KR20190091481A - Continuous separation plant and assembly therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a continuous separation facility (10; 20; 30; 50) for galvanic deposition of material on an object (1), wherein the continuous separation facility (10; 20; 30; 50) is at least one electrically conductive contact. A contact device (12; 22a, 22b; 32a, 32b; 52) having an arm (13; 33a, 33b, 33c, 33d, 53a, 53b, 53c), the contact device (12; 22a, 22b; 32a, 32b; 52 are arranged in the region of the continuous separation plant without the electrolyte 7 used for galvanic deposition of the material. The invention also relates to an assembly 60 for a continuous separation installation 50.

Description

Continuous separation plant and assembly therefor

The present invention relates to a continuous deposition facility for the electrolytic deposition of materials on an object as set forth in claim 1 and to an assembly for a continuous deposition facility for the electrolytic deposition of materials on an object.

If the material is intended to be electrolytically deposited on a number of objects, in many cases it can be advantageously implemented in terms of cost using continuous deposition equipment. For example, the metal or metal alloy may be advantageously deposited on a substrate such as a solar cell substrate material or a finished solar cell in large quantities, for example in terms of industrial scale costs. Electrolytic deposition involves the use of an electrolyte containing ions of the material to be deposited. In addition, a current flow is required that allows charge carriers to be supplied to the ions, as a result of which ions are deposited on the surface of the object. For example, in the case of metal deposition, electrons are supplied to the object surface to be coated, where they react with metal cations from the electrolyte when in contact with the electrolyte in a known manner, and the metal is deposited on the object surface.

In order to precipitate electrolyte material into many materials in a continuous deposition installation, it is necessary to make electrical contact with objects passing through the continuous installation. As objects move in relation to the continuous installation, sliding contacts have proved valuable for this purpose. Such sliding contacts may be formed, for example, of an electrically conductive brush or at least partially elastically bendable sheet or film. In particular, films composed of metal, high grade steel or graphite can be used.

If multiple objects pass through this type of continuous installation, the sliding contact first contacts the first object, after which additional objects subsequently pass through the installation. Conventionally or as necessary in many applications, when objects pass through a continuous installation at a predetermined spatial distance from each other, the sliding contacts do not touch the objects for a predetermined time before moving to the next object after moving past the first object. Direct contact between the sliding contact and the electrolyte often occurs during this predetermined time. As an example, the sliding contacts are immersed in the electrolyte solution. This is particularly the case when the material is electrolytically deposited onto a substrate such as a solar cell. This unwanted direct contact between the sliding contact and the electrolyte results in the deposition of a material, for example metal, from the electrolyte on the sliding contact. This effect occurs not only in the case of contact brushes, but also in the case of other contact devices such as metal rollers. Undesirable deposition on sliding contacts or other contacts can damage the surface of the object that is subsequently contacted. For example, for thin objects such as solar cell substrates or solar cells, this can lead to the destruction of the object. Corrosion may also occur at the contacts.

Against this background, the problem addressed by the present invention is to provide a continuous deposition facility for electrolyte deposition of material on an object that makes it possible to reduce or avoid electrolyte deposition of material on contact devices.

This problem is solved by a continuous deposition installation having the features of claim 1.

In addition, the present invention solves the problem of enabling such continuous deposition equipment to be preferably manufactured in terms of cost.

This problem is solved by an assembly having the features of claim 9.

The dependent subclaims relate to each of the preferred developments.

Continuous deposition equipment according to the invention for electrolyte deposition of material on an object comprises a contact device having at least one electrically conductive contact arm. In addition, the contact device is arranged in the region of the continuous deposition equipment without the electrolyte used to deposit the electrolyte. Due to this arrangement, direct contact between the contact device and the electrolyte does not occur both when the contact device is in contact with the object or when it is not in contact with the object. Thus, undesirable electrolyte deposition of the material on the contact device is prevented. Fast or premature corrosion of the contact device is prevented and more stable process conditions for the deposition process occur. In addition, process control can be greatly improved. In addition, the maintenance costs for the continuous deposition equipment can be reduced because the contact device does not need to clean the undesired deposited material, otherwise the cleaning will have to be performed by etching or backflowing the current direction after a predetermined time. . In addition, in many cases there is the possibility of using higher current densities.

