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Solid State Technology - semiconductors, chips, integrated circuits

Applications

Toshiba opens doors to solar PV biz
Jan 05 -- Toshiba Corp. has established a "photovoltaic systems" division to supply large solar power generation systems, combining its systems integration know-how with existing work on high-efficiency power conditioning systems and rechargeable ion batteries....
 
Wafer-based solar cells aren't done yet
Dec 23 -- Once content to salvage silicon scrap from the IC industry, manufacturers of wafer-based solar cells have become the largest consumer of high-purity silicon. Rising raw material costs and the emergence of less expensive alternative technologies have led manufacturers to find ways to rapidly reduce their silicon consumption in some nifty ways....
 
Gas supply challenges for PV
Dec 11 -- From last week's Thin-Film Solar Summit (San Francisco, CA, Dec. 2-3), Linde exec Anish Tolia explained how gas technology can significantly impact cost/Watt for PV firms scaling production....
 
Show us the money: Financing thin-film PV projects
Dec 08 -- A panel discussion at last week's Thin Film Solar Summit (San Francisco, CA, Dec. 2-3) gave attendees a dose of reality, that financing in the world of thin-film PV isn't a short-term play -- and the money's in owning the resource. Still, the tech may be the only hope for making solar more than a niche subsidized business....
 
Sharp, Enel deal targets cost savings, global reach
Dec 01 -- A deal between Japan's Sharp Corp. and Italy's largest power company, Enel SpA, to produce both solar cells and modules will help Sharp deepen its reach in Europe's end-markets while slashing shipment costs and protecting against currency valuations, according to local media analysis....
 
IMEC research energetically stacks up
Oct 27 -- Advanced Packaging's Gail Flower reports from presentations at IMEC's recent annual research review, centering on two areas of predicted high growth: 3D stacked ICs including through-silicon vias (TSV), and crystalline Si and organic solar cells....
 
Vacuum processing for solar cells
Oct 24 -- Like integrated circuit and flat-panel display manufacturing, solar cell manufacturing depends on a variety of vacuum-based processes, from PECVD silicon deposition to lamination of the finished module. Yet vacuum-based processes in solar cell manufacturing pose special challenges for pump designers....
 
Improved efficiency boosts PV panel prospects
Oct 23 -- Just as integrated circuit (IC) manufacturers strive to reduce gate length and increase memory density, solar cell manufacturers seek to improve conversion efficiency. More efficient panels reduce the user's cost and make solar cells more competitive with other energy sources. Yet essentially every aspect of cell design affects efficiency, from the depth of the p-n junction to the composition of the protective glass sheet. This article summarizes the most important contributing factors....
 
Navigant, Gartner, Displaybank experts shed light on solar/PV tech
Oct 16 -- Recent industry events have provided a forum for analysts to opine on the future of PV technology, both thin-film and crystalline. Experts gave further analysis and opinions to SST....
 
Advent Solar brings semi tech to PV
Oct 15 -- Advent Solar execs, on hand at this week's Solar Power International event in San Diego, discuss the upcoming (1Q09) launch of their first product targeting PV that utilizes advanced semiconductor technology, including epi-filled TSVs and the equivalent of wafer-level packaging, and reduces efficiency loss as well as lowers cell processing and interconnect costs....
 
Grid parity entering "inflection zone"
Oct 08 -- Applied Materials sees a "zone of inflection" starting around 2011-2015 during which time the levelized cost of energy from PV technologies will start to equal and then go lower than conventional electricity rates, in a presentation of the company's PV technology strategy at its recent technical symposium jointly sponsored with the IEEE SCV-EDS society....
 
Sharp ramps thin-film solar output
Oct 06 -- Sharp Corp. says it has achieved mass production levels of 2nd-generation thin-film solar cells at its plant in Katsuragi, Nara Prefecture, to 160,000 kw/year, about 22% of its total overall production capacity (crystalline and thin-film) of 710,000 kw/year. The project encompassed roughly a ¥22B (US ~$208M) investment....
 
Report: Solar cell JV "risky" for Sanyo
Oct 02 -- Sanyo Electric's proposed JV with Nippon Oil to make next-generation solar cells is a risky venture, according to local Japanese media, which claims that despite its solid technology the company is still in a rebuilding phase and battling aggressive competitors, while struggling to balance investment needs across its landscape....
 
PV's "Moore's Law" required to drive increased material efficiency
Sep 23 -- The road to grid parity for PV power generation will be difficult, needing five or more years to compete with utility power, unsubsidized, on a large scale, noted analyst Mark Thirsk at a PV forecast luncheon. Host group SEMI also laid out its work giving a PV voice to the equipment and materials segment....
 
 

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