FEATURE MANUFACTURING
sized companies. Alphanov offers an array of resources and services in optics and lasers, including laser micromachining, terahertz imaging, laser components and development of optical systems.
Rainer Kling, head of Alphanov’s
micromachining, says, ‘I think we cover all types of PV cells such as monocrystalline solar panels and the new generation of thin film solar cells on flexible substrates, so we optimise existing industrial production as well as research future cell concepts.’ For solar cells, clusters are being set up to foment photovoltaic development. In the region of Aquitaine, Kling identifies a new cluster called Sysolia as evidence of this. As well as Alphanov, Sysolia’s members include the University of Bordeaux, laser manufacturers, integrators and solar panel producers.
This is a solar cell structured by laser
➤
The trend is reducing the cost of photovoltaics, and thin film seems to be set to take a major share of the market in the future
ownership than expected; they don’t calculate all the wear of the parts. The blades of the machine disturb the bearings and things like that, so you have to replace parts all the time. Sandblasting is quite dirty, and no-one really wants to have to deal with that.’ With lasers Siebert sells them as cleaner, easier to maintain and cheaper over the lifecycle of the machine. The next step for lasers is to increase the productivity, ‘What we are doing is going to higher power to have higher throughput.’ Ultimately it is the accuracy obtained by 3D machining with lasers that is their key advantage. As an example a process called selective ablation is being deployed for thin film photovotaics. ‘Selective ablation with very specific laser sources and increasing process speed, the laser parameters need to be customised for each of the typical three scribing processes. The trend is reducing the cost of photovoltaics, and thin film seems to be set to take a major share of the market in the future. We have different end users in this area, but most of the work is confidential,’ explains Wilfried Vogel, a sales engineer with Alphanov. For most of its customers, Alphanov has to sign non-disclosure agreements and Vogel explained that it is ‘very difficult’ even to name the customer let alone discuss the work being done. Alphanov is the optics and laser technology centre of the Aquitaine ‘Route des Lasers’ cluster. Based in Bordeaux and founded in 2007, Alphanov aims to encourage collaboration between research and industry including large-, small- and medium-
18 PHOTOVOLTAICS 2012
What work Vogel can talk about involves femtosecond lasers. ‘In the processing of thin films it is the femtosecond laser that is the major tool for selective ablation. It ablates fully one layer and won’t damage the layer underneath.’ The advantages he cites for femtosecond lasers are their ability to provide a clear cut with no rough edges and no mixing of materials between the layers. The next step is to apply the laser technology to other materials, namely organic lighting. ‘We are about to start a project that is focusing on organic displays. The configuration is very similar to organic photovoltaics and the materials are very similar, so our major interest is to identify the material and absorption behaviour of the organic part of the multi-layers that can be lased,’ explains Kling. This stack of up to six different materials to be lased is, according to Kling, quite challenging. They are multilayered, consist of different substances and require specific laser parameters, such as the wavelength. Treating each of them individually is one approach, according to Kling. Thanks to software, lasers can switch rapidly between setups, allowing them to cope with many different materials – another key advantage that lasers have against other possible cutting or ablating technologies. Lasers’ precision and unique capabilities to deliver energy to vaporise, and do no more, is clearly the key to its widespread use with the varied and delicate materials and structures that the higher efficiency solar cells will consist of in future of the photovoltaics market. l
Trumpf
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28