Manufacturing Execution System Architecture for High-Mix Photovoltaic Cell Lines: Requirements, Trade-Offs, and Reference Design

Abstract

Photovoltaic cell manufacturing has traditionally operated as a high-volume, low-mix environment, but recent shifts toward multi-product platforms (PERC, TOPCon, and HJT on shared infrastructure) have increased the demands placed on Manufacturing Execution System (MES) architecture. This article surveys the functional requirements of an MES suitable for high-mix PV cell production, contrasts the architectural trade-offs between purpose-built and adapted-from-semiconductor MES platforms, and proposes a reference design organized around event-sourced traceability, recipe-version management, and bidirectional integration with predictive analytics services. Particular attention is given to wafer-genealogy tracking through reentrant process flows and to the schema evolution discipline required for long-lived production deployments. The reference design is presented at architectural-pattern granularity to support adaptation by manufacturers without committing to specific vendor stacks.