Cornerstone laid: Wacker is responding to the photovoltaics boom by further expanding polysilicon production
Wacker is further expanding its polysilicon manufacturing capacity through 2007. The cornerstone was laid for a new production facility geared toward supplying the solar industry with hyperpure polycrystalline silicon. The new plant is slated to produce 2,500 metric tons annually. This, together with other expansion measures, should boost Wacker 's annual solar silicon capacity from the present 5,500 tons to as much as 9,000 tons beginning in 2008. Expanding output enables Wacker to meet soaring global demand for hyperpure polycrystalline silicon. The main growth driver is the solar industry, which requires silicon for the manufacture of solar cells. Wacker is investing some EUR200 million in the new plant and expects to create 100 new jobs at the Burghausen site as a result.
To provide the photovoltaics industry with a completely new way of producing silicon crystals, Wacker Polysilicon has also developed a novel process for granular polysilicon production. Based on the fluidized-bed technique (with trichlorosilane as feedstock), the process is being tested on an industrial scale at two pilot reactors. Granular silicon is ideal for continuous crystallization processes. Wacker has been producing hyperpure polycrystalline silicon for the semiconductor industry at its Burghausen site for over 50 years
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