JP2014022591A - Cleaning apparatus and manufacturing apparatus of thin film solar cell including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the removal performance of extraneous matter in a cleaning apparatus.SOLUTION: The cleaning apparatus includes a wiping member 110 having a wiping surface 111 coming into contact with the upper surface of a substrate 2, a drive mechanism 120 for moving the wiping member 110 and the substrate 2 relatively in a state where the wiping member 110 is in contact with the upper surface of the substrate 2, and a suction mechanism 130 having a suction opening 131 facing the edge of the wiping surface 111 on the front side in the direction of relative movement of the wiping member 110 for the substrate 2 by the drive mechanism 120.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning device and an apparatus for manufacturing a thin film solar cell including the same, and more particularly to a cleaning device for removing foreign matter on a substrate on which the thin film solar cell is formed and an apparatus for manufacturing a thin film solar cell including the same.

  As a prior document disclosing a method for manufacturing a thin film solar cell, there is JP 2009-206279 A (Patent Document 1). In the method for manufacturing a thin-film solar cell described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of thin-film photoelectric conversion elements in which a first electrode layer, a photoelectric conversion layer, and a second electrode layer are sequentially stacked on the surface of a light-transmitting insulating substrate are mutually connected. A string forming step for forming strings electrically connected in series, and a thin film photoelectric conversion element portion formed on the outer peripheral portion of the surface of the light-transmitting insulating substrate are removed by a light beam to completely remove the non-conductive surface region. A film removing step formed around the periphery, and a cleaning step of removing conductive deposits generated in the film removing step and attached to the non-conductive surface region.

JP 2009-206279 A

  When removing a deposit by wiping the substrate with a wiping member, the removed deposit accumulates on the side surface of the wiping member on the front side in the wiping direction. When the wiping member moves to the edge of the substrate, the deposits accumulated on the side surface of the wiping member may wrap around the side surface of the substrate. Further, when the wiping member is separated from the substrate, the deposits accumulated on the side surface of the wiping member may drop and adhere to the substrate again. Furthermore, when the amount of deposits accumulated on the side surface of the wiping member exceeds a predetermined amount, it overflows from the side surface of the wiping member and remains on the substrate. As described above, it is not preferable that deposits remain on the substrate.

  This invention is made | formed in view of said problem, Comprising: It aims at providing the washing | cleaning apparatus which improved the removal performance of the deposit | attachment, and the manufacturing apparatus of a thin film solar cell including the same.

  The cleaning apparatus based on this invention is a cleaning apparatus which removes the foreign material adhering to the peripheral part of the board | substrate with which the thin film solar cell was formed inside the peripheral part of the upper surface. The cleaning device includes a wiping member having a wiping surface that contacts the upper surface of the substrate, a driving mechanism that moves the wiping member and the upper surface of the substrate in contact with each other, and a relative relationship between the wiping member by the driving mechanism and the substrate. And a suction mechanism having a suction port facing the edge of the wiping surface on the front side in the general movement direction.

  In one form of this invention, the washing | cleaning apparatus is further equipped with the other suction mechanism which has the suction inlet which faced the edge of the wiping surface in the back side of the relative movement direction with respect to the board | substrate of the wiping member by a drive mechanism.

  The thin-film solar cell manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention includes any of the above-described cleaning apparatuses.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the removal performance of the deposit | attachment in a cleaning apparatus can be improved.

It is a top view which shows the structure of the thin film solar cell string which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the thin film solar cell string which concerns on the same embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which formed the transparent electrode layer on the translucent insulated substrate. It is sectional drawing which shows the state in which the 1st separation groove was formed. It is sectional drawing which shows the state in which the photoelectric converting layer was formed. It is sectional drawing which shows the state in which the contact line was formed. It is sectional drawing which shows the state in which the back surface electrode layer was formed. It is sectional drawing which shows the state in which the 2nd separation groove was formed. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which formed the peripheral groove | channel. It is sectional drawing which shows the state trimmed. It is a side view which shows the state which has removed the foreign material adhering to the peripheral part of the board | substrate with the washing | cleaning apparatus which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a side view which shows the state which has removed the foreign material adhering to the peripheral part of the board | substrate with the washing | cleaning apparatus which concerns on the modification of the embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the embodiments, the same or corresponding parts in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

