JP2005235920A - Thin-film solar cell manufacturing system, and inspection method in thin-film solar cell manufacturing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thin-film solar cell manufacturing system for improving yields in a thin-film solar cell, and to provide an inspection method in the thin-film solar cell manufacturing system. <P>SOLUTION: In the thin-film solar cell manufacturing system in which a transparent electrode, an amorphous silicon film and a rear-surface electrode are formed on a substrate, and formed into panels after being modularized, the thin-film solar cell manufacturing system comprises an individual marker provided on the substrate; a transparent electrode inspection device 70 for performing the intermediate inspection of the substrate continuously after forming the transparent electrode; an amorphous silicon film inspection device 71 for performing the intermediate inspection of the substrate continuously after forming the amorphous silicon film; and a quality management device for managing the inspection result of the substrate by the transparent electrode inspection device 70 and the amorphous silicon film inspection device 71 corresponding to the individual marker. An ID marker by a two-dimensional barcode is used as the individual marker. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a manufacturing system for manufacturing a thin film solar cell such as an amorphous silicon solar cell or a tandem solar cell with microcrystalline silicon, and more particularly to an inspection apparatus and method for quality control.

For example, in the case of an amorphous solar cell, a thin film solar cell forms a transparent electrode on a glass substrate, and forms an amorphous silicon film and a back electrode thereon. In addition, a solar cell module is formed by connecting the cut cells in series by laser etching after each film formation, and this is formed into a panel to obtain a solar cell panel.
The inspection contents regarding the completed solar cell are managed by the authentication contents such as JIS and ISO. However, with regard to the manufacture of thin film solar cells, there is no clear method for securing the yield by an intermediate inspection.
JP 2001-102604 A JP-A-6-310424 JP 2003-65727 A

  Under such circumstances, in the manufacturing process of the battery for a thin film body, it is desired to establish inspection contents for improving the yield.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a thin film solar cell manufacturing system capable of improving the yield of thin film solar cells and an inspection method in the thin film solar cell manufacturing system.

In the present invention, the following means are adopted in order to solve the above problems.
The invention according to claim 1 is a thin film solar cell manufacturing system in which a transparent electrode, a silicon-based thin film, and a back electrode are formed on a substrate, modularized, and then formed into a panel. A transparent electrode inspection apparatus that continuously inspects a substrate after film formation, and a quality control apparatus that manages the inspection result of the substrate by the transparent electrode inspection apparatus in correspondence with the individual markers, To do.

  Film formation of transparent electrodes tends to cause variations in quality, including after frequent maintenance. In the present invention, the quality is continuously inspected after the transparent electrode is formed. Inspection results are managed in correspondence with individual markers. Inspection items include film thickness, film thickness distribution, haze ratio, pinhole, and the like.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thin film solar cell manufacturing system in which a transparent electrode, a silicon-based thin film, and a back electrode are formed on a substrate, modularized, and then formed into a panel. A silicon-based thin film inspection apparatus that continuously inspects the substrate after thin film formation, and a quality control apparatus that manages the inspection results of the substrate by the silicon-based thin film inspection apparatus in correspondence with the individual markers. It is characterized by.

  Silicon-based thin film formation tends to cause variations over time and quality after maintenance. In the present invention, the quality is continuously inspected after the amorphous silicon film is formed. Inspection results are managed in correspondence with individual markers. Inspection items include film thickness, film thickness distribution, and the like.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the thin film solar cell manufacturing system according to claim 2, further comprising a transparent electrode inspection device that performs intermediate inspection of the substrate continuously after the transparent electrode is formed, The inspection result of the substrate by the transparent electrode inspection device is managed in correspondence with the individual marker.

  Film formation of transparent electrodes tends to cause variations in quality, including after frequent maintenance. In the present invention, the quality is continuously inspected after the transparent electrode is formed. Inspection results are managed in correspondence with individual markers. Inspection items include film thickness, film thickness distribution, haze ratio, pinhole, and the like.

  Invention of Claim 4 is equipped with the interstage resistance measuring apparatus which measures continuously the interstage resistance of the cell after laser etching in the thin film solar cell manufacturing system in any one of Claim 1 to 3, The quality management device manages the inspection result of the substrate by the interstage resistance measuring device in association with the individual marker.

