Laser micromachining systems maker 3D-Micromac (Chemnitz, Germany) reports that its total-received order volume for its microCELL TLS high-throughput half-cell cutting tools tops 1.5GW for tool deliveries in 2017 to date.
The microCELL TLS systems use thermal laser separation for cleaving solar cells into half-cells. This process provides a multitude of mechanical and electrical benefits to customers. The separated cells show a significantly higher mechanical strength, better edge quality, and lower power reduction compared to laser scribing and cleaving approaches. A module power gain >1W was seen with TLS compared to conventional scribe and break methods, in addition to the 5–7W per-module gain of half-cell module technology.
The company also introduced its second-generation microCELL OTF system for laser contact opening (LCO) of passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) solar cells, which achieves throughput of 8000 wafers per hour.
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