(19)
(11)EP 0 144 055 B1

(12)EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION

(45)Mention of the grant of the patent:
22.07.1992 Bulletin 1992/30

(21)Application number: 84114295.3

(22)Date of filing:  27.11.1984
(51)International Patent Classification (IPC)5C23C 14/02, C23C 16/02
// C23C14/56, H01L31/02, H01L31/18

(54)

Process and apparatus for producing a continuous insulated metallic substrate

Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur kontinuierlichen Herstellung eines isolierten Substrates

Procédé et appareil pour produire en continu un substrat métallique isolé


(84)Designated Contracting States:
AT BE CH DE FR GB IT LI NL SE

(30)Priority: 01.12.1983 JP 227244/83

(43)Date of publication of application:
12.06.1985 Bulletin 1985/24

(60)Divisional application:
91120878.3 / 0478010

(73)Proprietor: KANEGAFUCHI KAGAKU KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Kita-ku Osaka-shi Osaka-fu 530 (JP)

(72)Inventors:
  • Nakayama, Takehisa
    Kobe-shi Hyogo-ken (JP)
  • Nishimura, Kunio c/o Kanegafuchi Kagaku
    Kita-ku Osaka (JP)
  • Tsuge, Kazunori
    Kobe-shi Hyogo-ken (JP)
  • Tawada, Yoshihisa
    Kobe-shi Hyogo-ken (JP)

(74)Representative: Türk, Gille, Hrabal, Leifert 
Brucknerstrasse 20
40593 Düsseldorf
40593 Düsseldorf (DE)


(56)References cited: : 
EP-A- 0 027 553
EP-A- 0 051 449
DE-A- 3 036 011
FR-A- 2 497 604
GB-A- 2 119 406
US-A- 3 480 922
EP-A- 0 041 773
CH-A- 236 117
DE-B- 1 002 584
GB-A- 2 117 800
US-A- 2 382 432
US-A- 4 317 844
  
  • EXTENDED ABSTRACTS, vol. 77/2, October 1977, pages 791-792, no. 295, The Electrochemical Society, Princeton, New Jersey, US; D.E. CARLSON: "Recent developments in amorphous silicon solar cells"
  • PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN, vol. 2, no. 77, 17th June 1978
  • PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN, vol. 7, no. 54 (P-180)[1199], 4th March 1983
 
Remarks:
Divisional application 91120878.3 filed on 27/11/84.
 
Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention).


Description


[0001] The present invention relates to a process for producing a continuous web of an electrically insulated metallic substrate for a solar cell, a printed circuit board or an IC board.

[0002] Heretofore, there has been used a solar battery comprising a plurality of solar cells formed on a substrate in a pattern and connected in series, and a printed circuit board having high heat resistance and low heat conductivity has also been used.

[0003] In such a solar battery, since the cells must be connected in series, it is necessary that adjacent cells are electrically insulated. For example, when a metallic substrate is used as a substrate for a solar cell, the substrate must be subjected to insulation treatment. Usually, such treatment comprises the steps of polishing the surface of a web of a metallic substrate which is rolled out, attaching a protective sheet thereto, cutting the web in a predetermined shape by etching or by press, removing the protective sheet, and then subjecting it to insulation treatment for formation of an insulation layer. On the thus formed insulation layer a patterned back electrode is formed by vapor deposition or sputtering. The back electrode may be formed over the surface, and then patterned by etching.

[0004] In the production process described above, the cut substrates must be handled one by one, which requires much time and labor, and many handling procedures decrease the yield and productivity. As considered from the operation in the individual processing steps, usually, a batch system is suitable for the production process.

[0005] When the active layers of a solar cell are formed, the substrate must be heated to a temperature as high as 200 to 350oC and hence the insulation layer is required to be resistant at such temperature. For this reason, a resin having a good heat resistance such as a polyimide is used as a material for the insulation layer. The process for forming the insulation layer of the resin comprises the steps of coating a metallic substrate with a polyimide resin by spin coating or dipping, and heating the resin coating for curing the resin and for degassing. However, this process is very complicated and entails a high reject rate. Generally, the higher the layer forming temperature in the active layers of the solar cell, the higher the quality of the solar cell. However, in case of producing a solar cell by using the substrate having the insulation layer of polyimide resin, or the like, the layer forming temperature is at most 250oC because cracks occur in the back electrode when subjecting the substrate to a higher temperature. Moreover, condensation takes place in the insulation layer of the resin during heating to emit H₂O and impurities, whereby detracting from the performance of the solar cell.

