Intermediate suction support and its utilisation or producing a thin film structure

Abstract

A substrate holder is provided with two kinds of grooves (clearances) in the absorbing surface thereof. One kind of groove is made of a suitable depth so as to be able to quickly exhaust air and reduce pressure to thereby vacuum mount a substrate, and the other kind of groove is formed with a very small depth within such a range that there is no influence of dust being interposed between the holder and the substrate, in order to better the heat conduction between the substrate and the substrate holder. In addition, the area of the latter is made large as compared with the area of the former.

1 . Intermediate suction support, characterised in that it has at least one suction surface ( 62 ,  91 ) intended to receive a first face of at least one substrate ( 41 ) comprising an embrittled layer ( 43 ), a film ( 44 ) thus being defined between the first face of the substrate and the embrittled layer, the suction surface ( 62 ,  91 ) of the intermediate support being the face with at least one suction element comprising suction means ( 63 ,  74 ,  94 ) provided so that, when the embrittled layer is submitted to a treatment leading to the separation of the film from the rest of the substrate, the film can be recuperated.  
     
     
         2 . Intermediate suction support according to  claim 1 , characterised in that-the suction element is in a porous material, the pores of this element constituting the suction means.  
     
     
         3 . Intermediate suction support according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the suction element is pierced by micro-holes ( 63 ), the micro-holes constituting the suction means, the arrangement of the holes and their size being determined to enable recuperation of the film.  
     
     
         4 . Intermediate suction support according to  claim 1 , characterised in that it comprises a wall ( 72 ) pierced with holes, this wall supporting at least one suction element ( 73 ), the arrangement and size of the holes in the wall being defined in function of the suction means of said suction element so that the suction element can enable recuperation of the film.  
     
     
         5 . Intermediate suction support according to  claim 1 , characterised in that it comprises a wall ( 82 ) pierced with holes, this wall supporting a plate ( 83 ) also pierced with holes, the plate supporting several suction elements ( 84 ), the arrangement and size of the holes in the elements ( 84 ) being defined to enable recuperation of the film.  
     
     
         6 . Intermediate suction support according to any one of  claims 1  to  5 , characterised in that the suction surface has a dished shape, convex or concave, making it possible to produce a mechanical stress on the film during its separation from the rest of the substrate.  
     
     
         7 . Intermediate suction support according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the face of the suction element is a face allowing molecular adherence with said first face of the substrate.  
     
     
         8 . Method for producing a thin film structure, comprising the transfer of at least one film onto a support called the definitive support by means of an intermediate support, characterised in that it comprises the following stages: 
 formation of an embrittled layer ( 43 ) embedded in a substrate ( 41 ), a film ( 44 ) thus being defined between the first face of the substrate and the embrittled layer,    contact between the first face of the substrate ( 41 ) and a suction surface of the intermediate support ( 50 ), the suction surface being the face of a suction element comprising suction means provided so that, when the embrittled layer is submitted to a treatment leading to the separation of the film from the rest of the substrate, the film ( 44 ) can be recuperated,    submission of said embrittled layer ( 43 ) to said separation treatment, the first face of the substrate ( 41 ) being integral with the intermediate support through suction,    transfer of the film ( 44 ) obtained onto the definitive support ( 40 ),    withdrawal of the intermediate support ( 50 ) by stopping the suction.    
     
     
         9 . Method according to  claim 8 , characterised in that said contact of the first face of the substrate with the suction surface of the intermediate support is reinforced by molecular adherence.  
     
     
         10 . Method according to  claim 8 , characterised in that the definitive support ( 40 ) supports the film ( 44 ) by means of sticking by molecular adherence.  
     
     
         11 . Method according to  claim 8 , characterised in that the definitive support supports the film by means of gluing with an adhesive material.  
     
     
         12 . Method according to  claim 11 , characterised in that said adhesive material is a flow material set on the definitive support and/or the thin film.  
     
     
         13 . Method according to any one of  claims 8  to  12 , characterised in that, the structure being a structure comprising thin film photovoltaic cells, the method comprises the transfer of mono-layer or multi-layer semiconducting films to form a surfacing on the definitive support and the treatment of these films to obtain photovoltaic cells from these films.  
     
     
         14 . Method according to  claim 13 , characterised in that the films are, before transfer, partly or totally treated with a view to obtaining said photovoltaic cells.  
     
     
         15 . Method according to one or the other of claims  13  or  14 , characterised in that, after transfer, the thin films ( 44 ) are treated with a view to obtaining said photovoltaic cells.  
     
     
         16 . Method according to any one of  claims 13  to  15 , characterised in that the transfer of the thin films ( 44 ) is carried out on a support in a material chosen amongst glass, ceramic or plastic.  
     
     
         17 . Method according to any one of  claims 13  to  16 , characterised in that the transfer takes place according to a surfacing having a shape chosen from amongst rectangular, hexagonal and circular shapes.  
     
     
         18 . Method according to any one of  claims 13  to  17 , characterised in that the transferred films ( 44 ) are films of semiconducting material chosen amongst the monocrystalline and polycrystalline materials with large grains.