Manufacturing: Equipment & Materials
Peter Rigby, Umicore
The purpose of this article is to demystify and explain that in the next decades, the photovoltaic (PV) industry supply chain will be able to responsibly manage sustainable materials flows by a combination of efficient materials extraction, usage, recycling, product design and substitution.
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F. Granek, S. Hopman, S. Kluska, M. Breitwisser, C. Fleischmann, M. Glatthaar, S. Glunz
Introduction
Laser processing of silicon solar cells is widely investigated in research labs and already applied in the industrial production of, e.g., local laser doping, buried contacts, laser-fired contacts or edge isolation. In our research group, a liquid-jet guided laser is used for laser chemical processing (LCP) of silicon solar cells.[1] LCP allows for simultaneous structuring of the passivation layers and formation of highly doped regions locally. Thus, in using the LCP process, the formation of the selective emitters or local back-surface fields (LBSF) can be done in just one processing step, allowing for cost-effective manufacturing of high-efficiency silicon solar cells. During the initial phase of laboratory R&D efforts at Fraunhofer ISE, e.g., [2-5], it was demonstrated that LCP selective emitter can be well combined with different front-side metalization schemes, such as screen-printed Ag-paste,[4,6] nickel-silver light-induced plating[7] and aerosol jet printing.[8] This paper gives an overview of the selected current research focuses on LCP technology at Fraunhofer ISE.
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Craig Hunter, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Clean Energy Group, Intermolecular
These are tough times for most of the PV industry. In tough times, both cost reduction and product differentiation are a matter of life and death. There continues to be a parade of announcements from industry leaders and would-be leaders featuring record efficiencies and new innovations in cell processing toward higher efficiency and lower costs.
Bryan Ekus, International Photovoltaic Equipment Association
Deposition of Contaminants on Silicon Media During Wet Processing
The International Photovoltaic Equipment Association – IPVEA – is committed to the solar energy industry and to enabling profitable manufacturing of photovoltaic technology. Understanding that there are many steps in PV manufacturing, wet processing technology remains an economically attractive technique in the Si solar cell fabrication.
For the global photovoltaic (PV) power industry to prosper, it must become more competitive with the cost of traditional electric power. That means reducing the cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh) associated with solar-generated power to a level that yields grid parity between solar power and traditional electricity.
M.W. Johnson, Entegris, Inc
C.W. Extrand, Entegris, Inc
Adi Gildor, Entegris, Inc
Stuart Tison, Entegris, Inc
The evaluation of photovoltaic manufacturing wet process steps shows how impurities may be deposited on silicon media. Upon withdrawing a wafer, a liquid layer remains on the silicon surface. Any contaminants in the liquid will be deposited on the silicon when the liquid evaporates. This data shows the biggest factor affecting deposition of impurities is the concentration of impurities in the bath.
Robert Even, XJet Ltd.
Xjet develops and manufactures inkjet production printers and inks for solar cell metalization. The company’s design overcomes inherent inkjet drawbacks and is covered by over 20 patents and pending patents.
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For the global photovoltaic (PV) power industry to prosper, it must become more competitive with the cost of traditional electric power. That means reducing the cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh) associated with solar-generated power to a level that yields grid parity between solar power and traditional electricity.
Craig Hunter, Intermolecular
The PV industry has for some years been hoping for better solutions to the vexing and expensive problem of making contact to crystalline silicon solar cells. The materials, equipment and process involved in screen-printing contacts impact virtually every element of solar cell cost and performance – conversion efficiency (in several ways, including fill factor and effective collection area/shadowing), mechanical and electrical yields, wafer thickness, capital and material cost. Needless to say, there are enormous efforts afoot to improve every element of screen-printing contacts – lower-cost materials, materials that make contact to lightly doped emitters, tools that print narrower or higher-aspect ratio lines (i.e., double printing), to name just a few.
Victor Bellido-Gonzalez, Gencoa
The vacuum coating industry has been able to offer significant advantages in transparent conductive oxide (TCO) deposition compared to other coating methods, mainly in coating performance. For a TCO industry to remain competitive in today’s market, throughput must be increased by reviewing the deposition process using low-cost capital investment and/or new process management and control techniques. A better understanding of TCO mechanisms and materials must also be gained.
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