The contact arm is preferably implemented elastically. In this way it is possible to advantageously overcome the nonuniformity of the object surface. Preferably, a plurality of contact arms are provided because reliable contact by the contact device can be realized in this way even in the case of uneven object surfaces.

The contact arm or full contact device can be made, for example, of graphite film or a high grade steel sheet, and in the case of high strength steel sheet a thickness of about 0.5 mm has proved to be of value. Coating contact arms with precious metals such as, for example, gold may be advantageous for individual use.

Preferably, a contact device is used in which the contact arm has a smooth edge at least in the region in contact with the object. Such smooth edges can be realized, for example, by laser cutting, wire erosion or electrolytic polishing. Due to the use of contact arms with smooth edges, the risk of scratching or other damage of the object can be prevented or at least reduced.

Preferably, all contact devices are placed in the area free of electrolyte. The advantages of the present invention can be exploited as much as possible in this way.

However, in principle there also exists the possibility of arranging one or more contact devices in different ways.

In one advantageous configuration variant, the electrolyte is disposed in the tank. At least one outlet device is provided in the tank so that the level of electrolyte can be locally reduced in the outlet area by the at least one outlet device. The contact device has a contact surface, by which the object is in contact. These may be, for example, the surface of at least one electrically conductive contact arm in contact with the object during operation of the continuous deposition facility. The contact surface of the contact device is arranged in the outlet area. In this way, the feature of the contact device being placed in an area free of electrolyte in a continuous deposition facility can be advantageously implemented in terms of cost.

Preferably, the at least one outlet device comprises a hollow body at least partially disposed below the contact surface of the at least one contact device and through which the electrolyte can flow. The hollow body may be shaped and arranged to be located only below the contact surface of the single contact device. Alternatively, the hollow body may be dimensioned such that it is at least partially located below the contact surface of the plurality of contact devices. In this way, the outlet area can be adapted to the position of the contact surface, in particular in terms of cost, or vice versa.

Particularly preferably, the at least one outlet device has an opening disposed at its top surface at least partially below the level of the electrolyte. This makes it possible to lower the level of the electrolyte in a local manner.

In practice, it is important to provide the pipe as a hollow body, the upper opening of which is arranged below the contact surface of the at least one contact device.

In one variant, the plurality of contact devices, preferably all the contact devices, are electrically conductively connected to the same voltage source. Therefore, power is supplied through this voltage source. This allows for the cable connection of the desired contact device in terms of cost. However, different deposition rates can be established in the contact device. This is due to the fact that there are significantly different electrical resistances on the path from the voltage source to each contact device. To compensate for this, a load resistor is connected upstream of at least a portion of the plurality of contact devices. In this case, each load resistance is dimensioned such that when a contact is made a current of substantially the same magnitude is applied to each of the plurality of contact devices. In other words, the load resistance is selected such that the aforementioned difference in electrical resistance on the path from the voltage source to each contact device is compensated and the same current flows through each contact device. Contact made in the present sense should be understood to mean that the contact surface supports the object in a way that current can flow. When all contact devices are connected to a voltage source, a central voltage supply is possible, and all contact devices are connected in parallel. Contrary to the advantages described, the installation cost is increased because the difference in resistance for individual contact devices must be determined and compensated for. In addition, higher power losses must be established so that the voltage source must provide a significantly higher voltage, which can increase the device expenditure for the production of continuous deposition equipment.

Alternatively, a dedicated rectifier can be provided for each contact device. The rectifier is preferably implemented as a constant current source. Determination and provision of the load resistance to compensate for the difference in resistance can be prevented or at least reduced in this way. However, with this procedure, for a typical industrial continuous deposition facility for solar cell manufacturing at present, approximately 250 rectifiers or constant current sources will be required. This requires considerable space for installation, which generally has to be provided outside of the actual continuous installation. In addition, installations dimensioned in this way incur high cabling costs.

The assembly according to the invention for a continuous deposition installation for electrolyte deposition of material on an object comprises at least one contact device and a control device connectable to a voltage source. Each of the at least one contact device is connected to the control device via a separate electrical wire so that a current can be individually applied to each of the at least one contact device. By such an assembly, the above-described continuous deposition equipment can be configured modularly.

Preferably, the at least one contact device comprises a plurality of contact devices, preferably at least four contact devices. This makes it possible to advantageously implement the advantages of the constant current source described above for each contact device.

