Dubbed PolyMax, the company describes it as a "kerf-free" wafer process technology that was developed in house.

Full details of the process are scheduled to be given at the 23rd European Photovoltaic Conference, which takes place in Valencia, Spain from September 1-5.

SiGen says that by eliminating sawing losses, the PolyMax equipment set can substantially reduce the amount of polysilicon used within the ingot to wafer manufacturing steps and also eliminate some of the costly consumables in existing wafer manufacturing.

First targeted to process monocrystalline silicon to produce high-efficiency silicon solar cells, the equipment is expected to help the PV industry reach grid parity while simultaneously relaxing the shortage of polysilicon feedstock.

The company has produced 50-micron thick, full-size 125mm wafer samples using engineering equipment with what it describes as "excellent" mechanical and electrical characteristics.

SiGen plans to start pilot line operations by spring 2009 that demonstrate kerf-free processing of silicon ingots into wafers ranging from 150 to 50 micron in thickness.

"Our full-sized PV samples have enhanced silicon attributes which dramatically improve wafer and cell processing capabilities," said Francois Henley, President and CEO of Silicon Genesis. "In addition to saving poly, we found the wafers to be significantly more resistant to breakage, thereby enabling higher cell yields and lowering expensive downstream failures seen by module manufacturers and installers."

SiGen says the process and equipment will give it a major boost as it enters the solar PV wafer production sector. It is traditionally a provider of substrate processes for the semiconductor, display and optoelectronics markets.