  First, the structure of the thin film solar cell string including the substrate to be cleaned will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a thin-film solar cell string according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the thin-film solar cell string according to this embodiment. 2A is a cross-sectional view as seen from the direction of the arrow IIA-IIA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view as seen from the direction of the arrow IIB-IIB in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the thin film solar cell string 1 includes a translucent insulating substrate 2, a transparent electrode layer 3, a photoelectric conversion layer 4, a back electrode layer 5, and a bus bar electrode 10. . On the translucent insulating substrate 2, the transparent electrode layer 3, the photoelectric conversion layer 4, and the back electrode layer 5 are laminated in this order.

  The translucent insulating substrate 2 has an upper surface 2a and a lower surface 2b. As the translucent insulating substrate 2, a glass substrate having heat resistance and translucency or a resin substrate such as polyimide can be used.

The transparent electrode layer 3 is a conductive film and is separated into a plurality of regions by the first separation groove 6. The first separation groove 6 is filled with the photoelectric conversion layer 4. As a material for the transparent electrode layer 3, for example, SnO ₂ (tin oxide), ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), ZnO (zinc oxide), or the like can be used.

The photoelectric conversion layer 4 is composed of a plurality of stacked semiconductor layers. The material of each semiconductor layer constituting the photoelectric conversion layer 4 is not particularly limited. For example, a silicon-based semiconductor, a CIS (CuInSe ₂ ) compound semiconductor, or a CIGS (Cu (In, Ga) Se ₂ ) compound semiconductor is used. be able to.

  Hereinafter, a case where each semiconductor layer is made of a silicon-based semiconductor will be described as an example. The “silicon-based semiconductor” means a semiconductor (silicon carbide, silicon germanium, or the like) in which carbon, germanium, or other impurities are added to amorphous silicon or microcrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon or microcrystalline silicon.

  The term “microcrystalline silicon” means silicon in a mixed phase state of crystalline silicon and amorphous silicon having a small crystal grain size (several tens to thousands of centimeters). Microcrystalline silicon is formed, for example, when a thin film of crystalline silicon is produced at a low temperature using a non-equilibrium process such as a plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method.

  In the photoelectric conversion layer 4, a p-type semiconductor layer, an i-type semiconductor layer, and an n-type semiconductor layer are stacked in this order from the transparent electrode layer 3 side to form a pin structure.

  The p-type semiconductor layer is doped with p-type impurity atoms such as boron and aluminum, and the n-type semiconductor layer is doped with n-type impurity atoms such as phosphorus. The i-type semiconductor layer may be a completely non-doped semiconductor layer, or may be a weak p-type or weak n-type semiconductor layer having a small amount of impurities and sufficiently equipped with a photoelectric conversion function.

  The photoelectric conversion layer 4 may be a tandem type in which a plurality of pin structures are stacked. For example, the photoelectric conversion layer 4 includes an upper semiconductor layer in which an a-Si: Hp layer, an a-Si: Hi layer, and an a-Si: Hn layer are stacked in this order on the transparent electrode layer 3, and μc on the upper semiconductor layer. -Si: Hp layer, (micro | micron | mu) c-Si: Hi layer, and (micro | micron | mu) c-Si: Hn layer may be comprised from the lower semiconductor layer laminated | stacked in this order.

  The photoelectric conversion layer 4 may have a three-layer structure including an upper semiconductor layer, a middle semiconductor layer, and a lower semiconductor layer. For example, amorphous silicon (a-Si) may be used for the upper and middle semiconductor layers, and microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si) may be used for the lower semiconductor layers. The combination of the material and laminated structure of the photoelectric conversion layer 4 is not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, the semiconductor layer located on the light incident side of the thin-film solar cell is the upper semiconductor layer, and the semiconductor layer located on the opposite side to the light incident side is the lower semiconductor layer.

