Patent Publication Number: US-2009230019-A1

Title: Substrate cassette having electrode array

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to cassettes for receiving plate-like materials, and more particularly, to a substrate cassette having an electrode array. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A conventional substrate cassette includes receiving slots or spaces for receiving corresponding substrates respectively and the substrates are put into the cassette in upright or multi-layer stack arrangement. 
     The amorphous silicon thin film is the key to the production of the currently available non-crystalline silicon thin film solar cell. Presently, the amorphous silicon thin film solar cell is generally produced by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Specifically, one single substrate is put into a process chamber and then treated by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). However, it has not been available that multiple substrates can be simultaneously treated by the process of CVD at a time. Likewise, a cassette that is applicable to such process and can carry multiple substrates has not been available. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a substrate cassette having an electrode array, which can carry multiple substrates and be applicable to the CVD process. 
     The secondary objective of the present invention is to provide a substrate cassette having an electrode array, in which the electrode array is applicable to insertion of multiple substrates. 
     The foregoing objectives of the present invention are attained by the substrate cassette having an electrode array for carrying a plurality of substrates. The cassette having an electrode array is composed of a base frame, a plurality of first electrode plates, a plurality of second electrode plates, and a plurality of struts. The base frame includes at least one conductive member at a bottom side thereof. Each of the at least one conductive member has a plurality of first channels and a plurality of second channels parallel to the first channels. The first and second channels alternately arranged in a predetermined interval. The base frame includes a plurality of fixtures located at a top side thereof and above the first and second channels. An insulator is mounted in each of the second channels. Each of the first electrode plates is installed in the base frame in such a way that its bottom edge is fixed into the corresponding first channel and its top edge is fixed to the corresponding fixture. Each of the second electrode plates is installed in the base frame in such a way that its bottom edge is fixed to the corresponding insulator and its top edge is fixed to the corresponding fixture. Each of the struts is mounted to two opposite sides of a bottom edge of the corresponding first electrode plate and to two opposite sides of a bottom edge of the corresponding second electrode plate. The struts and the corresponding fixtures are vertically opposite to each other to jointly define a limited space for receiving the substrates, wherein the struts carry the substrates. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front schematic view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating that the relationship between the conductive members and the insulators. 
         FIG. 3  is a 3-D schematic view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the relationship of connection between the bottom side of the cassette and the second electrode plates. 
         FIG. 4  is a 3-D schematic view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the format of one of the second electrode plates. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention in operation, illustrating that the substrates are inserted into the first and second channels of the base frame. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , a substrate cassette  10  having an electrode array in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is composed of a base frame  11 , a plurality of first electrode plates  21 , a plurality of second electrode plates  31 , and a plurality of struts  41 . 
     The base frame  11  includes a plurality of conductive members  12  at a bottom side thereof. Each of the conductive members  12  has a plurality of first channels  14  and a plurality of second channels  15  parallel to the first channels. The first and second channels  14  and  15  are alternately arranged in such a way that they are spaced from each other in a predetermined interval. The base frame  11  also includes a plurality of fixtures  16  located at a top side thereof and above the first and second channels  14  and  15 . The base frame  11  also includes a plurality of insulators  17  mounted in the corresponding second channels respectively. Each of the insulators  17  has a groove  171 . Each of the fixtures  16  has two retaining portions  18  extending downward from two sides thereof respectively. 
     Each of the first electrode plates  21  is installed in the base frame  11  in such a way that its bottom edge is fixed into the corresponding first channel  14  and its top edge is fixed to the corresponding fixture  16  to be located between the two retaining portions  18 . 
     Each of the second electrode plates  31  is installed in the base frame  11  in such a way that its bottom edge is fixed to the groove  171  of the corresponding insulator  17  and its top edge is fixed to the corresponding fixture  16  to be located between the two retaining portions  18 . 
     Each of the struts  41  is mounted to two opposite sides of a bottom edge of the corresponding first electrode plate  21  and to two opposite sides of a bottom edge of the corresponding second electrode plate  31 , having a stopping portion  42  extending upward from an external side thereof. The struts in this embodiment are wheel-shaped members, The struts  41  and the fixtures  16  are vertically opposite to each other to jointly define a limited space for receiving substrates (now shown) therein, wherein the struts  41  carry the substrates. When two substrates are mounted to two opposite sides of each of the first and second electrode plates  21  and  31 , the two substrates are retained by the corresponding two retaining portions  18  and stopped by the corresponding two stopping portions  42  respectively. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , after a plurality of the substrates  99  are put into the cassette  10  of the present invention, the substrates  99  are supported by the struts  41 , stopped by the stopping portions  42 , and retained by the retaining portions  18 . In this way, the substrates  99  are held in fixed positions and also spaced from one another in a predetermined interval. Besides, the substrates  99  are arranged on the corresponding first and second electrode plates  21  and  31 , such that the cassette  10  carrying the multiple substrates  99  can be treated by the CVD process. 
     In conclusion, the present invention includes the following advantages.
         1. It can carry multiple substrates and be applicable to the CVD process.   2. It can be inserted by multiple substrates therein for further treatment of the CVD process.       

     Although the present invention has been described with respect to a specific preferred embodiment thereof, it is no way limited to the details of the illustrated structures but changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims.