SEMI PV29-0212 Standard Now Supported by the Technical Committee for Solar Traceability

This new standard is a "prerequisite for quality and process control in manufacturing of silicon wafers and solar cells" for the traceability of the individual solar wafers.

The standard specifically names the ECC-200 Data Matrix code which is currently used in the semiconductor industry. Therefore, marking and decoding equipment should be readily available. However, the blue surface of photovoltaic (PV) wafers pose a challenge to most image-based barcode scanners.

Today Cognex released the DataMan® 302 for solar wafer ID reading. The DataMan® 302 model is a high resolution (1280x1024 pixels) image-based ID reader that features integrated, bank controlled, blue illumination especially designed for decoding the challenging laser marked codes on PV wafers.

The DataMan solar ID reader can be used to read DPM (Direct Part Mark) codes on PV solar wafers or thin-film glass panels making it the most versatile reader for solar traceability initiatives.