The bigger the wafer, the better?

The 182 and 210 size components have just gained a foothold, and larger silicon wafers are coming again.

Recently, a Tianjin silicon wafer manufacturer disclosed the latest P-type monocrystalline wafer price in its official WeChat, and for the first time released a 218.2 size silicon wafer quotation.

Since the industry launched 158.75 size silicon wafers in 2018, the iteration speed of silicon wafer size has been accelerating. In 2019, 166 and 210 size silicon wafers "compete for glory", and in 2020, 182 sizes "come first", showing a "scuffle" trend. Although large size is recognized as the development trend of silicon wafers in the industry, can silicon wafers really be "endless"? How will the introduction of the 218.2 size affect the photovoltaic industry?

(Wen 丨 This newspaper reporter Dong Zitong)

218.2 wafers are not a replacement for 210 wafers, both are advanced production capacities

In the view of Lu Jinbiao, joint secretary general of the China Photovoltaic Standards Technical Committee of the International Semiconductor Industry Association (SEMI), the introduction of 218.2 size is essentially a continuation of the dispute between 182 and 210 sizes. Some calculations show that if the 218.2 size is made into a 60-piece type, its area is similar to the 182-size 72-piece type. At the same time, the manufacturing cost of large-size silicon wafers is relatively lower, which can be said to occupy a cost advantage.

Lu Jinping pointed out that whether it is 210 size or 218.2 size, it is a product whose silicon wafer size has jumped to more than 200 mm. There is little difference in the manufacturing process and equipment choice between the two, and both require the use of a 12-inch monocrystalline furnace. "To produce 166 and 182 size silicon wafers, it is only necessary to upgrade and transform the original monocrystalline furnace and production line. However, to produce silicon wafers of more than 210 sizes, investment in new monocrystalline furnaces and production lines is required. ”

Yin, who has been engaged in the photovoltaic industry for a long time, made a set of calculations, and the diameter of the 210-size silicon wafer corresponding to the silicon rod is 295 mm, and the diameter of the 218.2-size silicon wafer is 306 mm, which belongs to the 12-inch product. The area of the 218.2 size silicon wafer is about 8% larger than that of the 210 size, and the power is also greater after the battery is made. According to the efficiency calculation of PERC technology of 22.8%-23%, the power of the single chip is increased by 10.85-10.95 watts, and the non-silicon cost of the cell will also be diluted.

Yin revealed that in the silicon wafers, cells, components, brackets and other manufacturing enterprises and some design institutes related people, the launch of 218.2 size does not represent the failure of 210 size, both belong to the advanced production capacity of the 12-inch series, the goal is to replace the backward and old production capacity, rather than replacing the 210 size with 218.2 size.

However, Lu Jinbiao believes that after replacing the 12-inch single crystal furnace, not only the size of 210 and 218.2, but also the size of the silicon wafer can be developed to a larger extent.

To truly realize industrial commercialization, there are still several hurdles to go

In fact, after the launch of the 210 size silicon wafer, the battery and component companies have "taken sides" and conducted a series of discussions on the changes in the load and current of the 210 components. Concerns about large-sized components within the industry and in the market are not "out of thin air".

Although the larger size brings about a reduction in cost, it is also necessary to pay attention to the safety hazards that come with it, as well as upstream and downstream matching and standardization problems. Lu Jinbiao told reporters: "Increasing the size and thickness of silicon wafers from 180 microns to 160 microns is the same, mainly because of the means of increasing the output and reducing processing costs at the silicon wafer end." However, it cannot be ignored that the increase in the size of the silicon wafer will bring trouble to the upstream and downstream matching of the industry, and also consider the load and large current problems, and the thinning may cause the risk of fragmentation and component cracking. Once the above problems arise, the losses will inevitably increase. If the increase in wafer size and cost reduction does not cover this loss, it will not be worth the loss. ”

In fact, after the launch of the 210 size components, there have been industry insiders speculating that there will be larger size components. Bo Zhongnan, project manager of the PV module, system and reliability department of FraunhoferISE, a European photovoltaic industry research institute, pointed out that further increasing the size of modules may bring higher labor demand, increase its labor costs and installation risks, and ultimately cannot bring value in manufacturing costs and system costs. In addition, in terms of electrical safety, it is also necessary to pay attention to and evaluate the safety risks of the system.

Lu Jinbiao stressed that adjusting the size of silicon wafers not only involves silicon wafer manufacturers, but also affects companies such as cells and components. In order to make the new size truly industrialized and commercialized, it is necessary to take into account the normative collaboration between upstream and downstream customers, equipment and accessory suppliers.

Yin told reporters that some battery companies said that when building the 210 production line, they reserved room for upgrading, and a little adjustment can support the production of 218.2 size. At the same time, auxiliary materials such as glass and back plates suitable for 182-size components can also be used on 218.2-size.

The upstream and downstream of the industry lack unified standards, and normative standards can move towards high-quality development

Although there are more and more large-size silicon wafer specifications and downstream options, the industry is also facing challenges brought about by the diversification of silicon wafer, cell and component sizes. A manufacturer of photovoltaic glass companies is worried: "There are really too many large silicon wafers and high-power modules that emerge in an endless stream, and the upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain need a unified industry standard to reduce the losses and costs caused by the size of the non-uniformity." ”

The road of advanced technology towards industrialization and marketization requires the guidance of standards. In the early stage of product launch, because different manufacturers explore different technical routes, there are understandable differences in specifications and sizes of photovoltaic products. However, with the continuous development of the industry and the upstream and downstream demand for cost reduction, the unification of product specifications and sizes is the general trend. Liu Yiyang, deputy secretary-general of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, believes that the standardization of module sizes is of great significance. "Module size standardization is an important driving force for the sustainable development of China's photovoltaic industry."

The reporter noted that in May this year, the China Photovoltaic Industry Association organized a seminar to discuss the external dimensions, mounting hole locations, and installation hole sizes of 182 and 210 modules to speed up the process of standard formulation and release, and then guide the rationalization and standardization of product sizes of module manufacturers.

Lu Jinbiao also specifically mentioned the necessity of standard norms. "In terms of standardizing the size of silicon wafers, the SEMI China Photovoltaic Standards Technical Committee Silicon Wafer Working Group urgently revised the wafer standards in 2020 and determined the sizes of 166, 182 and 210 respectively. It is not that the size of the silicon wafer can no longer be increased, but it is necessary to consider the safety and reliability of photovoltaic modules, and whether it can be matched with the upstream and downstream of the photovoltaic industry. Standards and specifications must be carried out first, otherwise they may 'not be able to reach it if they want to be fast'. ”

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Produced by | China Energy News (ID:cnenergy)

Editor 丨Li Huiying