Non-Destructive Scribing Machines: Pioneering the Future of Photovoltaic Cell Manufacturing

Amid the rapid growth of the photovoltaic industry, process innovation in cell manufacturing has become pivotal to enhancing module efficiency and reducing production costs. As an innovation pioneer in photovoltaic equipment, ChinTiyan's independently developed non-destructive scribing machines and scribing processes are reshaping industry production paradigms through technological breakthroughs.

Non-Destructive Slicing Process: Innovation from Principle to Practice

The core of non-destructive slicing technology lies in the laser thermal stress-controlled fracture principle. The CTC-80S series equipment focuses a high-energy laser beam (adjustable from 50W to 500W) onto the cell surface, forming a melt zone with a diameter of only tens of micrometers. Simultaneously, micron-level water mist is sprayed to achieve millisecond-level cooling. This “heat-cool” thermal shock creates directional tensile stress, enabling precise cleavage along predetermined paths with cutting accuracy of ±10μm. The heat-affected zone (HAZ) width remains below 20μm—over 80% narrower than traditional mechanical cutting methods.

Taking the ChinTiyan‘s CTC-80S as an example, its innovative “laser grooving + thermal stress separation” process is implemented in two steps:

1. Pre-scoring stage: A 300W laser creates micro-slots 2mm deep and 40% of the cell thickness along the edges, establishing stress concentration points for subsequent cleavage.

2. Main cutting stage: A dynamic pressure control system (fluctuation range ±0.02MPa) combined with vacuum zone adsorption ensures the cleavage process occurs without mechanical impact, achieving a low fragmentation rate of 0.05%.

Disruptive Impact of Process Innovation on the Entire Production Flow

1. Exponential Increase in Production Efficiency

Traditional grinding wheel dicing machines operate at cutting speeds of approximately 300mm/s, whereas ChinTiyan equipment achieves speeds up to 1200mm/s, with a single machine capable of producing over 5000 wafers daily. Taking a 72-cell module production line as an example, after adopting non-destructive dicing, half-cell technology can increase module power output by over 10W. The equipment's utilization rate remains consistently above 95%, representing a 20% improvement over traditional equipment.

2. A Quantum Leap in Product Performance

• Electrical Performance Optimization: Damage-free cutting prevents microcracks caused by mechanical stress, reducing cell conversion efficiency loss by 0.3%-0.5%;

•Enhanced Reliability: Hot spot effect reduced by 40%, extending module lifespan by 10%-15%;

•Breakthrough in Material Utilization: Cutting loss reduced from 5% in traditional processes to below 2%. At an annual production capacity of 1GW, this saves over ten million of RMB in silicon wafer costs annually.

3. Intelligent Upgrades in Production Line Integration

ChinTiyan‘s equipment integrates a dual-vision system (infrared + visible light), a six-axis platform, and PLC adaptive algorithms to monitor cutting stress wave signals in real time. Through data feedback models, it automatically optimizes parameters. This “lights-out factory” model reduces manual intervention by 70% and lowers welding defect rates to below 0.1%.

Technological Evolution: The Leap from Mechanical Cutting to Intelligent Non-Destructive Processing

Photovoltaic dicing technology has undergone three generations of transformation:

•First Generation (1960s): Diamond-tipped dicing blades relied on manual operation, yielding less than 60% production efficiency;

•Second Generation (1980s): Grinding wheel dicing machines enhanced precision through electroplated diamond blades, yet still produced 30-50μm chipped edges in cut grooves;

•Third Generation (2010s–Present): Laser non-destructive dicing. Companies like ChinTiyan have pushed cutting precision to the micron level through water-cooling assistance and dynamic pressure control, keeping chip breakage rates below 0.1%.

Damage-free wafer dicing technology is not only a revolution in manufacturing processes but also a critical springboard for the photovoltaic industry to move towards "higher efficiency, intelligence, and lower costs."