The back electrode layer 5 is a conductive film. The configuration and material of the back electrode layer 5 are not particularly limited. For example, the back electrode layer 5 has a laminated structure in which a transparent conductive film and a metal film are laminated. The transparent conductive film is made of ZnO, ITO, SnO ₂ or the like. The metal film is made of a metal such as silver or aluminum.

  The back electrode layer 5 may be composed of only a metal film. However, the back electrode layer 5 reflects light that is not absorbed by the photoelectric conversion layer 4 when the transparent conductive film is disposed on the photoelectric conversion layer 4 side. This is preferable in that the reflectance during the process is improved and a thin film solar cell with high conversion efficiency can be obtained.

  The back electrode layer 5 and the photoelectric conversion layer 4 are separated into a plurality of cell regions 11 by the second separation grooves 8. In the photoelectric conversion layer 4, contact lines 7 that are penetrating portions are formed.

  The contact line 7 is filled with the back electrode layer 5 and electrically connects the adjacent cell regions 11 in series. Bus bar electrodes 10 are provided on the back electrode layer 5 as terminals of the plurality of cell regions 11 connected in series in this way. The bus bar electrode 10 is electrically connected to the back electrode layer 5 by a brazing material such as silver paste.

Hereinafter, the manufacturing method of a thin film solar cell string is demonstrated.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a transparent electrode layer is formed on a translucent insulating substrate. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the state in which the transparent electrode layer is formed as viewed from the direction of the arrow IIA-IIA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3B is the state in which the transparent electrode layer is formed in FIG. It is sectional drawing seen from the IIB line arrow direction. As shown in FIG. 3, first, the transparent electrode layer 3 is formed on the upper surface 2 a of the translucent insulating substrate 2.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the first separation groove is formed. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the state in which the first separation groove is formed as viewed from the direction of the arrow IIA-IIA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4B is the state in which the first separation groove is formed in FIG. It is sectional drawing seen from the IIB-IIB line arrow direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in order to separate the transparent electrode layer 3 into a plurality of regions, the transparent electrode layer 3 is selectively irradiated with the light beam LM1 (laser light) through the translucent insulating substrate 2. The wavelength of the light beam LM1 is selected so that light absorption occurs mainly in the transparent electrode layer 3, and is, for example, 1064 nm, which is the fundamental wavelength of a YAG (Yttrium Aluminum Garnet) laser. The first separation groove 6 that separates the transparent electrode layer 3 into a plurality of regions is formed by laser scribing with the light beam LM1.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a photoelectric conversion layer is formed. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the state in which the photoelectric conversion layer is formed as viewed from the direction of the arrow IIA-IIA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5B shows the state in which the photoelectric conversion layer is formed in FIG. It is sectional drawing seen from the IIB line arrow direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the photoelectric conversion layer 4 covering the transparent electrode layer 3 is formed so as to fill the first separation groove 6. For example, the photoelectric conversion layer 4 is formed by a CVD method so as to have a thickness of 200 nm to 5 μm.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where contact lines are formed. 6A is a cross-sectional view of the state in which the contact line is formed as viewed from the direction of the arrow IIA-IIA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6B is the state in which the contact line is formed in the line IIB-IIB in FIG. It is sectional drawing seen from the arrow direction.

As shown in FIG. 6, the transparent electrode layer 3 and the photoelectric conversion layer 4 are irradiated with the light beam LM2 through the translucent insulating substrate 2. The wavelength of the light beam LM2 is selected so that light absorption occurs mainly in the photoelectric conversion layer 4, and is, for example, 532 nm, which is the second harmonic wavelength of the YAG laser. Thereby, the contact line 7 is formed by ablating a part of the photoelectric conversion layer 4. A YVO ₄ (Yttrium Vanadate) laser may be used instead of the second harmonic of the YAG laser.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a back electrode layer is formed. 7A is a cross-sectional view of the state in which the back electrode layer is formed as viewed from the direction of the arrow IIA-IIA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 7B is the state in which the back electrode layer is formed in FIG. It is sectional drawing seen from the IIB line arrow direction.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the back electrode layer 5 covering the photoelectric conversion layer 4 is formed so as to fill the contact line 7. For example, the back electrode layer 5 is formed by a CVD method.

  FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the second separation groove is formed. 8A is a cross-sectional view of the state where the second separation groove is formed as viewed from the direction of the arrow IIA-IIA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 8B is the state where the second separation groove is formed. It is sectional drawing seen from the IIB-IIB line arrow direction.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the transparent electrode layer 3, the photoelectric conversion layer 4, and the back electrode layer 5 are irradiated with the light beam LM3 through the translucent insulating substrate 2. The wavelength of the light beam LM3 is selected so that light absorption occurs mainly in the photoelectric conversion layer 4, and is, for example, 532 nm, which is the second harmonic wavelength of the YAG laser. Thereby, a part of the photoelectric conversion layer 4 and the back electrode layer 5 is ablated to form the second separation groove 8.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the peripheral groove is formed. 9A is a cross-sectional view of the state in which the peripheral groove is formed as viewed from the direction of the arrow IIA-IIA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 9B is the state in which the peripheral groove is formed in the line IIB-IIB in FIG. It is sectional drawing seen from the arrow direction.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the transparent electrode layer 3, the photoelectric conversion layer 4, and the back electrode layer 5 are irradiated with the light beam LM4 through the translucent insulating substrate 2. The wavelength of the light beam LM4 is selected so that light absorption occurs mainly in the photoelectric conversion layer 4, and is, for example, 532 nm, which is the second harmonic wavelength of the YAG laser. As a result, the photoelectric conversion layer 4 and a part of the back electrode layer 5 are ablated, so that the peripheral groove 9 is formed in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the second separation groove 8 (left and right ends in FIG. 9A). It is formed.

  FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a trimmed state. 10A is a cross-sectional view of the trimmed state viewed from the direction of the arrow IIA-IIA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view of the trimmed state viewed from the direction of the arrow IIB-IIB in FIG. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the region on the outer side of the peripheral groove 9 (outside the broken line portion in FIG. 10A) and the outer side along the extending direction of the second separation groove 8 (the left and right sides in FIG. 10B). Side) is irradiated with the light beam LM5. The wavelength of the light beam LM5 is selected so that light absorption occurs mainly in the transparent electrode layer 3, and is, for example, 1064 nm, which is the fundamental wavelength of a YAG laser. Thereby, a part of transparent electrode layer 3, the photoelectric converting layer 4, and the back surface electrode layer 5 is ablated.

  By this trimming, the laminated film formed on the translucent insulating substrate 2 is removed from the periphery of the translucent insulating substrate 2 to the inner side from the edge of the translucent insulating substrate 2, and a thin film is formed inside the peripheral portion. A laminated film to be a solar cell is positioned.

  When trimming is performed by ablation, the fragments of the removed laminated film may adhere as foreign matter to the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the translucent insulating substrate 2 again. This foreign matter needs to be removed because it may cause insulation failure of the thin film solar cell.

  Therefore, the foreign matter adhering to the peripheral portion of the translucent insulating substrate 2 is removed using the cleaning apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side view showing a state in which foreign matter adhering to the peripheral edge of the substrate is removed by the cleaning apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the cleaning apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment brings the wiping member 110 in contact with the upper surface of the translucent insulating substrate 2, and the wiping member 110 and the upper surface of the translucent insulating substrate 2 into contact with each other. And a drive mechanism 120 that relatively moves in the state.

  The drive mechanism 120 may be any mechanism that can be moved relatively while the wiping member 110 and the upper surface of the translucent insulating substrate 2 are in contact with each other. The drive mechanism etc. which are driven by may be used.

  In this embodiment, the wiping member 110 is moved by the drive mechanism 120. However, the drive mechanism is not limited to this, and a drive mechanism for moving the translucent insulating substrate 2 may be used. That is, as the drive mechanism, the translucent insulating substrate 2 is moved while the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the translucent insulating substrate 2 is brought into contact with the stopped wiping member, and the translucent insulating substrate 2 is moved by the wiping member. A drive mechanism that rubs the peripheral edge of the upper surface may be used.

