JP2010208868A - Apparatus and method for producing thin plate, thin plate, and solar cell - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing a thin plate using a thin plate forming method, for efficiently producing a thin plate while preventing the thin plate from peeling and dropping upon extricating a base plate from a silicon melt. <P>SOLUTION: An apparatus for producing the thin plate is provided, in which after a base plate is immersed in a raw material melt, the base plate is extricated from the raw material melt, and a thin plate is formed on the base plate by solidification of the raw material melt. The apparatus is provided with an immersion mechanism for moving the base plate along a circular arc track when starting immersion of the base plate in the raw material melt, wherein the base plate is disposed in such a manner that the immersion face of the base plate forms an angle with respect to the tangential direction of the circular arc track so as to increase the angle formed by the immersion face of the base plate and the liquid surface of the raw material melt. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a thin plate manufacturing apparatus, a thin plate manufacturing method, a thin plate and a solar cell used for solar cells.

  A silicon substrate used for manufacturing a solar cell is manufactured by, for example, a casting method as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-21120 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-92284 (Patent Document 2). Has been. In the casting method, silicon melted in the crucible is gradually cooled from the bottom of the crucible to solidify the silicon melt, and an ingot (solidified mass) mainly composed of a long columnar crystal structure grown upward from the bottom of the crucible. It is a manufacturing method.

  However, the casting method takes a long time of several tens of hours to manufacture one silicon ingot in order to grow without causing cracks in the ingot and from the viewpoint of ensuring semiconductor quality. The slicing step of cutting the silicon substrate from the ingot also takes a long time, and it takes several tens of hours even if a slicing technique using a multi-wire saw is used. Therefore, it is difficult to significantly reduce the cost in manufacturing a silicon substrate using a casting method.

  On the other hand, silicon ribbon growth methods using a web method and an EFG (edge-defined film-fed growth) method that do not require slicing have been studied. In recent years, the RGS (ribbon growth on substrate) method for producing a thin silicon ribbon directly from a silicon melt has been attracting attention with the aim of faster growth (26th PVSC, 1997, pp. 199). 91-93).

  The principle of the RGS method is to perform high-speed growth of a silicon ribbon by high-speed heat transfer (heat removal) from a surface close to the solidification growth surface. Specifically, the immersion surface support flat plate is moved by moving the immersion surface support flat plate supporting the open immersion surface relatively laterally with respect to the side support frame supporting the periphery of the side of the molten silicon. A silicon ribbon is grown on the top at high speed. However, in the ribbon manufacturing method such as the RGS method, there are many problems in the stable growth of the solidified phase itself, including the problem of controlling the crystallized state of the silicon ribbon, and stable semiconductor characteristics that can be put to practical use in solar cells and the like. There is no stage where a silicon ribbon can be obtained.

  As another silicon substrate manufacturing method, a method (thin plate forming method) is known in which a base plate is immersed in a silicon melt to obtain a thin silicon substrate (thin plate) directly by solidification from the liquid phase. For example, JP 2006-176382 A (Patent Document 3), JP 2004-250282 A (Patent Document 4), JP 2001-247396 A (Patent Document 5), JP 2001-223172 A, and the like. (Patent Document 6), Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-289544 (Patent Document 7), Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-29895 (Patent Document 8), etc. disclose thin plate forming methods using various substrates.

  However, as shown in FIG. 9, in the conventional silicon substrate manufacturing method, after the base plate 1 is immersed in the silicon melt 4, the base plate 1 is finally removed from the silicon melt 4 when the silicon melt is finally melted. In some cases, dripping 401 occurs at the edge of the base plate that is in contact with the liquid, which adversely affects the formation of the thin plate 2.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-21120 JP-A-11-92284 JP 2006-176382 A JP 2004-250282 A JP 2001-247396 A JP 2001-223172 A JP 2002-289544 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-29895

  An object of the present invention is to provide a method for efficiently producing a thin plate by preventing the thin plate from peeling off when the base plate is escaped from the silicon melt in the production of a thin plate using the thin plate forming method.

