Device and method for cleaning a printing unit
阅读说明:本技术 用于清洁印刷装置的装置和方法 (Device and method for cleaning a printing unit ) 是由 达维德·科莱 于 2018-03-22 设计创作,主要内容包括:一种用于生产半导体电池的设备,所述设备包括:印刷装置,用于在半导体电池上印刷;监控装置,经构造以监控所述印刷的半导体电池的特征;和清洁装置,经构造为用于基于所述半导体电池的监控的特征来清洁印刷装置的至少一个部分。(An apparatus for producing a semiconductor cell, the apparatus comprising: a printing device for printing on the semiconductor cell; a monitoring device configured to monitor a characteristic of the printed semiconductor cells; and a cleaning device configured to clean at least a portion of the printing device based on the monitored characteristic of the semiconductor cell.)
1. An apparatus for producing a semiconductor cell, the apparatus comprising:
a printing device for printing on the semiconductor cell;
a monitoring device configured to monitor a characteristic of the printed semiconductor cells; and
a cleaning device configured to clean at least a portion of the printing device based on the monitored characteristic of the semiconductor cell.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a transport configuration for supplying the printing device with semiconductor batteries is provided, which transport configuration forms a transport path for semiconductor batteries between the printing device and the monitoring device.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the transport configuration comprises a turntable and/or a shuttle.
4. A device as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein
The semiconductor cell support is arranged in the transport configuration, wherein the cleaning device can optionally be arranged on the semiconductor cell support.
5. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the monitoring device is configured to divide the semiconductor battery into a number of sections and to monitor a characteristic of at least one section of the semiconductor battery, wherein the at least one portion of the printing device corresponds to the at least one section of the semiconductor battery.
6. The device of claims 1-5, wherein the feature of the semiconductor battery comprises a finger discontinuity.
7. The apparatus of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cleaning device comprises a friction unit.
8. A cleaning device for cleaning a printing device, wherein the cleaning device may be arranged at a semiconductor cell support.
9. The cleaning device of claim 8, wherein the cleaning device is configured to clean at least one portion of the printing device corresponding to at least one section of a semiconductor cell.
10. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the cleaning device is a cleaning device as claimed in any one of claims 8 or 9.
11. A method for cleaning a printing device in a semiconductor manufacturing facility, the method comprising the steps of:
monitoring characteristics of the semiconductor cell, and
cleaning at least one portion of the printing device based on the monitored characteristic.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
the semiconductor cell is divided into sections via monitoring,
distributing the plurality of segments to a plurality of portions of the printing device, and
cleaning the number of portions of the printing device assigned to the number of segments of the semiconductor cell based on the monitored characteristics of the number of segments of the semiconductor cell.
13. The method of claim 11 or 12, wherein the monitoring comprises detecting a finger break of the battery.
14. The method according to any one of claims 11-13, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
arranging the cleaning device on the semiconductor cell support, and
transferring the semiconductor cell support to the printing device.
15. The method according to any one of claims 11-14, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
a mobile friction unit, wherein the friction unit is moved by a transport configuration for transporting the semiconductor battery.
Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus for producing a semiconductor battery. The apparatus comprises: a printing device for printing on the semiconductor cell; a monitoring device configured to monitor a characteristic of the printed semiconductor; and a cleaning device configured to clean at least a portion of the printing device based on the monitored characteristic of the semiconductor cell.
Background
Semiconductor cells are used in many modern industrial fields, for example in the electronics industry or the solar cell industry. Processes used in the production of semiconductor cells have a chemical composition and a physical composition. In addition to chemical coating processes, etching and cleaning processes, physical methods such as physical coating and cleaning processes, ion implantation, crystallization or temperature processes (e.g., diffusion, heating and melting) are also used. Other processes use both chemical and physical processes, such as photolithography or chemical mechanical planarization. In addition, various measurement methods are used for characterization and process control. For the production of (micro) electronic circuits, semiconductor technology processes are applied in a certain sequence on a substrate. The substrate is typically a thin sheet of semiconductor crystal (typically silicon), for example a wafer thinner than 1 mm. Particularly in integrated circuit production, the functionality of electronic components and assemblies is realized in the near-surface (e.g., depth below 100 nanometers) region. In this field of technology, the material properties, in particular the electrical properties, of the wafers are specifically modified and textured.
