Solar wafers

The SolarWorld subsidiary Deutsche Solar AG is one of the largest manufacturers of solar silicon wafers worldwide. A wide range of mono-crystalline and multi-crystalline solar wafers is manufactured at the plant in Freiberg/Saxony to meet customer-specific requirements. Most of the wafers are further processed to make solar cells for standard products – not only within the company but also by a large number of customers worldwide. Wafers are also suitable as the input material for specialized applications.

Wafers are manufactured even in the USA, where the focus, however, is exclusively on mono-crystalline technologies. The know-how that is used here builds the foundation for the technological market leadership of SolarWorld in the USA.

The high-purity silicon, melted into blocks, is prepared in stacks, from which, in turn, very thin discs (wafers) are cut with the help of modern wire-cutting technology. After cleaning and intensive final checks the mono-crystalline and poly-crystalline wafers from the basis for the production of solar cells. The physical semiconductor quality determines the attainable efficiency in the manufacture of the solar cells.