  In the laser etching process, quality tends to vary due to defective etching or adhesion of etching debris. In the present invention, the interstage resistance of the cell is inspected continuously after laser etching. Inspection results are managed in correspondence with individual markers.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is the thin-film solar cell manufacturing system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, further comprising a power generation inspection device that performs a power generation inspection after completion of the module, and the quality control device includes the power generation inspection device. The inspection result of the board is managed in correspondence with the individual marker.

  In the present invention, after completion of the module, current (current), voltage, and output are inspected (power generation inspection), and the inspection results are managed in correspondence with the individual markers. The quality control device can statistically compare the intermediate inspection result and the power generation performance, and is useful for identifying the cause of the abnormality.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the thin film solar cell manufacturing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the individual marker of the substrate is a two-dimensional marker in which chromium metal or aluminum is transferred by a laser. It is characterized by.

  In a thin film solar cell manufacturing system, a substrate passes through a harsh environment such as substrate cleaning, heating, vacuum, and heating. In the present invention, by using durable chromium metal or aluminum as an individual marker, it can be read after passing through each process device, and the inside of each processing apparatus is not contaminated.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the thin-film solar cell manufacturing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the substrate has a state in which the contents of the individual marker can be read visually together with the individual marker. The character string marker shown is provided.

  In the present invention, by providing a character string marker together with the individual marker, for example, even when the individual marker is a two-dimensional barcode that cannot be read visually, when an abnormality occurs or when confirming the substrate ID carried out to the substrate cassette, etc. An operator can easily manage the board by reading the character string marker.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the thin-film solar cell manufacturing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the individual marker is a substrate peripheral portion on the back side of the substrate opposite to the silicon-based thin film surface. It is characterized by being provided on one side of the substrate upstream side or downstream side near the center distribution position.

  Since the substrate is handled on the basis of the center sorting position, starting with the transfer device using rollers, the temperature of the substrate is high when the individual marker is provided at the end of the substrate and is captured by the reading camera. In this case, the position shifts due to the effect of hot elongation, causing a reading error. In the present invention, since the individual marker is provided in the vicinity of the center distribution position, even if the substrate is heated, the individual marker has a fixed position and can be read stably. In addition, since the individual markers are provided on the upstream side or downstream side of the substrate, the substrate setting direction in each processing apparatus is clear even after substrate processing, and there is a problem in processing. By comparing the positional relationship with the device, it is easy to carry out a repair response.

  The invention according to claim 9 is a method for inspecting a thin film solar cell manufacturing system in which a transparent electrode, a silicon-based thin film, and a back electrode are formed on a substrate, modularized, and then formed into a panel. As for the process in which the occurrence of this is likely to occur, all the intermediate inspections are performed, and the inspection results are managed in correspondence with the IDs of the substrates.

  In the present invention, it is possible to make an early determination of locations where defects are likely to occur in the middle of the manufacturing process, and it is possible to take measures against defects early to maintain a high production amount. Examples of processes in which variations in the quality of thin film solar cell production tend to occur include transparent electrode film formation, silicon-based thin film formation, and laser etching.

  The invention according to claim 10 is the inspection method in the thin film solar cell manufacturing system according to claim 9, wherein the substrate formed by the plasma CVD apparatus is periodically compared with the reference product, and the substrate is It is characterized by inspecting whether it is in the management standard range.

  In the present invention, the film thickness, film thickness distribution, film forming speed, film quality (refractive index, band gap, dark conductivity) of each single layer (one of p / i / n layers) of the silicon-based thin film of the substrate, etc. Measure. If it is out of the reference management range, correction by adjusting the recipe and RF supply method, film formation time correction, and the like are performed.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the inspection method in the thin-film solar cell manufacturing system according to the ninth or tenth aspect, the substrate is manually inspected for a process that is relatively stable if the periodic check is performed. It is characterized by performing.

  In the present invention, since there is little occurrence of quality variations during continuous processing, manual inspection is performed in the above-described process equipment that does not require intermediate inspection. For example, film thickness after film formation of the back electrode, film thickness distribution, reflectance, dust, etching shape after laser etching, and insulation inspection after panel completion.