Thus, it is advantageous for the control device to be configured such that the current applied to the individual contact devices of the at least one contact device is controlled by the open-loop control and / or the closed-loop control for each of the individual contact devices. For example, measurement variables used in closed-loop control processes such as current flow through each contact device or contact resistance at each contact device can be recorded in the process history and additional processes for each object It can be optimally adapted to contact devices or other process locations.

Preferably, the control device is configured as a constant current closed-loop control for each individual contact device of the at least one contact device so that a current of a certain magnitude is individually applied to each individual contact device of the at least one contact device. Can be. In this way, uniform electrolyte deposition of materials in an electrolyte continuous deposition installation can be realized relatively advantageously in terms of cost.

Preferably, the control device is configured to run through a separate predefined current profile for each individual contact device of the at least one contact device. In this case, the current profile should be understood to mean a sequence that is temporarily variable over time of the current value. The term 'run through' means that the current value corresponding to the current profile is continuously applied to the affected contact device in time. In this case, the current value can be controlled by open-loop control or closed-loop control. This assembly configuration offers improved process engineer possibilities. For example, a current pulse can be applied to the contact device, and thus a current pulse can be applied to an object in contact with the contact device in a continuous deposition facility. In the English-speaking world, this procedure is sometimes called pulse plating. It is also possible to apply a current of reverse or alternating polarity and in some cases using English is referred to as reverse plating. Delays or pauses in the deposition process may also be implemented.

In one preferred configuration variant, the control device has a communication interface capable of exchanging data in both directions with the data processing device. In this case, the communication interface is preferably implemented as a bus interface, for example an interface of a CAN bus. By means of the described communication interface, the current control device can obtain a regulation for the current control from the data processing device. In addition, measurement data determined by the control device, for example current flow to an individual contact device, can be transferred to the data processing device for process monitoring and file storage of the processing data, which are for example stored in the data processing device. Can be. This makes it possible, in particular, through the adapted process parameters to compensate for the deficiencies established during the process in subsequent installation areas. Data exchange over the communication interface is preferably performed by a protected protocol.

Continuous deposition equipment according to the invention preferably comprises at least one of the assemblies described above. In this way, its advantages can be made available in continuous deposition equipment.

The continuous deposition equipment described in this case can advantageously be used for the electrolyte deposition of metals or metal alloys. Particularly preferably, it can be used during electrolyte deposition of metals or metal alloys on substrates, in particular solar cells.

Indeed, the continuous deposition equipment according to the present invention is fully diffused behind the metallization, passivated emitter and backside solar cells, so-called PERC metallization, passivated emitter of solar cells, often referred to as aluminum rear surface fields in English-speaking languages. Solar cells, so-called PERT metallization and double-sided photosensitive solar cells, so-called double-sided solar cells have proved valuable.

The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the following figures. For convenience, identically acting elements are provided with the same reference numerals herein. The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings and is not related to functional features. The above description and the description of the following figures contain numerous features that are expressed in part in plural in the combination of the dependent subclaims. However, all other features disclosed in the above and the description of the figures shown below will also be considered separately and combined to form appropriate combinations by those skilled in the art. In particular, all of the features mentioned can be combined in any suitable combination with the continuous deposition equipment and assemblies as claimed in each case and in the independent claims.

In the drawing:
1 shows in schematic cross-sectional view a first exemplary embodiment of a continuous deposition installation according to the invention,
2 shows in schematic cross-sectional view a second exemplary embodiment of a continuous deposition installation according to the invention,
3 shows a partial view of a third exemplary embodiment of a continuous deposition installation according to the invention,
4 shows a schematic partial view of a fourth exemplary embodiment of a continuous deposition installation according to the invention comprising an assembly according to the invention.

1 shows in schematic cross-sectional view a first embodiment of a continuous deposition installation according to the invention. The illustrated continuous deposition facility 10 includes a tank 5 in which a liquid electrolyte 7 is disposed. In the continuous deposition installation 10, the solar cell 1 is transported in the transport direction 3 by a transport roller 4. In this case, the lower surface of the solar cell 1 is in contact with the electrolyte 7. The tank 5 may be embodied as an outlet tank in a manner known per se such that the level 8 of the electrolyte 7 is higher than the upper edge of the tank 5 so that the electrolyte overflows into the surrounding tank (not shown).

