Laser Machines for the High-tech Glass Manufacturing Used for Energy-saving Smart Windows
High-tech glass is used for so-called smart windows. These windows can be electronically adapted to external lighting conditions. This results in a significant reduction of the energy consumption. Moreover, this type of windows opens up a variety of possibilities for building design.
The steps during the structuring process in the field of thin-film solar modules are similar to those in the fields of intelligent architectural glass and smart windows. Analogous to a thin-film solar cell, high-tech glass also consists of several layers, only micrometers thin, which will be applied to the glass. After each application, the layers are structured in a highly precise process. A specially adapted laser technology is used for each structuring steps. Edge deletion and the cutting of trimmed sizes are done by means of Jenoptik laser technology as well.
Preliminary tests have shown that only microcrack free glass edges, as generated during Thermal Laser Separation (TLS), meet the high thermal shock resistance requirements of coated glass elements. Jenoptik’s many years of experience with this technology enable the cutting of large substrates in nearly any shape. Thus, the technology know-how combined with the innovative machine engineering opens up new application fields.
A demonstration of this technology can be seen at solarpeq in hall 11, booth G76. Visitors can see for themselves how resistant laser-cut glass substrates are to thermal shocks.
All-rounder for the Laser Structuring of Original Size Thin-film Solar Cells
Another product of Jenoptik’s Lasers & Material Processing division for the photovoltaic industry is the JENOPTIK-VOTAN® Solas Multi laser machine which is unique in the world. This laser machine is a universal mass production system for all structuring processes. It can also be used as an R&D pilot system for the optimization of customer-specific thin-film photovoltaic modules as well as a manufacturing machine. The suitable laser sources are integrated into the machine concept.
The JENOPTIK-VOTAN® Solas Multi for structuring and the JENOPTIK-VOTAN® Solas LED for edge deletion can process efficiently small up to very large thin-film solar modules. Further applications are mechanical scribing for CIS/CIGS technologies and laser ablation for semi-transparent BIPV modules.