Applied Materials,
Inc. today announced its Baccini Esatto Technology™, a high precision,
multi-step screen printing capability for Applied's market-leading Baccini
back-end solar cell processing systems. Featuring proprietary hardware and software
innovations, the Esatto Technology is designed to increase the efficiency of
crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells by enabling the fabrication of advanced
contact structures. The first of several applications of the Esatto Technology
is for double-printed metal line deposition where it has been shown to raise
absolute cell efficiency by as much as 0.5%.
The Baccini Esatto Technology enables the fabrication of advanced contact structures to increase the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells. (Photo: Business Wire)
“Currently being used in customer production, Esatto Technology demonstrates
our commitment to rapidly advance crystalline silicon technology by providing
comprehensive solutions that enable higher efficiency,” said Davide Spotti,
vice president and general manager of Applied's Baccini Cell Systems division.
“Working with leading suppliers to optimize consumable materials and printing
techniques, we've created a unique capability to help customers quickly
deploy advanced cell patterns in production environments and bring their higher
value products to market.”
The Baccini Esatto Technology provides customers with a cost-effective upgrade
to their current and future Baccini back-end systems with proven reliability
and high repeatability. The result of several proprietary hardware and software
innovations including high resolution imaging, screen alignment, and advanced
process control, the Esatto Technology allows multiple layers of different materials
to be overlaid with better than ±15µm repeatability.
Esatto Technology was designed to enable advanced contact formation techniques
such as double-printed frontside metal lines and the multiple process flows
required to create selective emitter structures. The first application of Esatto
Technology in production is for double-printed metal lines. This application
enables manufacturers to print taller, narrower grid lines, thus reducing the
shadowing effect caused by wide grid lines while improving electrical conductivity.
In a production environment, Esatto Technology allowed the replacement of single
120µm wide lines with two-layer, double-height lines less than 80µm
wide on the finished cell.
For more information on the full line of Applied Baccini solutions for crystalline
silicon solar cell manufacturing, visit www.appliedmaterials.com/products/solar_crystal_silicon_3.html.
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.