The continuous deposition apparatus 10 includes a contact device 12. For convenience of explanation, the latter is shown as only one electrically conductive contact arm 13 in FIG. 1, but a plurality of contact arms can be easily provided. Pipe 16 as the outlet device is provided in tank 5. The upper opening 17 of the pipe 16 is arranged below the level 8 of the electrolyte 7. As a result, the electrolyte 15 flows from the periphery of the pipe 16 into the opening 17 of the pipe and down through the pipe 16. As a result, the level of electrolyte 8 is lowered locally in the outflow region 18.

The contact device 12 has a contact surface 14 at its lower end. These are the surfaces of the contact device 12 in contact with the surface of the solar cell 1 when the solar cell 1 passes through the continuous deposition facility 10. The contact surface 14 of the contact device 12 is arranged in the outflow region 18. As a result, the contact surface 14, ie the contact device 12, does not contact the electrolyte 7 in its entirety even if they are not currently supported by one of the solar cells 1. As a result, the contact surface 14 and similarly the contact device 12 are not in contact with the electrolyte 7 as a whole, and undesirable deposition of metal on the contact device 12 as described above is prevented. At the moment when the solar cell 1 is transported under the contact device 12 and contacted by the contact surface 14, the contact actually supports on the surface of the solar cell 1 according to the dimensioning of the pipe 16. The surface 14 is located outside of the outlet area 18. Nevertheless, because the contact surface 14 is above the level 8 of the electrolyte 7 at this moment, the electrolyte surface (on one side of the contact surface 14 or the other part of the contact device 12) 7) There is no contact between them.

In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, the contact surface 14 of the contact device 12 is disposed within the outlet area 18 within the current application sense. In addition, the pipe 16 is arranged below the contact surface 14 of the contact device 12. Correspondingly, in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the contact surface 14 of the contact devices 22a, 22b is arranged in the outlet device 28 and the pipe 26 is in contact with the contact devices 22a, 22b. It is disposed below the surface 14.

The second exemplary embodiment shown in the schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 is a continuous, essentially different from the continuous deposition apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 in that two contact devices 22a, 22b are provided in the outflow region 28. The deposition apparatus 20 is shown, wherein the contact devices are arranged in an offset manner with respect to each other in the transport direction 3 of the solar cell 1. Such configuration variations have proven to be desirable in individual applications. In other cases, the same conditions exist as in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1. The contact surface 14 of the contact devices 22a, 22b is arranged in the outflow region 28 and never contacts the electrolyte 7. The opening 27 of the pipe 26 is again arranged below the level 8 of the electrolyte 7.

3 shows a partial perspective view of another exemplary embodiment. In the case of the continuous deposition installation 30 shown, contact devices 32a, 32b are provided, each comprising four contact arms 33a, 33b, 33c, 33d. In a manner similar to the contact devices 22a, 22b of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2, two contact devices 32a, 32b disposed adjacent to the transport direction 3 of the solar cell 1 are connected to the continuous deposition installation 20. Is disposed on the same outlet device formed by the pipe as in the case of). Instead, other outlet devices may be provided. The pipe acting as the outlet device is not shown in FIG. 3. The contact device 32b is also only identifiable in place and in small parts. In most cases, the contact device 32b is concealed by the contact device carrier 34. These contact device carriers 34 serve to support the contact device module 36 which receives the contact devices 32a and 32b.

In the case of continuous deposition installation 30, all contact devices 32a, 32b are electrically conductively connected to voltage source 40. In order to compensate for the difference in electrical resistance as described in detail above, the load resistor 38 is connected upstream of all the contact devices 32a, 32b. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3, the load resistor is disposed within the contact device module 36. In principle, they can also be arranged in other locations. For clarity, the electrical leads to voltage source 40 are not shown in FIG.

As in the other exemplary embodiment shown in the figures, the solar cell 1 is transported in the transport direction 3 by the transport roller 4 and guided past the contact devices 32a, 32b in the process. In this case, in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3, the contact devices 32a, 32b formed of the high quality steel sheet are slightly bent and contact this on the top surface of the solar cell 1. Movement of the solar cell 1 does not slow down or stop by contact with the contact devices 32a, 32b. In all of the exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-4, the contact device transports current or charge carriers to the solar cell for a portion of the time while they are in contact with the solar cell. This electrical circuit is closed through the electrolyte 7 and the anode (not shown in the figure) in a known manner.

