Now part of SEMILAB, the world leader of PV Metrology, SOPRALAB’s response to the escalating requirements for test and control systems in the PV market has been to launch their PT-5 metrology station. The system integrates their Spectroscopic Ellipsometry unit into a large modular platform for investigating PV panels. This powerful non invasive technology performs measurements rapidly and accurately to characterize the properties of thin film modules. 
The technique has been a leading choice in thin film characterization for more than 25 years, firmly established in R&D and production for a wide range of fields such as optical films, semiconductors and Flat Panel Displays. This success story continues into the fast growing thin film PV revolution.

With large scale production of PV panels well under way, the challenge still remains in mimicking the same efficiency and lifetime for these materials as that achieved in the R&D laboratories. The key lies within the integration of non invasive characterization techniques to reduce defects and control material morphology, thereby increasing the performance.