Your daily dose of Photovoltaic Technology Developments and Solar News

• Most Popular Articles

  • Top Stories 2008 – Power Generation – the good, the bad, and the efficiency
  • Acciona’s Portuguese PV plant may be big, but one of the numbers just doesn’t add up
  • Top Stories 2008 - Thin Film – orders, gigawatts and growth
  • Top Stories 2008 – Cell Processing – efficiency is the name of the game!
  • 1GW solar power plant planned in China

• Editor's Picks

  • Top stories 2008 – Materials – could UMG be the answer?
  • Massive 168% photovoltaic module overcapacity to cause pricing collapse in 2009
  • Solar Santa: Ohio doles out millions in development dollars to local PV companies
  • Recession, what recession? Cavalcade of solar PV, renewable investments total billions in a day
  • Total taps into Konarka with US$45 million investment & R&D pact

• Latest Videos

  • Canadian Solar VP Robert Patterson talks Umg Si product lines - 150MW-plus in 2009
  • Delivering gasses for rapid growth in the PV Industry - Linde Electronics
  • Secrets of turnkey PV Module lines with Spire CEO Roger Little
  • Large area thin-film modules approach scale manufacturing with Applied Materials and Signet Solar
  • A passion for solar change: Anton Milner, Q-Cells CEO - exclusive interview

Product Briefing Outline: Momentive Performance Materials, Inc. recently launched a new product line of Pyrolytic Boron Nitride (PBN) crucibles, heaters and coatings to consider for the enhancement of the production of CIGS (copper, indium, gallium, selinide) solar cells.

Problem: Compared to other alternative ceramic materials, PBN potentially provides a higher level of chemical and thermal stability and a lower total cost of ownership. Due to the relatively low wetting of PBN by most molten metals, PBN typically withstands the high temperature and high-volume throughput demands of CIGS solar cell manufacturing with minimal deterioration.

Solution: Pyrolytic Boron Nitride (PBN) is an anistropic, high-temperature ceramic that exhibits a unique combination of high electrical resistance and good thermal conductivity. This non-toxic, non-porous compound is exceptionally pure by virtue of the synthesis process (high temperature/low press chemical vapor deposition). It can be deposited or easily machined into a wide variety of shapes, including crucibles, boats, tubes, bottles and machined plate products. As coatings on graphite, it may help protect heaters and evaporation sources from the corrosive effect of molten metals. PBN’s directional thermal conductivity provides improved “heat spreading” capability for improved temperature uniformity, according to the company. The combination of high strength, good thermal conductivity and a low coefficient of thermal expansion make the materials extremely resistant to thermal shock, the company claims.

Applications: CIGS (copper, indium, gallium, selinide) solar cells.

Platform: Pyrolytic Boron Nitride (PBN) and Pyrolytic Graphite Crucibles, Heaters and Coatings.

Availability: October 2007 onwards.