4 schematically shows one exemplary embodiment of an assembly according to the invention. This assembly 60 is identified by the broken line. At the same time, FIG. 4 shows another exemplary embodiment of a continuous deposition installation based on a schematic partial drawing. This continuous deposition facility 50 includes a tank, an electrolyte, an outlet device and a transport roller. However, for clarity, these components are not shown in FIG. In contrast, a solar cell 1 is shown which is transported in the transport direction 3 by a transport roller (not shown). Similar to the case of the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, there is provided an outlet device, in particular a pipe, which forms an outlet area, on which the contact surface of the contact device 52 is arranged.

The continuous deposition facility 50 includes four assemblies 60. The number of assemblies can be increased or decreased as needed. Each of the assemblies includes three contact devices 52 in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4. Thus the assembly is designed for three-track installations. For example, the number of contact devices may be increased to provide two contact devices per track in the assembly 60 or to extend the continuous deposition facility 50 by additional tracks as in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3. have. Each contact device 52 includes three contact arms 53a, 53b, 53c. The number of contact arms can be adapted for each use. The contact device 52 is supported on the contact device carrier 54.

In addition to the contact device 52, the assembly 60 includes a control device 64 connectable to the voltage supply device. The control device is already connected to the voltage supply device 70 due to the use of the assembly 60 in the continuous deposition installation 50 in the example of FIG. 4. In addition, each contact device 52 is connected to the control device 64 via a separate electric wire 62. This is done in such a way that current can be applied to each contact device 52 individually.

In addition, the assembly 60 performs current or resistance measurements in the measurement process within the assembly, for example individual contact devices 52 or contact arms 53a, 53b, 53c and detects the measured values and adds them as needed. And a data processing unit 68 configured to process the data. The control device consists of constant current closed-loop control for each contact device. The control device is also configured to run through a separate predefined current profile for each contact device 52. The mentioned functions of the control device can be implemented by individual electrical or electronic circuits or components. Preferably, the data processing unit 68 is configured to provide these functions depending on other components of the control device 64 as appropriate. This allows for high flexibility in process management. This flexibility is additionally enhanced by the bus interface 66 provided in the assembly 60, which enables bi-directional data exchange with the data processing device 72. Using the bus interface, the measurement data determined by the control device 66 can be evaluated in an assembly 60 arranged downstream of the data processing device and the transport direction 3, or the contact device of the assembly can be It can be driven in a targeted manner for each individual solar cell. This makes it possible to compensate or at least reduce the disadvantages identified by adapting the process parameters in the sequentially traversed portions of the continuous deposition installation 50 or by adapting the process parameters to the individual characteristics of each solar cell 1. . In addition, measurement and processing data for each processed solar cell may be communicated to and stored in the data processing device 72 for process storage.

Complex current profiles can be implemented by the data processing unit 68. As an example, low current values can be used first to allow electrolyte splashes that may be present in the solar cell to dry and to avoid sparks. At a later point in the process, higher current may be provided to achieve the required deposition rate.

In all of the exemplary embodiments shown in the figures, the valuable components can be protected from corrosion by protection lacquers or potting in epoxy resins, if desired.

While the invention has been described and described in more detail by preferred exemplary embodiments, the invention is not limited by the disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention, and other variations of the invention may be made without departing from the basic concepts thereof. It can be derived by those skilled in the art.

1 solar cell
3 direction of transport
4 transport roller
5 tank
7 electrolyte
8 levels
10 continuous deposition equipment
12 contact device
13 contact arm
14 contact surface
15 electrolyte
16 pipe
17 opening
18 spill area
20 continuous deposition equipment
22a contact device
22b contact device
26 pipe
27 opening
28 spill area
30 continuous deposition equipment
32a contact device
32b contact device
33a contact arm
33b contact arm
33c contact arm
33d contact arm
34 Contact Carrier
36 Contact Device Module
38 load resistance
40 voltage source
50 continuous deposition equipment
52 contact device
53a contact arm
53b contact arm
53c contact arm
54 Contact Carrier
60 assemblies
62 electric cable
64 control unit
66 bus interface
68 data processing unit
70 voltage supply
72 Data Processing Unit

Claims (15)

