Oerlikon Advanced Technologies Ag

Balzers Aktiengesellschaft

Unaxis-balzers Aktiengesellschaft

Oc Oerlikon Balzers Ag

Unaxis Trading Ag

Unaxis Balzers Limited

Stephan Voser

Roman Schertler

Martin Dubs

Oliver Rattunde

Josef Marthy

Peter Tinner

Gerhard Dovids

Volker Wuestenhagen

Gerald Feistritzer

Eduard Karl Lorenz

Throughput of manufacturing thin-film solar panels by inline technique is made substantially independent from the time extent of different surface treatment steps by accordingly subdividing treatment steps in sub-steps performed in inline subsequent treatment stations. Treatment duration in each of the subsequent treatment stations is equal(&#x3c4;).

Method of inline manufacturing a solar cell panel

A transport arrangement () for bi-directionally transporting substrates towards and from a load lock () comprises a first substrate handler () swivelable about a first axis (A) and with at least two first substrate carriers (). A second substrate handler () swivelable about a second axis (A) comprises at least four second substrate carriers (to). First and second substrate carriers are mutually aligned respectively in one position of their respective swiveling trajectory paths as one of the first substrate carriers is aligned with one of the second substrate carriers and the other of the first substrate carriers is aligned with the load lock (). The first substrate carriers () are movable towards and from the load lock () once aligned there with and thereby form respectively external valves of the load lock ().

Vacuum treatment apparatus

A method for the deposition of an anti-reflection film on a substrate is disclosed. A substrate including a plurality of solar cell structures is provided and placed in a vacuum chamber with a target including silicon. A flow of a nitrogen-containing reactive gas into the vacuum chamber is set to a first value while a voltage between the target and ground is switched off and then increased to a second value. A voltage is applied between the target and ground, whereby a film of silicon and nitrogen is deposited on the substrate in a flow of the nitrogen-containing reactive gas which is higher than the first value.

Process for the deposition of an anti-reflection film on a substrate

Method for sputtering from a dielectric target () in a vacuum chamber () with a high frequency gas discharge, the target () being mounted on a cooled metallic back plate () and this back plate forming an electrode () supplied with high frequency, includes a target thickness (Td) profiled () differently over the surface such that in the regions of a desired decrease of the sputtering rate the target thickness (Td) is selected to be greater than in the remaining regions.

Target comprising thickness profiling for an RF magnetron

To generate an especially good heat transfer between a seating face of a storage plate support and a storage plate, during coating with a sputter source in a vacuum installation, the seating face of the storage plate support is slightly annularly convexly arched and the storage plate is clamped in the center as well as on its outer margin by a center mask and an outer mask against the arched seating face. Hereby an especially good heat transfer is attained with very low arching d, whereby the storage plate is treated gently and simultaneously, during the coating process, no layer thickness distribution problems occur through arching that is too large.

Storage plate support for receiving disk-shaped storage plates

Disclosed is a workpiece conveyor and delivery device for a vacuum processing plant. Workpieces are delivered from one device to another, both devices being located opposite each other and moving in relation to each other. A controllable magnet arrangement is provided on one of the devices. A moveable armature element acts as a holding device for the workpiece on one of the two devices which move in relation to each other, namely the device provided with the magnet arrangement. Magnet arrangement is driven to activate the holding device which can be deactivated for delivery of workpiece.

Transport and transfer device

A transport and transfer arrangement for a workpiece in a vacuum treatment apparatus has a first transport member with at least one first workpiece holder and a second transport member with at least one second workpiece holder. The first and second transport members are movable relative to each other and in a position in which said one first and said one second workpiece holders are in a spaced face-to-face position. At least one transfer armature member is made of magnetic material. The first and second workpiece holders are part of controllable magnetic arrangement which generates in the spaced face-to-face position and between the workpiece holders, a magnetic force controllable to act in either direction and magnetically driving said transfer armature member controllably in a first direction from the first workpiece holder towards and onto said second workpiece holder and vice versa in a second direction as the workpiece holders are face to face. The transfer armature member is releasably firmly attachable to the workpiece with respect to the first and second directions so as to convey the workpiece both in the first and in said second direction, respectively from said first workpiece holder towards and onto the second workpiece holder and vice versa.

Growing community of inventors

Grabs, Switzerland

Stephan Voser