13 September 2012
Singulus Technologies today announced it debut a production solution for rear side passivated silicon solar cells (e.g., PERC: Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell) at the 2012 European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference in Frankfurt, Germany, 25-28 September.
Singulus developed this solution especially for the upgrade of existing cell production lines. Additional dielectric coating on the rear side reduces electric and optical efficiency losses compared to traditional cells.
This technology is required for increasingly used very thin wafers.
Upgrading a production line requires three additional steps, for which Singulus offers solutions. Before coating the rear side, the cell is smoothed with a wet-chemical polish process in a LINEA II Single Side Etch Polish machine. The dielectric passivation layer is emitted in Singular’s ICP-PECVD machine. Singulus is cooperating with a partner for the rear side contacts through a laser process.
By integrating these additional production steps into existing manufacturing lines, PERC cells can increase efficiency by up to 20%, the company says.
