PV-TEC – Photovoltaic Technology Evaluation Center

The Photovoltaic Technology Evaluation Center (PV-TEC) at Fraunhofer ISE was established in 2005 to bridge the gap between laboratory research and industrial application. The facility infrastructure is continuously adapted to the requirements for the development of innovative production technologies and products and is managed by experienced engineers, technicians, and scientists. We process and characterize the silicon wafer formats M10, G12R, and G12, which are currently standard in industry.

PV-TEC focuses on the following core topics in the field of production technology and measurement technology for crystalline silicon solar cells:

• Evaluation and development of manufacturing processes and process technology components
• Development and fabrication of advanced industrial solar cell structures
• Characterization and development of materials and solar cells
• Education and training for manufacturing personnel at industrial (or industry-related) facilities

Industry-oriented R&D for Companies Across the Entire PV Value Chain

The technical and personnel infrastructure at PV-TEC is used to support companies from all sectors of the PV value chain in their industry-oriented research and development. This includes, in particular, manufacturers of solar cells, modules, production equipment, and materials (silicon and process materials).

At the Fraunhofer ISE’s PV-TEC, we work on the continuous development and optimization of the standard process for manufacturing silicon solar cells and expand it to include innovative processes, such as deposition and laser processes for the production of advanced and structured passivating contacts. The further development of metallization processes to realize fine-line contacts with contact widths under 15 µm is another focus. This ensures that PV-TEC has a high-quality, continuously optimized baseline process available, which serves as the reference for process developments. PV-TEC is also capable of using partially processed solar cells for all industry-standard formats and of evaluating selected processes and process sequences.

This development is particularly aimed at the production of silicon solar cells for conventional applications in modules, a field in which we have held a leading international position in innovative products and production technology for many years. In addition, we are driving forward development for integrated applications and new solar cell designs, such as bottom-silicon solar cells for tandem solar cells with significantly higher efficiencies, as well as space applications like silicon solar cells for satellites in low Earth orbit.

Take your solar cell production to the next level with us!

Technical Equipment

• Wet chemical batch and inline systems for texturing, cleaning, and single-sided surface treatment
• Fully automated tube furnace systems for diffusion, oxidation, and deposition of polycrystalline Si layers
• Fully and semi-automated PECVD systems for the deposition of dielectric as well as intrinsic and doped amorphous Si layers
• PVD systems for the deposition of metallic and transparent conductive layers (TCO)
• Fully automated inspection systems for detailed characterization of silicon wafers after each process step
• Characterization laboratory with numerous measuring instruments for characterizing surfaces, layers, and partially processed wafers

Technical Equipment

• Laser-based process systems
• Numerous semi-automated printing systems: screen printing, dispensing, inkjet, and rotary printing
• Fully automated screen-printing lines, including a dispensing unit for fine-line front-side metallization
• Inline furnaces for drying and sintering processes
• Separate development laboratories for laser and printing processes
• Highly flexible cell tester for solar cell characterization
• Characterization laboratory with numerous measuring instruments for solar cell characterization