In the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
Product quality can be checked in the middle of the manufacturing process, so it is possible to determine the location of failure early and eliminate the need for waste processing substrates in the downstream process, thus preventing waste of material costs. .
In addition, since the individual marker and the inspection result are associated with each other and managed, it is easy to specify the factor when an abnormality occurs.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a thin film solar cell manufacturing factory (thin film solar cell manufacturing system) according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a manufacturing process.
First, the main manufacturing process at the time of amorphous silicon solar cell manufacture among thin film solar cells is listed in order using the schematic diagram of FIG.
(1) Accept glass substrate
(2) Forming transparent electrode on glass substrate
(3) Laser etching of transparent electrode
(4) Amorphous silicon film is formed by plasma CVD equipment
(5) Etching the amorphous silicon film
(6) Back electrode is formed by sputtering or ion plating equipment
(7) Etching back electrode and amorphous silicon film
(8) Connect them in series to complete the module
(9) Module power generation inspection
(10) Remove peripheral film
(11) Cover sheet adhesion
(12) Terminal box mounting
(13) Injection of sealing material
(14) Power generation inspection
(15) Battery panel completed

A factory that manufactures a thin film solar cell through such a manufacturing process provides a plurality of process devices in series on a substrate transport path, and forms a thin film on the substrate through these process devices to form a thin film solar cell panel. In particular, FIG. 1 shows a layout of each process device suitable for processing a large substrate exceeding 1 m square. Below, arrangement | positioning of each process apparatus at the time of an amorphous silicon solar cell manufacture is demonstrated along the flow of a board | substrate.
After the glass substrate received by the substrate carry-in device 1 is cleaned by the receiving substrate cleaning device 2, a transparent electrode is formed in the transparent electrode film-forming device 4 through the management device 3 to which an ID marker 75 described later is attached. After forming the transparent electrode, the substrate is cleaned by the substrate cleaner 5 and then carried into the laser etching apparatus 7 by the substrate transporter 6. In addition, when using the board | substrate which formed the transparent electrode into a film in another line, after receiving board | substrate washing | cleaning, after attaching ID marker 75 with the management device 3, it is thrown into the predetermined position of a manufacturing line. After the transparent electrode is separated into strips by laser etching using a laser etching device 7, the transparent electrode is cleaned by a substrate cleaning device 8 before forming an amorphous silicon film, and is transferred to an amorphous silicon film forming device (plasma CVD device) 10 by a substrate transport device 9. It is brought in. An amorphous silicon film is formed by the amorphous silicon film forming apparatus 10, and then carried into the laser etching apparatus 12 by the substrate transfer device 11, and the amorphous silicon film is etched in a strip shape at a position shifted from the etching of the transparent electrode. . Subsequently, a back electrode is formed into a film by the back electrode film forming apparatus (sputtering apparatus) 13, transported to the substrate cleaner 15 before back laser etching by the substrate transport device 14, and cleaned. Thereafter, the back surface electrode and the amorphous silicon film are further etched into a strip shape by shifting the etching position by the back surface laser etching device 16, and the peripheral etching of the module is performed, and is carried into the power generation inspection device 18 by the substrate transporter 17 and is subjected to the power generation inspection. Is done. Next, the substrate is transferred by the substrate transfer device 19, the peripheral film is removed by the film polishing device 20, the substrate is cleaned by the substrate cleaning device 21, the cover sheet is bonded by the layup device 22, the laminator device 23, and the paneling device 24, and the terminal The terminal box is mounted and sealed by the table mounting device 25. And it is conveyed by the board | substrate conveyance device 26 to the power generation inspection apparatus 27, and after a power generation inspection is performed here, it sorts into the sorting storage 28 according to performance.

