Silicon & Wafer product innovations
centrotherm SiTec, a company in which the centrotherm photovoltaics Group bundles its silicon expertise, is presenting a newly developed Medium Voltage Ignition System (MVI) in the polysilicon power supply area. This MVI was specially developed to optimize CVD reactors'' production start for polysilicon manufacturing. By contrast with conventional CVD reactor pre-heating technology, the MVI ignites the slim rods within a significantly shorter process time, thereby enabling higher production capacities and lower operating costs. The fully automated process and a contamination-free environment compared to predecessor technology comprise further advantages. All CVD reactors that are currently in operation can be retrofitted with the MVI technology.
With its ingot squaring and brick cropping systems, centrotherm SiTec GmbH is presenting two key equipment items for integrated ingot and wafer production. The automated ingot squaring system saws the multi-crystalline ingots into bricks. The brick cropping system cuts these bricks to the precise corresponding length. Wafers are later produced from these bricks. Both systems deploy state-of-the-art diamond wire saw technology that enables the highest-precision incisions accompanied by maximum productivity and optimized manufacturing costs, and both the squaring and cropping systems can also be configured to saw mono-crystalline ingots and bricks.
Ahead of the EU PVSEC, centrotherm SiTec received a major order from Taiwan to supply multi-crystalline ingot furnaces to produce ingots with an annual capacity of around 140 MW peak. The order volume lies in the single-digit range in millions of euros. The first multi-crystalline ingot furnaces will be shipped in October, with the last delivery occurring in the first quarter of 2012.
Thin Film Module product update
In the Thin Film area, two news items are set to form the focus of positive discussion: centrotherm photovoltaics has successfully concluded the development of its new second-generation selenium (Se) systems to manufacture CIGS thin film modules. The systems have reached and exceeded the planned performance improvements in terms of homogeneity and uptime in acceptance tests at Blaubeuren, Germany. These systems will also be offered in the future as single equipment items to produce thin film modules. centrotherm photovoltaics'' selenium and sputtering systems comprise key equipment items to manufacture thin film modules that can be adapted in line with customer wishes.
The second news item comes from the Far East: the efficiency of the CIGS thin film module from centrotherm photovoltaics'' production line at Sunshine in Taiwan has been continuously enhanced in the direction of 11 percent. The modules (1,400 x 1,100 mm²) can achieve output of more than 150 W peak. The developers have also paid particular attention to the environmental aspect of the centrotherm CIGS technology: the process management utilizes nonhazardous and recyclable elementary selenium instead of highly toxic hydrogen selenide (H2Se).
Inspection systems product innovation
GP Solar GmbH, a wholly-owned centrotherm photovoltaics subsidiary, is taking the opportunities offered by the EU PVSEC to showcase three innovations for the quality assurance of solar cells and modules. With the GP Solar Inspect CHROME, a completely revised product line for in-line measuring technology is being launched on the market that is distinguished by numerous improvements in terms of hardware and software. An in-house development in the camera optics area enables the spectral analysis of wafers, cells and modules, and thereby the highest level of measuring precision for innovative processes such as selective emitters or rear side contacts. The new software enables the live defect analysis of up to 600 samples, and renders the smallest process problems visible. The software will also be fitted with a Chinese-language user interface in the future.
The GP TOPO-D .Scan represents a global product innovation: this is an in-line inspection system that measures the entire topography of wafers and solar cells on a 3-D basis. Measurement occurs within one second without interrupting the production process.
