Annealing with OTF-1200X-RTP-4 furnace for high efficiency Solar Cells

Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP)  tube furnaces are the signature furnaces from MTI corporation. They have varied utilizations from annealing, sintering to CVD in different material science and chemistry fields. These furnaces are used for different applications such as solar cells preparation, catalysis, semiconductor fabrication, etc.

Key Features Across the Series:

• Heating rate : 10 – 50 °C / s , depending on the furnace and temperature
• Temperature ranges from 1100°C  to 1500°C, depending on the model
• With or without sliding function
• Gas inlet/outlet ports for processing in controlled atmospheres (e.g., Ar, N₂, O₂, vacuum)

Tube furnaces products link: RTP (Rapid Thermal Processing) Furnaces – MTI Online Store

Examples of applications in scientific works:

In the study “Defect Engineering Enabling p-type Mo (S, Se)₂ : TM towards High-Efficiency Kesterite Solar Cells” ¹ a horizontal tube furnace (OTF-1200X-RTP-4) was employed to anneal transition metal (V, Nb, Ta) doped Mo (S, Se)₂ thin films at 500 °C for 2 hours under controlled atmosphere. This thermal treatment improved the films’ crystallinity, hole mobility, and light absorption, which are critical for their function as absorber layers in kesterite solar cells. The optimized annealing in the OTF-1200X-RTP-4 furnace contributed significantly to enhancing the power conversion efficiency, demonstrating the furnace’s key role in activating the desired structural and electronic properties of the material.

Key Features of MTI OTF-1200X-RTP-4 Furnace

OTF-1200X-RTP-4 is a compact rapid thermal processing tube furnace with a 103 mm I.D. processing quartz tube and vacuum flanges. It is designed for annealing semiconductor wafers or solar cells with diameters up to 75 mm.

• Max temperature: 1100°C (< 10 min), continuous operation up to 600°C
• Heating: 8 × 1 kW halogen lamps, heating rate up to 50 °C / sec
• Thermal couple: K-type
• Cooling: up to 117°C/min (atmospheric), 60°C/min (vacuum)
• Sample size: up to 3-inch wafers
• Quartz tube : 110 mm O.D.

Reference:

1. 1. Fu, J., Zhang, A., Kou, D., Xiao, Z., Zhou, W., Zhou, Z., Yuan, S., Qi, Y., Zheng, Z., & Wu, S. (2023). Defect engineering enabling p-type Mo(S,Se)₂:TM (TM = V, Nb, Ta) towards high-efficiency kesterite solar cells. Chemical Engineering Journal, 457, 141348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2023.141348