Patent ID: 8163090

Claim:
A thermal processing tool for forming a solar cell absorber from a precursor layer disposed on a surface of a continuous flexible workpiece, the tool comprising: a heating chamber to cause therein reacting of a precursor layer portion of the precursor layer with an adjacent portion of a carrier layer to thereby transform the precursor layer into the solar cell absorber, the heating chamber extending between a first opening at a first end of the heating chamber and a second opening at a second end of the heating chamber and including a process gap therebetween, the process gap defined by a top wall, a bottom wall, and sidewalls, wherein the process gap has an elongated shape with a length of at least one meter, a width between the sidewalls that is wider than a width of the flexible workpiece and a height between the top wall and the bottom wall in at least a part of the process gap that is 2 cm or less, wherein the process gap collects carrier layer vapor that forms from the adjacent portion of the carrier layer and reacts with the precursor layer portion; a continuous carrier configured to hold on a surface thereof the carrier layer comprising an absorber ingredient, wherein the absorber ingredient includes a Group VIA material; and a moving mechanism to hold and move the continuous flexible workpiece and the continuous carrier within and through the process gap of the heating chamber so that the adjacent portion of the carrier layer is delivered in proximity to the precursor layer portion of the precursor layer disposed on the surface of the continuous flexible workpiece during the reacting, wherein the proximity of a top surface of the adjacent portion of the carrier layer to a top surface of the precursor layer in at least a part of the process gap is 1 cm or less.