SEMI PV Group announced Global Photovoltaic Standards Roadmap Guidance Document

The SEMI PV Group has released its Global Photovoltaic (PV) Standards Roadmap Guidance Document, which identifies immediate opportunities for reducing cost and accelerating innovation in thin-film and crystalline silicon cell and module manufacturing through industry standards. The Guidance Document provides a high-level assessment of existing SEMI Standards and Safety Guidelines with respect to their applicability to PV manufacturing and was developed by a team of industry stakeholders including equipment and materials suppliers, cell and module manufacturers, safety experts, and other interests.

Building upon 35 years of SEMI International Standards development, the Global PV Standards Roadmap Guidance Document identifies over 64 existing SEMI Standards and Safety Guidelines that are applicable to PV manufacturing. Out of those 64, 31 were rated as 'Top Priority' for their potential to deliver immediate cost benefits to the industry with limited or no revisions necessary.

"While many semiconductor equipment, materials and device manufacturing companies that employ SEMI Standards are diversifying into PV, the PV industry has a highly specialized and unique set of needs, with a diverse set of stakeholders," said Dan Martin, executive vice president of SEMI PV Business Development and SEMI Global Standards. "We greatly appreciate the dedication of the Standards Roadmap Core Team in applying their expertise and time in developing this PV Standards Roadmap Guidance Document."

Key areas of focus as determined from the standards review and assessment include wafer carriers and physical interfaces, chemical and gas purity, device tracking, equipment metrics, facilities, safety guidelines, silicon specifications, and process controls, among others.

The Guidance Document further describes planned collaborative initiatives involving other Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs) such as ASTM International, IEEE and others, as well as the increasing participation of research laboratories like NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the U.S.) and the value of their contributions.

"The next Roadmap development phase will focus on identifying and establishing timelines for the top priority areas in PV manufacturing where new specifications, test methods and safety guidelines will be developed to further reduce the costs of cell and module manufacturing," said Martin.

For more information on, or to receive a copy of the Global Photovoltaic Standards Roadmap Guidance Document, please visit www.pvgroup.org.