Name: in situ surface temperature measurement in a conveyor belt furnace via inline infrared thermography
Uploaded: 2020-05-30T13:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about In Situ Surface Temperature Measurement in a Conveyor Belt Furnace via Inline Infrared Thermography at JoVE.com

This work is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs within the project &#8220;Feuerdrache&#8221; (0324205B). The authors thank the co-workers that contributed to this work and the project partners (InfraTec, Rehm Thermal Systems, Heraeus Noblelight, Trumpf Photonic Components) for co-financing and providing outstanding support.

1. Installation of IR camera into a conveyor belt furnace
<ol>
	<li>Decide which part of the furnace should be measured by the IR camera. 
	NOTE: Here, the peak zone of the firing process is chosen (see the orange highlighted zone in the firing area of Figure 1A).</li>
	<li>Define the temperature range of interest that the IR camera should detect (e.g., 700&#8722;900 &#176;C, the typical peak temperature range of the firing process).</li>
	<li>Determine, or at least e...

<ol>
	<li>Xu, J., Zhang, J., Kuang, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Conveyor Belt Furnace Thermal Processing. , (2018).</li><li>Breitenstein, O., Warta, M. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Langenkamp Lock-in Thermography: Basics and Use for Evaluating Electronic Devices and Materials. , (2010).</li><li>Ravindra, N. M., Ravindra, K., Mahendra, S., Sopori, B., Fiory, A. T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Modeling+and+Simulation+of+Emissivity+of+Silicon-Related+Materials+and+Structures.">Modeling and Simulation of Emissivity of Silicon-Related Materials and Structures.</a> Journal of Electronic Materials. 32 (10), 1052-1058 (2003).</li><li>Ourinson, D., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+Situ+Solar+Wafer+Temperature+Measurement+during+Firing+Process+via+Inline+IR+Thermography.">In Situ Solar Wafer Temperature Measurement during Firing Process via Inline IR Thermography.</a> Physica Status Solidi (RRL) - Rapid Research Letters. 13 (10), 1900270 (2019).</li><li>Ourinson, D., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In-situ+wafer+temperature+measurement+during+firing+process+via+inline+infrared+thermography.">In-situ wafer temperature measurement during firing process via inline infrared thermography.</a> AIP Conference Proceedings. 2156, 020013 (2019).</li><li>Cooper, I. B., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Understanding+and+Use+of+IR+Belt+Furnace+for+Rapid+Thermal+Firing+of+Screen-Printed+Contacts+to+Si+Solar+Cells.">Understanding and Use of IR Belt Furnace for Rapid Thermal Firing of Screen-Printed Contacts to Si Solar Cells.</a> IEEE Electron Device Letters. 31 (5), 461-463 (2010).</li><li>Schubert, G., Huster, F., Fath, P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Physical+understanding+of+printed+thick-film+front+contacts+of+crystalline+Si+solar+cells-Review+of+existing+models+and+recent+developments.">Physical understanding of printed thick-film front contacts of crystalline Si solar cells-Review of existing models and recent developments.</a> Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells. 90 (18-19), 3399-3406 (2006).</li><li>Rauer, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Aluminum+Alloying+in+Local+Contact+Areas+on+Dielectrically+Passivated+Rear+Surfaces+of+Silicon+Solar+Cells.">Aluminum Alloying in Local Contact Areas on Dielectrically Passivated Rear Surfaces of Silicon Solar Cells.</a> IEEE Electron Device Letters. 32 (7), 916-918 (2011).</li><li>Pawlik, M., Vilcot, J. -. P., Halbwax, M., Gauthier, M., Le Quang, N. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Impact+of+the+firing+step+on+Al+2+O+3+passivation+on+p-type+Czochralski+Si+wafers:+Electrical+and+chemical+approaches.">Impact of the firing step on Al 2 O 3 passivation on p-type Czochralski Si wafers: Electrical and chemical approaches.</a> Japanese Journal of Applied Physics. 54 (8), 21 (2015).</li><li>Lee, B. J., Zhang, Z. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=RAD-PRO:+Effective+Software+for+Modeling+Radiative+Properties+in+Rapid+Thermal+Processing.">RAD-PRO: Effective Software for Modeling Radiative Properties in Rapid Thermal Processing.</a> 2005 13th International Conference on Advanced Thermal Processing of Semiconductors. , (2005).</li><li>. Temperature Measurements Available from: <a target="_blank" href="https://meettechniek.info/measuring/temperature.html">https://meettechniek.info/measuring/temperature.html</a> (2020)</li><li>Blakers, A. W., Wang, A., Milne, A. M., Zhao, J., Green, M. 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Commonly, thermography temperature is corrected via measuring and adapting the optical parameters of the object, transmissive window and path, and environmental temperature of the object and transmissive window2. As an alternative method, a temperature correction technique based on thermocouple measurements is described in this protocol. For the latter method, knowledge of the parameters mentioned above is not required. For the application shown here, this method is sufficient. However, it cannot ...