  The present invention is a thin plate manufacturing apparatus for immersing a base plate in a raw material melt and then allowing the base plate to escape from the raw material melt and forming a thin plate on the base plate by solidification of the raw material melt, When the base plate begins to be immersed in the raw material melt, an immersion mechanism is provided for moving the base plate in an arcuate path, and an angle formed by the immersion surface of the base plate and the liquid surface of the raw material melt The base plate is provided so that the immersion surface of the base plate forms an angle with respect to the tangential direction of the arc-shaped track so that the base plate becomes large.

  In the present invention, the angle formed by the immersion surface of the base plate with respect to the tangential direction of the arc-shaped track is preferably 1 to 10 °.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the front end surface of the base plate is formed so as to hook the formed thin plate against a force in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the base plate.

  The present invention also relates to a method for producing a thin plate in which the base plate is immersed in the raw material melt, then the base plate is escaped from the raw material melt, and a thin plate is formed on the base plate by solidification of the raw material melt. In the step of immersing the base plate, when the base plate starts to be immersed in the raw material melt, when the base plate is moved in an arcuate path, the immersion surface of the base plate and the raw material melt The base plate is immersed in the raw material melt such that the immersion surface of the base plate forms an angle with respect to the tangential direction of the arc-shaped track so that the angle formed by the liquid level of the base plate is increased. The present invention also relates to a thin plate manufacturing method.

  Furthermore, the present invention also relates to a thin plate obtained using the thin plate manufacturing apparatus when the raw material melt is a silicon melt, and a solar cell including the thin plate.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the thin plate from peeling off when the base plate is escaped from the raw material melt, and to efficiently manufacture the thin plate.

It is a figure which shows the immersion track | orbit of the thin plate manufacturing method of this invention. It is a sectional side view which shows an example of the thin plate manufacturing apparatus using a thin plate formation method. It is a sectional side view which shows the operation state of the thin plate manufacturing apparatus shown by FIG. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram for demonstrating 2nd embodiment of this invention. (A), (b) is a figure which shows another state of 2nd embodiment, (c) is an enlarged view of (a). (A) is a cross-sectional schematic diagram for demonstrating 3rd embodiment of this invention, (b) is an enlarged view of (a). It is a figure for demonstrating an example of 4th embodiment of this invention. (A), (b) is a perspective view of the same base plate, (c) is a perspective view of a thin plate. It is a figure for demonstrating another example of 4th embodiment of this invention. (A), (b), (c) is a perspective view of the baseplate of a different shape, respectively. It is a figure which shows the immersion track | orbit concerning 4th embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the conventional thin plate formation method.

<First embodiment>
The thin plate manufacturing apparatus and the thin plate manufacturing method of the present invention are mainly configured by immersing a base plate in a raw material melt such as a silicon melt and then letting out the base plate from the raw material melt and solidifying the raw material melt. The present invention is applied in a thin plate manufacturing method for forming a thin plate on a surface.

(Thin plate forming method)
A basic procedure for an example of the thin plate forming method will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the thin plate manufacturing apparatus 7 includes a crucible 3 and a heating mechanism (not shown) for heating the crucible and melting silicon as a raw material in the main chamber 6. In the crucible 3, a raw material melt 4 melted by a heating mechanism is stored, and an immersion mechanism 9 for immersing the surface layer portion of the base plate 1 in the raw material melt 4 is disposed. An inert gas such as argon is introduced into the main chamber 6 and maintained in an inert atmosphere.

  A traverse rail 909 is connected to a traverse mechanism 910 attached to the outer wall of the main room. An elevating mechanism 901 is connected to the traversing rail 909, and the elevating mechanism 901 can be horizontally operated by a motor in the traversing mechanism. The transverse rail 909 penetrates into the main chamber 6. The penetration part isolates the outside of the main chamber by packing, a magnetic fluid seal or the like, and prevents outside air from being mixed into the main chamber 6. A suspension column 902 is connected to the lifting mechanism 901. The suspension column 902 can be moved up and down by a motor in the lifting mechanism 901. A rotation mechanism 903 having a rotation motor shaft 907 is connected to the tip of the suspension column 902. Two spindle columns 904 are connected under the rotation mechanism 903, and the spindle 905 penetrates in the horizontal direction at the lower end of the spindle column 904. Since the main shaft 905 and the motor shaft in the rotation mechanism are connected by a power transmission mechanism 906, the main shaft 905 can be rotated by the rotation mechanism 903. A pedestal support 908 is connected to the main shaft 905, and the pedestal 5 is connected to the end of the pedestal support 908. The pedestal 5 is a member that holds the base plate 1.

