pv magazine 09/2012
Application & Installation

GP Solar will introduce its GP WIS 2.0, a fully- integrated system for wafer quality control. The complete system is equipped with all relevant inspection assemblies to perform the entire range of wafer inspection. The new GP WIS enables full- area saw mark inspection, exact thickness and resistivity measurements as well as reliable micro crack detection on wafers. The throughput is 3,600 wafers per hour. The automation unit carefully transports the wafers, minimizes handling stress on wafers, and forms the basis for the integration of inspection assemblies of which each has its dedicated position. This way the system enables reliable results for complete and reliable quality control. For easy integration in the existing production line, the automation unit provides mechanical and electrical interfaces or connecting to a previous process machine and the following sorter unit. All interaction for controlling the complete system is carried out on a 24 inch vertical touch screen panel which is easy to operate. The system has been available worldwide since August this year.

Website of pv magazine

Photovoltaic Production June 2012
Equipment & Solutions

Measuring Instrument
GP Solar of Constance, Germany, introduces and optimized version of the GP STAB-TEST .Pro. This measuring instrument was designed especially for the photovoltaics industry for the examination of solar wafers and cells.
The system includes so-called 'twist' and '4-point-bend' tests to determine why wafers break in production and avoid future breakage. The test measures the mechnical stability and load-bearing capability of silicon wafers.
The device can also perform a 'pull-test' to check the adhesion strength of the soldered contacts to the cell. The quality of theses soldered contacts can also be examined alomg their full length at 90, 135 and 180 degrees. A further test - the bow test - measures the bowing of the cells. The data from the test enable the optimization of the firing process and back-side printing.
The mechanics and electronics in the device have been re-designed, incorporating innovative solutions. The new features have made the device much easier to use, while at the same time improving the accuracy of measurements. The various measuring attachments can be switched out in seconds, and thanks to the new software, automatically adjust to the new measurement.
Because wafers are becoming ever thinner (< 180 µm) and have to last more than 25 years inside a module, ensuring that they can withstand both processing and a long-term service life is essential.

Website of photovolatic production

Photovoltaic Production March 2012
Measuring & Testing

New Inspection Systems for Wafers and Modules
Quality control of wafers, cells and modules is an important step in the PV manufacturing process. With its new inspection systems, GP Solar provides efficient solutions for wafer based cell production and thin film production.

Please read the complete article in the pdf.

Website of photovolatic production

PV Magazine 10-2011
Production Technology

GP Solar GmbH presents its latest product line for inline measuring technology with hardware and software improvements. A proprietary development in the field of camera optics enables optimized defect detetction by spectral analysis of wafers, cells and modules, providing the highest degree of measurement accuracy for innnovative processes, such as those used for manufacturing selective emitters and back-side contacts. The new software development simplifies the set-up of new recipes, allows individual fine tuning of the print set-up and enables defect analysis of up to 600 samples, making minute process problems possible. Now, the software is also available with a Chinese user interface according to GP Solar. The company says that GP TOPO-D .Scan is a global first. It is an inline inspection device for full surface 3D topographic measuring of wafers and solar cells. Measurement is performed within a second without stopping the production process. The height resolution of the measurement is four µm at a lateral resolution of 160 µm on standard belt conveyor systems. The system detects saw marks on wafers as well as three-dimensional print defects on solar cell rear sides. The GP TF-SENSE .Scan is a high-quality inspection system for 100 percent inspection of thin-film modules as GP Solar states. Due to advances sampling automation, each substrate can be measured without affecting the production cycle. The integrated Fischerscope XRF sensor is optimized for continuous material analysis end ensures a customized detection of CIGS layers. The inspection systems are all capable of flexible deployment into production lines according to GP Solar. Furthermore, they are also easy to integrate and are up and running quickly.

Website of PV Magazine

InterPV Magazine 10-2011
Product Showcase

The GP TOPO-D .Scan is a world innovation: An advanced optical inline inspection system to measure full-area 3D topography of wafers and solar cells on-the-fly within one second. The patented technology (patent pending) allows 3D scans of wafers with z-accuracy by simply moving the wafer through the system.
The GP TOPO-D .Scan performs a full area measurement and detects 3D defects independent of their orientation and position. The height resolution of the measurement is 4µm at a lateral resolution of 160µm on a standard belt conveyor system. The system is primarily designed for detecting saw marks on wafers, but is also well suited for detecting 3D print defects on solar cell rear sides by measuring height and overlap of the aluminum print to the busbar print.

