Jul 11 2008
The electronic gases business of the Linde Group today announced a strategic collaboration with Schmid Silicon Pilot Production to supply silane to the Photovoltaic (PV) industry from a new facility currently under construction in Schwarze Pumpe near Dresden, Germany. Schmid will own and operate the process for production of up to 540 tonnes per annum (tpa) of electronic grade silane. Linde will own and operate the silane filling facility with an initial capacity of 300 tpa due on stream in early 2009.
The silane from the Schwarze Pumpe facility will augment the current supply capacity of the Linde Group, providing uninterrupted security of supply for Linde’s customers. Based on the new Schmid Monosilane Technology, the process is capable of producing high purity silane for thin film PV manufacturers as well as producing high quality polysilicon for the crystalline solar cell market. Schmid’s equipment capacity for polysilicon deposition is about 250 tonnes per annum.
Graham Hodgson, Director of Linde’s Silane Program, said: “Demand for high purity silane gas for electronics industry applications is growing rapidly, especially for the new Thin Film Photovoltaic (PV) market. As the leading global gas supplier to this PV market, Linde has embarked on an ambitious program of investments to ensure that the needs of our customers are fully met. We believe Schmid fully understands PV customer needs, and this collaboration will significantly ease the supply of silane.”
Christian Schmid, CEO of Schmid Silicon Pilot Production, said: “For Schmid, the strategic cooperation with Linde is an important milestone – an opportunity to work closely with an industry leader to expand our capabilities. This agreement also demonstrates the strength of our technology based on monosilane, and gives us the confidence to feed the industry’s demand for electronic grade silane.”
Thin film PV cells are manufactured by depositing a thin layer of amorphous silicon on a large area substrate, usually glass. Apart from silane, the manufacturing process also uses other high purity gases such as hydrogen. The deposition chambers require frequent cleaning between processing of substrates, a process that uses large volumes of nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) or fluorine (F2). Linde is a key supplier of the complete range of gases, and is also unique in offering electronic grade F2 that is generated on-site.