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.
 | | The new Applied HCT MaxEdge wire saw can help customers reduce the cost of manufacturing photovoltaic cells by enabling larger loads and using thinner wires at higher cutting speeds. (Photo: Business Wire) |
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.
*Assuming a polysilicon price of $55/kg.
Posted March 15th, 2009
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