Non-Contact Printing of Solar Wafers

Optomec's Aerosol Jet deposition systems enable the production of higher efficiency solar cells than is possible through traditional screen-printing techniques. With Aerosol Jet technology, you can print fine feature collector and bus-bar lines at ambient temperature without masks or stencils. Aerosol Jet technology is a Direct Write, non-contact print process enabling the deposition of photovoltaic materials onto planar and non-planar substrates. Used in conjunction with a Light Induced Plating process, Aerosol Jet systems are enabling the industry's first, non-contact fine line printing solution for photovoltaic applications. Fine feature collector lines with widths between 18 um and 60 um have been produced with Aerosol Jet systems by using new and modified versions of existing screen-printing materials. The narrower, high integrity collector lines have higher conductivity and a lower shadowing effect thereby increasing photovoltaic cell efficiency. And because the process is non-contact, Aerosol Jet systems can print on thinner wafers and with less breakage than screen printing techniques.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Solar
• cell
• manufacturing
• wafer
• printing
• non-contact
• photovoltaic
• solar
• pv
• collector
• lines
• bus
• bars
• technology
• aerosol
• making
• production