Screen printing has long been used in the electronics industry to print electronic component designs, such as electrical contacts or interconnects, on the surface of a substrate. The prior art process for manufacturing semiconductor cells, particularly solar cells, also uses a screen printing process. As technology advances, structures formed on substrates, or on semiconductor cells, are becoming smaller and finer, thereby enhancing cell performance. For example, the industry aims to improve the efficiency of solar cells. Due to the high demand for high-power semiconductor cells, the production of semiconductor cells is also becoming more and more complex, with the cost pressure increasing at the same time. For accurate printing, the printer must be regularly maintained, which mainly involves cleaning of the components of the printer. Periodic cleaning of the printer creates downtime, particularly production downtime of the manufacturing system used to produce the semiconductor cells. The downtime results in a lower utilization of the production capacity and a higher cost of the semiconductor cells.
In view of the above, the present disclosure is directed to an apparatus and method for producing semiconductor batteries with a printing device that overcomes at least some of the problems described above. The present disclosure is directed, inter alia, to an apparatus for producing semiconductors with an improved cleaning process. Furthermore, the present disclosure is directed, inter alia, to providing an improved method for cleaning a printing device in a semiconductor battery apparatus.
Disclosure of Invention
In view of the above, an apparatus for producing a semiconductor battery including a printing device, a cleaning device for cleaning the printing device, an apparatus for using the cleaning device, and a method for cleaning the printing device are provided.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus for producing a semiconductor cell, the apparatus including a cleaning device for cleaning a printing device.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a cleaning device for cleaning a printing apparatus is provided.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for using a cleaning device is provided.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for cleaning a printing device in a semiconductor manufacturing facility is provided.
Drawings
So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to various embodiments. The accompanying drawings relate to embodiments and are described in the following figures:
fig. 1A shows an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus 100 for producing a semiconductor battery.
FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary design of a printing apparatus.
Fig. 2A shows a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a
Fig. 2B shows a schematic top view of an exemplary embodiment of a transport configuration comprising a turntable.
Fig. 2C shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary dividing process of the semiconductor cell.
Figure 3A shows a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a cleaning device.
Fig. 3B shows a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a cleaning device arranged on the
Fig. 4 shows a schematic side view of an exemplary embodiment of a transport configuration.
Fig. 5 shows a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for producing a semiconductor cell.
Fig. 6 shows an enlarged view of the upper part of fig. 5.
Fig. 7 shows a schematic view of another exemplary embodiment of a transport configuration comprising a turntable.
Fig. 8 shows a schematic view of another embodiment of a semiconductor battery production plant comprising a transport configuration with a
Fig. 9A shows a schematic view of a semiconductor cell printed by a printing apparatus.
Fig. 9B shows an enlarged view of a solar cell similar to the example described above depicted in fig. 9a, the solar cell comprising a finger break.
Fig. 10 shows a flow chart of a method for cleaning a printing device of a semiconductor battery device.
Detailed Description
Reference will now be made in detail to the various embodiments of the disclosure, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the figures. In the following description of the drawings, the same reference numerals are described with respect to the individual embodiments. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the disclosure, and not meant as a limitation. Other features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used on or in conjunction with other embodiments to yield yet a further embodiment. It is intended that the present specification include such modifications and variations.
In the present disclosure, an apparatus for producing a semiconductor battery is provided. The apparatus comprises: a printing device for printing the semiconductor cell; a monitoring device configured to monitor a characteristic of the semiconductor cell; and a cleaning device configured to clean at least a portion of the printing device based on the monitored characteristic of the semiconductor cell.
