Global PV production capacity is not expected to significantly increase in the near future and therefore there will not be any large PV capital expenditure before 2015, according to senior marketing manager Wesley Skinner for Applied Materials.
However, first-tier crystalline silicon solar cell makers in the US, Japan and Taiwan are expected to continue R&D investments to hike energy conversion rates, Skinner said.
Since development of solar cell manufacturing technology has no room for advancement for the time being, hikes in energy conversion rates rely on improvements in materials and manufacturing processes, Skinner pointed out.
POCl3, a diffusion process widely used to make solar cells, faces a challenge as it will be difficult to increase energy conversion rates from the current highest level of 19-20%, Skinner indicated. Ion-implanting equipment developed by Applied Materials is a relatively simple process and can reach higher yield rates, Skinner said. Solar cell makers using ion-implanting equipment have attained energy conversion rates of 22.4%, Skinner indicated.
Applied Materials will unveil Solion XP, its new-generation ion-implanting equipment with an hourly throughput of 3,000 solar cells, at the 28th European PV Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC) taking place in Paris during September 30-October 4.
