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Product Briefing Outline: MTI Instruments has introduced the PV1000, a thickness measurement system for the solar cell production industry. PV1000 can be incorporated into solar cell production lines to help them quickly determine quality control issues, saving manufacturers time and money.

Problem: PV1000 addresses a critical need for solar cell manufacturers around the world who are now experiencing significant growth and need to manufacture higher quantities of solar cells for mass consumption.

Solution: Using MTII’s exclusive Push/Pull capacitance probe technology, each PV-1000 module provides up to three pairs of probes for measurement of maximum, minimum and average thickness, as well as total thickness variation (TTV) and wafer bow. For applications requiring additional thickness channels, multiple PV-1000 modules can be chained together for unlimited line scans on the wafer. Wafer saw mark detection and classification is accomplished by adding optional laser sensors to the PV-1000 module. Utilizing up to two of MTII’s Microtrak – SA standalone laser heads, saw marks can be classified for orientation and depth simultaneously with wafer thickness scanning making the PV-1000 ideal for incoming wafer characterization and sorting.

Applications: Wafer Type: mono- or poly-crystalline silicon. Surfaces: As-cut, lapped, etched, SiN layer.

Platform: Each PV-1000 module comes with a complete software package for easy integration into the existing production line. The Windows-based interface package allows for quick set-up, calibration and data monitoring at the module or across the Ethernet network. Multiple PV-1000 modules can be monitored from a single location using standard TCP/IP protocols.

Availability: July 2008 onwards.