14 February 2012

The Digital Photonics Corporation (DPC) will unveil the SolarJet printer for selective emitter application of solar front contacts—crystalline silicon (c-Si)—at the SNEC 6th International Solar Industry and Photovoltaic Exhibition & Conference on 16-18 May 2012 in Shanghai, China.

The SolarJet system uses the new VersaEtch Etchant/n-Dopant material from Trident Solar as a precursor to the screen printing of front silver contacts. The VersaEtch Etchant/n-Dopant provides efficient and effective removal of the anti-reflective SiN_x top layer allowing for maximum contact between silver contacts and silicon. It then works as an n-dopant as it penetrates the silicon emitter directly below the contacts. This combination of etchant and dopant can match the enhanced cell efficiency (0.5% to 1.0%) and precise deposition performance (demonstrated 50-micron—50?—print) of other selective emitter approaches, while offering the benefits of being non-contact, single-step, scalable and cost-effective.

The SolarJet printer greatly simplifies offline process feasibility by making it possible for lab printing to quickly, accurately and cost-effectively gauge real-world performance benefits before making larger in-line investments. SolarJet features multiple Trident print heads along with a vision capture system for quality control. The system has a throughput capability of 30 wafers per hour manually loaded and unloaded, up to 200 wafers per hour with auto-loading system.