Darmstadt, Germany, October 2, 2013 – Merck yesterday received the Solar Industry Award 2013 for its isishape®SolarEtch® structuring pastes. The company achieved first place in the category, “PV Materials Enabling Award”. The award was granted during the 2013 European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference (EU PVSEC), which is taking place from October 1 to 3 in Paris, France.
isishape®SolarEtch® are printable etching pastes capable of selectively etching antireflective coatings and passivation layers (e.g. SiO2, AlOx) on solar cells as well as on transparent conductive materials (e.g. TCO – transparent, conductive oxides). The simplified structuring process uses standard equipment, has low material consumption, and leads to efficiency increases in modern mono- and polycrystalline silicon solar cells. This is one reason among many why leading manufacturer of solar cells use isishape® SolarEtch® as well as isishape®SmartEtch® in mass production.
“This award recognizes our many years of development work on an isishape® concept that improves the production of highly efficient solar cells and gives our customers a technological edge,” says Hans-Jürgen Lemp, Head of Structuring Solutions within the Performance Materials division of Merck. “With isishape® we offer our partners a unique, comprehensive platform for the manufacture of the solar cell technologies of today and tomorrow.”
The Solar Industry Award is granted annually by International Solar, an internationally published trade journal on solar technologies. In a total of 17 categories, companies are recognized for the superb achievements of their products, technologies and innovations. “One of the strengths of the Solar Awards is that winners are selected by their peers within the solar community which demonstrates both recognition and appreciation of a company or individual’s efforts. The Solar Awards have become a key part of the industry calendar,” comments David Ridsdale, Chief Editor of International Solar Magazine.
A Merck team of experts will be present at the 28th EU PVSEC 2013 at Stand No. 2/C4, to speak with visitors about the current status of research as well as the latest developments in highly-efficient solar cells.
Apart from isishape®SolarEtch® the following Merck products for different photovoltaic technologies will be presented:
• isishape®SmartEtchTM: Etching pastes for the selective emitter process used with crystalline solar cells
• livionTM: Electrolytes and organic charge transport materials for dye-sensitized solar cells.
• lisicon®: Print-ready formulations of modern organic semiconductors for flexible, robust and printed organic solar cells.
• Solarpur®: High-purity materials for the production of dye-sensitized solar cells.
During the EU PVSEC Exhibition Forum, Werner Stockum, Global Technical Marketing Manager in Structuring Solutions at Merck, will be holding a lecture entitled “The Perfect Structure for High(er) Efficiency – One Platform for Many Applications” at 11:00 a.m. on October 2, 2013.
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Merck is a leading pharmaceutical, chemical and life science company with total revenues of € 11.2 billion in 2012, a history that began in 1668, and a future shaped by approximately 38,000 employees in 66 countries. Its success is characterized by innovations from entrepreneurial employees. Merck’s operating activities come under the umbrella of Merck KGaA, in which the Merck family holds an approximately 70% interest and shareholders own the remaining approximately 30%. In 1917, the former U.S. subsidiary Merck & Co. was expropriated and has been an independent company ever since.