  According to the above configuration, the entire dipping mechanism can be moved in the horizontal direction by the traversing mechanism 910, that is, the horizontal movement of the base plate 1 can be performed. In addition, the entire dipping mechanism can be moved up and down in the vertical direction by the lifting mechanism 901, that is, the base plate 1 can be moved in the vertical direction. Further, the main shaft 905 can be rotated by the rotation mechanism 903, that is, the base plate 1 can be rotated.

  It is possible to immerse the base plate 1 in the raw material melt 4 by an arc orbit by comprehensively controlling the operation of the immersion mechanism 6 in the horizontal direction, the raising / lowering operation, and rotating the pedestal 5 as described above. It becomes.

  Here, the circular arc trajectory does not only indicate a perfect circular trajectory but also includes an elliptical trajectory, and it is not necessary that all the trajectories to which the base plate 1 is conveyed are circular trajectories, and some of them are linear trajectories or the like. A circular orbit may be used when the base plate 1 is immersed in the raw material melt 4.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the thin plate 2 on the surface of the base plate by immersing the base plate 1 in the raw material melt 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. After the dipping mechanism 9 grasps the base plate 1, the base plate 1 is moved to the arrow by rotating the pedestal 5 by the rotating mechanism 903 while moving the entire dipping mechanism by the elevating mechanism 901 while moving horizontally by the traversing mechanism 910. The operation is performed as in 802 and the base plate is moved from the base plate replacement position 801 to the position where the raw material melt 4 is immersed. The base plate 1 is immersed in the raw material melt 4 as indicated by an arrow 803 using the horizontal movement of the traversing mechanism 910, the vertical movement of the vertical movement mechanism 901, and the rotational movement of the rotation mechanism 903, and the thin plate 2 is placed on the surface of the base plate 1. Form. Thereafter, the base plate 1 to which the thin plate 2 is attached is taken out from the raw material melt 4 as indicated by an arrow 804. Thereafter, the base plate 1 to which the thin plate 2 is attached returns to the base plate replacement position 801 by a horizontal operation, a lifting operation, and a rotation operation as indicated by an arrow 805. Of the series of operations, the raising / lowering operation is indicated by an arrow 806 and the horizontal operation is indicated by an arrow 807.

  The horizontal operation, the raising / lowering operation, and the rotating operation are operated by mutually independent control mechanisms. As a result, the base plate can enter the raw material melt 4 in an arbitrary direction in an arbitrary inclination state, move in the raw material melt, and escape from the raw material melt 4. At this time, it is normal to program the traversing movement movement command, the lifting movement movement command, and the rotation movement command with a personal computer, and send them to the controller to realize an arbitrary trajectory as programmed. .

  The average thickness of the thin plate obtained by such a thin plate forming method is preferably set in the range of 100 μm to 1 mm. By setting the thickness of the thin plate to 100 μm or more, high handling properties can be obtained in the manufacturing process of the solar cell using the thin plate.

  Further, by making the thin plate thickness 1 mm or less, the utilization efficiency of the material can be improved, and a low-cost thin plate can be provided. From the viewpoint of ease of manufacturing the thin plate, the average thickness of the thin plate is more preferably in the range of 200 to 600 μm. In the thin plate forming method, a thin plate is directly manufactured from a silicon melt, so that a silicon ingot slicing step as in the casting method is not required.

