GT Advanced Technologies DSS 450 MonoCast technology offers 19% plus cell efficiencies

Solution

 

Modules produced from GT’s MonoCast material are claimed to rival modules that incorporate traditional boron-doped batch CZ processed monocrystalline wafers in terms of total output. Cells produced from DSS450 MonoCast wafers are claimed to have lower Light Induced Degradation (LID) and the full square surface dimension area across the wafer provides greater electricity generating surface area than the pseudo square shape of traditional monocrystalline wafers. A typical MonoCast ingot produces three grades of wafers: Grade 1 which is nearly all mono, Grade 2 a hybrid wafer with more mono than multi and Grade 3 wafers, which are more multi than mono. Based on the recent field trial results, GT’s MonoCast solution delivers greater than 80% mono volume yield per ingot, with over 95% of all wafers being Grade I and II. GTAT has also developed a post processing technique, which is claimed to significantly increase the number of Grade I wafers per ingot well beyond that possible with any other commercially available monocast technology. Ongoing work on material science and cell architectures with the Georgia Institute of Technology was said to have demonstrated, that MonoCast material when combined with advanced cell processing technology can deliver efficiency conversions of greater than 19%. The result is module efficiencies that are competitive with modules incorporating batch monocrystalline wafers. 

 

Applications

 

‘MonoCast’ or ‘quasi-mono’ wafer production.

 

Platform

 

The DSS450 MonoCast features new advanced hardware and an industry first automatic seed retention feature that eliminates dipping and operator intervention between melt and growth helping to automate the process and enabling the production worthiness of the DSS450 MonoCast system. When combined with GT’s new ‘Acuity’ performance software, the DSS450 MonoCast can produce high quality ingots run after run. 

 

Availability

 

The MonoCast technology is being offered first on GT’s DSS450 and DSS450HP systems. Customers currently operating these DSS furnaces can migrate to the new DSS450 MonoCast system through a field upgrade, which is expected to be at a cost below US$100,000 per system.