• New production line from SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES for crystalline solar cells is inaugurated
• Collaboration to boost cell efficiency agreed
• Equipment for PERC upgrade ordered
Kahl am Main, October 15, 2013 – The “BOD Group High Technology Center L.I.G.H.T. Wing (Lithuanian of green and high technologies)” will be holding an opening ceremony on October 15, 2013 in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, attended by the Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius, the German ambassador Matthias Mülmenstädt and the Mayor of Vilnius Arturas Zuokas. The ceremony will focus on the commissioning of a new production line for crystalline solar cells which was supplied by SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES (SINGULUS), Germany.
SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES had signed a contract with the BOD Group at the start of 2012 for the supply of a production line for solar cells. With this move, SINGULUS demonstrated the capability existing within the company to bring together expertise in vacuum coating technology and wet chemistry in supplying all key components of a complete cell production line. The main production steps involved in the manufacture of silicon solar cells, such as the wet-chemical facilities for texturing and cleaning as well as the vacuum systems for applying anti-reflective coatings are in-house developments of SINGULUS.
Dr.-Ing. Stefan Rinck, Chief Executive Officer of SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES AG, remarked: “SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES has installed the entire cell production line under the brand name of SOLARE on schedule and has already made cells of an excellent standard during the commissioning phase”. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Rinck continued: “Our new development agreement with the BOD Group includes in particular enhancing cell efficiency and reducing the cost of manufacturing cells. In harness with the BOD Group as our venture partner, that means that in the future we will be able to offer the basis for manufacturing highly efficient solar cells at a low cost.”
Vidmantas Janulevičius, CEO of the BOD Group, declared at the inauguration: “In commissioning this plant we are very proud to be supporting the goals of expanding renewables in Lithuania, in this specific case photovoltaics. Our collaboration with SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES has been hugely successful, as the performance data for the first solar cells tested show. We chose SINGULUS because we have been long acquainted with the company as a leading supplier of vacuum technology and we are impressed by the concept of the production line with integral SINGULUS systems. We also intend to use production plant from SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES in developing PERC solar cell technology and have already placed orders for the machinery in question”.
These facilities comprise the SINGULAR XP vacuum coating machine for the rear passivation of crystalline PERC solar cells and a polishing and etching plant of the type LINEA II.
Background PERC
The trend in the solar industry towards ever thinner wafers for crystalline solar cells with higher levels of efficiency at the same time requires improved surface passivation of the cell rear side. In 2012 SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES teamed up with the Institute for Solar Energy Research Hameln (ISFH) to work on the further development of cell technology. Through this cooperation it was possible to enhance the efficiency of screen printing silicon solar cells from the customary range of 17.0 % to 18.5 % in the PV industry to a record level of 20.1 %.
Profile SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES:
SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES develops innovative technologies for efficient production processes, which only make use of resources conservatively. New production technology combined with sustainable processes and the use of novel materials can decouple the use of resources from economic growth in the long-term. SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES’ innovative power and competitiveness are strengthened by these new technological developments.
With its Optical Disc segment SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES is the world market leader for CD, DVD and Blu-ray Disc production equipment. SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES is the only engineering company worldwide currently able to provide the machine technology for three-layer Blu-ray Discs with a storage volume of about 100 GB.
In the Solar division SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES is a recognized supplier of new machinery concepts and production processes for crystalline and thin-film solar cells, which increase the efficiency of solar cells and reduce their production costs. SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES IS establishing itself as a development partner and machinery supplier for technologies enabling a sustainable energy provision on the basis of renewable energies.
In the Semiconductor segment SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES focuses its activities on the vacuum coating of wafers with ultra thin layers for the production of MRAM memory, thin-film write/read heads and other semiconductor applications.
