Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EpiNex (The ultimate solar power revolution: a technology that maximises solar wafer efficiency whilst drastically cutting manufacturing costs) Reporting period: 2022-02-01 to 2023-11-30 Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project The objective of the EpiNex Project is to accelerate the energy transition by revolutionizing silicon wafer production for photovoltaics.The energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is mandatory to slow down global warming and the increasingly negative impacts on our society. However, the energy transition will only be achieved if clean and cheap energy generation is globally available. Solar photovoltaics will be a major source of such clean energy. To make solar photovoltaics the cheapest source of energy, the production cost of solar modules has to be reduced and their conversion efficiencies have to be increased to further reduce their LCOE.Silicon wafers are the most expensive component of a solar module. Wafers are produced in an energy intensive process chain. Conventional wafer production is inherently complex and involves several energy-intensive and resource-inefficient steps. Conventional wafer production technologies have been optimized over decades. There is very limited cost reduction potential in the future. High wafer cost are a major hurdle for further cost reductions in the photovoltaic industry. In addition, conventional wafer technologies are not suited for mass production of thin wafers, which are needed for world record solar cell efficiencies.NexWafe's direct gas-to-wafer technology presents a radically new approach to wafer manufacturing, which fully eliminates the expensive multi-step conventional process. Our EpiNex technology, a single in-line epitaxial growth process, yields major game-changing advantages:- 90% lower polysilicon material losses: No cropping, bricking or sawing is needed.- 60% lower CO2 emissions and up to 50% lower costs- First scalable pathway to 80 µm thin wafers thanks to our epitaxial growth technique, which allows us to tailor wafer thickness in-line, without putting strain on the wafer, unlike conventional sawing. This directly results in:- High efficiency: 90 µm thin silicon wafers enable solar cells with world record efficiencies - Significant reduction of the LCOE of solar photovoltaicsThe EpiNex project targets to take NexWafe's direct gas-to wafer technology from TRL 5 to TRL 8. By the end of the project the technology, processes and equipment design, will be ready to be deployed in mass production. Bringing NexWafe's direct gas-to-wafer technology into mass production will be a major step forward for the photovoltaic industry: reduced production cost and increased solar cell efficiencies will cause a significant reduction of the LCOE of solar photovoltaics, which will accelerate the dissemination of solar photovoltaics and the energy transition.EpiNex will also have a tangible societal impact by shifting the image of solar energy from fringe resource to mainstream contribution. Additionally, increased private solar installation will lead to lower energy costs for families. Finally, tens of thousands of employment opportunities will be created in NexWafe factories as well as in upstream and downstream production facilities. The EpiNex innovation thus directly addresses 4 UN SDGs: 7, 9, 12, and 13. Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far Throughout the EpiNex EIC Accelerator Project, NexWafe has communicated the technical development outcomes, achieved in-house and with solar cell manufacturer pilot partners, to potential customers and solar industry value chain stakeholders. Beside direct communication with potential customers, we attended fairs and conferences, such as PV CellTech and Intersolar. To increase the awareness of NexWafe, the company has created a broader internet presence by building a new website and using social media, attracting 3000+ new followers in the preceding 6 months.International technology experts with industrial background have been attracted to NexWafe. The company has built a highly qualified interdisciplinary team, with decades of complementary business, technical, commercial and production development expertise, fully dedicated to NexWafe and focused on the EpiNex technology. In the EpiNex project, the team focused on the completion of the prototype pilot line in Freiburg and the preparation of samples for characterization and the production of high quality epiwafers.Supported by external experts and in cooperation with suppliers experienced in wet-chemical processing in photovoltaics, the processes and the equipment design for release layer formation was optimized. Based on a new design, an electro-chemical etching system has been installed, which delivers release layers with high detachability, which in turn allow epitaxy of high quality silicon wafers. Epiwafers with minority carrier lifetimes exceeding 6ms have been produced. The efficiency of solar cells made on our wafers is on par with the efficiencies on conventionally produced silicon wafers from leading suppliers.A second-generation of NexWafe's inline APCVD system has been developed to improve the quality of our wafers in terms of minority carrier lifetime and thickness homogeneity. The Gen 2.0 APCVD tool has been installed.To accelerate the diffusion of the EpiNex technology, NexWafe has entered into a strategic partnership with Reliance Industries. After building a first commercial factory in Germany, the strategic partnership with Reliance Industries will enable NexWafe to bring its technology for manufacturing to India in parallel to its expansion in Europe and the United States. 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) NexWafe has developed equipment for release layer formation and epitaxy and has optimized process parameters for seed wafer preparation, release layer formation, and epitaxial growth, to achieve high crystal perfection, high purity and electronic quality of EpiNex wafers. Parallel to epitaxial growth optimisation, NexWafe has ensured the quality of EpiNex wafers at each stage. A combination of in-house equipment as well as equipment provided by existing partner research institutions has been used. The key performance indicators of EpiNex wafer electronic quality and purity are minority carrier diffusion lifetimes exceeding 6 ms and a very narrow resistivity distribution. After internal qualification of EpiNex wafers, ensuring that the wafers meet customer requirements, such as TTV, resistivity and minority carrier lifetime, EpiNex wafers have been sent to research partners and potential customers. Our research partners confirmed that solar cells made on epiwafers exhibit the same efficiency as solar cells made on conventional wafers of leading internationanl producers. In parallel to the technical development, NexWafe increased its communication and dissemination activities. Based on an assessment of the target markets and customer segments, NexWafe engaged with selected companies to form further strategic partnerships to foster the growth of the company and the fast diffusion of the EpiNex technology. At the end of the project, NexWafe started construction of its first commercial factory in Bitterfeld. Within the term of the project, more than 40 new jobs have been created for the development of the technology and the planning of the first plant for mass production. Successful implementation of this first expansion stage will create 70 new jobs and will be the trigger for further expansion of production capacity in Europe and beyond, creating thousands of new jobs and accelerating the energy transition by drastically cutting LCOE of solar photovoltaics. Logo
