Rehm Thermal Systems will showcase advanced drying and firing processes for Solar Cell Metallization at SNEC

Advanced processes for the drying and firing of solar cell metallization will be center stage at Rehm Thermal Systems’ booth at the SNEC International Photovoltaic Power Generation conference and Exhibition in Shanghai May 5-7. Key members of the Rehm team will be on hand at Booth 5021/2 and will explain to visitors ways in which to increase their cell yield and efficiency.

Following exhaustive testing by the renowned Fraunhofer Institute ISE, the Rehm RFS Fast Firing Furnace was launched last year and extends the company’s decades of high performance thermal engineering and manufacturing experience further into the world of PV manufacturing. A complete lineup of thermal solutions for metallization now includes the RFS Firing System and RFS-D combination Drying and Firing System in addition to the model RDS series dryers. All feature industry leading low energy consumption and a compact footprint that optimizes factory space while minimizing expense.

Johnson Ma, Sales General Manager, explained further: “The Rehm brand name might not be widely recognized among PV cell manfacturers, but we have over 200 curing and drying systems in production in factories worldwide. 2010 celebrates our twentieth anniversary with a history of advanced thermal engineering. Now our best-in-class process philosophy has been applied to PV metallization. Our technology and experienced global support network offer significant pportunities for solar cell manufacturers to move to the next level of yield and efficiency.“

Rehm Fast Fire Systems feature a host of innovative design features that enable new levels of metallization process performance, including:

• Very high throughput rates (e.g. transport speeds up to 6m/minute and multiple lanes) maximize productivity – vital to satisfy an escalating world demand.

• Flexible transport systems that enable single, dual and triple lane handling of wafers

• An Integrated residue management system that maintains an exceptionally clean process chamber and extends maintenance intervals

• Superlative profile control and process monitoring including reference products for baseline profiling

• Rehm Visu2 software including traceability tools, remote diagnostics and an extensive product library.

• Unique gas management improves thermal transfer efficiency without using supplemental heaters. This reduces energy consumption and increases system insulation; all contributing to improved COO.

• Separate heating and cooling zone transports, which improve the cooling gradient and shorten the necessary cooling zone length

About Rehm Thermal Systems

Rehm Thermal Systems (www.rehm-group.com) is an international supplier to the photovoltaic and electronics industries, specializing in curing, drying and firing technologies as well as convection and condensation soldering.

Rehm operates vertically integrated manufacturing facilities in Germany, China, and Russia, and technical support facilities throughout Europe, Asia and North America.