Surfect Technologies has announced its move to start selling itssingle-cell electroplating tool and processes to the solar cellmanufacturing industry, following other semiconductor equipmentsuppliers into this rapidly expanding market.
WACKER CHEMIE AG and SCHOTT Solar have announced plans to jointlyinvest €370 million through 2012 in expanding multicrystalline siliconwafer production at facilities in Jena and Alzenau, Germany for solarcell production that is planned to generate one gigawatt/year by 2012. The joint venture would become one of the world´s five largestsolar-wafer manufacturers, according to the companies
WIN Semiconductors has placed an order with AIXTRON for its AIX 2600G3IC epitaxy reactor that will be used for the development andmanufacture of triple junction solar cells on germanium wafers forterrestrial Solar Cell applications. It will be installed in WINSemiconductors’ facility in Kuei Shan Hsiang, Taiwan.
Green Energy Technology has awarded Applied Materials with a contract to supply a complete production line for thin film solar modules using ultra-large 5.7m2 glass panels. Applied will deliver the fully integrated line of equipment for the new facility being built in TaoYuan, Taiwan in the first half of 2008 with production expected later that year. The facility will have a nominal rated capacity of 40 megawatts per year.
Continuing its strategic focus on the solar cell manufacturing market, Applied Materials has made another major acquisition in the solar equipment sector with the purchase of Switzerland-based HCT Shaping Systems SA, the largest specialist in wafer sawing tools for both solar and semiconductor wafer markets.
The continued demand for polysilicon coming primarily from the solarcell industry has led to WACKER’s starting ‘stage 8’ of polysiliconproduction expansion at its Burghausen, Germany site by an additional7,000 metric tons to a total of 21,500 metric tons per year.
Amtech Systems has won $4.1 million worth of neworders from Asia-based solar cell manufacturers primarily for itsdiffusion processing systems, the company said. The company has received more than $16.5 million insolar orders over the last twelve months. For the fiscal 2007 year todate, Amtech has received approximately $9.8 million of solar orders.The latest orders are expected to ship in approximately six months.
Thin-film silicon solar photovoltaic module manufacturer Signet Solar has announced plans to ultimately produce 1 gigawatt (GW) in annual production of solar modules over the next ten years at a new plant to be built in India at an estimated final cost of approximately $2 billion U.S. dollars.
Ex-Nanometrics Vice President of advanced technology Dr. Steven G.Hummel has been enlisted to the PV Powered team as vice president ofengineering. His new role will see him focus specifically on productdevelopment for the solar solutions company.
Roth & Rau has won a follow-on order for a turnkey 60 MWp solar cell line for Grupo Pevafersa based in Toro, Spain. The line is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2008 and is being valued at €20 million.
