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process in its crystallization furnace to produce multi- crystalline ingots. Average efficiencies of 16.6%, and a peak result of up to 17.0%, were achieved under regular production conditions on a pilot line. The standard market levels usually achieved are between 16.2 and 16.4% on multi-crystalline material. cen- trotherm SiTec also cut manufacturing costs by eight percent with the new crystallization process com- pared with the previous process sequence. At the module level, values of around 236 Watt peak (Wp) per module were recorded – which usually stand at

market levels from 210 to 220 Wp. In the multi-cry- stalline ingot furnace, polysilicon particles are initially smelted in a quartz crucible at over 1,450° Celsius (2,642° F). The silicon melt is then converted into multi-crystalline ingots by a process of directional so- lidification. Bars and wafers are then cut from these crystallized silicon blocks, before being processed to produce solar cells and modules. The crystallization furnace regularly contains up to 500 kg of polysili- con, and has an optimized hot zone for a quartz cru- cible of 880mm x 880mm x 420mm, which enables

10-09 :: September 2010

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