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ADVANCED WIRE SAWING TECHNOLOGY
FOR
SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
APPLIED MATERIALS EXTERNAL USE
ADVANCED WIRE SAWING TECHNOLOGY
FOR
SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
INTRODUCTION
For solar cells to be competitive in an energy supply market ultimately driven by the cost per watt, the
Total Cost of Ownership (TCOO) of each production step in the PV value chain (Figure 1) takes on critical importance. The manufacture of crystalline silicon wafers is no exception: the TCOO for a processed wafer is a key driver of overall cost.
Ingot growth
/ crystallization
Ingot Squaring
Brick cropping
Brick finish
(grinding + chamfering) Brick slicing
Wafer
Wafers
Cleaning
Metrology
Multi-Si
Mono-Si
Figure 1: c-Si PV wafering value chain
Figure 2: The Applied HCT Squarer
The wafering process begins with solid ingots made of single-crystal or multi-crystalline silicon material.
Wire saws shape the ingots into squared blocks (Figure 2), then slice them into thin wafers. These wafers are used as the base for the active PV cell. Wire sawing is nowadays largely – if not exclusively achieved by means of Multi-Wire Saw technology (MWS).
This document offers an overview of the wire sawing process and its manufacturing challenges, showing how next generation wire sawing technology can lower the cost of both squaring and wafering.
WIRE SAW HISTORY
The first practical machine for PV wafering was introduced in the mid 1980s, based on the pioneering work of Dr. Charles Hauser, founder of HCT Shaping Systems, Switzerland. (Now the Precision
Wafering Systems division of Applied Materials.) These machines used a moving wire carrying abrasive slurry to create the cutting action. Even now, the most prevalent type of saw for shaping and slicing wafers from ingots retains the same basic architecture as Dr. Hauser’s original machine, but with greatly increased load capacity and cutting speed.
THE SAWING PROCESS
The heart of a modern
FOR
SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
APPLIED MATERIALS EXTERNAL USE
ADVANCED WIRE SAWING TECHNOLOGY
FOR
SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
INTRODUCTION
For solar cells to be competitive in an energy supply market ultimately driven by the cost per watt, the
Total Cost of Ownership (TCOO) of each production step in the PV value chain (Figure 1) takes on critical importance. The manufacture of crystalline silicon wafers is no exception: the TCOO for a processed wafer is a key driver of overall cost.
Ingot growth
/ crystallization
Ingot Squaring
Brick cropping
Brick finish
(grinding + chamfering) Brick slicing
Wafer
Wafers
Cleaning
Metrology
Multi-Si
Mono-Si
Figure 1: c-Si PV wafering value chain
Figure 2: The Applied HCT Squarer
The wafering process begins with solid ingots made of single-crystal or multi-crystalline silicon material.
Wire saws shape the ingots into squared blocks (Figure 2), then slice them into thin wafers. These wafers are used as the base for the active PV cell. Wire sawing is nowadays largely – if not exclusively achieved by means of Multi-Wire Saw technology (MWS).
This document offers an overview of the wire sawing process and its manufacturing challenges, showing how next generation wire sawing technology can lower the cost of both squaring and wafering.
WIRE SAW HISTORY
The first practical machine for PV wafering was introduced in the mid 1980s, based on the pioneering work of Dr. Charles Hauser, founder of HCT Shaping Systems, Switzerland. (Now the Precision
Wafering Systems division of Applied Materials.) These machines used a moving wire carrying abrasive slurry to create the cutting action. Even now, the most prevalent type of saw for shaping and slicing wafers from ingots retains the same basic architecture as Dr. Hauser’s original machine, but with greatly increased load capacity and cutting speed.
THE SAWING PROCESS
The heart of a modern