Intevac has bought Solar Implant Technologies (SIT) for an undisclosed fee. Intevac hope the acquisition of SIT, a California-based solar module design firm, will enable them to reduce solar cell manufacturing costs.
SIT has recently developed a compact ion-implant module, which will provide improved doping of silicon PV cells and, when used in tandem with Intevac's Lean Solar platform, allow the solar industry to reduce the cost per watt of solar modules by enabling the production of higher conversion efficiency cells.
“This technology acquisition is a key element of our equipment strategy to provide a suite of process technology solutions on our Lean Solar platform to enable lower costs for solar cell manufacturers. SIT's innovative ion implant module is a breakthrough design that specifically demonstrates the benefit of designing a solution for a market need,” said Intevac president and chief executive officer, Kevin Fairbairn.