About EuroCZFactory

A Horizon Europe project rebuilding Europe's ingot and wafer value chain.

EuroCZFactory is a Horizon Europe-funded project focused on advancing silicon ingot and wafer manufacturing in Europe. It aims to develop and demonstrate next-generation Czochralski crystal growth and wafering technologies.

01 · Project overview

Rebuilding a European capability

Europe currently has limited capacity for ingot and wafer production, despite growing demand for solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. This creates a major bottleneck between silicon production and the manufacture of solar cells and modules. The project aims to address this gap by improving productivity, product quality and energy efficiency, while reducing waste and manufacturing costs.

EuroCZFactory combines technology development with pilot-scale industrial demonstration. Industry and research partners will test new equipment and processes under real manufacturing conditions. This work will use automation, digital twins, predictive analytics and sustainability assessments.

The project will generate the technical knowledge needed for future industrial scale-up. Its results will support European-made ingots and wafers, reduce dependence on imports and strengthen Europe's PV manufacturing value chain. EuroCZFactory will also contribute to the objectives of the Net-Zero Industry Act and Europe's clean energy transition.

Silicon ingot growth in a Czochralski puller
Czochralski crystal growth: the starting point of the wafer value chain

Czochralski crystal growth in five steps

  1. 01

    Melt

    Polysilicon is melted in a quartz crucible.

  2. 02

    Seed

    A rotating seed crystal touches the melt.

  3. 03

    Pull

    The seed is drawn upward and the crystal begins to form.

  4. 04

    Grow

    A cylindrical monocrystalline ingot forms beneath.

  5. 05

    Wafer

    The ingot is sliced into thin wafers.

02 · The challenge

Why change is needed

01

Production gap

Europe has strong expertise in solar technology, but limited capacity to produce silicon ingots and wafers. This creates a major gap in its PV manufacturing chain.

02

Import dependence

European cell and module manufacturers rely heavily on imported ingots and wafers. This leaves the industry exposed to supply disruptions and changing market conditions.

03

Energy and waste

Current ingot and wafer production is highly energy-intensive and generates material waste. This increases manufacturing costs and creates further sustainability challenges.

Where the gap sits

  1. 01Silicon
  2. 02Ingot
  3. 03Wafer
  4. 04Cell
  5. 05Module

03 · Our approach

The EuroCZFactory approach

EuroCZFactory takes an integrated approach to advancing European ingot and wafer manufacturing.

04 · Project journey

Project journey

  1. 2026

    Project launch

  2. 2030

    First commercial deployment

  3. 2031

    Foundations for 5 GWp-scale production

  4. 2032

    European production scale-up

05 · Behind the identity

Behind the identity

The EuroCZFactory identity is built on the Wafer Grid: a silicon wafer seen head-on, drawn as a lattice of chamfered cells, with a coral accent marking the CZ (Czochralski) process at its core. It is precise and technical, and reduces cleanly to a single icon at small sizes.

  • Geometry

    Wafer-inspired chamfered geometry.

  • Coral cell

    The coral cell represents innovation and technological advancement.

  • Pattern

    The repeating pattern represents collaboration across the value chain and industrial scale-up.

Download the logo

How the mark is built

  1. 01 · Wafer

    Wafer-inspired geometry

  2. 02 · Grid

    A lattice of chamfered cells

  3. 03 · Core

    The coral cell: innovation at the core

  4. 04 · Lockup

    The EuroCZFactory lockup