As shown in the figure, the process devices are arranged in an S-shaped snake line, and a part thereof is installed in the clean room 30. Reference numerals 31 and 32 indicate areas of a general atmosphere.
The equipment installed in the clean room 30 includes substrate cleaners 8 and 15, laser etching apparatuses 7, 12 and 16, an amorphous silicon film forming apparatus 10, a back electrode film forming apparatus 13, a power generation inspection apparatus 18, and a substrate for these. It is limited to the transporters 6, 9, 11, 14, 17, the substrate cassette 40, the substrate buffers 46, 47, 48, and the inspection device associated with these devices. In other words, the apparatus is limited to an apparatus in which yield reduction due to dust adhering to the substrate film surface is a problem, and the front and rear apparatuses.
The transparent electrode film forming apparatus 4 is installed outside the clean room 30. Since the transparent electrode film forming apparatus 4 is generally an atmospheric pressure thermal CVD apparatus, particles grown in the gas phase are discharged from the substrate carry-out portion of the apparatus in a state of being placed on the substrate. Therefore, dust tends to fly outside. For this reason, it installs in a general atmosphere so that the clean room 30 may not be contaminated. The substrate is cleaned by the substrate cleaner 5 and then carried into the clean room 30.

  The amorphous silicon film forming apparatus (plasma CVD apparatus) 10 is positioned in the folding process at the end of the clean room 30 as shown in the figure. This apparatus requires cleaning maintenance that periodically opens the film forming chamber, removes the internal film forming unit, and replaces it with a cleaned unit. That is, since the maintenance area can be widened at the end of the clean room 30, easy maintenance is possible. In addition, in a large apparatus for processing a large substrate, since the entrance / exit of the substrate is provided on the same side of the amorphous silicon film forming apparatus 10, the production status can be easily monitored.

The partition walls of the clean room 30 are provided with gap windows 33 and 34 so that the substrates can be carried in and out through the substrate transporters 6 and 19.
FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the gap window 33. The configuration of the substrate transfer device 6 will be described as an example. Reference numeral 30a denotes a partition wall of the clean room 30, reference numeral 35 denotes a transfer table, reference numeral 36 denotes a transfer roller provided on the transfer table 35, and reference numeral 37 denotes a substrate. The height of the transport table 35 is set so that the transport path line height of the substrate 37 is 1 m ± 0.2 m above the floor. The gap window 34 has the same configuration.
In the clean room 30, the differential pressure with respect to the general atmosphere is increased from 0 to 20 Pa or less (preferably 10 Pa) so that dust from the general atmosphere does not enter the clean room 30.
The size of the gap window 33 is determined by the size of the substrate 37. The width is within + 20% of the width of the substrate 37, and the height is within 500% of the height of the substrate 37 including the amount of deflection when the substrate is horizontally supported due to substrate vibration. When the substrate width is 1100 mm, the gap window 33 has a width of 1300 mm and a height of 50 mm.
In the drawing, the right rear side of the drawing is the inside of the clean room 30, and the arrow A indicates the flow of air so that dust does not flow into the clean room 30. This is because differential pressure management of the clean room 30 is performed by a disk-shaped pressure damper installed on a part of the wall surface of the clean room.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 40 denotes a substrate cassette that allows a substrate to be inserted into and removed from a required entrance of the apparatus. The amorphous silicon film forming apparatus 10 or the back electrode film forming apparatus 13 needs to be periodically stopped and maintained. By using the substrate cassette 40, a tact time difference depending on the operation status of the apparatus and a substrate processing for periodic inspection can be performed. And the substrate processing stop period can be absorbed. Further, by transporting the substrate cassette 40 as necessary, it is possible to deal with special recipe processing, processing without some processing steps, and production of a laminated tandem solar cell.

  FIG. 4 shows a method for transporting the substrate cassette 40. An overhead crane 45 that is movable in the XY directions is installed on the ceiling of the right half region of the clean room 30 in FIG. Since the mass of a substrate that exceeds 1 m square and the thickness t is 4 mm or more is 10 kg or more, the substrate cassette 40 that accommodates the substrate exceeds 100 kg in the case of a set of 10 sheets and cannot be moved easily by hand. Use makes it easy to transport. Since the overhead crane 45 is at a high position (for example, 4 m), the airflow in the clean room 30 is not disturbed and the cleanliness is not lowered. Since oil and dust may fall from the overhead crane 45, it is desirable to provide a pad for receiving them below.

