Fluke DATAPAQ SolarPaq User manual

SolarPaq
USER MANUAL
for use with
Issue 1
MA5050A

SolarPaq
User Manual
for use with
Issue 1
Datapaq
®is the world’s leading manufacturer
of process temperature-monitoring
instrumentation. The company maintains
this leadership by continual development
of its advanced, easy-to-use systems.
DATAPAQ PART NO. MA5050A
Europe & Asia
Datapaq Ltd.
Lothbury House, Cambridge Technopark
Newmarket Road
Cambridge CB5 8PB
United Kingdom
Tel. [phone]
Fax [phone]
Email [email protected]
www.datapaq.com
North & South America
Datapaq, Inc.
3 Corporate Park Dr., Unit 1
Derry
NH 03038
USA
Tel. [phone]
Fax [phone]
Email [email protected]
www.datapaq.com

© Datapaq Ltd., Cambridge, UK 2009
All rights reserved
Datapaq Ltd. makes no representations or warranties of any kind
whatsoever with respect to the contents hereof and specifically
disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any
particular purpose. Datapaq Ltd. shall not be liable for errors
contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in
connection with the furnishing, performance or use of the Datapaq
software, associated hardware or this material.
Datapaq Ltd. reserves the right to revise this publication from time to
time and to make changes to the content hereof without obligation to
notify any person of such revisions or changes.
Datapaq, the Datapaq logo and Solar Tracker are registered
trademarks of Datapaq. Microsoft and Windows are
registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Manual set in 10 pt Gill Sans.
User manuals are available in other languages;
contact Datapaq for details.
SAFETY WARNINGS
For safe use of Datapaq equipment, always:
•Take care to follow its supplied instructions.
•Observe any warning signs shown on the equipment itself.
Indicates potential hazard.
On Datapaq equipment this normally warns of high
temperature, but where you see the symbol you should
consult the manual for further explanation.
Warns of high temperatures.
Where this symbol appears on Datapaq equipment, the
surface of the equipment may be excessively hot (or
excessively cold) and may thus cause skin burns.

CONTENTS
7 Introduction
9 Basic Hardware and Its Use
9 System Components
9 Thermal Barriers
10 Thermocouple Probes
17 Running a Temperature Profile
17 Overview
18 Preparing the Logger
18 Installing the Logger in the Thermal Barrier
19 Placing the System in the Furnace
19 Removing from the Furnace and Downloading Data
20 Preparing the Data for Analysis
21 Using Hardwired Telemetry
21 Troubleshooting
23 Anti-reflective Coating (Sputtering)
23 Thermal Barrier
24 Thermocouples
26 Running a Temperature Profile
27 Contact Firing (Metallization)
27 Thermal Barriers
28 Thermocouples
30 Running a Temperature Profile
31 Module Lamination
31 Thermal Barrier and Frame
32 Thermocouples
32 Running a Temperature Profile

SOLARPAQ Introduction 7
Introduction
Datapaq
®SolarPaq, incorporating Insight™Solar Tracker®software, is a
complete system for monitoring and analyzing the temperature profiles of
products within a wide range of heat-treatment processes used in the
manufacture of photovoltaic cells. Power and flexibility make SolarPaq a perfect
tool for process-temperature monitoring, from commissioning and
troubleshooting to process optimization, ensuring consistent quality of product
and maximum efficiency.
Insight software’s innovative analysis techniques help in identifying problems,
fine-tuning the process and reducing running costs. Powerful reporting
facilities allow the user to generate customized printouts, including any or all of
the analysis results or raw temperature data.
The materials and procedures detailed in this manual are intended to aid
SolarPaq users in obtaining accurate and repeatable temperature profiles.
Datapaq has developed specific solutions for the most commonly profiled
processes used in the manufacture of crystalline photovoltaic cells, and these
are covered here in some detail. There is also general guidance on the
considerations to be followed when using the SolarPaq system in associated
industries such as the manufacture of thin-film photovoltaic cells.
This manual contains the following sections:
•Basic Hardware and Its Use (p. 9) – An introduction to thermal barriers
and thermocouple probes, their specifications, and use.
•Running a Temperature Profile (p. 17) – The stages of obtaining a
temperature profile that are common to all processes in the manufacture of
photovoltaic cells, including the use of hardwired telemetry to follow the
development of the temperature profile in real time.
•Aspects of using the SolarPaq system that are specific to different processes:
anti-reflective-coating (sputtering) (p. 23), contact-firing
(metallization) (p. 27) and module lamination (p. 31).
The dedicated manual supplied with the data logger should be read in
conjunction with this manual. It provides information on operating the logger,
including:
•Installing Insight and establishing communication between logger and PC.
•Resetting the logger with new data-collection parameters.
•Downloading the collected data to the PC.
•Use of telemetry.
•Troubleshooting logger problems.

