Veeco Instruments Inc. announced the release of its NT9100S Optical Profiler System specifically designed to optimize photovoltaic (PV) cell production and process development. The new NT9100S combines the renowned performance of Veeco’s NT Series of white light optical profilers with new features and options to enable rapid, three-dimensional surface measurements on 6-inch crystalline silicon PV cells.

“Veeco has a very strong presence in the solar market,” said Mark R. Munch, executive vice president, Veeco Metrology. “Now, with our customized NT9100S, we can offer unprecedented capability to monitor and control surface texture and, more importantly, to match specific surface measurements to solar cell efficiency early in the manufacturing process.”

Andrew Masters, Veeco’s vice president of segment marketing and business development, added, “The NT9100S brings the power and flexibility of the NT Series Optical Profilers, along with a PV-specific stage and chuck, to solar cell production monitoring. We are excited to deliver an affordable, feature-rich metrology platform that can enable such a wide scope of efficiency-enhancing applications in solar cell research and production.”