  The installation area of the overhead crane 45 is the right half area of the clean room 30 in FIG. The process requiring the substrate cassette 40 is limited to the front and back of the amorphous silicon film forming apparatus 10 (from the laser etching apparatus 7 to the back electrode film forming apparatus 13). Therefore, if the amorphous silicon film forming apparatus 10 is provided at the folding position of the substrate transfer path as in the present embodiment, the laser etching apparatus 7 to the back electrode film forming apparatus 13 are arranged in a U-shape in a compact manner. . Since the movable region of the overhead crane 45 can be gathered in one place (the right half of the clean room 30 in the figure) compared to the case where the substrate transfer path is along a straight line, the area in the left half of the clean room 30 in the figure has a ceiling. There is no need to provide the crane 45.

Further, in FIG. 1, reference numerals 46 to 48 denote substrate buffer devices that temporarily store substrates. Amorphous silicon film deposition apparatus (plasma CVD apparatus) 10 suspends substrate processing in one deposition chamber and periodically performs self-cleaning and fabrication in order to remove excess film adhering to the deposition unit in the deposition chamber. It is necessary to perform cleaning maintenance by opening the film chamber and replacing the film forming unit with a cleaned unit. For this reason, the tact time is often delayed as compared with the front and rear devices. For this reason, substrate buffer devices 46 and 47 are provided on the front and rear sides, thereby realizing an operating state centered on the amorphous silicon film forming apparatus 10 as much as possible.
Further, the substrate buffer device 48 temporarily stores the substrate in the clean room 30 before it is put into the general atmosphere when it is necessary to adjust the process of the downstream paneling process after the power generation inspection device 18 determines the quality of the product. Is for. As a result, even if there is a difference in the processing timing of the panel process due to setup / switching work or maintenance work accompanying the change of the production panel size in the downstream panel process, the substrate is temporarily stored in a clean room with high cleanliness. The performance degradation of the module can be suppressed.

  Further, the factory space can be effectively utilized by using the region 50 on one side for each component device as a main access surface for each device and a passage for workers.

Next, the structure regarding process management in the thin film solar cell manufacturing system of this embodiment is demonstrated.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 70 denotes a transparent electrode inspection apparatus that performs intermediate inspection of a substrate continuously after forming a transparent electrode. As the transparent electrode inspection apparatus 70, for example, an apparatus for inspecting a transparent electrode in a non-contact state by image processing analysis using a CCD camera can be used. Items to be inspected are film thickness, film thickness distribution, haze ratio, pinhole, and the like. The inspection is performed continuously (without stopping the continuous production) while being transported by the substrate transporter 6.
Similarly, as an inspection apparatus that performs continuous inspection, an amorphous silicon film inspection apparatus denoted by reference numeral 71 and an interstage resistance measurement apparatus denoted by reference numeral 72 are provided. As the amorphous silicon film inspection apparatus 71, for example, an apparatus (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-65727) that inspects the film thickness in a non-contact state by the amount of transmitted light from one side of the substrate can be used. This inspection item is a film thickness and a film thickness distribution. The interstage resistance measuring device 72 measures the interstage resistance (see symbol R in (8) of FIG. 2) between the cells after laser etching.
Similarly, the power generation inspection apparatus 18 performs the power generation inspection (current, voltage, output, etc.) after the module is completed on all the substrates within a time period that does not affect the tact time.

These intermediate inspection devices (transparent electrode inspection device 70, amorphous silicon film inspection device 71, interstage resistance measurement device 72) are not all necessary, and may be selected and provided as necessary.
Another example of the intermediate inspection apparatus is an apparatus that monitors the resistance of pure water used in each of the substrate cleaners 2, 5, 8, 15, and 21 once to several times per day. In this case, for example, when the specific resistance value of pure water is less than 10 MΩ · cm and the resistance value decreases, a process of replacing the ion exchange resin is performed.

