The global pharmaceutical and chemical company Merck KGaA (Darmstadt, Germany) and Schiller Automation GmbH & Co. KG (Sonnenbühl-Genkingen, Germany), on September 21st, 2009 announced the official start of construction of a new system for edge isolation of crystalline silicon wafers. According to the press release, the "SolarEtch SiD" from the "isishape" etching paste program developed by Merck will be used in the novel process.

The concept aims to increase overall solar photovoltaic (PV) cell efficiency. Merck reports that laboratory tests on several thousand wafers have confirmed the increase in efficiency through the use of innovative SolarEtch materials. The process designed by Merck and Schiller is said to offer numerous advantages over traditional edge isolation methods, in particular comprehensive wet chemical isolation and laser isolation. With the newly developed application concept, isishape SolarEtch SiD can be applied to the back of the wafer quickly and selectively, Merck reports. "The success of environmentally friendly photovoltaics ultimately depends on solar cell production costs. The edge isolation process we have developed significantly improves the ratio of efficiency to production costs," said Dr. Ingo Köhler, Head of R&D Structuring Solutions at Merck.

Volume production of custom wafers already possible on pilot line

Merck reports that the new concept has been laboratory tested together with various partners from industry and academia. Due to the promising results, the company is currently construction a prototype of the production equipment for a pilot production line. According to the press release, Merck is already able to produce customer-specific wafers under mass production conditions in the pilot phase. The development of mass production equipment with a throughput of approximately 3,600 wafers per hour is planned for the next phase. "Through the cooperation with Merck, we can offer companies in the photovoltaic industry a lower-cost, future-oriented solution," stated Karl-Heinz Bahnmüller, Director of the Customer Center at Schiller Automation. "The new plant holds great potential for the entire silicon cell production process beyond edge isolation."

2009-09-24 | Courtesy: Merck KGaA | solarserver.com © Heindl Server GmbH