Alternate use for low viscosity liquids and method to gel liquid

Abstract

The present disclosure teaches a method and apparatus to gel a dopant material, which may be a low viscosity liquid, and apply it towards beneficially coating dopant liquid in the manufacture of a three-dimensional thin-film solar cell substrate. As an alternate to using high viscosity dopants, a dopant coating liquid, which is typically distributed in low viscosity alcohol based liquid forms, may instead be utilized as a dopant material in a gelatinous state towards the manufacture of a three-dimensional thin-film solar cell substrate. The methods and devices disclosed herein provide for enhancing the high viscosity characteristics of a dopant material. The present disclosure teaches the use of the dopant material in its gelatinous state towards an exemplary cavity filling method. The more cotable dopant material is applied in an exemplary coating layout and an exemplary integrated coating system to achieve improvements in coating coverage with regards to uniformity, which may be, but is not limited to, homogeneity, color uniformity, opacity, and density of the dopant material.

1 . A method for increasing the viscosity of a dopant material to achieve a gelatinous state for use in association with a solar cell substrate by performing at least one of the following steps:
 placing a dopant material in a reservoir;   aging said dopant material for at least one hour;   compressing said dopant material until achieving a viscosity of no more two-hundred thousand centiposes;   agitating said dopant material until achieving a viscosity of at least fifty-thousand centiposes;   heating said dopant material to at least greater than room temperature;   evaporating solvent from said dopant material; and   injecting additional said dopant material into said reservoir to maintain a pre-determined consistency of said dopant material.   
   
   
       2 . The method of increasing the viscosity of a dopant material to achieve a gelatinous state for use in association with a solar cell substrate in  claim 1 , said method further comprising the step of monitoring the consistency of said dopant material, said step of monitoring associated with a controlled environment. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said solar cell substrate further comprises a three-dimensional thin-film solar cell substrate. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said step of evaporating further comprises evaporating of organic binders. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said step of heating further comprises ultraviolet heating. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said dopant material is associated with at least one of the following: solvent, solid content, binders, glass beads, and surfactants. 
   
   
       7 . An apparatus for increasing the viscosity of a dopant material to achieve a gelatinous state for use in association with a solar cell substrate, said apparatus comprising:
 a doctor bar reservoir, said doctor bar reservoir for aging dopant material and for evaporating solvent from said dopant material;   a roller, said roller for compressing said dopant material;   a pressing tool, said pressing tool for monitoring the consistency of said dopant material; and   an agitator, said agitator for increasing the viscosity of the dopant material.   
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , further comprising a controlled environment. 
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein said controlled environment is associated with monitoring the consistency of said dopant material. 
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , further comprising a system of rollers for agitating said dopant material. 
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein said agitator ages said dopant material, said dopant material in said reservoir. 
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein a solvent is evaporated from said dopant material, said evaporation associated with organic binders. 
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein said reservoir is associated with injecting additional dopant material. 
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , further comprising a pre-determined consistency of dopant material. 
   
   
       15 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein said dopant material is associated with a predetermined shelf-life.