For traditional P‑type crystalline‑silicon photovoltaic cells, graphite components are mainly used in diffusion, sintering and high‑temperature annealing procedures. In recent years, N‑type TOPCon and HJT batteries become mainstream mass‑production technologies worldwide; meanwhile, silicon‑carbide‑based wide‑band‑gap photovoltaic‑device R&D progresses rapidly. The process temperature of new‑generation photovoltaic equipment rises, and the process atmosphere is more complex, bringing obvious changes in service conditions of graphite sintering fixtures. Many graphite components suitable for old‑type processes show shortened service life in new‑generation production lines, with prominent failure phenomena such as surface oxidation, silicon‑vapor corrosion, sticky silicon contamination and thermal‑shock cracking.
Silicon vapor produced in high‑temperature silicon‑wafer processing will react with graphite surface, forming silicon‑carbide layers. Partial silicon‑carbide conversion can improve surface hardness, but uneven reaction will cause local stress, leading to surface bulging, peeling and polluting silicon wafers. Once hard‑particle peeling occurs on graphite fixture surface, it will produce scratch defects on silicon‑wafer surface and reduce finished‑product rate of cells. This is one of the most troublesome failure modes for photovoltaic graphite fixtures under new‑generation processes. In addition, frequent high‑temperature‑rise and cooling cycles in continuous production lines impose strict requirements on thermal‑shock resistance of graphite materials. Graphite with excessive grain size is easy to produce micro‑cracks under repeated thermal impact, accelerating component scrapping.
Therefore, photovoltaic‑graphite‑material indexes are being re‑defined by the market. Not only high purity and volume density are required, but also fine‑and‑uniform grain structure, low thermal‑expansion coefficient, good thermal‑shock stability, and certain anti‑silicon‑vapor‑corrosion capability. Some clients also require surface anti‑reaction modification treatment for graphite fixtures. The modification layer needs to isolate silicon vapor erosion, and cannot introduce metal impurities to contaminate silicon wafers, which brings higher difficulty for graphite manufacturers. At present, well‑known international carbon‑material brands occupy high‑end photovoltaic‑fixture market, yet their product prices are high. Global photovoltaic equipment manufacturers are seeking cost‑effective alternative suppliers.
Jincheng Graphite has long supplied customized graphite sintering trays, carriers and jigs for photovoltaic‑equipment clients. Aiming at the pain points of new‑generation N‑type and SiC photovoltaic processes, the enterprise optimizes graphite‑blank formula and graphitization process, controls grain‑size uniformity, reduces material thermal‑expansion coefficient, and improves thermal‑shock resistance. For key‑position graphite fixtures, it can provide surface anti‑corrosion modification treatment according to customer drawing requirements, reduce the chemical‑reaction degree between silicon vapor and graphite matrix. The company cooperates with overseas PV‑equipment developers to carry out sample‑machine test verification of graphite components, continuously collect on‑site service‑life data, and adjust material and processing schemes according to feedback results.
Global photovoltaic market research data shows that global new‑installed PV capacity will keep growing steadily from 2026‑2030. The equipment‑upgrading wave driven by N‑type and SiC photovoltaic devices will bring large‑scale replacement demand for graphite high‑temperature fixtures. It is worth noting that photovoltaic graphite products belong to mass‑production consumables. Customers attach great importance to not only single‑piece service life, but also batch‑to‑batch consistency of graphite blanks. Unstable batch performance will cause large‑area production‑line loss for cell factories.
For graphite manufacturers, simply copying old‑formula photovoltaic graphite blanks cannot adapt to new‑process demands. It is necessary to deeply understand the changes of downstream photovoltaic‑process parameters, carry out targeted material development, and cooperate with customers for repeated equipment‑line tests. As a Chinese supplier serving global PV clients, Jincheng Graphite is taking the iteration of photovoltaic graphite fixtures as key R&D direction, striving to provide stable and reliable high‑temperature graphite components for global photovoltaic manufacturing chains.
