Braggone and Beneq join to increase efficiencies of solar cells
Braggone recently announced a new product line that increases the efficiency of solar cells and allows manufacturing facilities to cost-effectively increase their capacity. The custom designed compounds, custom tuned at the silicon and metal-oxide based polymer level, can dramatically reduce reflection from glass and silicon, and therefore, deliver substantially more light to the active regions of the solar cell, resulting in higher efficiencies.
The tool solutions from Beneq are based on extensive experience in providing equipment for applying thin film coatings on functional surfaces such as glass and metals. The spray coating method used is made possible by a new, Beneq proprietary high-capacity two-fluid atomizer, which reduces the droplet diameter to submicron size, enabling high-speed processing. The combination of materials from Braggone and the manufacturing solution from Beneq will help solar cell suppliers dramatically reduce their cost per peak Watt.
"We estimate that solar cell manufacturers can reduce certain manufacturing costs by up to 50%, while increasing significantly their cell and module efficiencies," commented Ari Karkkainen, Braggone CTO. "Our target is to push conventional cell relative quantum efficiencies up by 5% through the use of our products. That can mean more than 50% power output increase at the module level."
"Due to the collaboration with Beneq, we can deliver increased performance and reduced costs all in one turnkey solution," Karkkainen added. "Our system has been designed in a way that it meets industrial requirements of high efficiency PV device manufacturing. With our materials and process platform flexibility, we can address efficiency improvement requirements in crystalline silicon and thin solar cells as well as in module processes. Our technology allows our customers to achieve superior optical confinement as well as excellent front and rear passivation in combination with a high bulk lifetime. Our aim is to make sub-one euro per peak watt manufacturing costs a reality."
When compared to materials such as silicon nitride, the Braggone materials can cut reflection by half and costs associated with deposition tools by even more than half. Braggone tunes the optics of the cell by spray, slit, spin, or dip-coating layers of molecularly tailored anti-reflective and hydrogenation coatings in a rapid and cost-effective atmospheric in-line process rather than having to use expensive chemical vapor deposition (CVD) tools.