  In the present embodiment, the wiping member 110 is made of silicon resin. However, the material of the wiping member 110 is not limited to this, and may be a foamed resin such as urethane foam.

  The wiping member 110 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow 30 relative to the translucent insulating substrate 2 by the drive mechanism 120. As a result, the foreign matter 20 adhering to the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the translucent insulating substrate 2 is moved in the direction of relative movement of the wiping member 110 relative to the translucent insulating substrate 2 by the driving mechanism 120 (the direction indicated by the arrow 30). It is scraped off at the edge of the wiping surface 111 on the front side.

  The cleaning apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment has a suction port facing the edge of the wiping surface 111 on the front side in the relative movement direction (direction indicated by the arrow 30) of the wiping member 110 with respect to the light-transmissive insulating substrate 2 by the driving mechanism 120. A suction mechanism 130 having 131 is provided.

  The suction mechanism 130 is connected to the drive mechanism 120. However, the attachment structure of the suction mechanism 130 is not limited to the above, and may be directly connected to the wiping member 110, for example.

  The suction port 131 has an inner width larger than the width of the wiping member 110. Therefore, the entire edge of the wiping surface 111 on the front side in the relative movement direction (direction indicated by the arrow 30) of the wiping member 110 with respect to the translucent insulating substrate 2 can be sucked.

  The suction mechanism 130 may be coupled to the drive mechanism 120 so that the position thereof can be adjusted. In this case, since the direction of the suction port 131 and the distance between the suction port 131 and the upper surface of the translucent insulating substrate 2 can be adjusted, the foreign matter 20 can be reliably sucked.

  The drive mechanism 120 and the suction mechanism 130 are connected to a control unit (not shown), and each operation of the drive mechanism 120 and the suction mechanism 130 is controlled by a command from the control unit.

  In the present embodiment, the drive mechanism 120 and the suction mechanism 130 are controlled by the control unit so that the suction mechanism 130 operates when the drive mechanism 120 is operated. However, the control of the control unit is not limited to this.

  For example, a sensor that detects the amount of foreign matter 20 scraped off at the edge of the wiping surface 111 on the front side in the relative movement direction (direction indicated by arrow 30) of the wiping member 110 with respect to the translucent insulating substrate 2 is provided. The detection result of this sensor may be sent to the control unit, and the suction mechanism 130 may be controlled by the control unit so that the suction mechanism 130 operates from the time when the amount of the foreign matter 20 reaches a predetermined amount. A measurement sensor such as a laser sensor can be used as the sensor.

  Further, the position of the wiping member 110 on the translucent insulating substrate 2 is detected by a position sensor, and the wiping surface on the front side in the relative movement direction of the wiping member 110 with respect to the translucent insulating substrate 2 (direction indicated by the arrow 30). The suction mechanism 130 may be controlled by the control unit so that the suction mechanism 130 operates when the edge of 111 approaches the edge of the translucent insulating substrate 2.

  By operating the suction mechanism 130, the scraped foreign matter 20 is sucked from the suction port 131 and removed from the upper surface of the translucent insulating substrate 2. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the scraped foreign matter 20 from adhering to the upper surface of the translucent insulating substrate 2 again. Thus, by providing the suction mechanism 130, the removal performance of the foreign matter 20 in the cleaning apparatus 100 can be improved.

  Here, a cleaning apparatus according to a modification of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 12 is a side view showing a state in which foreign matter adhering to the peripheral portion of the substrate is removed by the cleaning device according to the modification of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, the cleaning device 101 according to the modification has two suction mechanisms.

  The cleaning apparatus 101 has another suction port 131 facing the edge of the wiping surface 111 on the rear side in the relative movement direction of the wiping member 110 with respect to the translucent insulating substrate 2 by the driving mechanism 120 (direction shown by the arrow 30). A suction mechanism 130 is further provided.

