Production ramping of abound solar´s CdTe thin film manufacturing process

Abound Solar has commercialized a continuous manufacturing technology for producing CdTe thin film photovoltaics (PV). Abound has engineered this technology for high throughput manufacturing. Continuous "heated pocket deposition" (HPD) processing of the semiconductor films results in high yields, high material usage and fully automated processing of all semiconductor fabrication steps including the CdCl₂ anneal and back contact doping. The module encapsulation is also optimized for very robust field reliability and for high throughput processing. The traditional lamination process is replaced with a unique edge seal system. The performance of the novel encapsulation has enabled Abound Solar\´s modules to achieve UL and IEC certifications rapidly during the development cycle. Modules consistently survive 4000+ hrs of damp heat exposure, over 4 times what is required for IEC 61646 certification standard. Abound Solar has received a US Dept. of Energy $400 million loan guarantee that will enable a tripling of production in the current plant and the construction of a new 640+MW/yr facility in Indiana.