Wet chemical processes are becoming increasingly common in depositing cell layers in high volume CIGs and CdTe solar cells. The greatest immediate advantage of wet processing is the dramatic decrease in capital investment cost compared to CVD and sputtering deposition processing. Further advantages of wet chemical processing include increased effective material usage, simplified process requirements and flexible deposition control.

Sono-Tek ultrasonic spray technology offers further advantages to thin film solar manufacturers due to the unique qualities of ultrasonic spray. Deposited as a soft, low velocity mist-like spray using high frequency sound wave technology, ultrasonic spray provides superior homogenous dispersion of particles in suspension throughout the coating process. The vibrational ultrasonic energy produced during atomization serves to make the ultrasonic nozzle a self-cleaning device. The inherent non-clogging nature of ultrasonics contributes to highly repeatable coating processes that are easily scaled to high volume manufacturing, once proven through R&D and pilot line production.

With effective material usage as high as 95%, ultrasonic wet processing minimizes waste of chemistry, further reducing manufacturing costs and ultimately cost per watt for producing thin film solar cells.

As thin film solar comes of age in the coming decade, wet chemical processing will surely be a major contributing factor in drawing investment into the future of the thin film solar industry.

For further information regarding Sono-Tek ultrasonic spray technology for thin film solar manufacturing , go to https://www.sono-tek.com/energy/page/thin_film_overview or email info@sono-tek.com.