Deep Photonics' picosecond pulsed fiber lasers for film side PV processing

CORVALLIS, USA: Deep Photonics Corp., the ultra fast fiber laser company for the semiconductor, electronics and photovoltaic marketplace, has introduced two new fiber laser platforms -– the FLP-532-PPP and the FLP-355-PPP –- designed for the photovoltaic industry.

The new laser platforms feature adjustable pulse width, pulse burst packets, and variable pulse packet frequency. The new lasers allow for film side scribing of CIGS, a-Si and CdTe and through puts unachievable using nanosecond lasers. The lasers are currently available and have been shipped to OEM’s for integration with scribing tools for release this summer.

The FLP-532-PPP and the FLP-355-PPP are visible and ultra violet lasers combining high-power output with extended lifetime, output stability, and reliability needed for demanding laser applications. With the introduction of Deep Photonics’ new Picosecond Packet Pulsing (P³) technology, the lasers provide significant improvement in cold ablation of materials.

P³ technology delivers extremely accurate depth control with pulse packet energy effective for the thin film materials currently being utilized by the solar industry.

The proprietary pulsing technology provides an optimum combination of precise, efficient material ablation while virtually eliminating the destructive affects due to thermal heating of adjacent material. Both laser platforms combine benchmark performance with design innovations to deliver consistent performance at a low operating cost.

“PV manufacturers and equipment OEMs have specifically requested an ultra-fast, short-pulse laser that cleanly and accurately ablates current and future material sets at higher throughput than today’s current technology,” said Joe LaChapelle, CEO of Deep Photonics.

“The FLP-532-PPP and FLP-355-PPP lasers directly address this need. They deliver break-through performance, multiple wavelength output, pulse-to-pulse stability and high average power. Film side processing reduces the cost of the glass used and the cost associated with glass defects that contribute to module defects and panel lifetime issues.”

The output characteristics of the lasers make them ideal for applications including edge isolation, laser fired contacts, via thru contacts, front surface contacts and thin film patterning.

“With the 532 and 355 platforms we are bringing cold ablation processing to photovoltaic applications,” commented Dr. Mike Munroe, Director of Technology for Deep Photonics.

“The combination of ionizing photonic energy, picosecond pulse packets, and adjustable repetition rates makes the lasers ideal for solar cell manufacturing applications. Due to their wavelength and high peak power, picosecond fiber lasers can remove sub-micron layers with fast plume evaporation and without excessive heat transfer to a substrate.

"The laser’s high repetition rates of energetic laser pulses require lower laser fluence than what is necessary for nanosecond lasers. As a result, our innovative fiber laser diminishes the heating, melting, and recasting associated with longer wavelengths and longer nanosecond pulses.

"Machined features are sharper and can be made smaller. The result is reduction in P1 shorts, decrease in P2 TCO series resistance and a decrease in shunt conductance offering PV Thin Film manufactures improved overall panel efficiency.”

The new 532 nm and 355 nm Deep Fiber Lasers operate at up to 10 watts and 5 watt respectively allowing the operator to define energy delivery strategies that feature 10-50 ps pulses grouped in packets from 10 ns up to 10 µs, variable pulse packet frequencies 500 kHz to 50 MHz, making the laser ideal for processing crystalline silicon (c-Si) and new advanced thin films (CdTe & CuInSe2).