The challenge to implement thin wafer potential with wire saw cutting technology

The quests for a low-cost, high-efficiency solar cell can very much benefit from the immediate possible progress on the installed industrial base for mc-Si/c-Si wafering. One key for lowering the cell cost, and thus reducing the impact of the feedstock price on it, is the slicing of thinner wafers from the current average multi-crystalline wafer thickness of 280-350 /spl mu/m to significantly thinner wafer of the order of 100-200 /spl mu/m. In the present paper, we report a feasibility study that demonstrates the potentials for the industry to slice at a much thinner level (down to 100 /spl mu/m) using currently available multi-wire free-abrasive slicing technology.