News Article
Lasers To Speed Solar
Coherent introduce new lasers to increase solar cell manufacturing throughput.
Three new lasers from Coherent plan to offer higher output power and increased throughput levels for solar cell manufacturing applications including Edge Isolation, Laser Grooved Buried Contacts, and Dielectric Ablation. Specifically, new AVIA lasers will deliver output power levels of 28W at the short ultraviolet wavelength of 355 nm, and 45W in the green at 532 nm. Each of these lasers represents the highest power level within their class. In addition, a new Paladin laser now delivers ultra fast 80 MHz trains of picosecond pulses with power levels up to 16W at 355 nm. Again, this represents the highest power currently available in a laser of this type.
The AVIA series of turn-key, pulsed, solid-state lasers has played a pivotal role in accelerating the adoption of laser processing within the solar industry, and is one of the most widely used lasers in volume production today. Indeed, AVIA lasers have been qualified within numerous cell and panel manufacturing steps for both crystalline-Silicon and Thin-Film production lines. Recently, the Paladin lasers have found complementary application adoption where the further benefits of short pulsewidths provide cleaner material ablation at high speed.
The AVIA family of ultraviolet lasers has almost single handedly proven the benefits of 24/7 laser micromachining on c-Si cells/wafers with short wavelengths at 355 nm. Such benefits include (i) higher yield levels through matching of the laser's input wavelength to the absorption bands of c-Si / dielectrics, and (ii) increased efficiency by scribing narrower grooves due to tighter focusing from the short wavelength operation. Paladin lasers feature similar benefits within applications which demand reduced thermal damage and multiple pulse ablation techniques.
And, it's not just front surface processes such as Laser Edge Isolation and Laser Grooved Buried Contacts that benefit from the higher power levels at 355 nm. The new AVIA lasers bring through-via-drilling closer to becoming industrially viable within the solar industry. There is currently a wide range of laser processes within c-Si cell manufacturing that rely upon via-drilling as an essential production step. This includes solar cells incorporating Emitter-Wrap-Through and Metal-Wrap-Through designs where via-drilling forms an integral part of several ‘advanced' cell concepts proposed by leading research labs. Tiny vias are also required for various ‘contact-opening' configurations. Picosecond Paladin lasers can be used for c-Si applications such as Dielectric Ablation, or P2 / P3 patterning of Thin-Film CIGS layers.
The new AVIA and Paladin models are all Diode-Pumped Solid State (or DPSS) lasers, which operate off single-phase electricity and require no external consumables. Featuring a wealth of software controlled pulsing options, both lasers are designed as industrial field integrated lasers for solar production lines, and are comprised of high reliability components with lifetimes of tens of thousands of hours.
The AVIA series of turn-key, pulsed, solid-state lasers has played a pivotal role in accelerating the adoption of laser processing within the solar industry, and is one of the most widely used lasers in volume production today. Indeed, AVIA lasers have been qualified within numerous cell and panel manufacturing steps for both crystalline-Silicon and Thin-Film production lines. Recently, the Paladin lasers have found complementary application adoption where the further benefits of short pulsewidths provide cleaner material ablation at high speed.
The AVIA family of ultraviolet lasers has almost single handedly proven the benefits of 24/7 laser micromachining on c-Si cells/wafers with short wavelengths at 355 nm. Such benefits include (i) higher yield levels through matching of the laser's input wavelength to the absorption bands of c-Si / dielectrics, and (ii) increased efficiency by scribing narrower grooves due to tighter focusing from the short wavelength operation. Paladin lasers feature similar benefits within applications which demand reduced thermal damage and multiple pulse ablation techniques.
And, it's not just front surface processes such as Laser Edge Isolation and Laser Grooved Buried Contacts that benefit from the higher power levels at 355 nm. The new AVIA lasers bring through-via-drilling closer to becoming industrially viable within the solar industry. There is currently a wide range of laser processes within c-Si cell manufacturing that rely upon via-drilling as an essential production step. This includes solar cells incorporating Emitter-Wrap-Through and Metal-Wrap-Through designs where via-drilling forms an integral part of several ‘advanced' cell concepts proposed by leading research labs. Tiny vias are also required for various ‘contact-opening' configurations. Picosecond Paladin lasers can be used for c-Si applications such as Dielectric Ablation, or P2 / P3 patterning of Thin-Film CIGS layers.
The new AVIA and Paladin models are all Diode-Pumped Solid State (or DPSS) lasers, which operate off single-phase electricity and require no external consumables. Featuring a wealth of software controlled pulsing options, both lasers are designed as industrial field integrated lasers for solar production lines, and are comprised of high reliability components with lifetimes of tens of thousands of hours.