These inspection devices 70, 71, 72, and 18 include a camera that inspects the substrate 37 and reads the ID marker (individual marker) 75 on the substrate 37 shown in FIG. 5, or a processing device on the upstream side thereof. The ID marker 75 on the board is read by the reading camera provided for the inspection, and the ID and the inspection result are inspected and inspected. This ID marker 75 is transferred to the substrate 37 by being vapor-deposited strongly on the substrate 37 by locally applying thermal energy to the chromium metal thin film or aluminum thin film, which is durable even under vacuum and heating, by a YAG laser or the like. For example, a 20-digit content includes a manufacturing date, a recipe code of each device, a delivery order number, a serial number, and the like. The code | symbol 76 of FIG. 5 is an ID character string (character string marker) provided next to the ID marker 75, The thing of the same content as the barcode of the ID marker 75 is represented as a character. This ID character string 76 is also provided by the manager 3 in the same manner as the ID marker 75. The ID character string can be corrected by reading the ID marker with a reading camera, reading it manually when an error occurs, and manually inputting the ID, and the substrate extracted in a substrate cassette or the like in the middle of the process when the reading camera is not installed It is easy to confirm the ID of
The metal to be transferred is applied with a force by a roll brush in the substrate cleaner, and is exposed to heat of 400 to 550 ° C. in the transparent electrode film forming apparatus, and is exposed to heat of 200 to 300 ° C. in a vacuum atmosphere in the plasma CVD apparatus. . Furthermore, even under this harsh environment, the ID marker 75 does not disappear, the inside of the processing apparatus is not contaminated by evaporation or the like, and the reading recognition degree by human eyes is high. As a result of selecting from various metals and alloys, chromium metal is more desirable from the viewpoint of durability, but aluminum can be used as a substitute for cost reduction.
The ID marker 75 and the ID character string 76 are 3 to 6 mm square on the back surface side opposite to the film surface in the peripheral film polishing region 37 a within ± 10 mm from the center line C of the substrate 37 and within 10 mm from the edge of the substrate 37. It is transferred with a size within (preferably 4 mm square).
This position does not disturb the incident light and does not affect the performance of the solar cell module. Further, the position is such that no trouble is caused in the manufacturing process such as laser etching from the back side opposite to the silicon film surface. The size of the ID character string 76 is selected to be as small as possible and can be recognized by human eyes even when, for example, a 20-digit ID character string is displayed in 5 × 4 rows, and is preferably 4 mm square.
In some cases, the substrate temperature may rise due to the processing process, but the substrate 37 is handled by each process device with reference to the center line C (distribution position) so as not to be affected by the thermal expansion of the substrate. That is, when reading the ID marker 75, first, the focal position of the reading camera is set and read with respect to the center line C with respect to the position of the ID marker 75 at a predetermined position. When the ID marker 75 is provided at the end of the substrate 37, it is displaced from the position that can be recognized by the reading camera due to the thermal expansion due to the temperature of the substrate, but it is provided in the vicinity of the center line C as in this embodiment. Thus, the substrate center at the time of transporting the substrate secures a fixed position, and the two-dimensional bar code on either the upper surface or the lower surface at the time of transporting the substrate can be read stably.
Further, the ID marker 75 is provided on the upstream side or the downstream side of the substrate. Thereby, even after being carried out from the processing apparatus, the positional relationship between each processing apparatus and the substrate is clear. For example, when an abnormal position on the processing substrate is found, it is easy to identify the abnormal position of the processing apparatus. In particular, in a factory in which each processing apparatus is connected and arranged in series, the orientation of the substrate is clear, and thus there is a feature that it is easy to grasp the positional relationship of the substrate with each processing apparatus.
Note that the substrate 37 may be handled using the ID marker 75 and the ID character string 76 as a positioning reference in the processing in each processing apparatus.