[0006] Accordingly, use of the substrate having the insulation layer of the resin is not advantagous to produce a high quality solar cell.

[0007] The field of a printed circuit board calls for development of a printed circuit board in form of an insulated metallic substrate in view of its heat resistance in soldering and of its low heat conductivity. In the production of solar cells it is known (EP 0 041 773 A1) to provide an insulating coating comprising of SiO₂ or Si₃N₄ on a substrate. SiO₂ and Si₃N₄ are crystaline materials.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a process for continuously forming an insulation layer of an inorganic insulation material and a back electrode on a metallic substrate and, if necessary, cleaning the substrate, patterning the back electrode and cutting the produced insulated substrate, whereby reducing time, cost, processing steps and labor while increasing yield, productivity, and heat resistance, and further improving the performance of the solar cell itself.

[0009] According to the present invention, there is provided a process for producing a continuous web of a metallic substrate having an electric insulation layer comprising the steps of depositing an insulation layer of a non-monocrystalline material containing Si and having a carbon content of not less than 10% by atom on a continuous web of a metallic substrate by plasma CVD method or sputtering method, and depositing a back electrode thereon by sputtering method or vapor deposition method in a continuous operation.

[0010] As the metallic substrate used in the present invention, there are employed a metal plate such as iron, aluminum, nickel, copper, zinc, an alloy thereof, stainless steel and brass, and a plate of a metal or a resin which is surface-treated with other metals such as aluminum and silver. The metallic substrate is preferably of a continuous web having a thickness of about 0.03 to 2.0 mm and a width of about 10 to 500 mm. The continuous web is preferably a hoop material in roll form from the standpoint of handling.

[0011] The surface of the metallic substrate is preferably polished by the usual method since the polishing treatment can prevent the insulation layer from adverse effects on the yield such as electrical contact through pin holes in the insulation layer.

[0012] For further increasing the yield, a sophisticated treatment such as composite electrochemical polishing is preferably employed from the standpoint of improving the performance of the insulated substrate. If the yield is sacrificed to some extent, it is advantageous from the standpoint of cost to use an unpolished substrate whose Rmax is not more than 0.5 µm, for example, about 0.3 to 0.5 µm. When the surface roughness of a polished metalic substrate is Rmax ≦ 0.3 µm, if an insulation layer is deposited to an extent of about 2.0 µm, the occurrence of the above-mentioned electrical contact can be reduced to zero, as compared with the case of forming the same insulation layer on a substrate having a Rmax of about 0.5 µm. In the case of Rmax ≦ 0.2 µm, even if the thickness of the insulation layer is about 1.5 µm, the yield is the same as that in the case of using the substrate of Rmax = 0.3 µm and depositing the insulation layer of about 2.0 µm. If sophisticated composite electrochemical polishing which ensures Rmax ≦ 0.05 µm is applied to the substrate, perfect electric insulation can be obtained even if the insulation layer thickness is only 1 µm. In addition, the surface roughness is at least 0.005 µm from the standpoint of adhesion. If the surface roughness is less than 0.005 µm, there is a danger that the insulation layer is peeled off.

[0013] The insulation layer formed by the present invention is formed on the continuous metallic substrate by the usual plasma CVD method using silane gas alone or a suitable mixed gas prepared by mixing silane gas with a hydrocarbon gas such as methane or ethylene, ammonia gas, hydrogen and oxygen, or by the usual sputtering method using a mixed gas of an inert gas such as argon or helium with hydrogen, a hydrocarbon gas and a silicon-containing compound gas, and using a target made of SiC, graphite, silicon, or the like. The thickness of the insulation layer is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 0.1 to 200 µm, more preferably 0.5 to 20 µm.

