Heraeus Photovoltaics launches new generations of metallization pastes at SNEC 2017 in Shanghai

Heraeus Photovoltaics’ five new silver pastes guarantee substantial efficiency boosts for established and emerging solar cell technologies

Heraeus Photovoltaics, one of the leading suppliers of metallization solutions to the PV industry has launched five new metallization pastes at the 11th SNEC International Photovoltaic Power Generation Conference & Exhibition 2017 in Shanghai. With the launch of new generation of metallization pastes , the company continues to provide solar cell manufacturers with high-efficient solutions for different solar cell technologies.

Unrivalled efficiency boost for PERC cells with SOL9641B

On mono- and multi-crystalline ULDE and PERC cells Heraeus’ brand new SOL9641B series with improved finger geometry helps boosting efficiencies significantly by up to 0.2%. Better metallization contact and less shading enable this efficiency boost. The metallization paste demonstrates superior contact behavior on demanding emitters such as ultra-lightly doped emitters (ULDE). In addition, the organic vehicle system for ultra-fine line printing has been improved.

A unique glass frit developed and produced by exclusively Heraeus Photovoltaics enables a wider firing window toward lower temperature side. It is tailored to the low temperature processing needs of PERC solar cells and can be paired with the award winning SOL326 PERC backside paste to realize higher efficiencies and mass production yield.

All the advantages with the double-print packages 9642A and 9642B

Evolutionally upgraded double print packages 9642A and 9642B carry all the advantages of the SOL9641A and 9641B platforms. Outstanding efficiency gain of up to 0.1% enabled through improved double-print Ultra-fine-line (UFL) printability with higher aspect ratio. The double-print package also boasts a “zero” EL defect in mass production and is also an A+A’ and A+B solution for higher Fill-Factor and Voc. The SOL9642A package with excellent adhesion is tailored for mono and multi black silicon wafers as well as PERC. The 9642B package features a perfectly balanced metallization contact and passivation damage as well as low firing temperatures, making it compatible with mono PERC.

9641A for challenging black silicon solar cells

The nano-structured black-silicon texturing surface is challenging for metallization pastes. Heraeus Photovoltaics offers with 9641A for black silicon a specially re-designed formula, which features a unique glass chemistry and fine-tuned organic media matching to fit to the particular surface morphology of black silicon. It provides an optimal amount of silver crystallites on the silicon surfaces for a well-balanced metallization contact and Voc. Furthermore it features superior adhesion and reliability and a wide firing window, which makes 9641A black silicon specifically suitable for PERC colar cells.

N-type 9360A – higher efficiency, less paste usage

The SOLA9360A breakthrough p+ emitter metallization paste for n-type cells offers excellent contact formation as well as improved fine line screen printing capabilities, especially on high mesh, thinner wire screens and 28 μm screen openings. Due to reduced finger width, an efficiency gain of 0.1% can be achieved. Customers have also confirmed higher efficiencies with significantly less past usage, which translates into a significant reduction in a cell’s cost per watt. In addition, the n-type SOL9360A provides reduced contact and line resistivity as well as minimized metallization damage and a higher fill factor (0.42) due to high aspect ratio. The metallization paste is available as double print package in combination with 9622B.

SOL9641AX/BX – made for knotless screen printing technologies

The new SOL9641AX/BX series is designed to realize the full advantages of knotless printing screens, also known as zero degree mesh screens. Different from the conventional wire mesh this emerging technology gives the paste more room to pass through. The printability of SOL9641AX/BX has been perfectly tailored to this specific requirement of knotless screens. It features a unique paste rheology, enabling a significant higher aspect ratio on ultra-fine-line fingers compared to conventional paste used for knotless screens. An outstanding 0.1% efficiency gain can be achieved and the pastes are perfectly suited also for black silicon texturing.

“Metallization pastes are the core competency at Heraeus Photovoltaics. Since years we partner with our customer to achieve significant leaps in efficiency and we continue to do so with a new generation of metallization pastes for different solar cell technologies. With our high-efficient solutions and services, we play an important role in making renewable energies the cheapest energy source in the near future,” said Andreas Liebheit, President of Heraeus Photovoltaics.

“As the technology leader in metallization solutions we present an impressive line-up of innovative products at this year’s SNEC, making it the biggest launch program in the history of our company. All of our new products have the common goal to significantly enhance the overall efficiencies of our customers whilst at the same time lowering the costs per Watt,” said Dr. Weiming Zhang, Chief Technology Officer, Heraeus Photovoltaics.