Patent ID: 8361229

Claim:
An apparatus for vapor deposition of a sublimated source material as a thin film on discrete photovoltaic (PV) module substrates conveyed in a continuous non-stop manner through said apparatus, comprising: a series of interconnected modules defining a vacuum chamber; a deposition head configured for receipt and sublimation of a source material, said deposition head disposed within the vacuum chamber of said series of interconnected modules; said deposition head further comprising a distribution plate at a defined distance above a horizontal conveyance plane of an upper surface of substrates conveyed through a deposition area of said apparatus, said deposition head also comprising a heated structure, said heated structure being heated to a temperature greater than that of the substrates conveyed through said deposition area, said deposition head further comprising a receptacle configured for receipt of the source material and a heated distribution manifold disposed below said receptacle, said heated distribution manifold configured to heat said receptacle to a degree sufficient to sublimate source material within said receptacle, said receptacle and said heated distribution manifold positioned above said distribution plate, the sublimated source material moving through said distribution plate and depositing onto the upper surface of the substrates conveyed through said deposition area; and, transversely extending entrance and exit seals disposed within the vacuum chamber of said series of interconnected modules and defined by transversely extending members of said heated distribution manifold at opposite longitudinal ends of said deposition area, said seals defining an entry slot and an exit slot for the substrates conveyed through said deposition area, each of said entrance and exit seals disposed at a gap distance above the upper surface of the substrates that is less than the distance between the upper surface of the substrates and said distribution plate and having a ratio of longitudinal length to gap distance of from about 10:1 to about 100:1 and comprise a flat, continuous surface over said longitudinal length thereof.