Process control and quality assurance of objects processed in conveyor belt furnaces1 is important and accomplished by measuring the surface temperature of the object. Currently, the temperature is typically measured by a thermocouple1. As thermocouple measurements require contact with the object, thermocouples inevitably damage the object. Therefore, it is common to choose representative samples of a batch for temperature measurements, which are not further processed since they become damaged. The measured temperatures of these damaged objects are then generalized to the remaining samples from the batch, which are further processed. Accordingly, production must be interrupted for thermocouple measurements. Furthermore, the contact is local, needs to be readjusted after each measurement, and influences the local temperature.
Infrared (IR) thermography2 has a number of advantages over classic thermocouple measurements and represents a contactless, in-situ, real-time, time-saving, and spatially resolved temperature measurement method. Using this method, each sample of the batch, including those that are further processed, can be measured without interrupting production. In addition, the surface temperature distribution can be measured, which provides insight into temperature homogeneity during the process. The real-time feature allows correction of temperature settings on-the-fly. So far, the possible reasons for not using IR thermography in conveyor belt furnaces are 1) unknown optical parameters of hot objects (especially for nonmetals3) and 2) parasitic environmental radiation in the furnace (i.e., reflected radiation detected by the IR camera in addition to the emitted radiation from the object), which leads to false temperature output2.
Here, as a representative proof-of-concept example of IR thermography in a conveyor belt furnace, we successfully installed an inline thermography system into an IR lamp powered solar firing furnace (Figure 1), which is used during the contact firing process of industrial Si solar cells (Figure 2A,B)4,5. The firing process is a crucial step at the end of industrial solar cell production6. During this step, the contacts of the cell are formed7,8, and surface passivation is activated9. To successfully achieve the latter, the time-temperature profile during the firing process (Figure 2C) must be accurately realized. Therefore, sufficient and efficient temperature control is required. This protocol describes how to install an IR camera into a conveyor belt furnace, conduct a customer correction of a factory calibrated IR camera, and evaluate the spatial surface temperature distribution of a target object.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:665px;" width="665">
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		<col />
		<col />
	</colgroup>
	<tbody>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Datalogger incl. Thermal barrier</td>
			<td style="width:121px;">Datapaq Ltd.</td>
			<td style="width:161px;"></td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">IR thermography camera &#34;Image IR 8300&#34;</td>
			<td style="width:121px;">InfraTec GmbH</td>
			<td style="width:161px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">IR thermography software &#34;IRBIS Professional 3.1&#34;</td>
			<td style="width:121px;">InfraTec GmbH</td>
			<td style="width:161px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Solar cells</td>
			<td style="width:121px;">Fraunhofer ISE</td>
			<td style="width:161px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Solar firing furnace &#34;RFS 250 Plus&#34;</td>
			<td style="width:121px;">Rehm Thermal Systems GmbH</td>
			<td style="width:161px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Sheath thermocouples type K</td>
			<td style="width:121px;">TMH GmbH</td>
			<td style="width:161px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Thermocouple quartzframe</td>
			<td style="width:121px;">Heraeus Noblelight GmbH</td>
			<td style="width:161px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

in situ surface temperature measurement in a conveyor belt furnace via inline infrared thermography

Measuring the surface temperature of objects that are processed in conveyor belt furnaces is an important tool in process control and quality assurance. Currently, the surface temperature of objects processed in conveyor belt furnaces is typically measured via thermocouples. However, infrared (IR) thermography presents multiple advantages compared to thermocouple measurements, as it is a contactless, real-time, and spatially resolved method. Here, as a representative proof-of-concept example, an inline thermography system is successfully installed into an IR lamp powered solar firing furnace, which is used for the contact firing process of industrial Si solar cells. This protocol describes how to install an IR camera into a conveyor belt furnace, conduct a customer correction of a factory calibrated IR camera, and perform the evaluation of spatial surface temperature distribution on a target object.

As shown in Figure 3B&#8722;D, the example object (here, a silicon solar cell; strictly speaking, a passivated emitter and rear cell [PERC]12; Figure 2A,B) can be clearly detected by the IR camera in different configurations4. The different configurations are monofacially metallized (Figure 3B), bifacially metallized13 (<strong ...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about In Situ Surface Temperature Measurement in a Conveyor Belt Furnace via Inline Infrared Thermography at JoVE.com

In Situ Surface Temperature Measurement in a Conveyor Belt Furnace via Inline Infrared Thermography

This protocol describes how to install an infrared camera into a conveyor belt furnace, conduct a customer correction of a factory calibrated IR camera, and evaluate the spatial surface temperature distribution of an object of interest. The example objects are industrial silicon solar cells.

Measuring the surface temperature of objects that are processed in conveyor belt furnaces is an important tool in process control and quality assurance. ...

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