1. A structure comprising:
a vacuum carrier including a base plate, a seal plate having at least one opening, at least one first vacuum seal element, and a second vacuum seal element; and
at least one substrate contacting a planar surface of said base plate and underlying each of said at least one opening, wherein a peripheral portion of said seal plate overlies a peripheral portion of said at least one substrate, and said at least one first vacuum seal element is situated between said peripheral portion of said seal plate and said peripheral portion of said at least one substrate, said at least one first vacuum seal element providing a seal at each gap between said at least one substrate and said seal plate, and said second vacuum seal element is situated between an opposing peripheral portion of said seal plate and said base plate said second vacuum seal element providing another seal between said base plate and said seal plate, and said vacuum carrier and said at least one substrate includes a reduced pressure environment therein.
2. The structure of claim 1, wherein said base plate includes a planar surface and a vacuum manifold, wherein said at least one substrate is pushed against said planar surface by a pressure differential between said reduced pressure environment and an ambient at an atmospheric pressure.
3. The structure of claim 1, wherein a cavity enclosed by said base plate, said seal plate, said at least one first vacuum seal element, and said second vacuum seal element is present around each of said at least one substrate.
4. The structure of claim 1, wherein said vacuum carrier comprises a vacuum manifold therein, said vacuum manifold comprising an enclosed cavity configured to hold vacuum and connected to a sealable pumping port.
5. The structure of claim 4, wherein said sealable pumping port comprises a seal switch configured to release vacuum within said vacuum carrier upon activation.
6. The structure of claim 1, wherein a bottom surface of said seal plate is coplanar across regions overlying said at least one first vacuum seal element and across regions overlying said second vacuum seal element.
7. The structure of claim 1, wherein a first bottom surface of said seal plate overlying said at least one first vacuum seal element is vertically offset relative to a second bottom surface of said seal plate overlying said second vacuum seal element.
8. The structure of claim 1, further comprising:
an array of solder balls located on a top surface of a substrate among said at least one substrate; and
another substrate located on, and over, said array of solder balls, wherein said array of solder balls is not bonded to at least one of said substrate and said another substrate.
9. A vacuum carrier configured to hold vacuum upon mounting of at least one substrate thereupon and upon pumping out of ambient gas therefrom, said vacuum carrier comprising:
a base plate including a planar surface and including a vacuum manifold and connected to a sealable pumping port;
a seal plate having at least one opening therein and configured to overlie said base plate, said at least one substrate contacting a planar surface of said base plate and underlying said at least one opening;
at least one first vacuum seal element, and a second vacuum seal element;
wherein a peripheral portion of said seal plate overlies a peripheral portion of the substrate, and said at least one first vacuum seal element is situated between said peripheral portion of said seal plate and said peripheral portion of said substrate, said at least one first vacuum seal element configured to provide a seal between at least one substrate and said seal plate upon mounting of said at least one substrate on said base plate and upon placement of said seal plate upon said at least one first vacuum seal element; and
wherein said second vacuum seal element is situated between an opposing peripheral portion of said seal plate and said base plate, said
second vacuum seal element configured to provide another seal between said base plate and said seal plate upon placement of said second vacuum seal element on said base plate and upon placement of said seal plate upon said second vacuum seal element.
10. The vacuum carrier of claim 9, wherein said base plate and said seal plate are configured to provide a cavity around each of said mounted at least one substrate upon placement of said at least one first vacuum seal element, said second vacuum seal element, and said seal plate.
11. The vacuum carrier of claim 9, wherein said vacuum manifold comprises an enclosed cavity configured to hold vacuum and connected to said sealable pumping port.
12. The vacuum carrier of claim 9, wherein a bottom surface of said seal plate is coplanar across regions overlying said at least one first vacuum seal element and across regions overlying said second vacuum seal element.
13. The vacuum carrier of claim 9, wherein a first bottom surface of said seal plate overlying said at least one first vacuum seal element is vertically offset relative to a second bottom surface of said seal plate overlying said second vacuum seal element.
14. The vacuum carrier of claim 9, wherein said sealable pumping port comprises a seal switch configured to release vacuum within said vacuum carrier upon activation.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1-20. (canceled)
21. A method of fabricating photovoltaic cells, said method comprising the steps of:
depositing at least one layer of semiconductor material continuously on a carbon ribbon to form a composite ribbon, said layer having a free face opposite from its face in contact with the carbon ribbon;
eliminating the carbon ribbon during said method; and
applying at least one treatment to said layer of semiconductor material, from said free face in order to implement photovoltaic functions of said cells on said layer, prior to eliminating the carbon ribbon.
22. A method according to claim 21, wherein said treatment comprises creating a plurality of contact zones by depositing a precursor material on said free face, which face is the rear face of said cells, said precursor material including dopant elements that conserve the type of the doping, n or p of said semiconductor material.
23. A method according to claim 21, wherein said treatment comprises creating a plurality of junction zones by depositing a precursor material on said free face, which is the rear face of said cells, said precursor material including dopant elements that change the type of the doping of the semiconductor material.
24. A method according to claim 22, wherein said treatment comprises creating a plurality of zones that insulate said contact zones electrically from said junction zones.
25. A method according to claim 24, wherein said insulating zones are created by depositing an oxidizing material on said free face.
26. A method according to claim 21, wherein said treatment comprises creating a plurality of junction zones by depositing a precursor material on said free face, which is the front face of said cells, said precursor material including dopant elements that change the type of the doping of the semiconductor material.
27. A method according to claim 21, wherein said treatment comprises piercing holes in said layer of semiconductor material, substantially perpendicularly to said free face, said holes passing through said layer of semiconductor material.
28. A method according to claim 27, wherein said piercing is performed by laser.
29. A method according to claim 21, wherein said treatment comprises ablating the semiconductor material covering the flanks of said composite ribbon.
30. A method according to claim 29, wherein said semiconductor material is removed by one of the following methods: laser ablation; laser ablation assisted by water jet; plasma ablation.
31. A method according to claim 21, wherein said carbon ribbon is eliminated by being burnt off after performing the treatment.
32. A method according to claim 31, wherein the diffusion of the dopant(s) of the precursor into said semiconductor material is implemented during the burning off of said carbon ribbon.
33. A method according to claim 21, wherein said method includes applying at least one operation on the face of the layer of semiconductor material that is opposite from the free face, after the carbon ribbon has been eliminated.
34. A method according to claim 21, wherein said treatment is performed continuously.
35. A method according to claim 21, wherein said composite ribbon is cut up to form composite strips of great length, said treatment being applied to said composite strips.
36. A method according to claim 35, wherein strips of semiconductor material of great length are obtained by eliminating the carbon from said composite strips, and in that at least one of the following operations is performed on said strips of semiconductor material: texturing the front faces of the photovoltaic cells; implementing junction zones; depositing an antireflection layer on the front faces of the cells; depositing electric contacts on the front and rear faces of the cells.
37. A method according to claim 35, wherein said strips are of a length lying in the range 1.0 m to 4.50 m.
38. A method according to claim 21, wherein said semiconductor material is silicon.
39. A method according to claim 21, wherein said composite ribbon is fabricated by the RGS method, said ribbon then comprising two layers of semiconductor material surrounding said carbon ribbon, each of the two layers of semiconductor material having a free face on which said treatment is applied.
40. A method according to claim 22, wherein said precursor material is based on an oxide filled with boron if it is desired to increase p-type doping or filled with phosphorous if it is desired to increase n-type doping.
41. A semiconductor product, wherein said product is obtained by using the method defined in claim 21.