Swagelok Introduces Process Specification for Photovoltaics

SOLON, OH – Swagelok Company unveiled a new process
specification designed to meet the needs of the photovoltaic (PV) market, aimed at
helping ensure quality and reduce cost of ownership for the growing industry. The Swagelok
Photovoltaic Process Specification (SC-06) outlines testing, cleaning, and packaging steps for
stainless steel components for use in PV applications. The specification illustrates the
company’s continued leadership in process-specific cleaning, which began in the 1980s with
ultrahigh-purity components.

The baseline requirements include specifying the high-quality surface finish, visual
inspection criteria and particle counts the PV industry needs to maintain reliability and process
control for improved uptime, while identifying areas (such as work area classification, analytics,
and packaging) where costs can be contained.

Swagelok® products are designed to provide reliable, leak-tight performance in critical PV
manufacturing processes, such as Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD)
and diffusion. These and other processes require low leak rates for safety, control of process
gas purity, as well as precise delivery of gases to maintain cell integrity and reduce scrap.

The Swagelok Photovoltaic Process Specification (SC-06) is an available option for many
Swagelok high-purity products, in place of the company’s other specifications: SC-01
(Ultrahigh-purity Process), SC-10 (Standard Cleaning and Packaging), and SC-11 (Special
Cleaning and Packaging).

The products currently available with SC-06 processing include DP and DPH springless
diaphragm valves, HB and BN series bellows valves, CW series check valves, VCR® metal
gasket face seal fittings, and Micro-Fit® miniature tube butt weld fittings. To download the SC-
06 specification, please visit www.swagelok.com/solar.

Swagelok Company

www.swagelok.com

::Design World::