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August 23, 2010...ZSW has produced a thin-film copper indium gallium diselenide solar cell with 20.3 percent efficiency.
Scientists at the Zentrum für Sonne- nenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg, Germany
(Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research, ZSW) have
again achieved a success in striving to increase the electricity yield of
solar cells, beating their own previous record of 20.1 percent efficiency. The Stuttgart researchers contend that with this performance, they have exceeded
their own world record – and minimize to only 0.1 percent the advance
the performance of multi-crystalline solarcells still dominating the market.
The new record-breaking solar cells from ZSW are made of extremely thin lay-
ers of copper, indium, gallium and diselenide. The researchers boast that the new results should significantly improve the cost-effectiveness of CIGS thin-film photovoltaics over the
medium term.
The area of the world record cell is 0.5 square centimetres. The semi-
conducting CIGS layer and the contact layers have a total thickness of
only four thousandths of a millimetre, making them 50 times thinner
than standard silicon cells.
"Our researchers have made the cells in a
CIGS laboratory coating plant using a modified co-evaporation proc-
ess, which in principle can be scaled up to commercial production
processes," said Dr. Michael Powalla, Member of the Board and Head
of the Photovoltaics Division at ZSW. The Fraunhofer ISE in Freiburg,
Germany has confirmed the new results. However, it would take a
while before the increased efficiency of CIGS solar cells can be com-
mercially utilised, Powalla said.
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Goodrich Introduces Shortwave Infrared Camera for Unmanned Vehicles
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 23, 2010...Goodrich Corporation of Charlotte, North Carolina USA has introduced what it claims is the smallest SWaP (size, weight and power) shortwave infrared (SWIR) camera for unmanned vehicles. The SWIR camera weighs less than four and a half ounces and has a total volume of less than 4.9 cubic inches (about 80.3 cc). The company points out that the small size makes it suitable to fit on board almost any unmanned aerial or ground vehicle. Currently it is installed in the nosecone of a Raven hand-launched unmanned aerial system (UAS).
The new camera, which was developed by Goodrich's ISR Systems team in Princeton, New Jersey USA, features the company's proprietary indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) technology to see light wavelengths from 0.7 micrometers to 1.7 micrometers. According to the company, the new SWIR camera can detect wavelengths that are 30 percent shorter than the 1.0 micrometer wavelengths detected by traditional night vision cameras. The company says its SWIR camera's expanded capabilities allow the user to detect and track a wide range of military lasers, day or night, with exceptional clarity.
The camera is installed on the Raven UAS with a 320x240 resolution long-wave infrared (LWIR) microbolometer. The camera reportedly augments the microbolometer's thermal night imaging capabilities by enabling visual verification of laser location and imaging during the hours of sunrise and sunset when the performance of traditional thermal imaging systems is degraded. Veeco to Sell Metrology Business and Gets Massive MOCVD Order from China for LED Production
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 16, 2010...Veeco of Plainview, New York USA, has agreed to sell its Metrology business to Bruker Corporation, a provider of scientific instruments for molecular and materials research for $229 million in cash. The transaction has been approved by the boards of both companies and is expected to close in Q4 of 2010, pending regulatory review and subject to customary closing conditions.
John R. Peeler, Veeco's CEO indicated that the company plans to focus on its LED & Solar and Data Storage Process Equipment businesses.
The sale will transfer ownership of Veeco's Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) business in Santa Barbara, CA and its Optical Industrial Metrology (OIM) business in Tucson, AZ, as well as Veeco's associated global AFM/OIM field sales and support organization. Bruker intends to combine Veeco Metrology with its global Bruker Nano instruments business, which currently sells systems and analytical solutions for materials and nanotechnology research.
Veeco also reports that Elec-Tech International, a Shenzhen electronics company, selected its TurboDisc K465i Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) systems for two new LED factories in Wuhu and Yangzhou, China. In August Veeco booked the initial systems from a large multi-tool order from Elec-Tech's LED subsidiary, Elec-Tech Optoelectronic Technology (Wuhu). In a cooperative agreement Elec-Tech and South Korean firm EpiValley plan to jointly develop the Chinese LED market. Elec-Tech indicated that it will purchase 130 MOCVD systems with the vast majority coming from Veeco. Elec-Tech noted that most of its LED production would go towards the BLU market.
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AQT to Bring CIGS Solar Production Facility Online
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 16, 2010...Applied Quantum Technologies (AQT) announced that it plans to bring its CIGS solar production facility online this month. The company is going ahead with the new facility despite hard times in the solar industry. The facility will be located in aptly named Sunnyvale, California.
AQT got the money for the new facility from its recent $10 million funding round. AQT indicated that it would begin fulfilling the $30 million in orders in its order pipeline.
Other companies such as Miasole, Nanosolar, and Solyndra already occupy the copper indium gallium diselenide market that began to grow just as prices for silicon, the main material in CIGS solar's chief thin-film rival, amorphous silicon, rose to precarious heights.
AQT revealed that it will be using the same equipment used to make computer hard drives to make small CIGS solar cell in sizes and with structures similar to crystalline silicon. According to AQT, this will allow it to sell its cells to solar module makers who are already equipped with crystalline silicon machinery. AQT says that this lowers costs overall.
Crystal IS, Inc. and Asahi Kasei to Jointly Develop Larger Diamter AlN Substrates
CompoundSemi News StaffAugust 16, 2010...Crystal IS, Inc., of Green Island, New York USA, a developer of UV-C LEDs has signed a joint development agreement with Asahi Kasei Corp., to create a manufacturing process for larger diameter aluminum nitride (AlN) substrates. The substrates will reportedly be based upon Crystal IS technology.
“Aluminum nitride substrates are a critical component in the fabrication of UVC LEDs for energy efficient water and air sterilization applications,” said Dr. Steven Berger CEO of Crystal IS. “Building on our intellectual property to develop manufacturable large diameter substrates is an important step towards high-volume production and long term growth.”
Crystal IS notes that the development will take place at its facility in Green Island, NY. Crystal IS says that the program will run in parallel with its UVC LED activities.
“After a comprehensive study, we found Crystal IS wafer technology the most advanced and suitable for commercialization,” said Masafumi Nakao, who heads Asahi Kasei’s development of new business in compound semiconductors. “To reinforce our commitment to Crystal IS and the technology, we are happy to make a $2 million investment in the company as we assess the long-term market potential of these substrates for LEDs and a number of other high-power applications.” Our news features are reported
by the CompoundSemi News staff writers.
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