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PES: Welcome to PES Solar/PV magazine. Would you like to begin by explaining a little about the background of your organisation and how you currently serve the solar/PV industry?

Dr.-Ing. Stefan Rinck: SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES was founded in 1995 and started with replication and sputtering systems for the media industry. Our company has over 8000 sputtering systems in the market all over the world. In 2007, we acquired the solar company Stangl which was a leading company in wet chemical processing for solar & semiconductor.

SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES consistently expanded the solar business. Our goal is to attain a leading position in the crystalline and thin-film solar technology as a machine supplier as well as a development partner for new cell concepts.

In the thin-film solar cell technology, SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES mainly focusses on the CIS/CIGS-technology. Here, we distinguish ourselves through a combination of proprietary process know-how and our high-tech plant engineering knowledge. In crystalline cell technology, we focus on heterojunction, PERC/PERL, IBC and certainly on all standard cell formats.

A sunny outlook with CIGS and HJT

The chase for higher efficiencies means that companies are developing and improving technologies all the time. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Rinck, CEO at SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES, dropped in to PES to tell us about their new developments in CIGS and the new heterojunction cell technology (HJT).

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Dr.-Ing. Stefan Rinck

RTP Selenisation furnace for an optimized CIGS-absorber formation

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PES: You are active in a number of industry sectors. How important is the Solar/PV business to SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES?

SR: Our solar segment is the most important business sector for SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES. Over the last years, we have developed and built several new machine concepts and manufacturing processes in the crystalline and thin-film solar technology and introduced the equipment on to the global market.

One of our main markets for PV is China. Large state-owned companies are encouraged to invest in PV and especially in CIGS-thin-film solar technology. These companies recognise a lot of advantages by investing in CIGS-technology and they aim to participate in the growing, future solar market with their products.

In the past couple of years, our company has acquired a high level of expertise in the market for CIS/CIGS technology, both in

process know-how and the relevant engineering knowledge. This is demanded and recognised by globally leading module producers, especially in China. With customised and individually optimised machines, SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES intends to gradually gain an excellent unique selling proposition and a step by step expansion of the product range within the CIS/CIGS factories to be built.

We are also addressing the modernisation of existing production lines to achieve higher efficiency levels with our technology to manufacture PERC/PERL cells. A further main focus, in the area of crystalline solar cells, is on production systems for high performance cells like heterojunction.

SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES is an engineering company and develops and builds machines for economic and resource-efficient production processes. The range of use of the machines built by SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES includes vacuum thin-film and plasma coating, wet-chemical cleaning and etching processes as well as thermal processing technology.

PES: We are interested in your copper indium gallium selenide solar cells (CIGS). Can you please tell us about your latest developments and their technological advancements?

SR: Over the last years, SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES has invested a lot of time and money in the development of innovative

production equipment for the main manufacturing steps. As you may know, there are different ways used to produce CIGS modules.

Our cleaning and washing machines and especially our in line sputtering machines for glasses can be used for all process variants. The SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES sputtering systems are available with both horizontal as well as vertical substrate transport. These systems for development and production tools are designed to enhance the efficiency of thin-film solar cells, while cutting production costs by using state of the art technologies. They can apply special layers and layer systems on different materials.

We have a specially designed carrier transport system that allows loading and unloading of the substrates from the same side of the machine. We also provide the inline co-evaporation tool which is based on the thermal evaporation of all CIGS-related precursor materials. It is dedicated to the deposition of copper-indium-gallium-selenium layers in order to form optimum precursor layers in the application of CIGS-thin-film solar cells.

We successfully developed the CISARIS selenisation furnace for an optimised CIGS-absorber formation and have already delivered it several times. This is inline rapid thermal processing equipment, designed for the CIGS-absorber formation on large area glass substrates.

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Four carriers all transported in parallel through the system

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The main features of the CISARIS include a high uptime and mechanical yield as well as a fast cycle time which, in combination with the robust selenisation process, lead to a production capacity of over 25 MWp per year. The furnace can safely handle the thermal processing of large glass substrates of over 1m2 at temperatures up to 600°C and beyond under a toxic and corrosive gas atmosphere.

High heating and cooling rates combined with excellent temperature homogeneity during all the process stages are the key factors, which allow the formation of an optimal CIGSSe-absorber. For example, this furnace is used in the Avancis process and also presents a major part of our CNBM order from China.

Early in March 2017, we signed another contract for VISTARIS vacuum sputtering systems, as well as systems for wet chemical buffer layer deposition with the brand name TENUIS II with the subsidiary of a major public energy company and producer of solar modules in China. The order volume exceeds €20 million.

Buffer layer deposition with TENUIS II, from SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES is another promising development on the way to efficient thin film solar module wet-chemical coating made of CIGS on glass.

The second generation of the TENUIS production line has a modular cluster build basis, which gives a significant reduction in floor space and the simultaneous one-side coating of two substrates. Due to this unique concept in terms of dosing and temperature control, the developers at SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES were successful in reducing the process time, which has a positive effect and a considerably higher output in production.

PES: What are the benefits to your clients and the end users?

SR: Let’s answer this question in this way. We have already delivered many of these systems to the market and they are working around the world: Germany, India, South Africa, China, and South Korea. So our customers can be sure, that we have a lot of experience in providing excellent manufacturing solutions for the different

CIGS-processes. Our systems work 24/7 and we also back this up this with our worldwide service network.

