News Article
Varian Establishes Chinese Market
Company launches ion implant at Shanghai event
Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates has formally launched its Solion photovoltaic (“PV”) ion implant platform into the Chinese market at the SNEC PV Power Expo 2011. Varian said it has partnered with several leading Chinese PV manufacturers to insert Solion patterned ion implantation into volume manufacturing by mid-year. Varian has established engagements with over seven Chinese PV manufacturers who see Solion's potential for accelerating their drive to grid parity by delivering the precision and control required for high efficiency cells while simplifying the manufacturing process to reduce the overall cost per watt.
Solion enables solar module manufacturers to achieve a combination of increased cell efficiency at lower production cost by replacing traditional diffusion doping processes with ion implant. In addition to greater precision and process control for improved junction quality, this approach eliminates multiple production steps, improves cell uniformity, and enables significantly tighter binning.
Early Solion users have already adopted the enabling patterned implant technology to produce crystalline solar cells in volume with conversion efficiencies over 19 percent. Patterned implantation provides a clear roadmap to efficiencies of 22 percent at reduced cost per watt.
“The strong market interest in Solion from so many Chinese PV manufacturers further validates the value of implant for manufacturing high efficiency, low cost solar cells,” said Varian's Chief Executive Officer Gary Dickerson. “We are very excited to be partnered with some of the market leaders in the fastest growing region for production of solar cells. The combination of local manufacturing expertise with Varian's technology leadership and world class support will enable the PV industry to take a huge step forward towards achieving grid parity.”
