Wafer Technology

For more than 30 years, Photowatt Technologies core competency is transforming the raw material – silicon – into wafers, cells and modules. With this strong experience in developing and improving the manufacturing process, Photowatt provides high efficiency modules and mastered quality.

Expertly Controlled, Vertically Integrated Manufacturing
The quality of Photowatt products is guaranteed from the very start of the production chain thanks to the multicrystalline cell manufacturing process developed internally. This expertise, developed from over 30 years of research and development in the solar field reflects Photowatt’s desire to achieve excellence by using expertly controlled, open ended processes.

Always at the Leading Edge Revolutionary Process
For most of the delicate stages of manufacturing, products are handled and processed in clean rooms in order to optimize the quality and performance of the cells. This clean environment reduces the risk of impurities and helps improve the results obtained by the products.

Manufacturing Excellence
Products are manufactured in several stages in three different workshops: wafers, cells and modules.

The wafers workshop


The silicon is placed in a crucible and heated to 1500°C. After the fusion phase, the crucible is coolled down. The solidification is turned upside down in order to obtain a coarse grain multi-crystalline column structure.





The ingot thus obtained is cut into bricks using a cable saw


Bricks after cutting that will be introduced into a wire saw


The wire convey an abrasive mixture which is deposited continuously. This mixture grinds and cuts the silicon into square wafers approximately 200 microns thick.



The wafers undergo P-N (Positive-Negative) joining in a cleanroom, in an 800°C diffusion oven; an anti-reflective coating is then added





The cells workshop


The electrodes needed to collect the current are screen printed onto both surfaces. Once cured and welded, the cells are sorted into power ratings.




The modules workshop


The cells are then assembled into strings and joined together.


These strings are deposited between 2 thermoformable sheets, clamped between two tempered glass plates (double glass technology for PWX), or between a glass plate and a sheet of Tedlar® (technology used for PW); high transmission coefficient glass is used).


The "laminates", thus formed, are trapped in a vacuum.



The different components are added to the laminate : cable or JBox for connection; diodes and frame





After a last quality control and power measurement, the modules are cleaned and packed for shipment