PES: How does the cooperation with the Chinese companies GCL and CIE work?

SR: We signed a cooperation agreement in August last year with the Chinese companies Golden Concord Holdings Limited (GCL) and China Intellectual Electric Power Technology Co.,Ltd. (CIE). GCL is one of the world’s largest companies in the solar industry; CIE has specialised in the development of high-efficiency heterojunction (HJT) solar cells.

The purpose of the cooperation is to develop highly efficient heterojunction solar cells. The function of CIE and GCL here is to bring on the process technology and manufacture the cells. SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES is assuming the task of developing, optimising, building and supplying the appropriate production systems for the manufacturing of HJT solar cells. The three partners are consequently addressing the rising demand for heterojunction solar cells.

GENERIS PVD inline sputtering system for solar cells

Large inline sputtering system with vertical substrate transport and automatic carrier return

Wet processing system for cleaning/edging of heterojunction solar cells

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We are delivering the first wet processing systems SILEX II to China within the next weeks and are working further on the development of more process steps with our partners.

PES: Can you tell us about the new heterojunction cell technology (HJT) that you have been working on?

SR: SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES started with the wet processing tool SILEX II, which was introduced to the market at EUPVSEC 2014. Since then has been intensive work on developing the SILEX II system, for high-efficiency crystalline solar cells. In particular, SILEX II enables the required processing stages to be performed for heterojunction solar cells, as well as the processing of extremely thin wafers. Our company has subsequently delivered over 30 systems, to be used in heterojunction cell manufacturing in Europe, the U.S. and Asia.

At the end of March this year, SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES successfully completed the FAT of the wet-chemical process system SILEX II, which was delivered to Russia’s largest photovoltaic manufacturer, Hevel LLC, Novocheboksarsk, Russia (Hevel).

Hevel is converting its existing production line for a-Si thin-film solar modules to the production of new heterojunction, high-performance solar cells and modules. The agreement concluded the supply of the SILEX II production system, for the wet-chemical processing of heterojunction solar cells, as well as an extensive range of chemical supply units and facility infrastructure for the production of heterojunction solar cells. The SILEX II supplied is a production system that transports four carriers with solar cells in parallel, thus offering a capacity in excess

of 5,000 wafers per hour.

Our company now has also developed a universal sputtering platform with the brand name GENERIS PVD. The new GENERIS PVD system is a horizontal inline sputter tool designed for special requirements in photovoltaic high efficiency cell production. A heterojunction cell performance of 22.3% was achieved in cooperation with a research institute.

The deposited ITO layers exhibit excellent optical transmittance. Charge carrier mobility and electron density are optimised to minimise free carrier absorption in the ITO film. Sputter damage to the amorphous silicon passivation layers did not occur.

With the GENERIS PVD sputtering system, contact layers can be deposited on the front and rear of the Si-wafers without the need to turn the wafers between coating processes and without vacuum interruption. Also, full area metal coatings, e.g. Ag, can be deposited within the same system. By using rotatable sputtering cathodes, highest target utilisation is achieved and offers lowest production costs. The GENERIS PVD system, with a modular chamber setup, provides a throughput range from 2600 wph up to 5200 wph.

PES: What sort of cell efficiencies has been reached? And what do you believe to be achievable?

SR: On February 21, 2017 Hevel Solar announced promising new results from the new HJT production line as it approached commissioning. Hevel states that the upgrade of its cell and module manufacturing facility in Novocheboksarsk began in November 2016. Now on February 21st, the manufacturer and project developer announced that during the final

stages of pre-commissioning of the heterojunction cell line they immediately achieved a cell efficiency of 21.75%.

We think that’s a perfect start and usually, after an optimising period even higher results are achievable.

PES: What makes HJT stand out from the rest?

SR: Heterojunction provides promising results for the future. If PV companies decide on new investments, this is a good technology for building successful solar cell manufacturing.

Heterojunction is also very interesting for converting existing production facilities, from a-Si thin-film solar cell to the production of the new high-performance solar cells. Several existing machines can be adapted to the new cell format.

PES: Speaking from a global standpoint, which geographical regions do you anticipate being key markets for SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES in 2017?

SR: In photovoltaics, China certainly is still the key market. But we see many emerging countries around the world. The MENA region, South America, Africa, India and even in Europe we see new investments in cell production. So it is a worldwide business and an equipment provider like SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES has to be present in all places around the world. We have an international sales and service network and can provide solutions for each of these regions.

PES: There have been significant changes in the political landscape, with BREXIT and Donald Trump in the Whitehouse, how do you think these will affect the current trade agreements?

SR: You are right; there are some changes in the political landscape. But with the ratification of the COP 21 protocol of the conference in Paris on December 12, 2015, about 195 states reached an agreement containing binding commitments for all countries. This signals the global community’s binding pledge under international law to limit growth in global warming to below two degrees Celsius. It also stipulates that the world must become greenhouse gas-neutral in the second half of the 21st century.

The increasing global demand for energy and the focus on renewable energy are seen as the key market drivers in the solar segment. Global electricity consumption is expected to increase by 65% in the next two decades. Almost 50% of newly commissioned global power plant capacity now relates to power plants based on renewable energy. The renewable energy sector is driven by wind and solar.

www.singulus.com/en

Modular buffer layer deposition system for CIGS-solar modules