A continuous deposition facility 10; 20; 30; 50 for electrolyte deposition of material on an object 1,
The continuous deposition equipment 10; 20; 30; 50 has a contact device 12; 22a, 22b; 32a having at least one electrically conductive contact arm 13; 33a, 33b, 33c, 33d, 53a, 53b, 53c. , 32b; 52),
The contacting device (12; 22a, 22b; 32a, 32b; 52) is characterized in that it is arranged in the region of the continuous deposition equipment without the electrolyte (7) used for the electrolyte deposition of the material. The method of claim 1,
The electrolyte (7) is arranged in the tank (5);
At least one outlet device 16 is provided in the tank 5 so that the level 8 of electrolyte 7 can be locally lowered in the outlet zone 18; 28 by the at least one outlet device; ;
The contact device (12; 22a, 22b; 32a, 32b; 52) has a contact surface (14) with which the object (1) can contact;
Continuous contact installation, characterized in that the contact surface (14) of the contact device (12; 22a, 22b; 32a, 32b; 52) is arranged in the outlet area (18; 28). The method of claim 2,
The at least one outlet device 16; 26 is a hollow body 16 at least partially disposed below the contact surface 14; 24 of the at least one contact device 12; 22a, 22b; 32a; 32b; 52. And an electrolyte (7) can flow at least partially through the hollow body (16). The method of claim 3, wherein
A pipe 16 is provided as the hollow body 16, and the upper openings 17; 27 of the pipe are contact surfaces 14 of the at least one contact device 12; 22a, 22b; 32a; 32b; 52; 24) Continuous deposition equipment, characterized in that arranged below. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The plurality of contact devices 32a, 32b, preferably all the contact devices 32a, 32b are electrically conductively connected to the voltage source 40, and the load resistor 38 is connected to the plurality of contact devices 32a, 32b. Connected to at least some upstream, each load resistor 38 is characterized by being dimensioned such that when contact is made a current of substantially the same magnitude is applied to each of the plurality of contact devices 32a, 32b. , Continuous deposition equipment. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A continuous deposition facility, characterized in that a dedicated rectifier is provided for each contact device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
At least one assembly 60, which comprises:
A plurality of contact devices 52;
A control device 64 connectable to the voltage supply device 70;
Each contact device 52 of the plurality of contact devices 52 draws a separate electrical wire 62 so that a current can be individually applied to each contact device 52 of the plurality of contact devices 52. Connected to the control device 64 via;
The control device 64 allows the current applied to the individual contact devices 52 of the plurality of contact devices 52 to be individually open-loop control or closed-loop control for each of the individual contact devices 52, Preferably for effects controlled by closed-loop control;
The control device 64 is configured as a constant current closed-loop control for each of the individual contact devices 52 so that a constant magnitude of current can be applied to each of the individual contact devices 52 individually;
The control device 64 is configured to run through a separate pre-definable current profile for each of the individual contact devices 52;
The control device (64) has a communication interface (66) that enables data interchange in both directions, said communication interface (64) being preferably implemented as a bus interface (64). Continuous deposition facility (50) according to any of the preceding claims, comprising at least one assembly (60) according to any one of claims 9-14. As assembly 60 for a continuous deposition facility 50 for depositing material on an object,
At least one contact device 52;
A control device 64 connectable to the voltage supply device 70;
An assembly in which each of the at least one contact device 52 is connected to the control device 64 via a separate electric line 62 so that a current can be applied to each of the at least one contact device 52 separately. . The method of claim 9,
The at least one contact device (52) is characterized in that it comprises a plurality of contact devices (52), preferably at least four contact devices. The method according to claim 9 or 10,
The control device 64 allows the current applied to the individual contact devices 52 of the at least one contact device 52 to be individually open-loop controlled and / or closed- for each of the individual contact devices 52. An assembly characterized by being configured for effects controlled by loop control. The method of claim 11,
The control device 64 is each individual contact of the at least one contact device 52 such that a constant magnitude of current can be individually applied to each individual contact device 52 of the at least one contact device 52. Assembly configured as a constant current closed-loop control for the apparatus (52). The method according to claim 11 or 12,
Wherein the control device (64) is configured to run through a separate pre-definable current profile for each individual contact device (52) of the at least one contact device (52). The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13,
The control device (64) is characterized in that it has a communication interface (66) which enables data interchange in both directions, said communication interface (64) being preferably implemented as a bus interface (64). Use of the continuous deposition equipment (10; 20; 30; 50) according to any one of claims 1 to 8 for the deposition of metals or metal alloys, said metal or metal alloy being the substrate (1), preferably Preferably deposited on a solar cell (1).

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