Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing an anti-reflection and/or passivation coating for solar cells. The method may include the steps of providing a silicon wafer in a deposition chamber, pre-heating said silicon wafer to a temperature above 400° C. and deposition of a hydrogen containing anti-reflection and/or passivation coating by a sputter process. A coating apparatus is also provided for producing solar cells, especially anti-reflection and/or passivation coatings on Si wafers, comprising a first vacuum chamber, a second vacuum chamber and conveying means for transporting a substrate through said first and second vacuum chambers. The first vacuum chamber comprising at least one infrared radiation heater with a heater filament that has a temperature between 1800° C. and 3000° C. The second vacuum chamber comprising sputter means for vaporization of a target as well as a gas inlet for introducing a reactive gas including hydrogen.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a device and a method for coating substrates by means of sputtering a coating material in the form of a target, wherein the target is cooled during sputtering by means of a cooling medium fed at the target or past the region of the target or through the target, and the cooling medium has a feed temperature of less than 20° C.

Abstract: An arrangement and a method for the production of gas-impermeable layers, in particular for the coating of gas-permeable synthetic material substrates. With the aid of this arrangement or of the method light-permeable as well as also light-impermeable gas-blocking layers are produced using only one sputtering installation. A simple change-over switching from one gas supply, for example argon, to a second gas supply, for example argon, oxygen and nitrogen is carried out or the converse.