  In the thin plate forming method, the initial temperature of the base plate on which the silicon polycrystal is formed is set to a temperature range lower than the silicon melting point (1415 ° C.), and the graphite plate having an appropriate thickness is used to reduce the heat capacity of the base plate. Make it appropriate, control the immersion time of the base plate in the raw material melt so as to obtain a thin plate with the optimum thickness, and further promote the solidification of the raw material melt by the fine uneven shape on the surface of the base plate, etc. The basic conditions are preferably set. By setting these conditions, a polycrystalline thin plate can be formed on the surface of the base plate at high speed and stably, and a thin plate having a good shape and characteristics can be obtained.

  As the material of the base plate used in the thin plate forming method, for example, graphite or a base plate in which silicon carbide is formed on the surface by a thermal CVD method can be used. Besides this, ceramics such as silicon nitride, Heat-resistant metal that can withstand high temperatures, carbon, ceramics, or heat-resistant metal partially or wholly coated with ceramics can also be used. By using such a base plate, the base plate and the thin plate can be easily peeled off. It is possible to obtain a thin plate having a good shape and characteristics.

  On the surface of the base plate, grooves along the rotation direction of the base plate, or fine uneven surfaces arranged regularly or irregularly may be formed. Grooves and fine uneven surfaces formed on the surface of the base plate have a function of controlling the growth of the thin plate.

  The temperature of the raw material melt during the production of the thin plate is usually set within the range from the supercooling temperature of 8070 ° C. or higher to the higher temperature of 1600 ° C. (for example, 1450 ° C.) depending on the balance with the growth conditions of the thin plate. Can be done. After the surface of the raw material melt reaches a specified height, the base plate is immersed and a thin plate is grown on the surface.

  The raw material melt used in the present invention is usually a melt of a semiconductor or metal, and is not limited to a silicon melt. Examples of semiconductor melts include melts of silicon, GaAs, etc. Among them, silicon melts are preferred.

The thin plate manufacturing apparatus of this invention is demonstrated using FIG.
FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing showing the dipping process of the base plate 1 in the thin plate forming method. As shown in FIG. 1, the base plate 1 is attached to a pedestal 5 and immersed in the raw material melt 4 to form a thin plate 2 having a necessary thickness, and then is taken out from the raw material melt 4.

  In the thin plate manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, when the base plate 1 starts to be immersed in the raw material melt 4 (when the base plate is in the state 1 (a) in FIG. 1), the base plate 1 is moved along the arc-shaped track O. It is preferable to provide an immersion mechanism for the purpose. Usually, the center of the circular arc is located in the upper part spaced apart from the raw material melt 4.

  When the base plate 1 starts to be immersed in the raw material melt 4 (when the base plate is in the state 1 (a) in FIG. 1), the base plate 1 is conveyed by the track O on the arc, but the base plate 1 is immersed. If the angle formed by the surface direction S1 of the surface 101 and the tangential direction T1 of the circular arc track O is α1, and the angle β1 formed by the immersion surface 101 of the base plate 1 and the liquid surface 402 of the raw material melt, the base plate 1 is It is immersed in the raw material melt 4 with the angle α1 so that the angle β1 is increased.

  The angle α1 may be 1 to 10 °, and is preferably 3 to 6 ° in order to reduce the fluctuation generated on the liquid surface 402 of the raw material melt.

  Thereafter, the thin plate 2 is formed on the base plate 1 in the state 1 (b). However, the trajectory of the base plate 1 at this time is not necessarily limited to the circular arc track, and may be a linear track or any other track. Further, the base plate 1 is removed from the raw material melt 4 in an arbitrary orbit (state 1 (c)), and the thin plate 2 is taken out.

  The thin plate manufacturing apparatus of the present invention can be applied to various thin plate forming methods having a mechanism capable of moving the base plate in an arc shape, and can be applied to both batch processing and continuous processing. For example, the device described in Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-176382) and FIGS. 2 and 3 and the device described in Patent Document 4 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-250282) are used independently. The present invention can be applied to a thin plate forming method using an apparatus for immersing a base plate in a raw material melt. Also, a plurality of base plates provided on the rotating body as described in Patent Documents 5 to 7 (JP 2001-247396 A, JP 2001-223172 A, JP 2002-289544 A). It is also possible to apply to a thin plate forming method using an apparatus for sequentially immersing the material in the raw material melt.