  When wiping twice in order to more reliably remove the foreign matter 20 at the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the translucent insulating substrate 2, or when the width of the peripheral edge is wider than the width of the wiping member 110, wipe it off with a single stroke. When the member 110 is moved and wiped with respect to the translucent insulating substrate 2, the wiping direction of the cleaning device 101 may be set in the opposite direction. That is, the relative movement direction of the wiping member 110 with respect to the translucent insulating substrate 2 by the driving mechanism 120 may be set to the direction indicated by the arrow 31.

  In this case, the foreign material 21 adhering to the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the translucent insulating substrate 2 is moved in the direction of relative movement of the wiping member 110 with respect to the translucent insulating substrate 2 by the driving mechanism 120 (the direction indicated by the arrow 31). It is scraped off at the edge of the wiping surface 111 on the front side.

  The cleaning apparatus 101 according to the modification includes a suction port 131 facing the edge of the wiping surface 111 on the front side in the relative movement direction (direction indicated by the arrow 31) of the wiping member 110 with respect to the translucent insulating substrate 2 by the driving mechanism 120. When the suction mechanism 130 is operated, the scraped foreign matter 21 is sucked from the suction port 131 and removed from the upper surface of the translucent insulating substrate 2.

  Therefore, it is possible to suppress the scraped foreign matter 21 from adhering to the upper surface of the translucent insulating substrate 2 again. Thus, by providing the suction mechanism 130, the removal performance of the foreign matter 21 in the cleaning apparatus 100 can be improved.

  Note that the foreign matter removal performance of the cleaning apparatus 101 may be improved by operating both of the two suction mechanisms 130 simultaneously. In this case, if a part of the foreign matter cannot be removed by the suction mechanism 130 located on the front side in the relative movement direction of the wiping member 110 with respect to the translucent insulating substrate 2 by the driving mechanism 120, the relative movement direction is described above. A part of the foreign matter can be removed by the suction mechanism 130 located on the rear side of the. As a result, the removal performance of the cleaning apparatus 101 can be stably improved.

  After the above cleaning, as shown in FIG. 2, on the surface of the back electrode layer 5 at both ends in the direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the second separating groove 8, in the same direction as the extending direction of the second separating groove 8. An extended bus bar electrode 10 is formed. Through the above steps, the thin-film solar cell string 1 according to this embodiment is obtained. That is, the thin-film solar cell is formed inside the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the translucent insulating substrate 2, and the foreign matter attached to the peripheral portion is removed by the cleaning device.

  In this embodiment, it is possible to reduce insulation defects due to foreign matter attached to the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate by improving the removal performance of the attached matter in the cleaning apparatus and suppressing reattachment of the removed foreign matter. By using a thin-film solar cell manufacturing apparatus including this cleaning device, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the yield of thin-film solar cells due to poor insulation.

  It should be thought that embodiment disclosed this time is an illustration and restrictive at no points. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Thin film solar cell string, 2 Translucent insulated substrate, 2a upper surface, 2b lower surface, 3 Transparent electrode layer, 4 Photoelectric conversion layer, 5 Back surface electrode layer, 6 1st separation groove, 7 Contact line, 8 2nd separation groove, 9 peripheral groove, 10 bus bar electrode, 11 cell region, 20, 21 foreign matter, 100, 101 cleaning device, 110 wiping member, 111 wiping surface, 120 driving mechanism, 130 suction mechanism, 131 suction port.

Claims (3)

A cleaning device that removes foreign matter adhering to the peripheral portion of the substrate on which the thin-film solar cell is formed inside the peripheral portion of the upper surface,
A wiping member having a wiping surface in contact with the upper surface of the substrate;
A drive mechanism for relatively moving the wiping member and the upper surface of the substrate in contact with each other;
A cleaning apparatus comprising: a suction mechanism having a suction port facing an edge of the wiping surface on a front side in a relative movement direction of the wiping member by the driving mechanism with respect to the substrate.   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising another suction mechanism having a suction port facing an edge of the wiping surface on a rear side in a relative movement direction of the wiping member to the substrate by the driving mechanism.   An apparatus for manufacturing a thin-film solar cell, comprising the cleaning device according to claim 1.

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