SEMI Bolsters Photovoltaic Information Offerings for Members
Dan Tracy, Senior Director Industry, Research and Statistics, SEMI, San Jose -- PV Society, 7/13/2007
A number of issues, ranging from concerns with stable energy supply and the environmental impact associated with energy consumption to the tight supply of silicon, have brought a lot of attention to the photovoltaic (PV) market over the past couple of years. SEMI has compiled a database for its members tracking companies in the PV market, with special emphasis on the equipment segment of this growing industry. The database has a listing of known and verified manufacturers providing equipment for the processing of solar wafers, cells and modules. It also includes a listing of solar cell manufacturers and, where available, information on known and current capacity plans for each manufacturer.
This is not a complete list of all companies worldwide involved in the PV supply chain, but is our effort to meet the needs of our members who have a growing interest in and questions regarding this industry. We have put considerable time and effort, involving the SEMI regional offices and global reach, into identifying companies serving this emerging market. SEMI members can access the tool at www.semi.org/pv for free.
Why the interest in PV?
The PV market is of interest to SEMI member companies, as this industry segment represents a growth opportunity for equipment, materials and components used in the manufacturing of solar wafers, cells and modules. The average annual growth of the PV market has been over 30% over the past five years, and is expected to remain strong in the years ahead as interest in and production with renewable energy sources expand. Large market-incentive programs (e.g., support programs and policies) in Europe and Japan, and some state and federal incentives in the United States, exist to promote implementation of solar technologies.
For SEMI member companies, there are some clear synergies between PV manufacturing and manufacturing processes used to fabricate semiconductor devices and flat panel displays (FPD): for example, silicon ingot growth, wafer manufacturing (especially wafer slicing) and materials deposition and etching. Thin-film technologies are expected to attract a wider range of interest by solar cell makers in the years ahead. Synergies between cell (especially thin film) and display manufacturing are now materializing, and some thin-film cell suppliers have announced new production facilities at sizes equivalent to G5 and G8.5 flat panels.
On the other hand, there are differences in processing and manufacturing as well. Although the processes (etching, doping, annealing, metallization) are similar, the constraints of the PV industry are totally different. Cell manufacturers run at hourly wafer rates that are equivalent to the monthly wafer rates of the largest IC facilities.
Large, regionally dispersed supplier base of solar cell manufacturing equipment companies
Companies were identified throughout the world in our search to identify companies that manufacture equipment used in solar cell processing. This includes companies that manufacture equipment for silicon crystal growth, wafer manufacturing, cell processing and module assembly. Thirty-three of the companies produce equipment used in silicon ingot growing, wafer manufacturing, wafer cleaning and inspection. There are 23 manufacturers of furnaces, 25 of sputter or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) systems, 27 suppliers of cell sorting or inspection equipment, and 31 suppliers of solar simulation equipment. There are also a number of companies that provide turnkey manufacturing solutions for cell or module processing.
There is a wide regional distribution of where the equipment makers are located, though in our current listing, 99, or over half, of the equipment companies are located in Europe. Of these European companies, 58 are headquartered in Germany. There are 30 North American, 22 Chinese and 22 Japanese equipment manufacturers identified.
Global distributed solar cell manufacturing base is emerging
With growing interest in renewable energy and concerns with oil-dependent energy costs, numerous companies have entered the solar cell market. We have identified 96 cell makers in the database. Out of these 97 companies, 57 make mono- and/or multi-crystalline silicon-based cells. Forty-nine companies produce or plan to produce thin-film solar cells, with 20 of these companies using thin-film silicon technologies.
The other thin-film cell makers listed in the database use technologies on making cells using copper-indium diselenide (CIS), copper-indium-gallium diselenide (CIGS), cadium-telluride (CdTe), or dye-sensitized and organic materials.
In terms of solar cell capacity, established manufacturers in Japan have a leading position; however, in recent years, a large number of cell manufacturers have emerged across all regions of the globe. Based on company headquarter location, China with 30 cell makers and European-based with 29 cell makers manufacturers account for over 60% of the cell companies tracked in the database. Of the European manufacturers, 18 are based in Germany. The remainder of the manufacturers is distributed throughout Japan, Southeast Asia, the United States and India. This measure of regional distribution is an approximation of the current market landscape, as several manufacturers do have multiple manufacturing plants or joint-venture plants across different regions.
While the SEMI database does not include all the companies in the world manufacturing solar cells, it does represent a thorough and wide ranging collection of data, likely gives a reasonable overview of who the current cell manufacturers are, and provides a useful head start for your market research efforts in this area.
Please note that the PV company database is a basic beta version. It currently lacks macros that simplify searching. The file is designed to make it easier to find players in particular fields by categorizing equipment companies by general types of equipment offered and region of location. For cell makers, companies are categorized by crystalline silicon and thin-film manufacturing technologies.
SEMI is committed to improving this database. Whenever new companies are analyzed, they will be added to the database. Any input to this database or suggestions to make it better will be appreciated. We will try to incorporate suggestions and corrections in updated versions. Please send your comments or questions to Eddy Blokken, Director, Technology and Standards, SEMI at eblokken@semi.org or 32.2.289.6490, or to me at dtracy@semi.org or 1.408.943.7987.