Referring to fig. 1A, an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus 100 for producing a semiconductor battery is depicted. The apparatus includes a
The term semiconductor cell as used in embodiments described herein may be at least one element selected from the group consisting of: electrically conductive materials, electrically conductive materials having a silicon or alumina base, plates, wafers, semiconductor wafers, semiconductors, solar cell wafers, Si solar cell wafers, green sheet circuit boards, and similar articles of manufacture particularly useful for forming photovoltaic cells or green sheet circuits. For example, a solar cell wafer or a green sheet circuit board may be provided as the semiconductor cell. The terms semiconductor cell, battery, semiconductor or solar cell may be used synonymously herein.
A printing device is understood to be a device for printing on a semiconductor cell, wherein the printing step comprises placing a material, such as a paste comprising a metallic or dielectric material or the like, on the semiconductor cell. FIG. 1B is used to illustrate an exemplary design of a printing device. The
A monitoring device is understood to be a sensor assembly comprising at least one sensor unit. The sensor unit may be at least one element selected from the group consisting of: laser scanners, tracing devices, electromagnetic sensors, optical vision systems, optical inspection units or acoustic sensors, etc. The monitoring process may be operated by using a large number of sensor units. The monitoring device may be arranged at or close to the transport path or along one or more sections of the transport path. The monitoring device may also be arranged in close proximity or adjacent to the printing device.
The term printed semiconductor cell characteristic is to be understood as a physical property, such as an electrical, mechanical, optical or material composition property of the printed semiconductor cell, etc. In particular, the characteristics of the semiconductor cell are monitored by monitoring the surface of the printed semiconductor cell. The characteristics of the semiconductor cell may include at least one parameter of the above-described physical properties, such as thickness, material composition, irregularities, defects, print quality defects, and impurities of the printed semiconductor cell. The features may additionally include printed patterns that affect, for example, the conductivity and efficiency of the semiconductor cell.
A cleaning device is understood to be a device which is capable of cleaning at least one part of a printing device. A cleaning device may further be understood as a cleaning assembly comprising more than one cleaning device, wherein one cleaning device of the number of cleaning devices is configured to clean one portion of the printing device. The cleaning device may be adapted to a specific part or a specific component of the printing device. The cleaning device may, for example, be configured to clean a mask or screen, a supply line, an inlet port, a printing chamber, etc. of the printing device.
The cleaning process may be performed mechanically, for example, by bringing a cleaning tool, such as rubber, tissue-like media, a roller, or synthetic sponge, into contact with the respective component of the printing device to be cleaned. The movement of the cleaning device, in particular the cleaning tool, may be described as rubbing, brushing, polishing, etc. Further, the cleaning process may be performed chemically by applying a cleaning agent to the particular part to be cleaned. Furthermore, the cleaning process may be supported by pressure jets or the like. The different cleaning processes as described herein may also be combined or performed simultaneously.
The cleaning device may be driven or actuated automatically, or may be operated semi-automatically (e.g., supported by an operator). According to an embodiment, the term cleaning at least one part of the printing device may be understood as cleaning some part or component of the printing device, wherein all parts of the printing device or some other part of the component are not cleaned. The term cleaning at least one part of the printing device may additionally be understood as cleaning only a part of one component of the printing device, for example a part or area of a screen or mask. In addition, the term cleaning at least one part of the printing device is understood to mean cleaning all parts of the printing device or all parts of the printing device, or cleaning all parts or areas of a part.
The cleaning by the cleaning device, in particular the cleaning procedure or process, depends on the monitored characteristics of the semiconductor cell as described herein. Cleaning based on the monitored characteristic, in particular the cleaning process, is to be understood as starting, triggering, initiating or performing the like cleaning process based on the monitored characteristic. The monitoring device may be configured to initiate a cleaning process based on data obtained via monitoring semiconductor cell characteristics. The triggering of the cleaning process may be activated by comparing or checking the internal settings of the monitored features as described herein with the features stored in the monitoring device. The internal settings may include thresholds for the features to be monitored, wherein a comparison of the monitored features of the semiconductor cell with the thresholds for the internally set features may trigger the cleaning process. Triggering the cleaning process may also be understood as causing the monitoring device to control which part of the printing device is to be cleaned.