<Second Embodiment>
This embodiment is an example of an apparatus different from the first embodiment provided with an immersion mechanism for moving the base plate on an arcuate track when the base plate begins to be immersed in the raw material melt. This embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a thin plate manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment used in a thin plate forming method to which the present invention is applied. The thin plate manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 4 is provided with a base plate 1 at the tip of each support 10a of a three-legged rotary body 10 having three supports connected to a rotating shaft, By rotating the mold rotating body 10 in the direction of the arrow, the base plate 1 is sequentially immersed in the raw material melt 4 in the crucible 3 (the state shown in FIG. 4A), and then escapes from the raw material melt 4. (The state shown in FIG. 4B).

  In the present embodiment, the base plate 1 is provided so that the angle formed by the immersion surface 101 of the base plate 1 and the liquid surface of the raw material melt 4 is increased. That is, as shown in FIG. 4C, the tangential direction T2 of the circular orbit of the base plate 1 (direction perpendicular to each support 10a of the three-legged rotating body 10) and the immersion surface 101 of the base plate 1 The base plate 1 is provided such that the surface direction S2 forms an angle α2. The angle [alpha] 2 may be 1 to 10 [deg.], And is preferably 3 to 6 [deg.] In order to reduce the fluctuation generated on the liquid surface 402 of the raw material melt.

  By tilting the base plate 1 from the tangential direction T2 of the circular orbit as described above, the tip surface 102 of the base plate 1 and the raw material melt 4 come into contact with each other, and the thin plate 2 is also formed on the surface of the tip surface 102 of the base plate 1. Since the adhesion (engagement) between the base plate 1 and the thin plate 2 is increased, the thin plate 2 being formed on the base plate is pulled by the tension of the raw material melt 4 due to the influence of liquid dripping. It can prevent peeling off.

  Further, the thin plate 2 formed on the surface of the distal end surface 102 can also be used for gripping with a gripping tool when the thin plate 2 is peeled off from the base plate 1. After peeling off from the base plate 1, the thin plate 2 of this part is cut | disconnected using a laser etc., and a thin plate product can be obtained.

<Third embodiment>
This embodiment is another example of the embodiment in which an immersion mechanism is provided for moving the base plate on an arcuate track when the base plate starts to be immersed in the raw material melt.

  This embodiment is the same as the first and second embodiments in that the base plate is moved on an arcuate track when the base plate begins to be immersed in the raw material melt, but the immersion mechanism is different. In the present embodiment, a drum-type rotating body is used as the immersion mechanism. The present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the thin plate manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment used in the thin plate forming method to which the present invention is applied. In the thin plate manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 5 (a), a plurality of base plates 1 are provided on the surface of the drum-type rotator 11 at intervals, and the drum-type rotator 11 is rotated by rotating in the direction of the arrow. The main plate 1 is sequentially immersed in the raw material melt 4 in the crucible 3. Here, FIG. 5A shows a state when the base plate 1 is immersed in the raw material melt 4.

  Also in the present embodiment, the base plate 1 is provided so that the angle formed by the immersion surface 101 of the base plate 1 and the liquid surface of the raw material melt 4 is increased. FIG. 5B is an enlarged view of one base plate in FIG. 5A, but the tangential direction T3 of the circular orbit of the base plate 1 (the tangential direction of the drum-type rotating body 11) and the immersion of the base plate 1 The base plate 1 is provided so that the surface direction S3 of the surface 101 forms an angle α3. The angle α3 may be 1 to 10 °, and is preferably 3 to 6 ° in order to reduce the shaking generated on the liquid surface 402 of the raw material melt.

  By tilting the base plate 1 from the tangential direction of the drum-type rotating body 11 in this way, the tip surface 102 of the base plate 1 and the raw material melt 4 come into contact with each other, and the thin plate 2 is also applied to the surface of the tip surface 102 of the base plate 1. Is formed, and the adhesion (engagement) between the base plate 1 and the thin plate 2 is increased, so that the thin plate being formed on the base plate is pulled by the tension of the raw material melt and peeled off from the base plate. You can prevent it from falling.