[0014] The composition of the insulation layer is not particularly limited. From the standpoint of breakdown voltage, it is advantageous to employ a material having a wide band gap such as Si(1-x)Cx:H (wherein x is 0.1 to 0.9), Si(1-x-y)CxNy:H (wherein x is as defined above, y is 0 to 0.9, and x + y ≦ 1), or Si(1-x-y)CxOy:H (wherein x and y are as defined above). Further, the insulation layer is preferably non-monocrystalline, particularly amorphous because of its structural flexiblility and resistance to cracks. From the standpoint of insulation, it is desirable to use a material having 10⁻⁶ Ω·cm⁻¹ or less, preferably 10⁻⁸ Ω·cm⁻¹ or less.

[0015] The insulation layer contains carbon atoms of not less than 10 %. If the carbon content is less than 10 %, the dielectric breakdown voltage decreases to 50 V/µm or less, which means insufficiency in point of insulating performance. If the carbon content is 30 % or more, the dielectric breakdown voltage of the insulation layer further increases to 100 V/µm or more, which is preferable for a semiconductor device produced by glow discharge. A material for the insulation layer with a large carbon content is more preferable for use as an IC or printed circuit board since its heat conductivity is high.

[0016] Further, in case of using, as the plasma CVD method, a parallel plate electrode method, a method in which the substrate is set within ± 3 cm from the plasma region, or a parellel plate electrode method in which an electrode involving a magnet arranged so as to give a magnetic field component being parallel to the electrode, damage to the deposited insulation layer due to plasma is very little, and hence an insulation layer with less defect can be obtained.

[0017] When the deposition of the insulation layer is carried out by rasing the temperature from 100 to 400oC, the layer can be increased in adhesive strength and heat stability, and internal stresses of the layer can be reduced. Further, if the DC potential difference (Vb) for plasma CVD method is 10 V or less, two sheets of insulated substrate can be produced at a time by using two hoop metalic webs and a set of plasma CVD electrodes.

[0018] In the present invention, after the insulation layer is formed on the metalic substrate, a back electrode is depostited thereon.

[0019] The back electrode is a mono layer or a multiple layer formed by the usual sputtering method using, as a target, a metal such as aluminum, nickel, chromium, molybdenum, silver, gold, copper or an alloy thereof, or an electrically conductive oxide such as ITO, SnO₂ or CdxSnOy, or by the usual vapor deposition method in which the above-mentioned metal, alloy or electrically conductive oxide is heated by electron beam or by electric resistance. The thickness of the electrode is generally 20 (200 Å) to 100 µm, preferably 40 to 1000 µm (400 to 10000 Å).

[0020] The deposition of the back electrode by the sputtering method may be performed over the entire surface without using a mask or may be patterned by using a mask. When the deposition of the back electrode by the sputtering method is performed at a temperature of from room temperature to 400oC, the electrode thus formed has a low electric resistance and an increased adhesive strength.

[0021] The material of the back electrode is not particularly limited, and a conventional material for a back electrode can be employed. Examples of the materials of the back electrode are, for instance, a metal such as aluminum, chromium, nickel, molybdenum, SUS, silver, copper or gold; ITO; SnO₂: CdxSnOy, and the like. For solar cells, there is preferably employed a back electrode comprising a first layer of aluminum, Ag, TiAg or Cr, which is coated with an electrically conductive film of an oxide such as ITO, SnO₂, CdxSnOy or a metal oxide (TiO₂, Nb₂O₃) in a thickness of not more than several nm (ten Å), because of its high reflectance.

[0022] The present invention is more particularly described and explained by means of the accompanied drawings which show in Figs 1 to 10 sectional views of different apparatus for practising the present invention.

[0023] In Fig. 1, a continuous web of a metallic substrate 11 from a supply roll 12 installed in a supply chamber 1 is fed to a plasma chamber 2 through a slit 41 formed in a partition wall 40 continuously or intermittently at a rate of about 0.01 to 100 m/min. In the plasma chamber 2 there are installed an RF electrode 21 for depositing an insulation layer by plasma CVD method, a heater 22 for the substrate 11, and gas introducing means and gas exhausting means (not shown).