Next, the quality management apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 80 in the figure is a quality control device.
Reference numeral 81 denotes an information management PC, and 81a denotes data stored in the information management PC 81. Reference numeral 82 denotes a terminal for controlling the transparent electrode inspection apparatus 70, and is connected to the information management PC 81 through a LAN. Similarly, terminals 83, 84, and 85 control the amorphous silicon film inspection apparatus 71, the interstage resistance measurement apparatus 72, and the power generation inspection apparatus 18, respectively, and are similarly connected to the information control PC 81 by a LAN. Reference numerals 82a, 83a, 84a, and 85a are data logs of the terminals 82, 83, 84, and 85, respectively.
Each terminal 82, 83, 84, 85 receives a 20-digit character string indicated by the ID marker 75 of the substrate 37 together with a predetermined inspection result, and stores it in the data logs 82 a, 83 a, 84 a, 85 a and information Send to general PC81. Further, when the inspection result deviates from the standard set range, an alarm is issued, and the processing continuation determination and the necessity for correction can be made for each processing device based on human judgment.
The information management PC 81 accumulates data sent from the terminals 82 to 85, and constructs a database of the history of each board (manufacturing conditions, manufacturing date and time), inspection results in each process, and power generation performance. With this database, for example, it is possible to clarify common factors that lead to a decrease in the yield of the manufacturing process and to improve them.

Next, the inspection process in the thin film solar cell manufacturing system of this embodiment will be described.
(1) During continuous operation, the transparent electrode inspection device 70, the amorphous silicon film inspection device 71, the interstage resistance measurement device 72, and the power generation inspection device 18 inspect all the substrates. As described above, the inspection result is stored in the information control PC 81 together with the ID marker 75.
When an abnormality occurs, a warning is displayed on the screen of the terminal 82 to 85 or an alarm is sounded. In some cases, the system is automatically shut down, and the worker confirms the cause of the abnormality, and continues repair and manufacturing.
(2) Perform manual inspection by sampling.
Sampling inspections are performed at predetermined intervals for processes that are relatively stable if periodic checks are performed, to check for abnormalities in processing. That is, the process of performing manual inspection mainly by removing the substrate or processing the evaluation substrate is as follows.
・ Film thickness, film thickness distribution, reflectivity, dust, etc. after back electrode film formation ・ Etching shape after laser etching ・ Insulation inspection after panel completion (for example, insulation resistance: 100 MΩ or more with DC 1000 V load, withstand voltage: DC 2200 V or (No breakdown due to 3800V applied for 1 minute.)
(3) Furthermore, in the device that determines the most performance, comparison with the reference product is performed periodically (every day or several times a week). That is, in the amorphous silicon film forming apparatus 10, the film thickness, film thickness distribution, film forming speed, film quality (refractive index, band gap, darkness) of each single layer film (single film of any one of p / i / n layers). Measure the conductivity) and confirm that it is within the control standard range. If there is an abnormality in the film thickness distribution or film quality, correction by changing the recipe or RF supply method or film formation time correction is performed. As the recipe change, RF output increase / decrease, pressure change, overall flow rate of silane and hydrogen, change of partial pressure ratio, etc. are performed.

In this way, quality can be continuously checked during the manufacturing process, and an alarm can be automatically generated when an abnormality occurs. It is possible to make a system that can easily detect an abnormal substrate, and it is possible to identify an abnormal part at an early stage, shorten a time until repair, and suppress a decrease in production amount.
In addition, the information management PC 81 records the ID of the substrate 37 (manufacturing date, recipe code of each device, delivery order number, serial number, etc.), intermediate inspection results, and power generation performance. The information management PC 81 uses this database to easily identify the cause of an abnormality by statistically comparing the conditions under which the substrate was manufactured and past data when a new abnormality occurs. Therefore, it is possible to effectively implement a yield reduction measure.
In addition, a sampling inspection is performed manually, and the amorphous silicon film forming apparatus 10 is periodically compared with a reference product and corrected as necessary to determine in advance signs of defects. This can be corrected to prevent a decrease in yield due to defects.

  As described above, according to the thin-film solar cell manufacturing system of the present embodiment, the quality of the product can be checked during the manufacturing process, so it is possible to determine the location of the failure early, improve the yield, and generate the failure. By removing the substrate from the line, there is no need to wastefully process in the downstream process, and waste of material costs can be prevented.

