Evonik has launched its new processing aids portfolio under the brand name TEGO Surten E in China. The new additives improve the performance and efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) wafer cutting, leading to better overall performance and production efficiency of solar modules.

With many countries, including China, pledging their commitment to achieving carbon neutrality, better and more cost-effective utilization of renewable energy is vital. In China, solar power continues to be the main source of ecological energy supply. Since the introduction of government incentives in 2011, China plays an important role globally in both solar power deployment and solar system/component manufacturing.

However, the economic competitiveness of current PV systems compared to other energy options remains to be a key metric for the future development of the industry. Solar module manufacturers are looking for any opportunity to reduce production costs while improving the conversion efficiency of solar cells to electricity.

Cutting silicon ingots with diamond wire saws (DWS) is a crucial step in the production of PV cells based on crystalline silicon. Cutting fluids with standard surfactants do not meet the requirements of the latest high-performance cutting process: Deep cut lines and divots caused by ineffective swarf transport and degradation of the wire's diamond coating not only lower wafer quality but can also lead to the formation of large crystals during the subsequent diffusion step, reducing the surface area for photon capture resulting in lower cell efficiency.

“The newly launched product series TEGO Surten E for the PV industry expands our comprehensive additives portfolio for renewable energy manufacturing,”said Benjamin Brehmer, Global Segment Manager Energy & Storage at Evonik’s Interface & Performance business line, “These low-dose additives can significantly improve the quality and speed of PV wafer cutting, contributing to a further step forward on the road to a climate-neutral future.”

Evonik’s TEGO Surten E surfactant portfolio can also be useful as a process additive in many related and emerging PV applications, such as supporting more uniform and improved anti-reflective and reflective coatings, as well as other engineered surface modifications that improve overall energy yield.