The latest news and information on industries related to semiconductor manufacturing, including nanotechnology, MEMS, photovoltaics/solar cells, displays, and optoelectronics.
Ulvac Enables Flexible Li-Ion Battery Kenji Tsuda, Asia Contributing Editor - 12/22/2008
Ulvac Inc. said it has developed a process flow for very thin lithium-ion cells, which may be combined with solar cells to create and store electricity in wearable electronics. The flexible battery features a solid-state electrolyte, which the company claims is safer than the conventional liquid electrolyte. The company adapted its semiconductor equipment and sputtering targets to the battery application. More
Carbone Lorraine Acquires Calcarb in Solar Push Staff - 12/31/2008
Carbone Lorraine has acquired Calcarb, a manufacturer of rigid graphite felt used as insulation in high-temperature furnaces used by the semiconductor and solar industries.
More
Taiwan’s Auria Solar Launches Micromorph Solar Production Staff - 12/17/2008
Oerlikon Solar (Truebbach, Switzerland) announced today that Auria Solar (Tainan Science Park, Taiwan) is now the first customer in Asia to begin production of thin-film silicon solar modules using Oerlikon’s micromorph technology.
More
M+W Zander to Build Thin-Film Solar Factory Staff - 12/12/2008
Construction engineering firm M+W Zander said it will design and build a solar module factory for an affiliate of Q-Cells AG in Germany.
More
Astronergy Aims at Thin-Film PV Market Hedy Qian, Managing Editor, SI China - 12/11/2008
Yang Liyou, CEO of Astronergy, a Chinese photovoltaics startup, discussed his company and China’s PV scene with Hedy Qian, managing editor of Semiconductor International China. Crystalline silicon-based PV technology is relatively mature, and much of the future growth will come from improving thin-film PV efficiencies, said Yang, who previously worked at BP Solar.
More
IEDM Showcases Medical Device Research David Lammers, News Editor - 12/04/2008
Researchers from IMEC and several U.S. universities will go to the upcoming IEDM conference with presentations on implantable medical devices and drug delivery systems. The work includes innovative wafer-level packaging techniques and neural implants with dense electrode arrays. Researchers also are developing implantable drug packages that can be released on command to attack tumors or revive a wounded soldier.
More
Wacker Expands Polysilicon Production Ahead of Schedule Staff - 11/20/2008
Probably welcome news to a solar industry in need of more supplies of high-purity polycrystalline silicon, Wacker Chemie is up and running with its latest production expansion.
More
Photovoltaic raw materials prices to shrink in 2009, iSuppli says By Suzanne Deffree, Managing Editor, News - 11/14/2008
More than 60 companies have announced plans to produce polysilicon by 2009, up from just seven in 2007. On that, pricing for polysilicon used to create photovoltaic cells is expected to drop starting in 2009 because of imbalances in the solar supply chain, iSuppli reports.
More
The Measure of All Things Alexander E. Braun, Senior Editor, Semiconductor International January 7, 2009 Of Sand and Power
No one will argue against the necessity of applying every known (and developing) sour... More
Scaling PECVD for Large-Area Solar Cells Shuran Sheng, Yong Kee Chae, Liwei Li, Jeff Su and Xiesen Yang, Applied Materials, Santa Clara, Calif., 11/01/2008
Thin-film solar modules based on amorphous (a-Si:H) and microcrystalline (µc-Si:H) silicon are emerging as leading solutions for low-cost, large-scale photovoltaic (PV) applications. Gigawatt-scale production of these modules requires large-area uniformity and high deposition rates of the absorber layers....
Racing to Excellence in PV Manufacturing Bettina Weiss, Director of SEMI International Standards, 11/01/2008 The global photovoltaics (PV) manufacturing value chain is complex and diverse. Understanding the various factors — governments, markets, regulations, technologies, grid cost, etc. — as well as providing solutions that contribute to better value chain management and sustainability of the overall system are significant tasks that need to be addressed....
Semiconductor Industry Helps to Green Solar Sia Abbaszadeh, Edwards, Crawley, UK, 11/01/2008
Not only must the photovoltaics industry work to reach grid parity, but it must also maintain an environmentally sound manufacturing profile so as not to negate the benefits of solar's clean energy....
View All Stories
More Videos >>
Scaling PECVD for Large-Area Solar Cells