Website of InterPV Magazine

SUN & WIND ENERGY 09-2011
Preview PVSEC

At GP Solar from Constance, a subsidiary of the centrotherm photovoltaics group, visitors can expect a new product line of inspection systems for PV production. Its name is GP Solar Inspect CHROME, and in addition to many hardware and software innovations, GP Solar will unveil its new systems’ designs. The most important hardware innovation from the perspective of the developer is a camera lens for enhanced error detection using spectral analysis. GP Solar says the special lenses prevent optical defects and guarantee accurate results among inspected wafers, cells and modules. For customers in China, the new product line’s software has a Chinese user interface. Other features: the cell design is automatically detected using a “teachin” process and new formulae can be adjusted quickly. In addition, the software allows individual fine tuning of pressure equipment and is equipped with additional options for innovative processes. Another feature mentioned by GP Solar is an image overview of the coating quality, with which variations in the process are easily recognisable. A further innovation is an in-line inspection device, called the GP TOPO-D.Scan. World first: it is designed for full-scale 3D measurement of the topography of wafers and solar cells in one second. The technology, for which a patent has been filed, makes z-direction scans of wafers in 3D. The wafer simply has to pass through the system once, explains GP Solar. Defects can be viewed irrespective of their orientation and position. The vertical resolution of the measurement is 4 μm at a lateral resolution of 160 μm on a standard tape system. The inspection system was initially developed to identify saw grooves on wafers. According to GP Solar, it is also suitable for detecting printing errors on the rear sides of solar cells.

Website of SUN & WIND ENERGY

InterPV Magazine 07-2011
Rubric: Production & Inspection

Interview
Making affordable solar energy available worldwide is the mission that motivates GPnSolar employess every day. GP Solar's service and products can be found in more than 250 production lines with a capacity of 10 GW around the world.

Please find the complete interview in the pdf.

Website of InterPV Magazine

PV Magazine 07-2011
Rubric: products

GP Solar will be showcasing its GP TEX-Q .Scan at the Intersolar Europe. The GP TEX-Q .Scan is an optical inspection system for controlling texture quality of mono- and multi crystalline silicon wafers. With this system, GP Solar developed an expert system for wet chemical texturing of multi-silicon wafers. The texturing quality, classified on a scale ranging from 1 (untextured) to 5 (overetched), is now determined with complex analysis algorithms. For senior process engineers, this step has thus far only been assessable with a sample set.
The GP TEX-Q .Scan is a combination of experience concerning the optimization of wet chemical processes and the company’s product line >GP Solar Inspect< in a compact measuring tool for process control. The inspection system can be integrated above or below of the reel or belt transport. The on-the-fly measurement has a throughput of one wafer per second and enables the continuous monitoring of the texturing process. Initial customer deliveries are planned for fall this year.

Website of PV Magazine

PV Magazine 02-2011
Rubric: Interview & Suppliers

Interview
GP Solar's Managing Director Eric Rüland explains innovative and the complex process of weeding out the good from the bad.

Please find the complete interview in the pdf.

Website of PV Magazine

PV Magazine 02-2011

However, it was not only scaling-up that was the hot topic at SNEC, but also the question of quality. Many of the exhibitors surveyed by pv magazine reported that Chinese customers are also paying increasing attention to quality. Thus, for example, GP Solar sold four to five times as many products when it came to measuring technology last year than in 2009 and, according to managing director Eric Rüland, the company expects to see continued strong growth in this segment this year as well.

Website of PV Magazine

SUN & WIND ENERGY 11-2010
by Jörn Iken

Inspection systems in demand
The sales figures of the equipment suppliers reveal that massive investments are being made in the solar industry despite unclear market prospects – especially in measures and devices for quality control. “In China, there is a trend towards measurement technology”, says  Eric Rüland, the General Manager of the Centrotherm subsidiary GP Solar. The discussion about cost reduction is not so much about the investment costs; it rather focuses on the production costs. And these can be reduced by using measurement equipment, which helps recognize and prevent any damage in time. Output has priority over investment – this is the order of the day.
Looking into the process
GP Solar displayed a quality measurement system for thin-film lines at the fair. The system has a feature that should make it particularly interesting for potential users – it can be integrated into an existing production infrastructure – “at any point”, emphasizes GP Solar head Rüland. Defect analysis is accomplished at a resolution of 25 microns and can thus make “extremely small” defects visible. The device is available in three variants: as a lighting system with variable camera arrangements and as a sensor device with contactless point sensors for analysing the electrical and optical characteristics as well as the material composition. X-ray fluorescence is the method of choice. The sample of the material – in this case the wafer – is excited by X-rays and emits a material-specific fluorescence. This radiation
is evaluate by a radiation detector, which allows reliable statements about the composition to be made. GP Solar places particular emphasis on the easy handling of the systems. They have a graphical user interface. The operator chooses what will be measured. Evaluation takes up to 30 seconds per module, depending on the system variant used. Ideally, the inspection should be done at several points in the production line. “This allows us to look at the process very closely”, says Rüland. The investment costs range from € 200,000 to € 300,000. At less than one percent of the purchase costs, the maintenance costs are low. Standard maintenance can even be accomplished by the user himself. Rüland expects a delivery time of about eight months.

