.

Apparatus for manufacture of at least two solar cell arrangements, system for manufacture of at least two shingled solar cells, and method for manufacture of at least two solar cell arrangements

An apparatus for the manufacture of at least two arrangements of solar cell pieces is provided. The apparatus includes at least one positioning device configured for positioning two or more solar cell pieces on a support device for forming the at least two arrangements, wherein the apparatus is configured to allocate the two or more solar cell pieces to a respective arrangement of the at least two arrangements based on one or more properties of the two or more solar cell pieces.

The present disclosure provides an apparatus for manufacture of at least two solar cell arrangements. The apparatus includes a separation device configured for separating a first solar cell into two or more first solar cell solar cell pieces, and at least one positioning device configured for positioning at least one first solar cell piece of the two or more first solar cell pieces on a support device for forming a first solar cell arrangement of the at least two solar cell arrangements and for positioning at least one other first solar cell piece of the two or more first solar cell pieces on the support device for forming a second solar cell arrangement of the at least two solar cell arrangements.

Embodiments of the invention generally provide apparatus and methods of screen printing a pattern on a substrate. In one embodiment, a patterned layer is printed onto a surface of a substrate along with a plurality of alignment marks. The locations of the alignment marks are measured with respect to a feature of the substrate to determine the actual location of the patterned layer. The actual location is compared with the expected location to determine the positional error of the patterned layer placement on the substrate. This information is used to adjust the placement of a patterned layer onto subsequently processed substrates.

Autotuned screen printing process

Embodiments of the invention may provide a method of printing one or more print tracks on a print support, or substrate, comprising two or more printing steps in each of which a layer of material is deposited on the print support according to a predetermined print profile. In each printing step, subsequent to the first step, each layer of material is deposited at least partially on top of the layer of material printed in the preceding printing step, so that each layer of printed material has an identical or different print profile with respect to at least a layer of material underneath. The method may further comprise depositing material in each printing step that is equivalent to or different from the material deposited in at least one of other the print layers.

Printing method for printing electronic devices and relative control apparatus

Embodiments of the invention also generally provide a solar cell formation process that includes the formation of metal contacts over heavily doped regions that are formed in a desired pattern on a surface of a substrate. Embodiments of the invention also provide an inspection system and supporting hardware that is used to reliably position a similarly shaped, or patterned, metal contact structure on the patterned heavily doped regions to allow an Ohmic contact to be made. The metal contact structure, such as fingers and busbars, are formed on the heavily doped regions so that a high quality electrical connection can be formed between these two regions.

Enhanced vision system for screen printing pattern alignment

An automatic store and a method for storing plates of electronic circuits comprising a feed belt that feeds the plates of electronic circuits along a first plane (F); collection boxes positioned along at least one side of the feed belt and in which the plates of electronic circuits fed by the feed belt are grouped together according to quality classes; and one or more clearing stations disposed in cooperation with the feed belt in order to position the plates of electronic circuits in the respective collection boxes. The store comprises at least two rows of collection boxes disposed along at least one side of the feed belt, and a movement unit associated with the collection boxes to discharge the filled collection boxes and to position new collection boxes to be filled.

Automatic store and method for storing plates of electronic circuits

A method for the production and control of plates for electronics comprising a first step in which a plate is positioned, by means of positioning means, in a loading station; a second step in which the plate is disposed in a deposition station associated with a unit for depositing metal, or other material, in which the metal is deposited on the plate, in order to generate on the plates metal tracks, according to a pre-determined and desired topological disposition; a third step in which the plate is disposed in an exit station and a detection means is activated so as to detect the presence of defects in the plate; and a fourth step in which the plate is discharged from the exit station. In the first step the detection means is activated to identify defects in the plate disposed in the loading station. In the second step the deposition unit is activated in order to deposit the metal on the plate when in the first step the detection means has not detected any defect in the plate.

Method for the production and control of plates for electronics and related apparatus

Embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus and method for processing substrates using a multiple screen printing chamber processing system that has an increased system throughput, improved system uptime, and improved device yield performance, while maintaining a repeatable and accurate screen printing process on the processed substrates. In one embodiment, the multiple screen printing chamber processing system is adapted to perform a screen printing process within a portion of a crystalline silicon solar cell production line in which a substrate is patterned with a desired material, and then processed in one or more subsequent processing chambers.

Next generation screen printing system

A positioning device to position one or more plates of electronic circuits with respect to an operating unit. The device comprises a rotary member which rotates selectively between a first operating position and a second operating position, and a positioning member mounted on the rotary member. The positioning member comprises a frame, which is mounted removably on the rotary member, and a strip of transpirant material on which each plate is rested. The strip is wound between a pair of winding/unwinding rollers, pivoted on the frame. The positioning member also comprises heating means able to heat the wafer to take it to a determinate operating temperature.

Positioning device to position one or more plates of electronic circuits, in a metal deposition unit

An alignment device to align a plate for electronic circuits comprises transport members able to transport the plate along a transport axis, at least from an entrance position to an alignment position defining an alignment plane. The device also comprises mobile members provided with: first movement members able to move the mobile members in a first direction directed along a first axis substantially perpendicular to the alignment plane so as to associate the mobile members with the plate; second movement members able to rotate the plate, associated with the mobile members, around the first axis; and at least third movement members able to move the plate, associated with the mobile members, in a second direction, directed along a second axis substantially transverse to the first axis and substantially co-planar with the transport axis.

Alignment device and method to align plates for electronic circuits

A testing device to test a plate for electronic circuits, comprising transport members able to transport the plate along an axis of feed (Y), at least from an entrance station to a testing station defining a testing plane (P'), and testing members, disposed in correspondence with the testing station. The testing device also comprises an alignment station defining an alignment plane (P), disposed upstream of the testing station, and alignment members, disposed in correspondence with the alignment station, able to dispose the plate in an aligned position, in which the plate is disposed symmetrical both with respect to the axis of feed (Y) and also with respect to a first axis (X) substantially transverse and co-planar to the axis of feed (Y).

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Mignagola Di Carbonera, Italy

Andrea Baccini