Cleaning, particularly cleaning processes or procedures, may be improved by cleaning the printing device based on monitored characteristics of the semiconductor cell as described herein. In particular, cleaning time may be reduced by cleaning only portions or components of the printing device that produce the printed features of the semiconductor cell. Furthermore, cleaning can be performed more efficiently by monitoring the characteristics of the printed battery and impurities of parts or components of the printing device for short-term cleaning. The term short-term is understood to mean a time span between 1 and 15 minutes or between 1 and 60 seconds. In addition, the quality of the semiconductor battery can be improved. Cleaning devices such as the above may also save time and cost by producing less waste.
According to an embodiment which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, a transport configuration for supplying the semiconductor cells to the screen printing device is provided, wherein the transport configuration forms a transport path for the semiconductor cells between the printing device and the monitoring device. A transport configuration is understood to be a transport module or an array of several or more transport modules forming a transport path for transporting semiconductor cells. The transport path may be designed as a physical connection, such as a conveyor belt, a track, a shuttle or a rail, etc. In addition, the transport path can be formed by a clip-like transport module, wherein the module or the firing tool is arranged within the working radius of the clip-like module.
Fig. 2A illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a
In embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the transport configuration may include a turntable and/or a shuttle. A turntable may for example be understood as a transport device with a circular body, which can transport semiconductor batteries arranged or placed on the surface of the body by means of a rotary movement. Fig. 2B shows a schematic top view of an exemplary embodiment of a transport configuration comprising a turntable. The
According to embodiments, which can be combined with some other embodiments described herein, the semiconductor cell support is arranged in a transport configuration, wherein the cleaning device can be selectively arranged on the semiconductor cell support. The semiconductor battery support may also be understood as a printing sleeve configured to support the semiconductor battery during a printing process. The printing sleeve may for example be mounted, fixed or attached at a transport configuration, wherein the printing sleeve acts as a transport container to ensure a safe transport of the semiconductor battery within the device. Further, the printing sleeve is configured to support a printing process within the printing device. According to some embodiments, the printing nest may include a printing nest conveyor belt assembly to receive the semiconductor cells from another transport configuration component, such as an input conveyor belt. The printing jacket conveyor belt assembly is arranged to contain, inter alia, a support plate, wherein the position of the semiconductor cells on the support plate can be adjusted by the printing jacket conveyor belt assembly.
According to embodiments, which can be combined with some other embodiments described herein, the cleaning device can be arranged on the semiconductor cell support. The cleaning device may have a circular, rectangular or square design or the like. The cleaning device may comprise a flat surface, in particular a flat lower surface, placed on top of the semiconductor cell support.
A schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a cleaning device is shown in fig. 3A. The
According to embodiments, which may be combined with some other embodiments described herein, the cleaning device may be stored in a "pick & place" position, wherein the friction unit may be filled with wiping liquid to enhance the cleaning effect of the cleaning device, in particular of the friction unit. Further, the cleaning device may be maintained in a "pick & place" position. Referring to fig. 3B, the
The cleaning device arranged on the printing sleeve can provide the advantageous effect that the cleaning device can be easily transferred to the printing device without the need for an additional transfer arrangement. The transport configuration can be used for transporting the printing couples with the semiconductor cells to the printing unit and for transporting the printing couples with the cleaning unit. The already existing transport configuration can be used for transporting the cleaning device without the need for further arrangements for transporting the cleaning device. A cleaning device may also be understood as an alternative to a semiconductor cell or a "dummy" which may be arranged on the printing sleeve when monitoring the specific features of the printed semiconductor cell as described herein.