Website of SUN & WIND ENERGY

Photovoltaics International 08-2010
Rubric: pv modules

GP Solar recently presented a contactless IR inspection system for cells, the GP MICRO-D .Cell, which is based on a line scanner that measures reflected IR radiation. In the reflected signal, material defects of mc silicon wafers do not show up, making the detection of cracks somewhat easier. The system measures on the fly with a belt speed of up to 400mm/s. GP Solar’s crack detection software claims very stable recognition due to the exclusion of grain boundaries and other bulk material defects.

Website of Photovoltaics International

pv-magazine 08-2010
Rubric: Production technology/GP Solar

GP Solar GmbH's new fully automated measuring system that inspects cells for tiny fissures or micro-cracks enables the process to be contactless as well. As such, the contactless inspection system, dubbed the Micro-D, does not subject cells to mechanical loading. The system claims that work with finished solar cells is faster because of the rapid tracing of process and automation problems in the manufacturing process.The system aids in rectifying process, handling and transport problems in the production line thus increasing processing plant operating time and yield. The minimum cycle time is one second and the system works for mono and multi crystalline cells. The measurements obtained are not affected by either grain boundaries or from printing on the front or back. The GP Solar Inspect software thereafter evaluates and displays each type of defect.

Website of pv magazine

photovoltaic-production 08-2010
Rubric: equipment & solutions

Micro-Crack Inspection
Damaged solar cells may reduce the liftime of soalr modules. Sometimes damage to the cells is so minute that it is undetectable to the naked eye. GP Solar has developed a non-contact micro-crack detection system. The GP Micro-D.Cell is a fully automated measuring system that inspects cells for tiny fissures - so-called micro-cracks - and other material defects, and rejects defective cells. Non-contact inspection does not subject the cells to any mechanical stress. The system can be used either as for quality control in solar cell prdocution or for receiving inspection in module production. The system enables rapid tracing of process and automation problems in cell manufacturing. The measuring principle is based on a physical effect of non-homogenous reflection within micro-cracks. The system's analytical software corrects for the metal contacts on the frint side of the cells. Neither the aluminium-coated back of the cell, nor the grain boundaries of the crystal structure in polycrystaline cells has an influence on the measurement. High recording and analytical speed enables throughputs of one cell per second or faster.

Website of photovoltaic-production

pv magazine 06-2010
Rubric: Industry & Suppliers
Editor: Ucilia Wang

Process-control tools: The rise of thin film manufacturing is fueling a growing demand for metrology and in-line process-control tools. But what tools are necessary and whether the investments will pay off is a matter of debate.

Website of pv magazine

pv magazine 04-2010
Rubric: Applications & Installations | Production technology

GP Solar's Soft View Tool checks the quality of wafers and cells at several test points along the production line. The information it gathers is displayed on screen, so production managers and quality engineers can reat quickly to errors. The Soft View Tool consists of a server system that captures information in real time and then converts it to web views. GP Solar also released a Central Recipe Tool. A recipe lists individual measuring and sorting tasks in a defined order. The tool serves for managing recipes on a separate server at higher level, so that different production facilities can import the identical measuring and sorting tasks and achieve the same level of quality.

Website of pv magazine

pv magazine 12-2009
Rubric: Industry & Suppliers
Editor: Andrea Hoferichter

Large-scale factories: Production facilities for photovoltaic cells are constantly growing in order to drastically reduce manufacturing costs. But this growth has its limits, and not just because of high investments costs. The local market has to be able to handle the huge cell volumes.

Website of pv magazine

pv magazine 09-2009
Production technology / GP Solar

GP Solar has developed the GP NANO-D optical measurement system to detect cracks, inclusions, and other defects in wafers. This patent-pending process inspects wafers with light. The company says that the error rate is nearly zero, makting further inspection of the rejected wafers unnecessary. The GP NANO-D can inspect a 100 to 156-millimeter wafer in one second. The GP NANO-D can be used for quality control in wafer manufacturing for receiving inspection, an das a process control after wafer coating.

Website of pv magazine

SUN WIND & ENERGY 09-2009

Trust is good, control is better: GP Solar is presenting in Hamburg a new inline system for optically inspecting wafers. The GP-Nano-D checks the raw material for microcracks, holes and other defects. It thus provides quality control for contacting the wafers. The goal is to considerably reduce breakage rates in the production lines. The GP Nano-D is suitable for mono- and multicrystalline wafers and has a throughput of around one wafer per second. The company ,which belongs to the Centrotherm Group, is also presents its GP M-Connect junction box. With the 4-pole system, the junction contacts are located in a laminated flat component and are fixed using a spring clamp unit. All junction box components can be assembled automatically and manually. The product will be sold as of GP Solar’s turnkey projects or under a licence agreement with a module manufacturer.