Abstract: In order to obtain a thin plate manufacturing method capable of extremely increasing manufacturing efficiency by enlarging the production scale and remarkably reducing the manufacturing cost per unit area and an apparatus for manufacturing this thin plate, a method and an apparatus performing introduction of a substrate into a main chamber and discharge of the substrate from the main chamber through at least one subsidiary chamber (3, 4) adjacent to the main chamber (1) are employed when manufacturing a silicon thin plate by dipping a surface layer part of the substrate into a silicon melt (7) in a crucible (2) arranged in the main chamber (1) for bonding silicon (5) to the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: In order to obtain a thin plate manufacturing method capable of extremely increasing manufacturing efficiency by enlarging the production scale and remarkably reducing the manufacturing cost per unit area and an apparatus for manufacturing this thin plate, a method and an apparatus performing introduction of a substrate into a main chamber and discharge of the substrate from the main chamber through at least one subsidiary chamber adjacent to the main chamber are employed when manufacturing a silicon thin plate by dipping a surface layer part of the substrate into a silicon melt in a crucible arranged in the main chamber for bonding silicon to the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: In order to obtain a thin plate manufacturing method capable of extremely increasing manufacturing efficiency by enlarging the production scale and remarkably reducing the manufacturing cost per unit area and an apparatus for manufacturing this thin plate, a method and an apparatus performing introduction of a substrate into a main chamber and discharge of the substrate from the main chamber through at least one subsidiary chamber (3, 4) adjacent to the main chamber (1) are employed when manufacturing a silicon thin plate by dipping a surface layer part of the substrate into a silicon melt (7) in a crucible (2) arranged in the main chamber (1) for bonding silicon (5) to the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: In order to obtain a thin plate manufacturing method capable of extremely increasing manufacturing efficiency by enlarging the production scale and remarkably reducing the manufacturing cost per unit area and an apparatus for manufacturing this thin plate, a method and an apparatus performing introduction of a substrate into a main chamber and discharge of the substrate from the main chamber through at least one subsidiary chamber adjacent to the main chamber are employed when manufacturing a silicon thin plate by dipping a surface layer part of the substrate into a silicon melt in a crucible arranged in the main chamber for bonding silicon to the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a thin plate manufacturing apparatus for forming a thin plate on the surface of a substrate by dipping the substrate held by a substrate transport mechanism (1) in melting fluid, a thin plate manufacturing method, and a solar cell using the thin plate, the substrate transfer mechanism (1) installed so as to be movable in horizontal direction (104) along a horizontal moving shaft (8) installed so as to be movable along vertical moving shaft (9). Further, the substrate transfer mechanism (1) comprising a means for diagonally inclining the substrate (2) or a means for attaching/detaching the substrate, whereby the thin plate of flat shape can be provided and the shape of the thin plate thus obtained can be optimized.

Abstract: Conventionally, it has been necessary to vary the cooling capacity to control the temperature of the growth face when a crystal thin film is grown, and it has been difficult to greatly vary the rate of flow of cooling water in the case of water cooling. Therefore the system needs to be of large scale and the production cost is high if the rate of flow of cooling gas is greatly varied in the case of gas cooling. According to the invention, the problems are thoroughly solved, and the control of the temperature of the surface from which a crystal thin plate is grown is easily performed, thus producing a crystal thin plate at low cost.