Technical Services for Metallization Pastes

Heraeus customers gain more efficiency and profit from additional application engineering and paste modification services.

In the PV industry there is a never-ending quest for continously higher efficiencies. Therefore the experts from Heraeus combine their product, process and service strengths to support their customers in an optimal way. Customers profit from many years of experience in different technical disciplines as well as from a global organziation.

Our overall goal is to maximize the value of our customers’ cells by helping them increase cell efficiency at a lower cost-per-Wp:

  • with our technical services we help to optimize production processes and yields,
  • with the paste modification we help to create tailor-made customer solutions.

Application Engineering Services

The technical service for Heraeus customers includes making recommendations regarding cell design and layout, paste selection, as well as printing and firing optimization. In-house studies are our basis to analize customer processes and support the optimization.

To help to develop individual solutions we either travel to our customers’ sites or work in the in-house Heraeus labs located in all key markets:

  • China (Shanghai)
  • Taiwan (Taoyuan)
  • Japan (Tokyo)
  • Singapore
  • Germany (Hanau)
  • United States (West Conshohocken)

Paste pre-testing with customers wafer, screen and metallization paste including firing optimization.

Image
  • Solar I/V- characterization (FF, Eff., Rs, Rsh, etc.)
  • Dark IV- characterization (Ps-Eff., Jo1, Jo2, ideality factor, etc.)
  • Other advanced characterization available
  • Sheet resistance
  • Line resistance
  • Contact resistance
  • Aspect Ratio
Printing of Silverpaste
  • All current deposition techniques (Single Print, Dual Print, Double Print, Dispensing etc.)
  • Various screen and stencil types (Hybrid, V-mesh, stainless steel etc.)
  • A variety of printing layouts (various finger count and line widths)
  • Different squeegee types (Triflex, Carbon, Diamond etc.)
Firing of Photovoltaic Silver Paste
  • Great expertise and experience in firing optimization
  • State-of-the-art firing equipment from nameable suppliers
  • Different firing profiles (such as high/low BOP, SPIKE)
Soldering and adhesion testing
  • Soldering equipment suitable to replicate customer processes
  • Different soldering heads available (6-Pin, 12-Pin)
  • A variety of soldering ribbons (Pb free, Pb containing etc.)
  • Various soldering fluxes (Halide free, Halide containing)

Paste Modification Laboratories

The number of finger lines, line width and shape, the number of busbars - each solar cell producer has a unique cell design and manufacturing process. We ensure optimum results for key feature of differentiation by modifying our pastes for your manufacturing process.

Our technical service centers, located in China, Taiwan and Japan, have state-of-the-art laboratories that allow modifying paste formulations. They are equipped to print and fire wafers using a variety of equipment to replicate the customers’ metallization processes. Further all relevant parameters of a finished cell can be tested.