With significant ingot and wafer capacity expansions, notably underway in Asia, the demand for slurry recycling is working in tandem. With a claimed 40% market share, SiC Processing is raising €100 million via a bond issue to further expand operations in Asia and other regions.
Rumours of a tie-up with Samsung have proved true, with the news that MEMC will establish a new joint-venture firm with Samsung Fine Chemicals to produce polysilicon for the PV industry. The agreement between SFC and MEMC's affiliate, MEMC Singapore, includes building a 10,000MT plant in Ulsan, Korea, close to an SFC chemical plant. Production ramp is targeted for 2013.
GCL-Poly Energy Holdings has signed a €36 million supply contract with AEG Power Solutions for its Thyrobox M power supply system. GCL hopes the Thyyrobox will help consolidate its position as one of the world’s leading polysilicon and wafer suppliers.
Yissum Research Development, the Technology Transfer Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Vaxan Steel have signed a licensing and research agreement to develop silver nanoparticles and silver-coated copper nanoparticles for conductive inks.
BioSolar has advised that the production samples of its BioBacksheet technology have finished most of the Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL) material property tests and is on its way to receiving full UL certification. Tests on the product have included: material identification, partial discharge test and resistance to catching fire among other UL led testing. The last test, a measurement of relative thermal index (RTI) will soon be conducted.
Jean-Marc Gilson has been appointed as Avantor Performance Materials’ new chief executive officer. Gilson will work alongside the company’s executive chairman, Raj Gupta, and core leadership team, and be responsible for managing the company’s strategic development and future global direction.
Despite a short and chequered history, Hoku Materials polysilicon plant in Pocatello, Idaho could be in line for further funding, according to a strategic cooperation agreement signed between Baoding Tianwei Group and U.S. bank, Wells Fargo.
Elkem Silicon Materials (polysilicon) and Elkem Solar (solar wafers) are part of a business divesture plan of Norwegian conglomerate Orkla to primarily state-owned Chinese chemical firm, China National Bluestar. The US$2 billion all-cash transaction also includes Elkem’s aluminium and carbon’s businesses. Completion of the deal is expected during the first half of 2011.
5N Plus, a producer of high-purity metals, compounds and wafers for electronic applications, has converted its US$3 million debenture with Sylarus Technologies into a 66.67% majority interest. 5N has also agreed to provide additional funding of US$766,000 in the form of secured debt, to enable the repayment of short-term debt contracted by Sylarus.
Daqo New Energy has revised its guidance for its 2010 fourth quarter, marking an improvement over what the company previously forecasted for the period that ended on December 31. Combining customer orders with product deliveries, Daqo New Energy approximates that its fourth-quarter shipments of polysilicon are between 930MT and 950MT, far above the 825-850MT the company previously predicted.
