IBCinD -Innovative and cost-effective process technologies for high-efficiency POLO2 IBC cells for production in Germany
In the IBCinD project, ISFH is developing an industrial process for high-efficiency POLO2 IBC solar cells. The goal is to achieve 26.0% efficiency using innovative coating and structuring technologies, alongside a completely silver-free, cost-effective metallization and interconnection.
Feb 01, 2026 – Mar 31, 2026
This project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) under grant number 03EE1247A. The project is managed by Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH as part of the 'Energy Technologies' funding program of the BMWK.
Joint Project: IBCinD – Innovative and cost-effective process technologies for high-efficiency POLO2 IBC cells for production in Germany
Sub-project: Novel wet-chemical processes and aluminum metallization for industrial POLO2 IBC solar cells with efficiencies exceeding 26%
As early as 2018, ISFH pre-developed a laboratory-scale POLO2 IBC cell with an efficiency of 26.1%. This cell was fabricated on a small area (4 cm²) using complex processes such as photolithography and ion implantation. Within the IBCinD project, ISFH is now developing an innovative industrial POLO2 IBC manufacturing process for future PV factories. This includes novel process technologies for the coating and local structuring of p-type POLO and n-type POLO (poly-Si on oxide) layers, as well as a completely silver-free—and thus potentially very cost-effective—metallization and module interconnection.
These new process technologies are being developed in close cooperation with the consortium partners RENA, ECKART, and RCT. A key project objective is the demonstration of an Ag-free POLO2 IBC cell, manufactured using industrial processing equipment, with an efficiency of 26.0%.
Dr. Thorsten Dullweber
Head of PV department: Infrastructure