KLA-Tencor Corporation has made a friendly acquire all shares in ICOS Vision Systems for approximately $465.8 million. ICOS's primary business is inspection equipment for semiconductor packaging but has been successful in the more cost-conscious solar wafer inspection market at key processing steps.
According to just released worldwide photovoltaic production figures from Photon magazine, Q-Cells was the largest manufacturer of solar cells in 2007. This was based on the forecast production output of 370MWp, surpassing Sharp for the first time.
Market research firm Frost & Sullivan expects polysilicon supply to catch up with demand in 2008. It cites in a new report that the major suppliers are bringing more than 17,000 tonnes of new polysilicon capacity online in 2008, and while demand from PV manufacturers is set to continue, semiconductor manufacturing demand is only growing at single digit levels.
Tokyo Electron (TEL) has established a new business, Tokyo Electron PV Limited, with Sharp Corporation to develop and commercialize high throughput plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) systems for the thin film silicon photovoltaics market based on TEL’s experience in the large flat panel display industry. According to TEL, it had undertaken a detailed field review of the PVindustry before deciding to enter the market.
Without the current handicap of polysilicon shortages, thin film CdTe PV manufacturer First Solar has revealed that it expects annual capacity to reach approximately 1 gigawatt by the end of 2009 with the expected full ramp of all four plants in Malaysia going to plan. Currently, First Solar has completed, slightly ahead of schedule, Plant1 in Malaysia with equipment installation and line qualificationongoing. Plant 1 is expected to ramp production in the second quarterof 2008.
A 27-year veteran of research in the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Dr. Rommel Noufi’s appointment as Vice President of Research for SoloPower will see him head up the company’s research efforts in the field of CIGS solar cell technology.
Ascent Solar Technologies has purchased a manufacturing facility in Thornton, Colorado that will house several 25MW thin-film flexible solar module lines. The first 25MW production line is planned for completion by year-end 2009 and will be ramped to 100MW by 2011, the company said.
LDK Solar has reiterated that its Trichlorosilane (TCS) plant at itsXinyu, Jiangxi site remains on construction schedule as the BasicEngineering Phase (BEP) has been completed, which includes the detaileddrawings for the actual construction phase of the project.
Suniva, Inc. has secured $50 million in a Series B round of fundingthat will be used for the construction of a crystalline silicon solarcell plant in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Suniva has an exclusive license tothe patents and processes developed at UCEP over 15 years at theGeorgia Institute of Technology’s University Center of Excellence inPhotovoltaics (UCEP) by Dr. Ajeet Rohatgi (pictured).
Having already allocated approximately $1.5 billion to significantlyexpand polysilicon production, Hemlock Semiconductor, the largest makerof high-grade polysilicon, is in the process of searching for a newsite for further expansion, according to the Financial Times.