<Fourth embodiment>
In this embodiment, the adhesiveness (engagement property) between the base plate and the thin plate is further improved by using a base plate having a specific shape at the tip surface.

  Here, the base plate whose tip surface has a specific shape is such that the tip surface in the direction of travel of the base plate is such that the formed thin plate is hooked against the force in the direction opposite to the direction of travel of the base plate. The base plate is a base plate provided with a structure for engaging or locking with the formed thin plate at the front end surface in the traveling direction of the base plate. Here, the structure for engaging or locking with the thin plate may be a convex portion, may be a concave portion, and are formed with both concave and convex portions, and there is a groove, for example, a relationship between the base plate and the thin plate. It means all configurations that increase compatibility.

  For example, the base plate 1 has a tip surface shape as shown in the perspective views of FIGS. 6A and 6B, and the angle γ formed between the tip surface 102 of the base plate 1 and the immersion surface 101 is an acute angle. ing. The base plate 1 is immersed in the raw material melt 4 with the immersion surface 101 and the front end surface 102 in the direction of arrow P in FIG. 6 (a) and 6 (b) are perspective views of the same base plate, and FIG. 6 (c) is a perspective view of a thin plate formed by using this base plate.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the base plate 1 whose tip surface shown in FIG. 6 (a) and FIG. 6 (b) has a specific shape is tilted in the same manner as in the above embodiment to form the raw material melt 4 in the crucible 3. The thin plate 2 is formed on the surface of the base plate 1 by dipping. At that time, when the base plate 1 starts to be immersed in the raw material melt 4 (when the plate-like body 1 is in the state 1 (a)), the front end of the immersion surface 101 of the base plate 1 is more than the rear end in the forward direction. Since the front end surface 102 of the base plate 1 and the raw material melt 4 are in contact with each other, the thin plate 2 is also formed on the surface of the front end surface 102 of the base plate 1.

  Thereby, the thin plate 2 which has the 1st surface 201 and the 2nd surface 202 as shown in FIG.6 (c) is obtained. The first surface 201 is formed on the surface of the immersion surface 101 of the base plate 1, and the second surface 202 is formed on the surface of the tip surface 102 of the base plate 1.

  By using the base plate 1 having such a shape, the thin plate 2 is formed on the immersion surface 101 and the tip surface 102, and the second surface 202 of the formed thin plate 2 is hooked on the tip surface 102 of the base plate 1. Therefore, when the base plate 1 and the thin plate 2 are escaped from the raw material melt 4 (when the plate-like body 1 is in the state 1 (c) in FIG. 8), the thin plate 2 is more reliably peeled off. Can be prevented.

  The base plate having the specific shape is not particularly limited as long as it is a variety of shapes that can hook the thin plate formed in this way, and besides the base plate 1 having the shape shown in FIG. For example, the base plate 1 having a shape as shown in FIGS. The base plate 1 shown in FIG. 7A has a rounded convex portion that is convex in the advancing direction (direction of arrow P) side of the base plate 1 on the front end surface 102 in contact with the immersion surface 101 side. Yes.

  Further, the base plate 1 shown in FIG. 7B is a surface that protrudes toward the traveling direction (the direction of the arrow P) of the base plate 1 and is perpendicular to the immersion surface at the front end surface 102 that contacts the immersion surface 101 side. It has the convex part which has. The base plate 1 shown in FIG. 7C is convex on the side of the base plate 1 in the traveling direction (the direction of the arrow P) on the tip surfaces (102a and 102b) in contact with the immersion surface 101 side, and from the tip surfaces 102a and 102b. It has a convex part with a sharp tip formed.

  In the base plate 1 having such a shape of the front end surface, the thin plate formed on the surface of the front end surface is more easily caught, and the base plate and the thin plate are escaped from the raw material melt (in FIG. 1 (c)), it is possible to more reliably prevent the thin plate from peeling off.

