Invisible metal contacts for solar cells – boosting power output while cutting costs

Project Information

ETC Solarshade

Grant agreement ID: 881226

DOI

10.3030/881226

Project closed

EC signature date 2 December 2019

Start date 1 October 2019

End date 30 September 2021

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 2 903 347,50

EU contribution

€ 2 032 343,25

Coordinated by

MESOLINE B.V.
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ETC Solarshade (Invisible metal contacts for solar cells – boosting power output while cutting costs)

Reporting period: 2020-10-01 to 2021-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

ETC Solar B.V. is a Dutch company founded in 2018 by Prof. Harry Atwater, Prof. Rebecca Saive and Mr. Thomas Russell. ETC Solar has developed a novel microfabrication technology to print complex, high-aspect ratio structures for a variety of applications including solar cells. Amongst other things, this revolutionary printing technology enables the fabrication of high-aspect ratio, triangular shaped metal contacts (ETCs = effectively transparent contacts) for solar cells to eliminate so-called shading losses and thereby increase the efficiency of solar panels by 5%.

Unlike competing technologies, our microfabrication technology allows for the fabrication of micro-scale structures with high aspect ratio, smaller lines spacing/widths, while maintaining nanometer scale repeatability and precision. Thereby new applications are uniquely enabled, and the state-of-the-art solar cell technology is dramatically improved both in terms of costs as well as power conversion efficiencies.

The ETC Solarshade project has resulted in the development of an R&D and volume semiconductor micro-fabrication manufacturing technology, a pilot production facility in Rotterdam and several superior (prototype) semiconductor products that can revolutionize various end-markets. For example, an ultra-low power, ultra-sensitive gas sensor was developed and fabricated using the proprietary manufacturing technology. In addition, first substantial commercial interest has been received from the market and as a next step the company will start bringing the novel semiconductor products to market.

The Horizon 2020 project has also resulted in the fact that the company was acquired by a Dutch Publicly Traded company that will finance the further scale-up and roll-out of this unique technology. This will help strengthen Europe's semiconductor ambitions.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

ETC Solar B.V. moved from Enschede (The Netherlands) to Rotterdam in order to attract new talent and to setup the pilot-manufacturing facility. During the first phase of the project, ETC Solar closed the offices and R&D facilities in Enschede and relocated to the whole team to Rotterdam.

In Rotterdam, ETC Solar rented a facility at the Marconistraat 16, where R&D facilities were built-up for the construction of the ETC Direct Printing Tool Prototype. Strategically located, close to the Technical University of Delft and multiple high-tech companies, ETC Solar was able to grow the team with outstanding talents from ASML, the TU Delft, and others with decades of experience in the field of semiconductor tool development and high-tech commercialization. One of the main activities during the first year of the ETC Solarshade project was to construct and complete the technical specification of the ETC Direct Printing Machine, while providing the foundation for scale-up and further commercialization.

The team successfully designed, constructed, and built the ETC Direct Printing Machine Prototype with capabilities to print on 4-inch (100 mm) wafer substrates. In addition, the machine is capable of reaching high printing throughputs. In order to achieve this dramatic scale-up the team developed a proprietary printing head, automatic alignment system and state-of-the-art software architecture.

In the second year of the ETC Solarshade project, the team scaled the technology even further to 8-inch (200 mm) wafers, which are industry standard. In addition, the company moved signed a lease for its own facilities and is currently building-out the manufacturing facility at the Sevillaweg 140, Rotterdam.

Another important milestone was the acquisition by a Dutch Publicly Traded company that will finance the further scale-up of the technology, team and products. The company has in addition also developed several superior and proprietary engineering sample product that are currently brought to market.

The technology will be marketed as Mesoline, hence more information can be found on www.mesoline.com.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

At this end of the project ETC Solar B.V. will have fully developed the new microfabrication technology to create structures with unique features at unprecedented sizes. With this new microfabrication technology, new applications and products are unique enabled which will be commercialized during the project. None of the existing fabrication technologies can meet the aspect ratios and line width/spacing that that the ETC Direct Printing Machine can achieve and which are required for further miniaturization, cost-cutting and energy saving solutions for sensors, antennas and solar cells.
The Project has a broad societal benefit and impact:

• Strengthen Europe’s position in high tech development. Europe and the Netherlands in particular have a long history of developing new high-tech, semiconductor machines including ASML, Philips, ASMI and BESI. In order to continue to remain competitive it is of utmost importance that we keep investing and developing new high-tech innovations. This novel microfabrication technology will help to strengthen Europe’s competitive advantage, while allowing for the development of next-generation devices and products within the European ecosystems.

• High-tech job creation (direct and indirect). The developed novel microfabrication technology fits well in the European ecosystem. The project has the potential to create over +100 new high-tech jobs both directly and directly across Europe within the next coming years. These are high-paying, engineering jobs as well as manufacturing and fabrication related positions as numerous small to mid-size companies in the region.

• Global resources: the ETC Direct Printing Machine allows for further miniaturization of key high-volume devices and products, such as sensors and solar cells. To avoid exhausting our finite materials, we need to become more energy and resource efficient, integrating principles such as Cradle2Cradle. Higher efficiency solar cell panels and miniaturized high-end devices lead to better material use, since less material is required to enable the same functionality or energy production.

ETC Direct Printing Tool