For full details on use of the Insight software, refer to the online Help system
available after the software is installed.
8 Introduction SOLARPAQ

Basic Hardware and
Its Use
To accommodate the range of different processes which are involved in the
manufacture of photovoltaic cells, SolarPaq systems are supplied in a variety of
configurations, depending on the intended application. The information in this
chapter applies to all systems. Some processes in cell manufacture require
special additional considerations, and these are dealt with separately:
•Anti-reflective coating (sputtering) processes (p. 23).
•Contact firing (metallization) (p. 27).
•Module lamination (p. 31).
For use of the data logger, and for any further special-purpose hardware,
see the documentation supplied with it.
System Components
A typical SolarPaq system comprises:
•Data logger, with communications lead and charger.
•Data logger user manual (specific to the logger model).
•Thermal barrier – to protect the logger during its time in the furnace.
•Thermocouple probes.
•SolarPaq User Manual.
•Insight Solar Tracker software.
Thermal Barriers
The thermal barrier provides the thermal and mechanical protection necessary
for the data logger to survive in the hostile environment of the furnace.
A range of barriers is available to suit different loggers and different processes,
and the specification and use of a selection of these are described in the
appropriate sections of this manual.
Micro-porous ceramic insulation covered by a ceramic fiber cloth provides the
primary thermal protection, enabling the system to operate at high
temperatures for extended periods.
SOLARPAQ Basic Hardware 9

When used in vacuum processes, and when the barrier has been left standing
for some time, the vacuum may take longer than normal to pump out due to out-
gassing from the ceramic insulation.
Selecting a Thermal Barrier
Before running a temperature profile of a given process, the user must ensure
that the SolarPaq system is suitable.
The thermal barrier used must have a specified thermal duration which exceeds
that of the time/temperature profile to be experienced within the process (see
barrier specifications elsewhere in this manual).
Failure to ensure use of a suitable thermal barrier may lead to the
barrier and/or logger suffering irreparable damage.
The physical size of the SolarPaq system (primarily the thermal barrier) needs
to be considered in order to ensure that it can freely and safely pass through
the process. Particular attention must be given to ensuring that it can be safely
loaded into and recovered from the furnace.
In case of any doubts on the choice of thermal barrier, contact Datapaq with
full details of the process.
Thermocouple Probes
Thermocouple probes utilize the Seebeck effect, discovered in the nineteenth
century, by which an e.m.f. is produced in any electrically conducting material
that is not at uniform temperature. The actual voltage measured is proportional
to the temperature difference between the thermocouple’s ‘hot’ and ‘cold’
junctions (the hot junction being the measurement junction, and the cold
junction being the junction of thermocouple and measurement instrumentation).
The practical implementation of thermocouples requires sophisticated
electronics to eliminate potential measurement errors which include poor
linearity over the measurement range, and inaccuracy due to temperature
variations at the cold junction. To accommodate these the electronics in the
measuring system must simulate a temperature of 0°C at the cold junction, as
well as compensating for any non-linearity over the range of thermocouple
operation.
Over the years, ‘standard’ thermocouples have been developed using materials
chosen for sensitivity, linearity (consistency of sensitivity over the useful
temperature range), price and availability. Current standards include types K,
N, R, S and T, each type being identified by its connector color.
10 Basic Hardware SOLARPAQ