The Chinese manufacturer has started production at a 21 GW back-contact cell facility in China, marking the first large-scale deployment of its silver-free Alloy Contact Matrix (ACM) metallization technology.
The copper-based process aims to reduce costs, improve BC cell competitiveness, and support wider industrial adoption of back-contact modules.
Chinese PV manufacturer Longi has started production at a 21 GW back-contact (BC) cell manufacturing line at its Xixian production base in Shaanxi province, China. The project represents the first gigawatt-scale production deployment of Longi’s Alloy Contact Matrix (ACM) metallization technology.
The company describes the ACM metallization approach as a way to replace conventional silver paste with a copper-based alloy contact system. The company says the technology can enable the complete removal of silver from BC cells through the use of a nanoscale barrier layer, a copper-based alloy material and a matrix-style point-contact structure.
The barrier layer is designed to prevent copper diffusion into the silicon wafer, addressing a key reliability challenge associated with copper metallization. The alloy formulation is intended to improve oxidation resistance and enable integration into standard screen-printing and firing processes, avoiding the need for separate copper electroplating equipment, the manufacturer said.
