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centrotherm wins the Solar + Power Award 2016 for its PERC solar cell production solution

DGAP-News: centrotherm photovoltaics AG / Key word(s): Miscellaneous
centrotherm wins the Solar + Power Award 2016 for its PERC solar cell
production solution

27.06.2016 / 14:54
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centrotherm wins the Solar + Power Award 2016 for its PERC solar cell
production solution

- Award in the PV Tool Innovation category

- Presentation to an international expert audience at EU PVSEC

- Production solution operational in Asia

Blaubeuren, June 27, 2016 - On the occasion of Intersolar Europe, the Solar
+ Power Award 2016 was conferred on centrotherm for its PECVD c.PLASMA AlOx
system for the manufacturing of PERC solar cells. The leading technology
and equipment supplier impressed the jury with its product in the PV Tool
Innovation category. This prize is awarded for developments that make a
significant contribution to raising efficiency in solar cell production.

The performance capacity of the centrotherm production solution for highly
efficient PERC solar cells was also the topic of a scientific presentation
at EU PVSEC 2016, the world's largest and most important photovoltaic
conference held in Munich. Under the title of "40 kHz PECVD of AlOx/SiNx
Stacks Demonstrated in Industrial High Efficiency PERC Production",
centrotherm presented the results of its PECVD process for aluminum oxide/
silicon nitride coating to an international expert audience. The
outstanding results were achieved through cooperation in a project with a
leading Taiwanese customer. Production evaluations with other prestigious
solar cell manufacturers show that this process is best suited to
manufacture multi- or mono-crystalline PERC solar cells with efficiencies
of over 19.5 % (mc-Si) and over 21.5 % (Cz-Si) in mass production,
irrespective of the quality of the emitter and wafer material.

The centrotherm PERC production solution is based on the PECVD batch system
that has been installed more than 1,000 times all over the world and is
considered industry standard in the photovoltaic sector. The c.PLASMA AlOx
batch system features significant advantages compared with the in-line
systems available in the market. This is particularly applicable to the
high equipment uptime that exceeds 98% and the process flexibility.
Cleaning the process chambers once a week, which is necessary with in-line
systems, is dispensed with through direct plasma deposition. Deposition