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Solar cell production with TRUMPF:

Getting moreout of the

sun.

2

Double the knowledge

solar cells.for better

The highest levels of effi ciency and production in cycles only

seconds long: TRUMPF’s innovative products can help you

fi nd new approaches to solar module production. We are

opening up new opportunities for solar cell manufacturers

and facility builders. In addition, you will receive the support

you need for your project through the combined experience

and comprehensive, worldwide service from two leading

technologically innovative TRUMPF Group companies.

Contents:

Page 4 Thin fi lm cells: Precise and productive across large areas.

Page 7 Crystalline silicon: Advantageous for more effi cient cells.

Page 10 More service worldwide.

Page 12 Products: Find everything you need in our vast product portfolio.

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TRUMPF: Technology and world market leader in lasers and laser systems.TRUMPF promotes the development of industrial lasers. For the

effi cient manufacturing of solar cells, TRUMPF has lasers with

short pulses at a higher average output. An example of this

is the picosecond laser that is used to structure thin layers

of molybdenum and achieve excellent quality at a high

productivity level.

Whether it‘s a job requiring patterning, edge deletion, edge

insulating, removal, structuring, cutting, drilling or marking:

at TRUMPF you will fi nd lasers of all wavelengths and in many

confi gurations. In short, you will always fi nd the right laser

whatever your application. The standardized, reliable laser

solutions from TRUMPF have been used for many years in

many industries.

HUETTINGER Elektronic: The innovator for generators.HUETTINGER Elektronic, a member of the TRUMPF Group since

1990, is the worldwide, forward-looking supplier of generators

for coating large surfaces, such as architectural glass and fl at

panel displays. You will benefi t from this comprehensive

know ledge when it comes to developing reliable, stable processes

for the production of homogenous coatings – both with DC

as well as MF and RF technology for various materials.

You can also rely on HUETTINGER‘s experience for the growing

of silicon crystals for solar cell production. HUETTINGER is a

leader in fl oating zone processes.

Preciseand productive across

large areas.

Thin fi lm cells:

HUETTINGER generators and TRUMPF lasers offer ideal features for effi cient

manu-facturing of affordable thin fi lm solar modules. Conductive and photo-active

coatings are applied in front-end production. After each coating, the laser is used

to structure the surface. The individual cells and their circuitry emerge as a result.

Our expertise in coating and structuring the modules simplifi es your path to inno vative

solutions. In the back-end, the edges are deleted with a laser and contacts are

applied to the module.

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Patterning: Precision and speed.Structuring with the laser, also called patterning, divides thin

fi lm modules and wires up the generated cells. In the sunlight,

the charge carriers in the cells are separated and the current

fl ows through the contacts generated by structuring the edge

of the solar module. The precise, selective and contact-free

laser processing is dependable with short processing times.

Nanosecond lasers can also be used for the production of

modules with amorphous silicon and cadmium telluride.

Entirely new areas of application are acheived by innovative

pico second lasers from TRUMPF. There is no molten material

due to its short pulses. You can use it to remove the

molybdenum in CIS modules at a higher speed and without

cracks. “Cold” processing of the photo-active layer with

ultra-short laser pulses also offers high quality and

productivity advantages over mechanical processes.

Coating with plasma support: Impressive results.If you optimize cells with homogenous front and back contact

layers, you can achieve considerably higher levels of effi ciency.

HUETTINGER generators create the plasma used to apply

these layers through the magnetron sputter or PECVD process.

Their DC technology is ideal particularly for applying

high-quality coatings – and it’s also affordable.

Removal and edge deletion: Superior features.For stripping the coatings, TRUMPF lasers are the affordable

solution for a high fl ow rate. Large-area removal is performed

on the edge of the module by dividing up the large areas to

ensure constant lamination. For this purpose, the use of lasers

is cleaner than sandblasting and easier to integrate into the line.

With TRUMPF lasers, you can rely on high performance for

short cycle times. In addition, if you distribute the energy to

numerous workstations with laser light cables, the laser power

from one station can be used at another during loading and

unloading cycles, increasing overall productivity.

Schematic design of a production line of thin layer modules with TRUMPF and HUETTINGER components.

PEC

VD

coa

ting

with

gen

erat

ors

Sputtering with generator

Patterning 1with laser

Patterning 2with laser

Coatedglass

Edge strippingwith laser

Patterning 3with laser

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Crystalline silicon:

cells.

Advantageousfor more effi cient

Products from the TRUMPF Group open up new options for

producing crystalline solar cells. For pulling crystals, induction

warming using HUETTINGER generators creates a more

homogenous, perfect silicon ingot than any other method.

Generators from HUETTINGER ensure reliable processes for

the homogenous coating of solar cells. Laser processing leads

to solar cells with a higher level of performance. For example,

use of reverse side contacting is currently being discussed.

Lasers work contact-free and can be positioned quickly.

And, they don’t generate mechanical stress.

Coatings: For more or less refl ection.An optimized crystalline cell with an anti-refl ex and reverse

contact layer can achieve a considerably better level of

effi ciency. HUETTINGER generators produce the plasma for

applying these layers through a magnetron sputter or PECVD

process. Thanks to its ideal features, such as arc management,

the cells receive particularly high quality coatings.

Silicon ingots: Pulling is worthwhile.If you want to achieve the highest quality in inductive

zone pulling of silicon crystals, generators and inductors

from HUETTINGER are the machines of choice. You will

achieve excellent results with their constant and controlled

processes – ingots without crystal defects or chips, which

are best suited for further processing.

