PV Division

Business Information

What is PV?

PV is the abbreviation for "photovoltaic".

Kitagawa Seiki has been producing silicon wafers, the key component of silicon solar cells, since March 2004.

Generating Safe Energy from Sunlight

The sun endlessly bathes the earth in sunlight. The energy of the sunlight that reaches the earth in a single hour is said to be equivalent to the total amount consumed by the entire planet over an entire year. What if that sunlight could be converted into electric power? Think of the unlimited potential that exists within each tiny, thin solar cell - the dreams and hopes of the human race.

Operating Principle of a Solar Cell

A solar cell is a type of semiconductor. The most common type of silicon solar cells are comprised of 2 types of silicon wafers overlaying each other, each having different properties. As long as there is sunlight, a solar cell will continue to generate electricity, without discharging harmful exhaust gasses. Solar cells produce 100% clean, completely renewable energy.

When the solar cell is exposed to light, positively and negatively charged particles (positive holes and electrons) are generated. The negatively charged particles are attracted to n-type silicon and the positively charged particles are attracted to p-type silicon. As a result, when a light bulb or other electrically powered device is connected to the electrodes, electrical current flows. This is the operating principle of a solar cell.

Silicon Wafer Production Process

Silicon Brick

Single-crystal and poly-crystal silicon bricks are rectangular blocks with a cross-section of 156 mm on a side.

Multi Wire Saw Slicing

Using thin wires measuring just 0.12 mm in diameter, the silicon brick is sliced into wafers approximately 200 µm (0.2 mm) thick. More than 500 wafers can be cut from a single 200 mm long silicon brick.