Patent ID: 8323408

Claim:
A thermal processing tool for forming a solar cell absorber by reacting a precursor layer disposed over a surface of a continuous flexible workpiece, the reacting taking place within the precursor layer and with a vapor of an Se absorber constituent, the tool comprising: a heating chamber to react a portion of the precursor layer disposed within a reaction channel of the heating chamber with the vapor of the absorber constituent, the reaction channel extending between an entrance opening and an exit opening of the heating chamber; an exhaust port through which unused vapor of the Se absorber constituent is carried out of the reaction channel, the exhaust port located in a central region of the reaction channel; an Se absorber constituent container disposed in the reaction channel, the absorber constituent container being configured to hold the Se absorber constituent in molten form so that the heat from the reaction channel causes the Se absorber constituent to vaporize and form the vapor, wherein the Se absorber constituent container is placed above the continuous flexible workpiece in the reaction channel and in proximity of the top wall of the heating chamber; an Se absorber constituent feeder disposed outside the heating chamber, above the Se absorber constituent container, and configured to hold the Se absorber constituent in solid form and to supply the Se absorber constituent to the Se absorber constituent container through a supply tube, wherein the supply tube is configured to deliver the Se absorber constituent in solid form within at least a first portion of the supply tube attached to the Se absorber constituent feeder, wherein the Se absorber constituent feeder includes a cooling system to maintain the Se absorber constituent that is held within the Se absorber constituent feeder in solid form, below a melting point of the Se absorber constituent; and a moving mechanism to hold and move the continuous flexible workpiece through the reaction channel of the heating chamber so that the vapor of the absorber constituent from the absorber constituent container is delivered to the portion of the precursor layer disposed within the heating chamber and thereby react the portion of the precursor layer with the vapor of the absorber constituent within the reaction channel to form the solar cell absorber, wherein the moving mechanism includes an un-winder to feed previously unrolled portions of the continuous flexible workpiece into the heating chamber through the first opening and a re-winder to take up and wrap processed portions of the continuous flexible workpiece.