Veeco Unveils NT9100S Optical Profiling System

Veeco Instruments, a provider of scientific and industrial metrology, announced the release of its NT9100S Optical Profiler System specifically designed to optimize photovoltaic (PV) cell production and process development.

The new NT9100S combines the performance of Veeco's NT Series of white light optical profilers with new features and options that the company stated will enable rapid, three-dimensional surface measurements on 6-inch crystalline silicon PV cells.

"Veeco has a very strong presence in the solar market," said Mark R. Munch, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Veeco Metrology. "Now, with our customized NT9100S, we can offer unprecedented capability to monitor and control surface texture and, more importantly, to match specific surface measurements to solar cell efficiency early in the manufacturing process."

Andrew Masters, Veeco's Vice President of Segment Marketing and Business Development, said, "The NT9100S brings the power and flexibility of the NT Series Optical Profilers, along with a PV-specific stage and chuck, to solar cell production monitoring. We are excited to deliver an affordable, feature-rich metrology platform that can enable such a wide scope of efficiency-enhancing applications in solar cell research and production."

Veeco explained that its NT9100S is based upon the workhorse NT Series product line, and adds a custom 156-millimeter programmable stage for edge-to-edge measurements on a 6-inch PV cell. Other standard features include a porous vacuum chuck that securely and safely affixes a standard PV cell, automation software, field stitching software, and patent-pending, ultra-uniform dual-LED illumination. Running on the Vision software platform, the NT9100S provides access to over 200 distinct analyses, and over 1000 critical parameters for process control and monitoring.

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