AstroWatt Technology
AstroWatt has developed two key technologies that lower c-Si cell manufacturing cost per watt by 50%Leveraging decades of crystalline silicon material and solar cell/module market experience, AstroWatt has developed two key technologies that lower c-Si cell manufacturing cost per watt by 50% over other c-Si high-efficiency cell manufacturer's roadmaps and 30% below leading thin film technology roadmap targets.
Semiconductor-on-Metal (SOM®)
AstroWatt's SOM® substrate technology creates an ultra-thin silicon metallic substrate that is strong and flexible enough to be routinely handled in volume manufacturing with existing process and automation equipment.
Starting with a conventional monocrystalline silicon wafer, the proprietary SOM® technology produces a substrate with the precise silicon thickness required for optimum efficiency. Dramatic savings in silicon consumption
translates into the lowest production costs in the market for high-efficiency c-Si cells. With the elimination of handling and wafer breakage concerns of extremely thin silicon substrates, AstroWatt extends c-Si cell technology for use in both rigid and flexible c-Si modules.Read More >
Litho-less Local Back Contact (LBC)
As silicon thickness decreases, performance of the thin
crystalline cell is enhanced with the formation of local back contacts and the back reflector. AstroWatt's proprietary LBC technology creates high-efficiency cells with hetero-junction and back contact cell architectures without lithography or lasers. Combined with the SOM® substrate technology the AstroWatt cell can reach efficiencies of more than 20%. The unique LBC process can also replace selective emitter process that uses ion-implant or ink technologies resulting in lower processing costs.