Masdar PV GmbH, a manufacturer of tandem-junction thin-film photovoltaic modules, has partnered with The Linde Group to implement a new chamber-cleaning process.
After each cycle of the glass-coating process, which creates the module's layers of amorphous silicon, the chemical vapor deposition equipment used must be cleaned to ensure a high-quality product, explains Dr. Rainer Gegenwart, CEO of Masdar PV.
Nitrogen trifuluoride is typically used for this cleaning process, but Linde and Masdar PV have opted to use fluorine, generated on-site, instead to mitigate environmental impacts, Gegenwart adds.
SOURCE: Masdar PV