Oerlikon introduces new thin film solar equipment

Oerlikon Solar, a leading supplier of thin film production equipment and a division of massive Swiss manufacturer Oerlikon (SWX: OERL), has introduced a new transparent conductive oxide (TCO) 1200 coating device.

The light-transmitting TCO layers act as electrodes and “light traps,” which are key components in thin film silicon modules.

Oerlikon says it's now the only company to offer the combination of the TCO process step with production technology for solar modules using thin film silicon.

The first solar factory with the new generation has been built at Ersol Thin Film GmbH in Erfurt, Germany. Production is expected to start in August of this year.

“By introducing this unique TCO technology, we become the first-to-market and advance the performance of thin film silicon modules together with our customers,” said Uwe Krüger, CEO of Oerlikon.

Oerlikon Solar provides equipment and expertise for the main manufacturing steps of thin film solar products, including TCO coating, thin film silicon coating, laser structuring and final assembly.

The company says its new plant is based on a low pressure chemical vapor deposition process, using low-cost, environmentally friendly zinc oxide instead of the commonly used fluoride doped tin oxide.

Oerlikon Solar is headquartered in Truebbach, Switzerland, with an R&D Lab in Neuchâtel. It employs 160 people. Its parent company, Oerlikon, has over CHF 4.8 billion in sales and 19,000 employees in 35 countries.

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