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The focus topic “Lasers in Photovoltaics Manufacturing” at LASER World of Photonics 2009 examines the future of supplying electricity through solar power.

In addition to the manufacturers of photovoltaic modules, companies from the traditional semiconductor industry have been working for years now to optimize solar modules for generating “solar electricity.” Now, the capabilities of laser materials processing are opening completely new perspectives in the struggle for the ideal technology. By enabling highly efficient solutions for manufacturing photovoltaic modules, laser technologies will profoundly impact the industry’s future. For this reason, from 15 – 18 June 2009, LASER World of PHOTONICS, the world’s leading trade show for optical technologies, is dedicating one of its focus topics to “Lasers in Photovoltaics Manufacturing.”

“Lasers in Photovoltaics Manufacturing” at LASER World of PHOTONICS 2009
The use of lasers in the production of photovoltaics is one of the top issues being covered by the worldwide industry’s leading trade show, LASER World of PHOTONICS 2009. Numerous exhibitors active in the area of lasers used in the manufacturing of photovoltaics – such as Rofin-Sinar Laser GmbH (Hamburg, Germany) Coherent Deutschland GmbH (Dieburg, Germany), Newport Spectra-Physics GmbH (Darmstadt, Germany), SPI Lasers (Southhampton, UK) and TRUMPF Laser GmbH & Co. KG (Schramberg, Germany) – will be participating. Moreover, this focus topic will be seen in other areas as well. This includes, for instance, the presentations of practical experience that are part of the LASER World of PHOTONICS program. Within the framework of the accompanying World of Photonics Congress, in the forums within the trade show halls, the event will be presenting concrete applications of the latest technologies along with the insights gained from practical experience: Rofin-Sinar will be presenting on the subject of “Lasers in Photovoltaics Manufacturing,” and Carl Baasel Lasertechnik GmbH & Co. KG will be providing insight into “The Use of Lasers in Photovoltaics Technologies.” At the same time, this focus topic will be accompanied by example applications being shown at the booths of many exhibitors.

The “LiM09 – Lasers in Manufacturing” conference from 15 through 18 June will also focus on this key theme within the framework of its “Applications in Photovoltaics” session. This will highlight the trade show’s claim that it links theory and practice, science and research. At LASER World of PHOTONICS, this theme will bring together developers and users and show the exciting potential for future developments in the generation of solar electricity.

Industry Alliance for Affordable Solar Power
As they seek to extend solar energy’s success story into the future and become independent of national subsidy programs, photovoltaic manufacturers are pursuing the declared goal of achieving “grid parity” by reducing the costs of solar power to match the expense of conventional power. For this reason, in recent years, conventional semiconductor manufacturers and manufacturers of photovoltaic modules have increasingly been working together and performing intense research toward manufacturing new and more efficient modules.

Here, as in many other industries, the high precision and speed of laser technology can continue to optimize both the production processes and the products themselves. Lasers are employed, for example, when drilling the wafers – the thin slices of silicon that serve as the basis for many photovoltaic modules. Lasers are also used for engraving and cutting solar cells and for surface processing. Thanks to their great precision and speed, lasers boost the efficiency of the solar cells and cut production costs.

The integration of laser technology into the photovoltaic manufacturing process and the commitment of the established semiconductor industry in this area have led to the formation of a unique industry alliance for achieving grid parity to enable sustainable generation of electric power.

A market with a bright future
In recent years, national subsidy programs and the challenges of environmental protection have been heating up the market: In 2007, the solar-power systems installed in Germany had a 3.8 gigawatt peak (GWp) power. This means that – operating under ideal conditions – the systems installed at that time were able to generate a maximum power output of 3.8 gigawatts. In 2008, the installed power output grew rapidly to 5.3 GWp. In addition, the worldwide solar energy capacity installed for the first time in 2008 nearly doubled to 4 GWp.

New requirements in the high-growth photovoltaic market
While the market continues to grow, the conditions are currently changing for the manufacturers of photovoltaic modules. Production capacities around the world have been continuously expanding over the past few years. This is the case both for conventional silicon cells and for innovative thin-film modules. Thin film modules feature significantly lower materials costs, employ different semiconductor materials, and can make less expensive solutions available in some cases.

In this way, the market for photovoltaics is changing from a vendor’s market to a buyer’s market. In 2009, the supply in some individual markets was at times greater than the demand for the first time. The current international economic situation and the limitation of subsidies for solar power in the main European markets of Spain and Germany are making competition even tougher. Innovative production technologies based on lasers can create the decisive change for the future of the international markets and for solar generation of electricity.