Imagine making a thin slice of silicon for a solar panel without ever having to saw a big block of crystal, which usually wastes a lot of material as dust. Instead, this method grows the wafer layer by layer from a gas, like how frost forms on a window. It removes the most expensive and wasteful steps of the current process to make solar energy cheaper.
Conventional silicon wafer production is energy-intensive, wasteful due to sawing (kerf loss), and heavily reliant on non-European imports, creating supply chain vulnerabilities.
A kerfless wafer manufacturing system including epitaxial growth equipment, AI-driven process controls, and advanced inline inspection tools.
If you are a PV cell manufacturer dealing with high raw material costs and import reliance — this project developed a kerfless wafer technology that reduces material waste and carbon footprint. It enables the production of high-quality EpiWafers using a European supply chain.
If you are a process control provider dealing with quality inconsistencies in wafer growth — this project developed AI-driven process control and advanced inline inspection. This allows for the management of gigawatt-scale production lines.
If you are an equipment manufacturer dealing with the decline of traditional sawing technologies — this project developed new equipment for epitaxial growth from the gas phase. This opens a new market for machinery capable of gigawatt-scale output.
The project aims to significantly reduce costs by eliminating energy- and material-intensive steps of conventional wafer production. Based on available project data, this is achieved through a kerfless growth process.
Yes, the project is specifically designing equipment and AI-driven controls capable of gigawatt-scale production of high-quality EpiWafers.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not provided, but the project involves a consortium of 14 partners including 7 industry players.
The project directly supports the Net-Zero Industry Act, REPowerEU, and the European Solar PV Industry Alliance to reinforce strategic autonomy.
The project period runs from 2026-06-01 to 2029-05-31.
The consortium is highly industry-oriented, with 50% of its 14 partners coming from the industrial sector, including 6 SMEs. This balance suggests a strong focus on commercial viability and technology transfer, supported by 5 research centers and 2 universities across 9 countries.
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