High-technology equipment manufacturer Intevac is currently qualifying its second ‘MATRIX’ PVD system with another tier-1 PV manufacturing customer.
Intervac noted in its second quarter earnings call that progress on qualifying a second PVD tool had been progressing well. Previously, Intervac had said that it expected further tool orders from solar cell producers for the tool.
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Intervac’s MATRIX PVD system is used for advanced N-type mono solar cell metallization deposition processes and deploys a proprietary linear scanning magnetic array (LSMA) technology that is claimed to provide a planar sputtering target utilization rate of over 65%, providing low cost of ownership (CoO) for high value metal deposition.
However, its initial customer has yet to sign-off the tool, which was previously expected in the first quarter of 2015.
Wendell Blonigan, Intevac’s president and chief executive officer said in the earning call: For our PVD metallization for advanced solar cells, our first MATRIX PVD system is running 24×7 production with a leading tier-1 customer. The sign-off process in this new factory has been time-consuming, but I’m happy to report the tool is running well and we have an agreed upon sign-off plan in schedule for the third quarter. We have ranged this tool in our Q3 guidance, however, as there could be delays based on factory priorities and line availability.”
According to Blonigan, the company expects the initial customer for its PVD system to at some stage expand capacity, which would make it the “process tool of record for advance metallization.”
The unidentified customer was expected to build-out “significant capacity”.