[0024] The metallic substrate 11 fed to the plasma chamber 2, while being heated by the heater 22, is moved toward a slit 43 in a partition wall 42. A mixed gas of predetermined composition is being introduced into the plasma chamber 2 so that the gas pressure therein can be maintained at 1.33 to 1333 Pa (0.01 to 10 Torr.) The introduced gas is changed into plasma by a high frequency voltage of, e.g. 1 kHz to 100 MHz from the RF electrode and is deposited on the substrate 11 which is moving with heating, whereby an insulation layer is formed.

[0025] The metallic substrate 11 having the insulation layer thereon is fed to a sputtering chamber 3 through the slit 43. In the sputtering chamber 3 there are installed cathode electrode pair 23 consisting of a target and an anode, a heater 24 for the insulated substrate, and gas introducing means and gas exhausiting means (not shown).

[0026] The insulated substrate 11 fed to the sputtering chamber 3, preferably while being heated by the heater 24, is moved toward a slit 45 in a partition wall 44. Argon gas or helium gas from the gas introducing means are introduced into the sputtering chamber 3 so that the gas pressure therein can be maintained at about 0.013 to 133 Pa (10⁻⁴ to 1 Torr). The introduced gas is changed into plasma with the anode of the electrode pair 23, and the gas plasma strikes the target to sputter atoms in the target into plasma. The sputtered atoms deposit on the insulation layer on the substrate 11 which is moving preferably with heating, whereby a back electrode is formed.

[0027] The insulated substrate 11 with the back electrode is passed through a slit 45 and wound on a winding roll 13 installed in a winding chamber 4.

[0028] The apparatus shown in Fig. 1 may, if necessary, be provided with a cleaning chamber 8 and a drying chamber 9, as shown in Fig. 6, to clean the surface of the metallic substrate 11.

[0029] The apparatus shown in Fig. 2 has an intermediate chamber 5 provided between the supply chamber 1 and the plasma chamber 2, an intermediate chamber 6 provided between the plasma chamber 2 and the sputtering chamber 3, and an intermediate chamber 7 provided between the sputtering chamber 3 and the winding chamber 4 which can serve to exhaust the gases and to adjust the inner pressure. According to this embodiment, mutual diffusion of the gases from adjacent chambers can be prevented, and thus a product of high quality can be stably obtained. It is preferable that the pressures in the plasma chamber 2, sputtering chamber 3, and intermediate chambers 5, 6 and 7 are adjusted so that the pressure in the intermediate chamber is not more than 2/3, preferably not more than 1/2, more preferably not more than 1/10 of the pressure of one of the adjacent chambers which has the lower pressure.

[0030] The apparatus shown in Fig. 2 may, if necessary, be provided with the cleaning chamber 8 and the drying chamber 9, as shown in Fig. 6, for cleaning the surface of the metalic substrate 11.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 3, the intermediate chamber 6 may be provided with mask supply means 16 for supplying a mask 17 and for relative positioning of the mask with the insulated substrate. The intermediate chamber 7 may be provided with mask winding means 18 for winding the mask 17 fed from the mask supply means 16. According to this embodiment, when the insulated substrate 11 is supplied to the sputtering chamber 3, the mask 17 positioned relative to the insulated substrate is also supplied to the sputtering chamber 3 so as to form a back electrode through the mask 17. This makes continuous production of patterned back electrodes possible.

[0032] When using the continuous web of the metallic substrate 11 covered with a protective sheet, protective sheet winding means 15 for winding a protective sheet 14 may be installed in the supply chamber 1, as shown in Fig. 4. In this embodiment, the metallic substrate 11 covered with the protective sheet 14 can be used, and thus the metallic substrate having clean surface can be supplied without the cleaning treatment to the plasma chamber 2 while winding the protective sheet. Further, when, with the winding chamber 4, protective sheet supply means 19 for supplying a protective sheet 20 is provided, the insulated substrate with the back electrode is wound while supplying the protective sheet to give the product whose back electrode surface is protected.

[0033] Also, as shown in Fig. 5, the mask supplying means 16 and mask winding means 18 shown in Fig. 3 may be assembled with the apparatus shown in Fig. 4. According to the apparatus, patterning is achieved during formation of the back electrode.

