Using Ultrasonic Cleaning Manufacturer Solar Panels

Solar panels consist of silicon wafers that have been etched and cleaned before being mounted behind glass sheets. Several of the intermediate steps require cleaning of the silicon wafers and glass sheets.

Unlike traditional cleaning methods that use manual scrubbing or harsh chemicals, ultrasonic cleaning systems remove contaminants and residues quickly and completely, while leaving the underlying silicon wafers or glass sheets unaffected.

Making solar cells involve fabrication steps such as etching the silicon, doping the wafers to create positive and negative charge areas and the depositing of conducting and non-reflecting films. The wafers have to be treated with chemicals; they are rinsed thereafter but these chemicals may remain and can shorten the life span of the solar cells and reduce their efficiency.

Silicon wafers may also have to be masked to produce conducive paths on the solar cells (and the masks have to be removed once the conductive film is deposited). Ultrasonic cleaning removes chemical contamination from the surfaces of the wafers and leaves them ready for subsequent fabrication. It can also remove the masking substance without damaging the thin and delicate conducting paths that have been deposited.

After all, the process steps are completed solar cells have to be assembled into bigger units to create solar panels. These solar cells are mounted on a backing, covered by a sheet of glass and sealed. While the solar cells may have been completely clean, the glass sheets may be contaminated or have residues. These contaminants can hurt solar panel functions and break the seals, allowing moisture to penetrate the panel, corrode the conductors, and block the sunlight that produces solar panel power.

Ultrasonic cleaning systems are an ideal solution for cleaning glass surfaces. Using just a bath of plain water, this cleaning method makes sure that no chemical residues are left on the glass surfaces. Traditional cleaning of silicon wafers and glass sheets require special rinsing to remove traces of contaminants. Moreover, they clean too slowly. It also uses harsh chemicals, whose handling, storage and disposal which can be quite costly.

Ultrasonic cleaning, on the other hand, cleans silicon wafers and glass sheets quickly and thoroughly. It also saves money from spending on harsh cleaning chemicals.

Read the complete article “Using Ultrasonic Cleaning to Manufacture Solar Panels” to learn more. If you have questions or would like to set up a free consultation, contact Kaijo Shibuya at 408-675-5575 or email info@kaijo-shibuya.com.