TY - CONF EP - 4 UR - http://www.eupvsec-proceedings.com/ TI - The Influence of Different Surface Treatments on the Mechanical Strength of Silicon Wafers ID - upm21043 CY - Munich T2 - 22nd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition PB - WIP-Renewable Energies N2 - The implementation of photovoltaic solar energy based on silicon is being slowed down by the shortage of raw material. In this context, the use of thinner wafers arises as a solution reducing the amount of silicon in the photovoltaic modules. On the other hand, the manufacturing process with thinner wafers can become complicated with traditional tools. The high number of damaged wafers reduces the global yield. It?s known that edge and surface cracks and defects determine the mechanical strength of wafers. There are several ways of removing these defects e. g. subjecting wafers to a mechanical polishing or to a chemical etching. This paper shows a comparison between different surface treatments and their influence on the mechanical strength. Y1 - 2007/// AV - public M2 - Milan, Italia SN - 3-936338-2-80 A1 - Barredo Egusquiza, Josu A1 - Hermanns, Lutz Karl Heinz A1 - Fraile de Lerma, Alberto A1 - Jimeno, Juan Carlos A1 - Alarcón Álvarez, Enrique KW - Cost reduction ; Manufacturing and Processing ; Reliability ER -