Hongyuan Green Energy says it has produced an initial batch of 40µm monocrystalline silicon wafers supporting full-size and half-cut formats, with cutting completed using the company’s in-house wafer equipment.
Hongyuan Green Energy said it has produced an initial batch of 40µm ultra-thin monocrystalline silicon wafers at its smart wafer manufacturing base in Baotou, China, which it describes as a production-oriented step in wafer thinning rather than a record-breaking demonstration. The company dates the milestone as January 23, 2026.
In an official disclosure, Hongyuan said the wafers are compatible with both full-wafer and half-cut processing and cover full-size sizes used in regular cell and module production. The “high-precision” cutting step was carried out using Hongyuan’s self-developed wafer equipment, which the company said was designed to operate stably at a very low thickness.
Hongyuan attributed the result to a series of equipment and process adjustments aimed at controlling stress and fracture during cutting. These include a compact design with center spacing, ultra-low adjustable tension to stabilize the wire web at higher speeds, and fine-wire, narrow-groove approaches intended to reduce notch losses. The company also cited dynamic stress control, optimized wire path design and low-tension cutting to limit vibration and stress-induced microcracks, in addition to online monitoring and feedback linked to a process database.
In terms of material quality, Hongyuan said the wafers feature controlled oxygen and carbon levels, long minority carrier life and strong resistance uniformity. It added that its wafer portfolio has passed France’s ECS carbon footprint certification.
Thin wafer development was a prominent industry focus between 2020 and 2023, as high polysilicon prices prompted suppliers and equipment manufacturers to reduce silicon consumption while managing increasing breakage and handling risks. During that period, Gaoce (Qingdao Gaoce) showed samples of 80 µm and later 60 µm half wafers on 210 mm sizes and said it had achieved mass production capacity of 110 µm half wafers. Separate industry information regarding Gaoce indicated that some customers had received shipments of 90 µm, while mass production routes of 60 µm were in development for heterojunction-related applications.
Among larger incumbents, TCL Zhonghuan has referred to wafer thinning in communications with investors, citing a mass production capacity of 100µm as part of its cost-cutting strategy. Longi has highlighted ongoing upgrades to its TaiRay-branded silicon wafer platform as it overhauls capacity, but has not publicly tied these revelations to a 40µm production target.
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