Germany's Fraunhofer Institute is reporting a 2 percent efficiency gain for silicon solar cells by switching from conventional screen printing to a non-contact aerosol jet printer. Using a printer made by Optomec (Albuquerque, N.M.), Fraunhofer Institute's Solar Energy Systems (Freiburg, Germany), thinner silicon wafers were produced, reducing the cost of making solar cells. The institute said Optomec's aerosol printer delivered 20.3 percent efficiency for solar cells that previously achieved 16 to 18 percent efficiency.
Text: http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212201980
Audio: http://homepage.mac.com/guitarmedia/interviews/rcjOptomec-08-12-04.mp3