It is a block diagram of the thin film solar cell manufacturing factory shown as one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic diagram shown about the manufacturing process of a thin film solar cell. It is the perspective view shown about the clearance gap window provided in the partition of a clean room. It is the perspective view which showed a part of overhead crane which conveys a board | substrate cassette. It is a top view of the board | substrate with which the ID marker was provided. It is the schematic diagram shown about the structure of the quality control apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate carrying-in apparatus 2 Accepting substrate cleaning device 3 Manager 4 Transparent electrode film forming device 5 Substrate cleaning device 6 Substrate transport device 7 Laser etching device 8 Substrate cleaning device 9 before amorphous silicon film formation 9 Substrate transport device 10 Amorphous silicon film formation Equipment (plasma CVD equipment)
11 Substrate Transporter 12 Laser Etching Device 13 Back Electrode Filming Device (Sputtering Device or Ion Plating Device)
14 Substrate transporter 15 Substrate cleaning device 16 before back surface laser etching 16 Back surface laser etching device 17 Substrate transport device 18 Power generation inspection device 19 Substrate transport device 20 Film polishing device 21 Substrate cleaning device 22 Layup device 23 Laminator device 24 Paneling device 25 Terminal Base mounting device 26 Substrate transport device 27 Power generation inspection device 28 Sorting storage 30 according to performance Clean room 31, 32 General atmosphere 33, 34 Clearance window 36 Transport roller 37 Substrate 40 Substrate cassette 45 Overhead crane 46-48 Substrate buffer device 75 ID marker ( Individual marker)
76 ID string (string marker)
80 Quality control device 81 Information management PC
82, 83, 84, 85 terminals

Claims (11)

In a thin-film solar cell manufacturing system in which a transparent electrode, a silicon-based thin film, and a back electrode are formed on a substrate, modularized and then paneled,
An individual marker provided on the substrate;
A transparent electrode inspection apparatus for continuously inspecting the substrate after transparent electrode film formation;
A thin-film solar cell manufacturing system, comprising: a quality control device that manages a substrate inspection result by the transparent electrode inspection device in association with the individual marker. In a thin-film solar cell manufacturing system in which a transparent electrode, a silicon-based thin film, and a back electrode are formed on a substrate, modularized and then paneled,
An individual marker provided on the substrate;
A silicon-based thin film inspection apparatus that continuously inspects the substrate after silicon-based thin film formation;
A thin-film solar cell manufacturing system, comprising: a quality control device that manages the inspection result of the substrate by the silicon-based thin film inspection device in association with the individual marker. It is equipped with a transparent electrode inspection device that performs intermediate inspection of the substrate continuously after forming the transparent electrode,
The thin film solar cell manufacturing system according to claim 2, wherein the quality management device manages the inspection result of the substrate by the transparent electrode inspection device in association with the individual marker. Equipped with an interstage resistance measuring device that continuously measures the interstage resistance of cells after laser etching,
The thin film solar cell manufacturing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the quality management device manages the inspection result of the substrate by the interstage resistance measuring device in association with the individual marker. Power generation inspection device that performs power generation inspection after module completion,
5. The thin-film solar cell manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein the quality management device manages the inspection result of the substrate by the power generation inspection device in association with the individual marker.   6. The thin film solar cell manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein the individual marker on the substrate is a two-dimensional marker in which chromium metal or aluminum is transferred by a laser.   7. The thin film according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is provided with a character string marker that represents the contents of the individual marker in a state that can be visually read together with the individual marker. Solar cell manufacturing system.   8. The individual marker according to claim 1, wherein the individual marker is provided on one side near a center distribution position, which is a peripheral portion on the back side of the substrate opposite to the silicon-based thin film surface of the substrate. The thin film solar cell manufacturing system described. In the inspection method of a thin film solar cell manufacturing system in which a transparent electrode, an amorphous silicon-based thin film and a back electrode are formed on a substrate, modularized and then paneled,
An inspection method in a thin-film solar cell manufacturing system, wherein intermediate inspection is continuously performed for a process in which variations in quality of thin-film solar cell manufacturing tend to occur, and the inspection result is managed in correspondence with an ID of a substrate.   The thin film solar cell according to claim 9, wherein the substrate formed by the plasma CVD apparatus is periodically compared with a reference product to inspect whether the substrate is in a management reference range. Inspection method in manufacturing system.   The inspection method for a thin-film solar cell manufacturing system according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the substrate is inspected manually for a process that is relatively stable if it is periodically checked.

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