ISO 14000 introduction in the photovoltaic industry

ASE Americas has initiated a program to become certified under the ISO 14001 environmental management system. Background information is provided about the ISO 14000 series of standards, along with benefits resulting from certification. Details specific to the efforts being undertaken at our facility to become ISO 14001 certified are given. A gap audit has been conducted to assess our current state of readiness in advance of the registration process: highlights of the findings are presented. We then highlight several processes which have been developed and implemented at ASE to abate the environmental impact of PV manufacturing and address product life cycle concerns. Foremost among these are pioneering work on the use of lead-free solder paste for cell interconnect, and development of new technology to reduce the volume of acids used in manufacturing in the areas of wafer etching/cleaning and phosphorus glass etching