  In this embodiment, the immersion track in which the base plate 1 is immersed is such that the entire immersion surface 101 of the base plate 1 is completely immersed in the raw material melt 4, but the tip surface 102 is entirely immersed in the raw material melt 4. Alternatively, the immersion trajectory may be adjusted so that a part thereof is immersed in the raw material melt 4.

  By completely immersing the front end surface 102 of the base plate 1 in the raw material melt 4, the strength with which the second surface 202 of the thin plate 2 is caught by the base plate 1 can be increased. By immersing a part of 102 in the raw material melt 4, the second surface 202 of the thin plate to be finally cut is reduced while maintaining the strength with which a certain thin plate 2 is caught by the base plate 1. This eliminates the need to consume excess raw material melt.

  When the base plate having such a shape is used, during the period from when the base plate 1 is immersed in the raw material melt 4 until it is escaped (when the plate-like body 1 is in the state 1 (b) in FIG. 8), Since the thin plate 2 is difficult to peel off from the base plate 1 even if the moving speed of the base plate is increased, the speed at which the base plate moves in the raw material melt and the magnitude of acceleration can be set widely. Therefore, a thin plate can be stably manufactured without strictly controlling the speed of the base plate.

  Further, the second surface 202 of the thin plate 2 can also be used for grasping with a gripping tool when the thin plate is peeled off from the base plate 1. After peeling off from the base plate, the second surface of the thin plate 2 is cut using a laser or the like, whereby a thin plate product can be obtained.

  The present invention further relates to a thin plate obtained by using the above-described thin plate manufacturing apparatus and thin plate manufacturing method and a solar cell provided with the thin plate, and the thin plate obtained using the present invention can be obtained by various known methods. It can be used for the production of solar cells.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. 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 Base plate, 101 Immersion surface, 101a Advancing direction front end, 101b Advancing direction rear end, 101T surface direction, 102 Front end surface, 2 Thin plate (thin plate), 201 1st surface, 202 2nd surface, 3 crucible, 4 Raw material melt (Silicon melt), 401 dripping, 402 raw material melt level, 5 pedestal, 6 main chamber, 7 thin plate manufacturing equipment, 801 base plate replacement position, 9 dipping mechanism, 901 lifting mechanism, 902 suspension column, 903 rotation mechanism , 904 Spindle column, 905 Spindle, 906 Power transmission mechanism, 907 Rotating motor shaft, 908 Pedestal support, 909 Crossing rail, 910 Crossing mechanism, 10 Three-legged rotating body, 10a Supporting body, 10T Tangent direction, 11 Drum type Rotating body, 11T Tangent direction.

Claims (6)

A thin plate manufacturing apparatus for immersing a base plate in a raw material melt and then allowing the base plate to escape from the raw material melt and forming a thin plate on the base plate by solidification of the raw material melt,
When the base plate begins to be immersed in the raw material melt, an immersion mechanism is provided for moving the base plate in an arcuate path,
The base plate so that the immersion surface of the base plate forms an angle with respect to the tangential direction of the arcuate track so that the angle formed by the immersion surface of the base plate and the liquid surface of the raw material melt is large. An apparatus for manufacturing a thin plate, wherein   2. The thin plate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an angle formed by an immersion surface of the base plate with respect to a tangential direction of the arc-shaped track is 1 to 10 °.   The thin plate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the front end surface of the base plate is formed so as to hook the formed thin plate against a force in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the base plate. Manufacturing equipment. A method for producing a thin plate in which a base plate is immersed in a raw material melt, then the base plate is escaped from the raw material melt, and a thin plate is formed on the base plate by solidification of the raw material melt,
In the step of immersing the base plate, when the base plate starts to be immersed in the raw material melt, when moving the base plate in an arcuate path,
The base plate so that the immersion surface of the base plate forms an angle with respect to the tangential direction of the arcuate track so that the angle formed by the immersion surface of the base plate and the liquid surface of the raw material melt is large. A thin plate manufacturing method characterized by immersing the material in a raw material melt.   The said raw material melt is a silicon melt, The silicon thin plate obtained using the thin plate manufacturing apparatus in any one of Claims 1-3.   A solar cell comprising the silicon thin plate according to claim 5.

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