Ultra-pure selenium: premium product of the highest quality

Thanks to our unique manufacturing process, we are one of the few producers in the world who can manufacture pure selenium pellets with a 99.999 % grade of purity. Our ultra-pure selenium is characterized by consistently high quality with absolutely minimal impurities. Every batch undergoes extensive quality control in our in-house laboratory at the Röthenbach a.d. Pegnitz site.

We offer ultra-pure selenium in a variety of purity grades for technical applications.

Ultra-pure selenium with a purity grade of at least 99.995 to 99.999 % is used for alloys with ultra-pure metals, for solar cells, for rectifiers, and to make zinc selenite for infrared glass.

A low-oxygen variation is also used in photocopier drums, digital x-ray technology, the solar industry, and generally for electro-optical applications.

We also manufacture ultra-pure selenium alloys with arsenic, tellurium, and chlorine.

Individual packing units, product forms, and alloys are available upon request. We would be happy to discuss your individual, customized product needs.

Ultra-pure selenium for the solar industry; selenium as a building material for CIGS solar cells

Solar panels are an important milestone on the path to sustainable energy. More and more private citizens are choosing to install solar panels on their roofs and feed the electricity into the grid.

The thin-film solar panel is unique because it has a significantly higher absorption effect compared to silicon solar cells, meaning it absorbs light better.

It is just 1-2 µm thick, so it is less expensive and energy intensive to make than silicon panels

Only the very highest quality ultra-pure selenium that cannot be subject to any fluctuations in purity can be used to manufacture these solar cells. Ultra-pure selenium has a purity level of 99.999 %. We are one of the few manufacturers who can achieve this level of purity. This is the only way to guarantee consistent performance, efficiency, and reliability.

The absorber layer in the thin-film solar module consists of copper, indium, gallium, and diselenide, which is why they are also called CIGS solar cells.

During production, the various metals are vapor-deposited onto a substrate and subsequently heat treated to form a photoactive layer. A solar panel is then constructed from the resulting solar cells.

This is a highly technical process that does not take place at ourRöthenbach a.d. Pegnitz site. Retorte delivers the ultra-pure selenium to the solar panel manufacturers who then undertake the necessary production steps.