Passive alignment of wafers - design and impact

Several roadmaps e.g. the ITRPV forecast an increasing demand of automation in asking for higher outputs in combination with close to 100% yield. Twice the output of today's production lines will affect the construction and performance of the actual process equipment as well as the handling and transportation solutions within a factory. During the transport of substrates, especially on conveyor belt systems, a misalignment cannot completely be prevented. The passive alignment of wafers and cells is the most cost effective one in terms of investment. Active alignment systems nevertheless replaced such simple systems more often due to the fear of breakage and the complexity of adjustments. The choice of the right combination of materials and geometry of the passive alignment elements is of upmost priority for the resulting system and its functionality. Therefore, several materials as well as different design and construction approaches were investigated.