Cutting or drilling: New concepts to better use the surface area.When cutting out wafers, a TRUMPF laser separates the silicon

with equal precision and speed. In addition, the shadowing on

the front side of a solar cell can be reduced by applying

contacts on the reverse side and drilling inlet holes with the

laser. A TRUMPF laser does this in the production cycle. And

the drill holes cover less than 1 percent of the surface area.

Drilling for reverse side contacting.

Zone pulling. Cutting. Coating.

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Deleting insulating layers.

Reverse side contacting: Effi ciency increases.To increase refl ectivity on the reverse side and to avoid electrical

losses, a transparent insulating layer and a metallic coating are

applied across a large area. The laser allows you to achieve

targeted contacting on the reverse side of the solar cell with

the lowest output losses on the contact points. There are two

ways to do this: Either you use the laser to shoot the contacts

through the layer system onto the wafer, known as laser fi red

contacts, or you use the laser to remove the insulating layers

before the metal coating is applied. With selective removal of

the insulating layer, ultra-short pulses operate without added

heat creating disruptions in the silicon.

Edge insulation: No short-circuit – thanks to the laser.Due to the circumferential doping, short-circuits automatically

develop on the front and reverse side of a crystalline solar cell

during production. When the laser is used to insulate edges,

it generates a separating line at lightning speed that reliably

eliminates the short-circuit.

Low-contact contacting: Inductively or with the laser.There are two extremely fast, reliable and contact-free processes

for soldering contacts to the solar cell: using a TRUMPF laser or

a HUETTINGER generator and inductor. We will help you select

the best process for you. Both the laser as well as the generator

reduce scrap and are compact enough to be integrated into

a production line. To best match the inductor to your

application, HUETTINGER develops it with you and tests it

in their applications lab.

Also, you can count on TRUMPF if you are looking for a laser

for marking solar cells. You will no doubt fi nd a suitable solution

in our comprehensive product portfolio.

Edge insulation. Contacting conductor paths. Soldering modules.

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serviceworldwide.

More

Thousands of application tests performed annually in the application center.Feasibility studies in one of our application centers are a central

component of our basic consulting services prior to purchase.

Either you will learn exactly which TRUMPF laser, beam guidance

and parameters you need for your application or you will see

which HUETTINGER generator and which inductor design will

provide the optimal features for your process.

TRUMPF offers you comprehensive support around the world.

Our service begins long before you even decide on a solution.

We provide comprehensive consulting services to help you

defi ne the process and fi gure out which solution you really need.

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All around support – even after purchase.We will support you worldwide with customized services

through the entire service life of your system. Our experienced

application technicians will help you install and start up your

processes. We will assist you with maintenance and train your

employees. We keep downtime and technician visits to a

mini mum because by using remote diagnostics or Telepresence,

our specialists can, with your permission, access your system

online and solve problems.

12

Products:

Find everything you need

in our vastportfolio.

13

TRUMPF lasers and HUETTINGER generators offer a broad

range of products for use in the production of solar cells.

TRUMPF: The right laser for every application.You can be sure that you will always get the best laser

for your individual application from TRUMPF‘s extensive

product portfolio.

Our nanosecond lasers have proven themselves time and again

when it comes to edge insulation and drilling crystalline solar

cells. Lasers from the TruMicro Series 5000 are powerful

pico-second lasers. They are used for extremely sophisticated

surface treatment, such as highly productive and precise

removal. They are available in three wavelengths: 1030 nm,

515 nm and 343 nm. And with the TruMicro Series 7000,

you can quickly cut, drill, ablate or remove large-area layers,

thanks to laser outputs of up to 750 watts.

Lasers from the TruMark Series 6000 also cover all three

essential wavelengths: from infrared with 1064 nm to 532 nm

up to UV lasers with 355 nm. Lasers from this series are used

for wafer marking and patterning. They are not only extremely

easy to integrate into the production lines, they can also be

operated on any power grid on Earth. This also applies to the

TruMark Series 3000 that is even more compact.

Whether used for welding modules, cutting the most

sophisticated contours or drilling small holes, the lasers

from the TruDisk, TruFiber and TruPulse Series have the best

features for applications in module production and processing.

HUETTINGER: Generators for your applications. The generators from HUETTINGER – proven a thousand times

over – are the best starting point for stable processes in the

production of solar cells. We offer a large selection of DC,

medium frequency and high frequency power supplies for

induction heating and plasma excitation. This means you can

select the exact generator for the requirements of your system

such as thin-layer or wafer-based cells and coating material

through sputtering or a PECVD process. Whatever your

requirements, you can rely on our well-known rapid and

reliable arc management. Even substrates more than 6.5 feet

wide are no problem for generators from the world market

leader for fl at panel display and architectural glass coatings.

There are generators that are ideal for manufacturing solar

cells in every category – the one you pick depends entirely

on your tasks.

The DC generators from the TruPlasma DC Series 3000 are

an affordable start in plasma excitation. The excellent arc

management, CompensateLine, ensures particularly smooth

and clean process results. Therefore, these generators are

ideal for a multitude of coating processes, such as the

sputtering of aluminum. With the medium frequency

generators from the TruPlasma MF Series 7000, you will

achieve very high process reliability.

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The fast, well-engineered arc management system,

DetectLine, permits extraordinarily homogenous and high

quality layers to be produced, which results in reliable

processing of many different materials. Flexible interfaces

allow for simple integra tion into any type of system design.

And, the high frequency generators from the TruHeat HF

Series 7000 offer you the very best results as well as

maximum stability. And, HUETTINGER will help you with

inductor design.

TRUMPF Laser Technology Center· Plymouth Township · MI 48170Phone 734 454 7200 · Fax 734 354 9769 · E-mail: oeminfo@us.trumpf.com · Homepage www.us.trumpf.com

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TRUMPF is certifi ed according to DIN EN ISO 9001 and VDA 6.4