Current Entries for Best technology for silicon feedstock and wafer processes

There are several steps in the production process of solar cells which are crucial for cell efficiency. Therefore the necessity arises to effectively control quality inline. VINSPEC SP is designed to provide reliable contactless inline quality measurement for thickness of antireflection coating at PV-wafers directly after the coating process.

Together with the Fraunhofer IPA in Stuttgart, ACI-ecotec GmbH & Co. KG developed the first wet wafer separator. That system, now on its 3rd revision and currently in use with key wafer manufacturers globally, has proven to be an economical, fast and reliable solution for separating pre-cleaned, raw wet solar wafers from the wire saw, for inline or batch processing. The system is designed and has proven to offer, fast, safe and reliable wet wafer separation offering a very fast return of investment for automation at this crucial wafer handling step. There are 24 separator units integrated into batch and inline solutions since 2005 to customers in Europe, US and ASIA.

Solaicx is a leading manufacturer of monocrystalline silicon ingots and wafers optimized for solar applications with a high throughput manufacturing facility operating in Portland, Oregon.  The company’s unique and proprietary continuous Czochralski (CZ) manufacturing process produces low-cost, high-efficiency silicon ingots five times faster and 30% longer than competitors employing equipment adopted from the semiconductor industry.

The PVI-6™, designed for optical in-line dual sided inspection of photovoltaic (PV) wafers and cells. The PVI-6 provides customers with the capability to inspect solar wafers and cells at the highest speed and accuracy for all stages of the production process.