Wednesday, December 12, 2018

UNSW and Leadmicro announce a joint initiative to develop next generation high-efficiency solar cells

[Leadmicro News] The University of New-South Wales (UNSW) in Australia, and Jiangsu Leadmicro Nano-Equipment Technology Ltd. (LEADMICRO), a China-based global manufacturer of advanced thin film deposition and etch equipment, have announced a partnership to develop the next generation high-efficiency solar cells based on novel Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) technology within the frame work of an Arena Project entitled “Advanced high-efficiency silicon solar cells employing innovative atomic scale engineered surface and contact passivation layers”. Mr Warwick Dawson, Director of Knowledge Exchange, Prof. Mark Hoffman, Dean of Faculty of Engineering, Prof. A/Prof Bram Hoex of School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, as well as Mr. Yangqin Wang, Chairman of the LEAD Group and Dr. Wei-Min Li, CTO of LEADMICRO witnessed the signing ceremony.


Left to right: Research Fellow, Ouyang Zi; Chairman of Wuxi Lead Intelligent Equipment Co. Ltd., Mr. Yanqing Wang; CTO of Jiangsu Leadmicro Nano-Equipment Technology Ltd., Dr Wei-Min LI; Director Knowledge Exchange at UNSW, Warwick Dawson; Dean of Engineering at UNSW, Professor Mark Hoffman; Associate Professor Bram Hoex.

The photovoltaic industry is currently amid the transfer to the technologically superior PERC technology which was developed at UNSW in the late 1980s. According to A/Prof Bram Hoex, who leads the project at UNSW, “A major part of the advantages of the PERC solar cell compared to the incumbent technology is due to the application of ultrathin films which reduce the electronic losses at the non-contacted areas at the rear of the silicon solar cell. It is generally accepted that the next technological node will use so called “passivating contacts” which simultaneously allows for low electronic and resistive losses. These passivating contacts typically consist of a combination of ultrathin films, thus we see that nanoscale thin films will play an increasingly important role in solar cells. ALD allows controlling the growth of thin films at the atomic level and therefore is ideally suited for making these contacts.” In this project, Leadmicro will donate a pilot-scale ALD reactor to UNSW which will be housed at its Solar Industrial Research Facility (SIRF) at UNSW’s Kensington campus. “The fact that we will have a high-throughput reactor available on campus will allow us to very quickly transfer the processes we develop at the lab-scale tools and test their performance at the solar cell device level, so the technology is ready for Leadmicro’s clients to use in high-volume manufacturing” says A/Prof Hoex.

UNSW Dean of Engineering Prof. Mark Hoffman said: “UNSW leads the world in photovoltaic research and development, and I am very pleased that Leadmicro has chosen to partner with us. Together we will drive further efficiencies in solar cell technology. Collaborations such as this one between researchers and industry, where prototypes can be tested before being placed into full-scale production, are crucial to driving the economic benefits of discoveries. I am thankful to Leadmicro for their support and look forward to seeing the outcomes of this partnership,” Professor Hoffman said.

“Leadmicro’s proprietary ALD technology has become the mainstream choice for mass production of high-efficiency solar cells based on passivated contact technology, we are excited to partner with world leading solar energy research center at UNSW to spearhead the development of ALD technology for next generation silicon based solar cell manufacturing that’s above 25% conversion efficiency.” says Dr. Wei-Min Li, CTO at Leadmicro. “In the past two years Leadmicro has made significant contribution to global solar industry with world leading ALD technology that enabled higher efficiency with significant cost reduction. Leadmicro is an example of new trend of Chinese company that is strived for technology innovation and localization. I’m happy to see the collaboration between Leadmicro and world leading research organization at UNSW to pioneer the new technology for high-efficiency solar cells production and contribute further to our noble endeavour of renewable energy for a clean world.” Says Mr Yang Qin Wang, Chairman of the Lead Group.

About UNSW

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is an Australian public research university located in the Sydney suburb of Kensington. Established in 1949, it is ranked 4th in Australia, 45th in the world, and 2nd in New South Wales according to the 2018 QS World University Rankings. UNSW has been a world-leader in the field of photovoltaics for over four decades.

About LEADMICRO

Jiangsu Leadmicro Nano-Equipment Technology Ltd is a global equipment manufacturer specialized in development, design, manufacturing, and services of the advanced thin film deposition and etch equipments for industrial production applications. Leadmicro’s business areas cover a wide range of industries including new energy, flexible electronics, semiconductor, and nano-technology.






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