centrontherm, a PV production equipment provider, received the Solar + Power Award 2016 in the PV Tool Innovation category at Intersolar Europe for its PECVD c.PLASMA AlOx system for manufacturing PERC cells, proving that centrotherm’s PERC production solution indeed contributes to raising efficiency in solar cells.

Technology and performance

centrotherm’s PERC production solution is based on the PECVD c.PLASMA AlOx batch system which offers over 98% equipment uptime and optimized process flexibility for the whole production process. The centrothem direct plasma process offers outstanding surface passivation properties in the process of passivation through AlOx/SiNx stacked layers on the rear side of PERC solar cells because the c.PLASMA AlOx technology offers improved process flexibility through the possibility of deposition of further dielectric layers, such as 2/3 SiONx or SiOx. Such a process requires only adjustments to the recipes rather than modifying the system. In addition, the centrotherm system concept with four redundant process chambers also enables process optimizations during running production. New recipes can be transmitted to other process chambers or systems without interrupting production.

The technology is suitably applicable to mono- and multi-si PERC cells and is able to increase the conversion efficiencies to over 21.5% and 19.5%, respectively, in mass production. Some leading Taiwanese PV PERC makers have already accepted using centrotherm’s award-winning PECVD solution.

“centrotherm has been offering its customers reliable process solutions and system concepts for efficient solar cell production for more than 40 years,” said Dr. Josef Haase, Senior Vice President Technology Photovoltaics of centrotherm photovoltaics AG, who received the prize last week in Munich and sees the award of centrotherm’s chosen solution as confirmation of the centrotherm team’s competence. “With our PECVD AlOx process and our c.PLASMA system platform, we currently offer the best production solution for the mass production of PERC solar cells. The award conferred by the solar community affirms this conclusion.”