Sep 24 08 - Newport Corp. has introduced the SolaryX 420 laser scribing system for thin film photovoltaic process development applications. The SolaryX 420 tool is a flexible, semi-automated laser system designed for scribing the interconnect patterns of thin-film-on-glass solar panels. It is well suited for process optimization in pilot lines prior to full-scale thin film solar panel production and also for research and development of higher-efficiency cell architectures.

The SolaryX 420 laser scribing system from Newport is designed to accept 420mm square glass substrates and is available in single and dual wavelength versions. The system accommodates up to two lasers and can be configured with either 1064nm infrared lasers, 532nm green lasers, or one of each. It can be used to scribe most thin film photovoltaic materials.

In addition to creating precise scribe lines in thin film materials, SolaryX 420 systems can also support laser edge isolation, a process that uses a laser to remove the thin film material from a zone around the full perimeter of the thin film panel. The width of the isolation zone can be configured by the user and is made by selecting the desired number of adjacent passes.

Over the next several months, Newport said it will continue to expand the SolaryX family by introducing several new platforms that support a broad range of applications, solar cell materials, panel sizes, and processing requirements.

Wed Sep 24 14:18:00 CDT 2008