Circuits Assembly - July 2008 - (Page 28)

Cover Story Currently, a great deal of activity is occurring at each stage of the photovoltaic process flow, with an overall aim to improve current technologies and reduce costs. At the silicon stage, much of this work focuses on developing “solar-grade” silicon that is cheaper to produce. The current process is based on semiconductor silicon manufacturing processes. At the wafer stage, development activity surrounds automating the manufacturing process and handling wafers in a more cost-effective manner. At the cell stage, opportunities are available for development and cost-reductions around the two major types of photovoltaic cell technologies in use: · Single/multi-crystalline/silicon: This tech- Figure 2. A conventional photovoltaic cell is built using thick-film production techniques (Prismark Partners). Rework & Repair One product line to exceed your expectations and take care of all your lead-free rework and repair needs. All Chemtronics lead-free products are: � Engineered for high temperature lead-free applications � Specifically designed for all lead-free solder � RoHS compliant CALL NOW! Contact ITW Chemtronics today for more information about the new Lead-Free product line. Call our technical hotline at 770-832-4401, or email us at askchemtronics@chemtronics.com. Nothing Cleans Like Chemtronics Soder-Wick®, Flux-Off®, Chemask®, CircuitWorks® and Chemtronics® are registered trademarks of ITW Chemtronics. ©2005 All rights reserved. 800-645-5244 / 770-424-4888 • www.chemtronics.com nology has 78% of the market share, with major players and established assembly capability. · Non-standard crystalline: 11% market share, with at least four variations on the technology. A rival to the conventional photovoltaic technology, thin-film has emerged in the past decade as a viable alternative to the traditional silicon wafer cell approach. Thin-film has 11% share, with at least three variations on the technology. This technology boasts the most activity, patents and cost-reduction opportunities. For new market entrants, thin-film provides the best opportunity for investment and development, as market share is growing, and the three unique technology variations provide opportunities for innovation – in contrast to entering a more mature market, such as polysilicon. However, all manufacturing technologies are evolving, and the cost of the incumbent polysilicon technology is becoming more affordable. Opportunity exists for the electronics industry to align with thin-film technology manufacturing and push cost reduction through materials and cycle-time reductions. At the module level, the focus is on turnkey equipment development and streamlining solar modules handling. Inherent to this stage of the photovoltaic process is something familiar to the electronics world: soldering. Tabbing and stringing is used to join panels using wire and flux. This means there may be an opportunity for electronics manufacturers because the principles of high-volume automation, design for manufacturing, Lean and Six Sigma, and design for reliability can be applied (Figure 3). The cost of entry is not cheap, however. A typical turnkey cell assembly line today can cost $10 million to $80 million and take 12 to 18 months to become fully operational. A typical turnkey module assembly line can cost $500,000 to $5 million and take six to nine circuitsassembly.com 28 Circuits Assembly JULY 2008 http://www.chemtronics.com http://www.chemtronics.com http://circuitsassembly.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Circuits Assembly - July 2008

Circuits Assembly - July 2008 Contents Caveat Lector Industry News Market Watch Talking Heads Focus on Business Global Sourcing On the Forefront Screen Printing Tech Tips Will Electronics Follow the Sun? ‘Warm’ Manufacturing Heats Up Reputation Trumps Recession, China ‘Web Circuits’ A Novel Non-VOC Conformal Coating Krypton: Benchmarking Customer Satisfaction 2008-09 CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY Buyers Guide Wave Soldering Pb-Free Lessons Learned Process Doctor Materials World SMTA Int'l Product Preview Ad Index Assembly Insider Technical Abstracts

Circuits Assembly - July 2008

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