Multi-Grade Automatic Wafer EL+IV Sorting Machine

The Multi-Grade Automatic Wafer EL+IV Sorting Machine is a highly integrated key equipment for photovoltaic wafer production. It can automatically perform loading/unloading, transmission and positioning, electroluminescence (EL) defect detection (identifying microcracks, finger interruptions, contamination, etc.), and current-voltage (IV) characteristic testing (precisely measuring core electrical parameters such as efficiency, power, open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, etc.) on the same machine. Based on preset multi-grade standards (e.g., efficiency, power, color, appearance grade), it automatically sorts and classifies wafers with high precision. This equipment significantly improves the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of wafer testing and sorting, reduces manual intervention and breakage rates, and is a core automated asset for ensuring wafer quality and meeting the requirements for high-efficiency module matching.

Product Features

• Integration: Combines EL inspection + IV testing + automatic sorting functions in one unit.

• Automation: Automatic loading/unloading, transmission, testing, and sorting, minimizing manual labor.

• Dual Detection:

  • EL Inspection: Non-destructive optical inspection, revealing internal defects (microcracks, finger interruptions, breakage, contamination, process anomalies, etc.).

  • IV Testing: Precisely measures key electrical performance parameters (Eff, Pmpp, Voc, Isc, FF, etc.).

• Multi-Grade Sorting: Classifies wafers with high precision according to comprehensive, finely set grading criteria based on EL results (appearance grade, defect type) and IV test results (efficiency, power grade), etc.

• High Efficiency & Accuracy: High-speed testing and sorting (typically up to several thousand wafers per hour), with reliable and consistent results.

• Core Value: Enhances wafer production efficiency and quality control, laying the foundation for subsequent high-efficiency string soldering and precise power matching in modules.

Technical Specifications

Applications

• PV Wafer Manufacturing Plants: This is the primary application field, used for quality control and performance grading in the final stage of the wafer production process.

• Wafer Performance Grading: Core application! Utilizes IV testing to precisely measure the electrical performance parameters (efficiency, power, etc.) of each wafer and automatically sorts them into different performance grades based on preset fine-grained criteria (e.g., 0.1% efficiency intervals).

• Wafer Defect Detection and Sorting: Core application! Uses EL inspection like an "X-ray" to quickly and non-destructively identify wafers with internal defects (e.g., microcracks, finger interruptions, contamination, process flaws), automatically rejecting non-conforming wafers or classifying them by appearance grade.

• Pre-module Production Matching: Ensures wafers sent to the module string soldering process have highly consistent electrical performance (same grade) and acceptable appearance (no critical defects), which is a key prerequisite for manufacturing high-efficiency, high-power, and highly reliable solar modules.

• Enhance Module Power and Yield: Prevents low-efficiency wafers from dragging down the power output of entire strings; rejects defective wafers with potential risks (e.g., microcracks), preventing them from forming hot spots in modules, reducing failure risks, and improving long-term reliability.

• Realize Automated Production Lines: As a key equipment at the end of wafer manufacturing, it integrates loading/unloading, EL inspection, IV testing, and automatic sorting functions, achieving full automation from testing to sorting, significantly boosting production efficiency.

• Reduce Production Costs: Reduces the need for manual inspection and sorting, saving labor costs; automated operation minimizes wafer breakage during handling; precise grading optimizes wafer value and maximizes module output benefits.

Precautions

• Safety First:

  • The equipment involves high voltage (IV testing). Operation and maintenance must strictly adhere to safety regulations, and protective gear must be worn.

  • Ensure the equipment is reliably grounded to prevent electric shock risks.

  • Non-professionals must not open electrical cabinets or adjust laser sources.

• Environmental Requirements:

  • Must operate in a clean, temperature and humidity-controlled environment (typically temperature 23±2°C, humidity <60%, dust-free). Environmental fluctuations severely impact IV test accuracy and EL image quality.

  • Avoid strong direct light (especially interfering with EL imaging) and vibration sources.

• Calibration & Accuracy Maintenance:

  • IV Test Unit: Must be regularly calibrated (as per manufacturer requirements, e.g., per shift, daily) using standard reference cells to ensure absolute accuracy of power, efficiency, and other electrical parameter measurements. This is the core basis for grading!

  • EL Inspection Unit: Regularly clean lenses, calibrate light source uniformity, and adjust camera focus to ensure defect recognition clarity and consistency.

• Material & Operating Procedures:

  • Ensure loaded wafer specifications (size, thickness) comply with the equipment design requirements.

  • Operate loading/unloading procedures correctly to avoid human-induced breakage or introduction of new defects.

  • Use the designated carriers (cassettes, trays) to ensure precise positioning.

• Key Daily Maintenance:

  • Clean! Clean! Clean! Regularly clean transmission rails, suction cups, probes, lenses, and sensors of dust, debris, and oxides (oxidized probes cause poor contact and inaccurate IV testing).

  • Lubricate moving parts as required by the manual.

  • Promptly clear sorting cassettes to prevent overstacking, breakage, or machine stoppage.

• Software & Data:

  • Regularly back up grading rules, test parameters, and equipment operation logs.

  • After software upgrades or parameter changes, verify test results and grading accuracy.

  • Pay attention to equipment alarm messages and handle abnormalities promptly.

• Probe Maintenance:

  • IV test probes are critical consumables. Regularly inspect for wear, clean, or replace them to ensure good contact with the wafer busbars. Poor contact is a major source of IV test errors.

• Handling Equipment Malfunctions:

  • If encountering abnormal test result fluctuations, increased sorting error rates, sudden rise in breakage rates, unusual noises, or alarms, immediately stop the machine for inspection. Contact professional maintenance personnel; do not disassemble core components yourself.