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Novellus Systems' grand poobah Rick Hill has been outspoken in his skepticism about the prospects for the solar-photovoltaic industry and his company's archrival Applied Materials' embrace of it. Last August, he was quoted as saying, "The solar cell business feels like a fad business," words that earned him a Mr. Smarty Pants sobriquet from Chip Shots.

"No really, Rick, I'm joining the board of a solar company!'" (Photo of Fushen Chen, courtesy of Novellus)

Imagine my irony-drenched surprise when news hit my eyeballs earlier today that one of Rick's key executives, Novellus' CTO/exec VP Fushen Chen, has joined the board of GT Solar, a leading supplier to several links in the PV manufacturing value chain. The PR announcing the appointment of Chen and fellow new board member J. Michal Conaway noted how "each offer a significant amount of specialized experience that will be valuable to our company," a vague way of saying, "it's great to get a semiconductor process equipment guru on the GT team."

The sound of solar manufacturers clamoring for more semiconductor expertise has become increasingly insistent--and the migration/exodus of chipmaking pros to the PV industry continues unabated--so GT's appointment of Chen ties right into the trend.

What's next? A foray by thin-film and manufacturing tool leaders Novellus into the PV processing world? That doesn't seem very likely, as long as Mr. Smarty Pants is in charge. Unless, of course, a certain GT Solar board member convinces Rick that there just might be some long-term value lurking in the fabbing of those cells and modules that the semi tool firm could turn into a significant revenue-generating opportunity....