The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 02, 2012
Filed:
Apr. 07, 2006
Hubertus Von Der Waydbrink, Dresden, DE;
Georg Laimer, Meissen, DE;
Siegfried Scheibe, Dresden, DE;
Ricky C. Powell, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
James Ernest Hinkle, Lambertville, MI (US);
James B. Foote, Toledo, OH (US);
Hubertus Von Der Waydbrink, Dresden, DE;
Georg Laimer, Meissen, DE;
Siegfried Scheibe, Dresden, DE;
Ricky C. Powell, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
James Ernest Hinkle, Lambertville, MI (US);
James B. Foote, Toledo, OH (US);
First Solar, Inc., Perrysburg, OH (US);
Von Ardenne Anlagentechnik GmbH, Dresden, DE;
Abstract
The transporting device according to the invention, in particular for transporting sheet-like substrates through a coating installation, comprises transporting rollers which are rotatably mounted on both sides and horizontally arranged transversely in relation to the transporting direction, the uppermost surface lines of the transporting rollers defining the transporting plane, and is characterized in that the end parts of the transporting rollers have a smaller diameter than the middle part of the transporting rollers and in that baffles which are mounted displaceably in the axial direction of the transporting rollers between a first position and a second position are arranged between the end parts of the transporting rollers and the transporting plane. The fact that the baffles are mounted in an axially displaceable manner has the effect of considerably extending the cleaning intervals of the transporting device. At first the baffles are arranged in a first position, in which the end of the baffle lies underneath the substrate and, in the horizontal direction, as close as possible to the middle of the transporting roller Vapor-depositing material that gets beyond the edge of the substrate hits the baffle. During operation of the transporting device, the baffles are continuously displaced from the middle part to the ends of the transporting rollers. As a result, the increase in thickness of the layer produced on the baffles is limited, since the vapor keeps hitting new portions of the baffle.