A schematic side view of an exemplary embodiment of a transport configuration is shown in fig. 4. The transport configuration includes a shuttle 510 for transporting the semiconductor cells to the
The components of the screen printing machine to be cleaned may include a screen, such as a mask or printing mask, a printing chamber, an outlet, a jet, a nozzle, and the like. According to embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the cleaning process of the
According to a further embodiment, which can be combined with some other embodiments described herein, the transport configuration comprises a turntable, wherein the printing nest is arranged on the turntable and the cleaning device is arranged on the printing nest. Fig. 5 shows a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for producing a semiconductor cell. The
The
Fig. 6 shows an enlarged view of the upper part of fig. 5. The
The cleaning process may additionally include movement in the Y-
Fig. 7 schematically depicts a further exemplary embodiment of a transport configuration comprising a turntable. The turntable 330 has a star-shaped design, in particular a cross-shaped design, wherein the
The
Fig. 8 shows a schematic view of another embodiment of a semiconductor battery production plant comprising a transport configuration with a
The cleaning device may be understood as a cleaning shuttle 210b that is placed on the
According to an embodiment, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the monitoring device is configured to divide the semiconductor battery into a number of sections and is configured to monitor a characteristic of at least one section of the semiconductor battery, wherein one of the at least one portion of the printing device corresponds to a section of the semiconductor battery. The division of the semiconductor cell into several sections can be understood as meaning that the monitoring device subdivides or divides the semiconductor cell into different sections, wherein the monitoring device determines the sections or sectors within the semiconductor cell. The term division is understood to mean the arithmetic division of the semiconductor battery into several sections or sectors by the monitoring device. The semiconductor cell is divided into several sections, in particular the dividing procedure can be carried out virtually by monitoring the cell, for example using a laser, a laser unit, an optical inspection unit, an optical vision system or a scanning unit, wherein the monitored semiconductor cell remains unchanged and intact. The characteristics of the semiconductor cells in the section can be monitored, wherein for at least one sector of the semiconductor cells individual characteristics can be stored.
The term "monitoring the characteristics of at least one section of the battery" is to be understood as monitoring the characteristics of the semiconductor battery in some of the total sections of the semiconductor battery or monitoring the characteristics in the total sections of the semiconductor battery. The term "at least one portion of the printing device corresponds to a section of the battery" can be understood that components of the printing device can correspond to respective sections of the semiconductor battery. Furthermore, the term "at least one part of the printing device" may also be understood as at least one part of the screen or mask may correspond to a section of the semiconductor cell or may be linked to a section of the semiconductor cell. By linking the semiconductor battery segments to corresponding parts of the printing device, in particular to a screen of the printing device, defects of the printing process can be detected by monitoring the characteristics of the semiconductor battery as described herein and can be linked to components, in particular to corresponding areas of the screen. The dirty, dirty or clogged areas of the wire mesh can be better and faster identified and located, wherein effective cleaning can be performed by the cleaning device as described herein.
In fig. 2C, a schematic diagram of an exemplary dividing process of the semiconductor cell is illustrated. The
According to embodiments, which can be combined with some other embodiments described herein, the cleaning device may have the same size as the semiconductor cell, wherein the friction unit may be arranged on the cleaning device, wherein the position of the detected defect on the semiconductor cell is similar to the position of the friction unit on the cleaning device. Defects may include dirt, insufficient paste, or interruptions in the printed pattern. Furthermore, the monitoring device may clean the respective area of the screen more frequently, which may be understood as causing the friction unit to pass the blocked area of the screen more frequently than other areas of the screen. The cleaning process can be performed more intensively and more purposefully, which can lead to better cleaning results and reduced cleaning times.
