Applied Materials Delivers Major Advances to Lower Solar Cell Cost with New HCT MaxEdge Wire Saw.SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Applied Materials, Inc. today released its Applied HCT Hct abbr. hematocrit HCT Hematocrit, see there MaxEdge([TM]) wire saw, a new platform for slicing ingots into ultra-thin wafers that can help customers drive down the cost of manufacturing photovoltaic The generation of voltage by a material that is exposed to light in the visible and invisible ranges. See photoelectric and photovoltaic cell. (PV) cells by up to $0.18 per watt.* Key technical advances, including an industry-first dual-wire management system, enable the MaxEdge system to deliver significantly higher throughput and load capacity than competitive systems, while requiring much less factory floor space and fewer operators for equivalent megawatt output. By making thinner wafers, PV cell manufacturers can reduce the amount of silicon per wafer and lower the cost-per-watt of solar electricity. To produce thinner wafers, traditional wire saws must reduce the ingot ingot Mass of metal cast into a size and shape such as a bar, plate, or sheet convenient to store, transport, and work into a semifinished or finished product. The term also refers to a mold in which metal is so cast. length (load) and the cutting speed. The uniquely designed MaxEdge system delivers ultra-thin wafers without sacrificing throughput by enabling larger loads and using thinner wires at higher cutting speeds. "With the MaxEdge system we've boosted the wafer output and lowered the operating expenses Operating expenses The amount paid for asset maintenance or the cost of doing business, excluding depreciation. Earnings are distributed after operating expenses are deducted. of our industry-leading Applied HCT B5 system, making the best wire saw on the market even better," said Stefan Schneeberger, vice president and general manager of Applied Materials' Precision Wafering Systems division. "The MaxEdge system builds on a 25-year history of wire saw innovation and incorporates key feedback from our customers. Since the wafer is the most expensive component of crystalline silicon-based PV manufacturing flow, reducing wafer fabrication cost is critical to the goal of making solar energy competitive with grid power." The MaxEdge system's breakthrough dual-wire management system employs four independently-controlled direct drive motors and advanced process control to lower wire tension, reducing wire wear and decreasing ingot scrap and unplanned downtime. Reduced tension also allows smaller diameter cutting wires to be used, resulting in significantly less silicon loss without compromising yield. For more information, please visit http://www.appliedmaterials.com/products/maxedge_3.html The MaxEdge system is part of Applied's portfolio of production-proven systems for ultra-thin crystalline silicon solar cells, including the Applied ATON Aton or Aten In ancient Egyptian religion, a sun god, depicted as the solar disk emitting rays terminating in human hands. The pharaoh Akhenaton (r. 1353–36 BC) declared Aton to be the only god, and in opposition to the Amon-Re priesthood of Thebes, ([TM]) PVD PVD abbr. peripheral vascular disease PVD Peripheral vascular disease, see there system for anti-reflective and passivation passivation the final stage in instrument manufacture, passing the finished instruments through a bath of nitric acid which removes foreign particles and promotes the formation of a protective coating of chromium oxide. layer deposition and the Applied Baccini Soft Line([TM]) integrated system for all-in-one screen printing, edge isolation, test and sort. Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT AMAT Applied Materials (stock symbol) AMAT Average Memory Access Time AMAT Automatic Message Accounting Transmitter AMAT Anti-Materiel (bomb or mine) AMAT Ageing Management Assessment Team ) is the global leader in Nanomanufacturing Technology[TM] solutions with a broad portfolio of innovative equipment, service and software products for the fabrication fabrication (fab´rikā´sh  n),n the construction or making of a restoration. of semiconductor chips, flat panel displays, solar photovoltaic cells, flexible electronics and energy efficient glass. At Applied Materials, we apply Nanomanufacturing Technology to improve the way people live. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com. *Assuming a polysilicon price of $55/kg. Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5917576&lang=en |
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