Solar Industry & Photovoltaics

Environmentally friendly photovoltaic systems are booming these days, and companies that manufacture solar cells are stock market stars. While Heraeus does not produce solar cells directly, many Heraeus products such as infrared emitters and sputtering targets come into play. Solar cells are still made primarily from silicon-based wafer modules. An alternative concept uses thin-film modules with cells 100 times thinner than crystalline solar cells made of silicon wafers. For both concepts, Heraeus develops products used for coatings, integrated circuits and heat technology. In addition to sputtering targets, these include silver pastes that allow the solar current to flow from the silicon cells with minimal shading loss. Infrared heat is also used in the production of solar cells in a vacuum at high temperatures—a contact-free process that eliminates the risk of impurities.