- Applied’s Fine Line Double Printing(TM) enables a 0.2 percent cell efficiency gain for CECEP to meet the Chinese government requirement to qualify for capacity expansion
- Production proven upgrade path to double printing accelerates CECEP’s roadmap to high efficiency
Shanghai, January 15, 2014 – Applied Materials, Inc. announced today that CECEP Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd., a Chinese state-owned company focused on the research, production and installation of crystalline silicon solar cells and modules, achieved a key milestone of 18.32 percent average cell efficiency for its multi-cells. This increase was achieved on conventional production lines using a standard process upgraded with Fine Line Double Printing(TM) (FLDP(TM)) enabled by Applied’s Baccini® Esatto Technology(TM). The milestone was reached in early December 2013, and the production line continues to maintain stable operation.
This result is crucial to meeting the “Photovoltaics Manufacturing Industry Standards” minimum cell efficiency requirement recently mandated by the government to qualify for capacity expansion, and to drive the development and advancement of China’s photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing and renewable energy industry.
“As new markets for solar PV emerge across China and competition increases, it is essential to accelerate the pace of innovation to achieve higher cell efficiencies,” stated Mr. Li Kai Jiang, CECEP General Manager. “CECEP is extremely proud to have reached its 18.32 percent efficiency target by upgrading to Applied’s Fine Line Double Printing with Esatto Technology. CECEP was able to conveniently and quickly implement double printing on existing systems to enhance the efficiency of our optimized standard multi cells. This result represents a 0.2 percent efficiency gain over our previous production baseline. Based on the high value of this collaboration, CECEP looks forward to working with Applied on further solutions to advance solar cell technology.”
Applied’s FLDP Esatto Technology enables the precise double printing of advanced, high efficiency cell structures with a complete solution of production ready hardware, software, consumables and processes. Double printing enables production implementation of sub-50 micron lines to increase cell efficiency, improve yield and reduce paste consumption. Esatto technology incorporates an advanced pattern recognition system that adjusts printing and alignment parameters in real time to deliver the highest wafer to wafer repeatability. This level of advanced process control combined with paste optimization improves performance and yield while reducing cost. Esatto Technology comes with a proven best known method (BKM) to enable rapid implementation and ramp on Applied’s market-leading Baccini metallization and cell processing systems.
“China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s minimum requirement is further evidence of a 10 watt per year industry “efficiency clock” that is driving our customers to rapidly innovate to stay competitive,” said Jim Mullin, vice president and general manager of Solar Products for Applied Materials’ Energy and Environmental Solutions Group. “Applied is committed to enabling customers like CECEP to accelerate their roadmap with a portfolio of PV solutions that increase efficiency, improve yield, and reduce cost over multiple generations of cell designs.”
Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT) is the global leader in providing innovative equipment, services and software to enable the manufacture of advanced semiconductor, flat panel display and solar photovoltaic products. Our technologies help make innovations like smartphones, flat screen TVs and solar panels more affordable and accessible to consumers and businesses around the world. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.
CECEP Solar Energy Technology (Zhenjiang) Co., Ltd.is a state-owned manufacturer of new energy products specializing in the research, production and sales of crystalline silicon solar cells and modules, as well as the design and installation of photovoltaic system projects, which is affiliated to the China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group. The Company is guided by the corporate values of Excellence, Devotion, Innovation, and Mutual-benefit in its never-ending pursuit for quality improvements and cost reduction for solar cells and modules, and is dedicated to a better future for mankind in which inexhaustible and renewable solar energy is made available to the general public. The company’s capacity for the first construction period is 500MW and 600MW of solar cells and modules.