[0034] In addition, as shown in Fig. 6, before the metallic substrate 11 is supplied to the plasma chamber 2, it may be cleaned in the cleaning chamber 8 by the usual method, and dried in the drying chamber 9 by drying means 25 such as an infrared heater or a sheathed heater, if necessary subjected to a plasma treatment with a gas such as nitrogen, hydrogen, argon or helium to clean the substrate surface. The cleaned substrate is supplied to the plasma chamber 2, the intermediate chamber 10 and the sputtering chamber 3 so as to form the insulation layer and the back electrode, and then wound. For the cleaning in the cleaning chamber 8, solvent vapor cleaning may be added to the usual cleaning.

[0035] Instead of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3 or 5, which produce the patterned back electrode by using the mask, as shown in Fig. 7, the metallic substrate with the insulation layer and the back electrode may be supplied to an etching chamber 33, where a resist film is formed by printing on the back electrode by resist applying means 34. Alternatively, a resist film applied to the entire surface of the back electrode is exposed to light by exposure means 35 using a photomask (not shown) to form a pattern, followed by etching by plasma etching means 36 to pattern the back electrode.

[0036] The apparatus shown in Fig. 7 may be assembled with the protective sheet winding means 15 and the protective sheet supplying means 19 as shown in Fig. 4 to provide an apparatus, shown in Fig. 8.

[0037] Furthermore, a cutting chamber 31 may be provided with the aforementioned embodiments. In this embodiment, the metallic substrate 11 is fed successively through the plasma chamber 2, an intermediate chamber 28 for differential exhausting, the sputtering chamber 3 and intermediate chambers 29 and 30 for differential exhausting, and then is supplied in form of a continuous web to the cutting chamber 31. In the cutting chamber 31, the continuous product is cut to a predetermined size by cutting means 32 such as a press, etching or laser. In addition, when scrap forms, the scrap may be wound on a scrap winding roll 37 by an induction roll 38.

[0038] If the DC potential difference (Vb) between the RF electrode and the metallic substrate is controlled to 10 V or less, it is possible, as shown in Fig. 10, to form insulation layers on two metallic substrates 11a and 11b at a time. In this embodiment, two supply rolls 12a and 12b are installed in the plasma chamber 2, and plasma discharge is effected by using a single heater 22 and a single heater-containing RF electrode 21a. In addition, in Fig. 10, the heater-containing RF electrode 21a and heater 22 may be horizontally arranged one above the other between the substrates 11a and 11b. Alternatively, the heater-containing RF electrode 21a and heater 22 may be vertically arranged between the substrates 11a and 11b with the entire apparatus turned through 90o. The insulated substrates 11a and 11b with the insulation layer are supplied to the sputtering chamber 3 where back electrodes are formed on the respective insulation layers by electrode pairs 23a and 23b and heaters 24a and 24b. The products are wound on the winding rolls 13a and 13b in the winding chambers 4a and 4b.

[0039] Though the above-mentioned embodiments relate to the process of forming the insulation layer by plasma CVD method and subsequently forming the back electrode by sputtering method, the insulation layer may be formed by sputtering method and the back electrode may be formed by vapor deposition method.

[0040] According to the present invention, the insulation layer and the back electrode can be continuously formed on the continuous web of the metallic substrate by a single apparatus. Therefore, handling between individual steps is unnecessary, which can reduce time and labor and can obtain the desired product at a high speed and low cost. Further, because the process of the present invention can be carried out in closed system, there is no possibility of contamination by dust, which makes the yield increase. Further, the process can be automatically carried out because the steps can be continuously performed up to the patterning of the back electrode, and furthermore if desired, up to cutting.


Claims

1. Process for producing a continuous web of an electrically insulated metallic substrate for a solar cell, a printed circuit board or an IC board, comprising the steps of depositing an insulation layer of a non-monocrystalline material containing Si and having a carbon content of not less than 10% by atom on a continuous web of a metallic substrate by plasma CVD method or sputtering method, and depositing a back electrode on the insulation layer by sputtering method or vapor deposition method.
 
2. Process as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said insulation layer further contains at least one element selected from the group consisting of O, N and Ge.
 
