Product Reviews

  • OSIS Sorter EL 1800

    The OSIS Sorter EL-1800 system from Op-tection offers high-throughput

    23 September 2010, 15:41

    Product Briefing Outline: Op-tection has developed a brand new solar cell sorter to meet the demand for increasing cell sorting needs in terms of speed and automation. The OSIS Sorter EL-1800 system inspects and sorts’ solar cells automatically based on user defined quality parameters. Recently one of the first new generation sorters successfully entered production at a leading German PV manufacturer.

  • Sanyo HIT new tab design

    Sanyo’s ‘HIT’ N Series module uses 21.1% efficiency cells

    22 September 2010, 15:53

    Product Briefing Outline: Sanyo has launched its highest efficiency ‘HIT’ N Series solar module to date using cells with 21.1% conversion efficiency, generating a module output of 235W for its new HIT-N235SE10 module. Module efficiency is 18.6%. The New N Series modules will be produced at Sanyo’s factory in Hungary with shipments commencing across Europe from September, 2010 onwards.

  • DuPont 'Zalak' 5300

    ‘Zalak’ 5300 seals from DuPont specially formulated for use in plasma environments

    20 September 2010, 16:04

    Product Briefing Outline: DuPont Performance Polymers (DuPont) have introduced ‘Zalak’ 5300 high-performance seals for photovoltaic cell manufacturing. Zalak 5300 seals bridge the performance gap between standard fluoroelastomers (FKM) and perfluoroelastomers (FFKM) seals. The seals are specially formulated for use in plasma environments, such as edge isolation, ARC coating in crystalline cell manufacturing, TCO sputtering deposition, and selective a-Si PECVD applications in PV cell manufacturing.

  • Sony SP100 film diagram

    Sony offers low-temp conductive bonding material for c-Si solar cells

    15 September 2010, 16:15

    Product Briefing Outline: Sony Chemical & Information Device Corporation has commercialized and commenced full-scale mass production of the SP100 Series, Solar Cell Conductive Film for photovoltaic modules. The SP100 Series has been evaluated by the Consortium for Development and Assessment of Highly-reliable Photovoltaic Modules of the Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and modules using the SP100 Series have passed high-temperature / high-humidity testing (85°C / 85%RH, 1000 hours) and temperature cycle testing (-40°C - 85°C, 200 cycles) regulated by IEC61215, an international module accreditation standard, and it has been verified that the product provides the long-term conduction reliability required by photovoltaic modules.

  • Solar Metrology SMX-Linear ISI

    Solar Metrology expands XRF platform to integrated linear CIGS thin-film applications

    15 September 2010, 16:11

    Product Briefing Outline: Solar Metrology has expanded its SMX XRF tool portfolio for film composition and thickness measurement of CIGS photovoltaic deposition processes with the addition of the System SMX- Linear ISI. SMX LINEAR ISI is said to be fast, flexible and easily integrated into any vacuum deposition tool, vacuum process station, or point of a vacuum process line.

  • Veeco ContourGT-K0

    Veeco offers cost-effective ‘ContourGT-K0’ surface metrology system

    13 September 2010, 16:24

    Product Briefing Outline: Veeco Instruments has a new low-cost member to its ‘ContourGT’ family of non-contact, 3D optical surface profilers. The ContourGT-K0 combines patented, higher brightness dual-LED illumination, streamlined architecture and functionality, and significantly improved measurement and computing hardware and software.

  • Festo sliding fork

    Festo launches servo-pneumatic handling system for vacuum applications

    08 September 2010, 16:37

    Product Briefing Outline: Festo has developed the Sliding Fork, an innovative way of transporting glass. This unique servo-pneumatic handling system is particularly suitable for vacuum applications and is totally leak-proof, dynamic, with extreme torsional rigidity.

  • MEECO 'M-i' P2O5-based moisture monitor

    MEECO offers solar-grade gas moisture monitor for fixed gas applications

    08 September 2010, 16:29

    Product Briefing Outline: MEECO has introduced the first mini P2O5-based moisture monitor, the ‘M-i’, which is specifically designed for solar-grade gas moisture monitoring.

  • Manz Automation's OneStep SE system

    Manz Automation’s OneStep selective emitter system boosts cell efficiencies 0.5%

    06 September 2010, 16:41

    Product Briefing Outline: Manz Automation has developed the OneStep selective emitter (SE) system for crystalline silicon solar cells. Among competing SE processes, the laser process consists of only one single process step, without any consumable usage. Investment payback is said to be less than one year, while the small footprint allows easy retrofit of existing production lines. The tool is claimed to enable cell efficiency gains of up to 0.5%.

  • CRAIC Microspectrometer

    Craic Technologies’ 20/20 PV microspectrometer measures thickness of thin-film optical

    02 September 2010, 16:47

    Product Briefing Outline: Craic Technologies has launched the 20/20 PV Microspectrometer, which is designed to measure UV-visible NIR-range transmission, absorbance, reflectance, and emission and fluorescence spectra of sample areas smaller than a micron in width. The thickness of thin films and colour spaces can also be determined. The 20/20 PV system is claimed to be the most powerful instrument from Craic Technologies.

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Publications

  • Photovoltaics International 16th Edition

    Photovoltaics International 16th Edition

    This sixteenth edition of Photovoltaics International marks four years of production of the quarterly journal. As always, our focus is on efficiency and quality improvement and cost reduction in manufacturing. As 2012 rolls along, companies are falling by the wayside due to supply and demand issues, ASP declines and drastic governmental subsidy cuts. A clear picture of 2012 is offered through papers from the likes of TÜV Rheinland, Fraunhofer ISE, SEMI PV Group and EPIA, amongst others.

  • Photovoltaics International Lite, Volume 05 - 2011

    Photovoltaics International Lite, Volume 05 - 2011

    This digital interactive Lite sees Tom Cheyney follow Agua Caliente’s progress on becoming one of first truly utility-scale PV power farms, where 40–50MW (AC) will be commissioned by the end of the year. We also feature one of the world’s largest silicon thin-film PV power plants, Avenal; a report on warnings of the collapse of module prices from Solarbuzz and PI-Berlin presents tips on PV module testing. A print version of this edition will be distributed at Solar Power International 2011 in Dallas, Texas.

  • Manufacturing The Solar Future: The 2012 Production Annual

    Manufacturing The Solar Future: The 2012 Production Annual

    Manufacturing the Solar Future 2012, the second in the Photovoltaics International PV Production Annual series, delivers the next installment of in-depth technical manufacturing information on PV production processes.

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