Applied Materials Delivers Major Advances to Lower Solar Cell Cost
with New HCT MaxEdge Wire Saw
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Applied Materials, Inc. today released its Applied HCT MaxEdge™
wire saw, a new platform for slicing ingots into ultra-thin wafers that
can help customers drive down the cost of manufacturing photovoltaic
(PV) cells by up to $0.18 per watt.* Key technical advances, including
an industry-first dual-wire management system, enable the MaxEdge system
to deliver significantly higher throughput and load capacity than
competitive systems, while requiring much less factory floor space and
fewer operators for equivalent megawatt output.
By making thinner wafers, PV cell manufacturers can reduce the amount of
silicon per wafer and lower the cost-per-watt of solar electricity. To
produce thinner wafers, traditional wire saws must reduce the ingot
length (load) and the cutting speed. The uniquely designed MaxEdge
system delivers ultra-thin wafers without sacrificing throughput by
enabling larger loads and using thinner wires at higher cutting speeds.
“With the MaxEdge system we’ve boosted the wafer output and lowered the
operating expenses of our industry-leading Applied HCT B5 system, making
the best wire saw on the market even better,” said Stefan Schneeberger,
vice president and general manager of Applied Materials’ Precision
Wafering Systems division. “The MaxEdge system builds on a 25-year
history of wire saw innovation and incorporates key feedback from our
customers. Since the wafer is the most expensive component of
crystalline silicon-based PV manufacturing flow, reducing wafer
fabrication cost is critical to the goal of making solar energy
competitive with grid power.”
The MaxEdge system’s breakthrough dual-wire management system employs
four independently-controlled direct drive motors and advanced process
control to lower wire tension, reducing wire wear and decreasing ingot
scrap and unplanned downtime. Reduced tension also allows smaller
diameter cutting wires to be used, resulting in significantly less
silicon loss without compromising yield. For more information, please
visit http://www.appliedmaterials.com/products/maxedge_3.html
The MaxEdge system is part of Applied’s portfolio of production-proven
systems for ultra-thin crystalline silicon solar cells, including the Applied
ATON™ PVD system for anti-reflective and
passivation layer deposition and the Applied Baccini Soft Line™
integrated system for all-in-one screen printing, edge isolation, test
and sort.
Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT) is the global leader in
Nanomanufacturing Technology™ solutions with a broad portfolio of
innovative equipment, service and software products for the fabrication
of semiconductor chips, flat panel displays, solar photovoltaic cells,
flexible electronics and energy efficient glass. At Applied Materials,
we apply Nanomanufacturing Technology to improve the way people live.
Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.
*Assuming a polysilicon price of $55/kg.
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