VLSI Standards extends solar cell certification service

MILPITAS, USA: VLSI Standards Inc. has expanded its current portfolio of Solar Cell Certification Services to include ISO-17025 accredited certification of customer supplied production cells up to 156x156 mm in size.

VLSI offers multiple traceability paths to globally recognize national metrology institutes and laboratories including the Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) of Germany, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) of Japan, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the US.

These new offerings from VLSI allow solar cell manufacturers to meet the metrology quality requirements of their worldwide customers—speeding penetration into international markets.

To help solar cell manufacturers validate targeted or claimed product performance for internal quality control, customer validation or marketing purposes, VLSI Standards' Solar Cell Certification Service offers traceable measurements of production cells of short circuit current (Isc), open circuit voltage (Voc), maximum power (Pmax), cell area, spectral response (or quantum efficiency), fill factor, and cell efficiency.

These measurements will be conducted under Standard Test Conditions (STC.) As an option, temperature dependence measurements are also available (temperature coefficient at 25 degrees C and temperature dependence (between 15 degrees C and 50 degrees C) of Isc, Voc, and efficiency).

"Our customers have asked for a better solar cell certification option," stated Larry Wagner, president of VLSI Standards. "The extension of VLSI Standards' Solar Cell Certification Service responds to our customers' desire for faster delivery times to help them act more quickly to market demands for their cells, localized support for prompt service and various convenient payment options."