3. Process as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said insulation layer is made of amorphous material.
 
4. Process as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that said insulation layer is Si:H, Si(1-x)Cx:H (wherein x is 0.1 to 0.9), Si(1-x-y)CxNy:H (wherein x is as defined above, y is 0 to 0.9, and x + y ≦ 1) or Si(1-x-y)CxOy:H (wherein x and y are as defined above).
 
5. Process as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said back electrode is a monolayer or a multiple layer of aluminum, chromium, nickel, molybdenum, copper, zinc, silver, tin, or an alloy thereof, a metal oxide thereof, a titanium silver alloy, nichrome, SUS or ITO.
 
6. Process as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said continuous metallic substrate web is a hoop material in roll.
 
7. Process as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said metallic substrate is made of iron, aluminum, nickel, copper or zinc or an alloy thereof, stainless steel, brass or surface-treated metal.
 
8. Process as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the surface of said metallic substrate is polished before said insulation layer is deposited thereon.
 
9. Process as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the surface roughness of the polished surface of said substrate is Rmax ≦ 0.5 µm.
 
10. Process as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the surface roughness of the polished surface of said substrate is Rmax ≦ 0.2 µm.
 
11. Process as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said plasma CVD method or sputtering method is a parallel plate electrode method, a method in which the substrate is set within ± 3 cm from the plasma region, or a parallel plate electrode method using an electrode installing a magnet arranged so that a magnetic field component is parallel to the electrode plate.
 
12. Process as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that the deposition of said insulation layer is carried out at a substrate temperature of 100 to 400oC.
 
13. Process as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the back electrode is deposited in pattern by using a mask.
 
14. Process as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that the deposition of the back electrode is carried out at a substrate temperature of from room temperature to 400oC.
 


Revendications

1. Procédé pour produire un produit continu sur un substrat métallique isolé électriquement pour une cellule solaire, une carte de circuit imprimé ou une plaque de circuit intégré, comportant les opérations de déposition d'une couche isolante sur un matériau non monocristallin contenant du Si et ayant une teneur en carbone d'au moins 10% en atomes sur une pièce continue d'un substrat métallique par la méthode de plasma CVD ou la méthode de sputtering, et la dépostion d'une électrode arrière sur la couche isolée par la méthode de sputtering ou la méthode de métallisation sous vide.
 
2. Procédé conforme à la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que ladite couche isolée contient en outre au moins un élément choisi dans le groupe composé de O, N et Ge.
 
3. Procédé conforme aux revendications 1 ou 2, caractérisé en ce que ladite couche isolée est constituée d'un matériau amorphe.
 
4. Procédé conforme à la revendication 3, caractérisé en ce que ladite couche isolante est en Si:H, Si(1-x)Cx:H (dans laquelle x est compris entre 0,1 et 0,9), Si(1-x-y)CxNy:H (dans laquelle x est défini comme ci-dessus, y est compris entre 0 et 0,9 et x + y ≦ 1) ou Si(1-x-y)CxOy:H (dans laquelle x et y sont définis comme ci-dessus).
 
5. Procédé conforme à la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que ladite électrode arrière est une couche unique ou une couche multiple d'aluminium, de chrome, de nickel, de molybdène, de cuivre, de zinc, d'argent, d'étain ou un alliage de ceux-ci, un oxyde métallique de ceux-ci, un alliage titane argent, nichrome, SUS ou ITO.
 
6. Procédé conforme à la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que ladite pièce de substrat métallique continue est un matériau plat en rouleau.
 
7. Procédé conforme à la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que ledit substrat métallique est composé de fer, d'aluminium, de nickel, de cuivre ou de zinc ou d'un alliage de ceux-ci, d'acier inoxydable, de laiton ou d'un métal ayant subi un traitement de surface.
 
8. Procédé conforme à une des revendications 1 à 7, caractérisé en ce que la suface dudit substrat métallique est polie avant que ladite couche isolante soit déposée sur celui-ci.
 
9. Procédé conforme à la revendication 8, caractérisé en ce que la rugosité de la surface polie dudit substrat est Rmax ≦ 0,5 m.
 
10. Procédé conforme à la revendication 8, caractérisé en ce que la rugosité de la surface polie dudit substrat est Rmax ≦ 0,2 m.
 