According to an embodiment, which can be combined with some other embodiments described herein, the feature of the semiconductor cell comprises a finger discontinuity. The finger interruption is printed on a semiconductor cell, in particular a solar cell. In fig. 9A, a schematic diagram of a
Fig. 9B shows an enlarged view of the
According to embodiments, which can be combined with some other embodiments described herein, the cleaning device comprises a friction unit. A friction unit may also be understood as a friction head, wherein the friction unit may consist of at least one of the following materials: tissue, rubber, fabric, textile, and the like. The friction unit is arranged on the cleaning device, wherein the position of the friction unit can be configured as one of the at least one part of the printing device. Furthermore, the position of the friction unit may be adjusted based on the monitored characteristics of the semiconductor battery. The adjustment may be made by an operator or automatically by a cleaning support arrangement as described herein. The friction unit may be clamped on a protrusion, in particular a cylindrical protrusion, wherein the protrusion has a diameter of, for example, 40mm to 60 mm. The cylindrical protrusion may be fixed on the surface of the cleaning device.
According to an embodiment, a cleaning device for cleaning a printing device may be arranged at the semiconductor cell support, as described herein. According to an embodiment, the cleaning device is configured to clean at least one portion of the printing device, the at least one portion of the printing device corresponding to at least one section of the semiconductor cell.
According to an embodiment, a method for cleaning a printing device in a semiconductor cell production facility is provided, wherein the method comprises monitoring a characteristic of a semiconductor cell, and cleaning at least one portion of the printing device based on the monitored characteristic. According to an embodiment, the monitoring may be supported by an operator. Monitoring may comprise recording visual parameters, wherein the visual parameters are sensed by an operator, in particular a human being. The characteristics of the semiconductor cell may include visual parameters sensed by an operator.
According to an embodiment, a method is provided, wherein the method comprises dividing the semiconductor cell into a number of segments via monitoring, assigning the segments to portions of the printing device, and cleaning the portions of the printing device assigned to the segments of the semiconductor device based on monitored characteristics of the segments of the semiconductor cell. According to an embodiment, the monitoring comprises detecting a finger break of the battery. According to an embodiment, the method comprises arranging a cleaning device on the semiconductor cell support and transferring the semiconductor cell support to a printing device. According to an embodiment, the cleaning comprises moving the friction unit, wherein the friction unit is moved by a transport configuration for transporting the semiconductor battery, in particular for transporting the semiconductor battery support to the printing device.
Fig. 10 depicts a flow chart of a method for cleaning a printing device of a semiconductor battery apparatus according to embodiments described herein. The method 400 includes printing a semiconductor cell 410, monitoring a feature of the printed semiconductor cell 420, cleaning a printing device 430 based on the monitored feature of the printed semiconductor cell, and further printing the semiconductor cell 440. The above method may be repeated over and over again. The method depicted in fig. 10 may allow for a closed loop printing process in which the cleaning process is progressively improved by monitoring the characteristics of the semiconductor cells after a previous cleaning process has been performed and adapting the subsequent cleaning process, for example by fine tuning the position of the cleaning device relative to the position of the screen printing machine, or by adjusting the repetition or movement of the cleaning device relative to the printing device, in particular relative to the screen of the printing device.
Embodiments of the present disclosure allow for improved cleaning processes of printing devices. Cleaning, particularly cleaning processes or procedures, may be improved by cleaning the printing device based on monitored characteristics of the semiconductor cell as described herein. In particular, cleaning time may be reduced by cleaning only portions or components of the printing device that result in printed features of the semiconductor cell. Further, cleaning may be performed more efficiently by monitoring characteristics of the printed battery and momentarily cleaning portions or components of the printing device of impurities. In addition, the quality of the semiconductor battery can be improved. Cleaning devices such as the above may also save time and cost by producing less waste. The cleaning process can be performed semi-automatically, which results in a low cost improvement of the cleaning process. The cleaning process according to embodiments described herein may be performed fully automatically, which may speed up the cleaning process and reduce down time of the printing apparatus during the cleaning process.
While the foregoing is directed to some embodiments, other and further embodiments may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.
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