Patent ID: 8455293

Claim:
A method for processing solar cells comprising: providing a vertical furnace configured for batch processing, the furnace having a substantially cylindrical process chamber adapted to receive an array of mutually spaced circular semiconductor wafers for integrated circuit processing; composing a process chamber loading configuration for the solar cell substrates having a first surface to be processed, wherein a size of the solar cell substrates that extends along the first surface is smaller than a corresponding size of the circular semiconductor wafers, wherein the loading configuration comprises multiple arrays of solar cell substrates, wherein each array comprises a plurality of solar cell substrates that are substantially horizontally oriented and substantially vertically spaced apart, wherein the respective arrays extend in a direction substantially parallel to a central axis of the process chamber in the vertical furnace and wherein a number of solar cell substrates that can be accommodated in the process chamber is substantially larger than a number of circular semiconductor wafers; loading the solar cell substrates into the process chamber; subjecting the solar cell substrates to a process in the process chamber.