11. Procédé conforme à la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que ladite méthode de plasma CVD ou la méthode de sputtering est une méthode à électrode plate parallèle, méthode dans laquelle le substrat est placé à 3 cm de la région du plasma, ou une méthode à électrodes plates parallèles utilisant une électrode installant un aimant disposé de manière qu'une composante de champ magnétique soit parallèle à la plaque d'électrode.
 
12. Procédé conforme à la revendication 11, caractérisé en ce que le dépôt de ladite couche isolante est effectué à une température de substrat de 100 à 400°C.
 
13. Procédé conforme à la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que l'électrode arrière est déposée en modèle en utilisant un masque.
 
14. Procédé conforme à la revendication 13, caractérisé en ce que le dépôt de l'électrode arrière est effectué à une température de substrat comprise entre la température ambiante et 400°C.
 


Ansprüche

1. Verfahren zur kontinuierlichen Herstellung einer Materialbahn eines elektrisch isolierten metallischen Substrates für eine Solarzelle, eine gedruckte Leiterplatte oder eine IC-Leiterplatte, umfassend die Stufen Auftragen einer Isolierschicht aus einem nicht-monokristallinen Material, das Si enthält und einen Kohlenstoffgehalt von nicht weniger als 10 Atom-% hat, auf einer endlosen Materialbahn eines metallischen Substrats durch das Plasma-CVD-Verfahren oder das Zerstäuberverfahren, sowie Auftragen einer Gegenelektrode auf der Isolierschicht durch das Zerstäuberverfahren oder das Aufdampfverfahren.
 
2. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Isolierschicht weiterhin wenigstens ein Element enthält, ausgewählt aus der Gruppe, die aus O, N und Ge besteht.
 
3. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Isolierschicht aus einem amorphen Material besteht.
 
4. Verfahren nach Anspruch 3, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß in der Isolierschicht das Si:H-Verhältnis Si(1-x)Cx:H (worin x gleich 0,1 bis 0,9 ist), Si(1-x-y)CxNy:H (worin x wie oben definiert ist, y ist 0 bis 0,9 und x + y ≦ 1) oder Si(1-x-y)CxOy:H (worin x und y wie oben definiert sind) ist.
 
5. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Gegenelektrode eine Monoschicht oder eine Mehrfachschicht von Aluminium, Chromium, Nickel, Molybdän, Kupfer Zink, Silber, Zinn oder einer Legierung davon, ein Metalloxid davon, eine Titan-Silber-Legierung, Nichrom, SUS oder ITO ist.
 
6. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die kontinuierliche Materialbahn des metallischen Substrats ein Bandmaterial auf einer Rolle ist.
 
7. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß das metallische Substrat aus Eisen, Aluminium, Nickel, Kupfer oder Zink oder einer Legierung davon, rostfreiem Stahl, Messing oder einem oberflächenbehandelten Metall besteht.
 
8. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 7, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Oberfläche des metallischen Substrats vor dem Auftragen der Isolierschicht darauf poliert wird.
 
9. Verfahren nach Anspruch 8, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Oberflächenrauheit der polierten Oberfläche des Substrates Rmax≦0,05 µm beträgt.
 
10. Verfahren nach Anspruch 8, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Oberflächenrauheit der polierten Oberfläche des Substrats Rmax≦0,2 µm beträgt.
 
11. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß das Plasma-CVD-Verfahren oder das Zerstäuberverfahren ein Parallelplattenelektroden-Verfahren ist, ein Verfahren, in dem das Substrat innerhalb von ± 3 cm vom Plasmabereich entfernt sich befindet, oder ein Parallelplattenelektroden-Verfahren unter Verwendung einer Elektrode mit einem Magneten, die so angeordnet ist, daß die Magnetfeldkomponente sich parallel zur Elektrodenplatte befindet.
 
12. Verfahren nach Anspruch 11, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß das Auftragen der Isolierschicht bei einer Substrattemperatur von 100 bis 400 °C erfolgt.
 
13. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Gegenelektrode in Strukturen unter Verwendung einer Maske aufgetragen wird.
 
14. Verfahren nach Anspruch 13, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß das Auftragen der Gegenelektrode bei einer Substrattemperatur von Raumtemperatur bis 400 °C durchgeführt wird.
 




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