Achieving High Read Rates for Solar Wafer Traceability

A photovoltaic (PV) wafer manufacturer is following the new SEMI standard PV29-0212 for controlling the traceability of solar wafers.  The standard specifically names the ECC-200 Data Matrix code for DPM (direct part marking) which is currently used in the semiconductor industry, however, the blue surface of PV wafers pose a challenge to most image-based barcode scanners. The first readers they tried on the new line caused a slowdown in throughput due to low read rates and processing times. The codes were just too difficult to read consistently throughout the entire process.

Then they tried the DataMan 302 solar ID reader with high resolution and integrated, bank controlled, blue illumination. The 2DMax+ code reading algorithm and integrated lighting was optimized with the intelligent tuning feature to provide high read rates to keep the solar line moving at faster speeds for more throughput and complete traceability.