A Solar Cell Plant Tour
Peter Singer, Editor-in-Chief — Semiconductor International, 2/14/2008

At Deutsche Solar, the polycrystalline approach is used, which is the least complex approach yet one that yields solar cells with efficiencies fairly close to that of monocrystalline silicon (15-16% vs. 16-17%). Blog

Semico Research Studies Competition for Wafers
Staff — Semiconductor International, 2/15/2008

Market research firm Semico Research Corp. (Phoenix) has issued a study of the supply of polysilicon and silicon wafers, predicting that demand for silicon wafers for semiconductor production will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13% over the next five years. More

Solar Cell Production: Mono vs. Poly Crystalline
Peter Singer, Editor-in-Chief — Semiconductor International, 1/31/2008

Peter Woditsch, CEO of Deutsche Solar AG (Freiberg, Germany), talks about the company's solar cell manufacturing operations. He describes how a Bridgman crystal growing method is used to produce the polycrystalline "bricks" of silicon that are turned into wafers with a wire saw, and the other steps that result in solar cell modules. Listen

Applied Materials Sees Rising Orders for Displays, Solar
David Lammers, News Editor — Semiconductor International, 2/13/2008

Applied Materials CEO Michael Splinter said record order levels for display equipment and a takeoff in sales by the solar panel equipment operation will partly offset weak demand from the silicon industry this year. Announcing first quarter results, Splinter said DRAM cutbacks may end later this year, driven by rising overall bit demand. More

Photovoltaics: Grid Competitive in Five Years
Alexander E. Braun, Senior Editor — Semiconductor International, 1/29/2008

The solar photovoltaic industry will achieve grid parity — standalone economic viability without incentives — in under five years. This prediction was made by Stephen O'Rourke, senior analyst covering semiconductor capital equipment and materials for Deutsche Bank Securities (New York City), at the recent Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS 2008). More

Braggone, Beneq Team to Significantly Increase Solar Cell Efficiency
Aaron Hand, Executive Editor, Electronic Media — Semiconductor International, 1/15/2008

Coatings developer Braggone (Oulu, Finland) is working with spray coater Beneq (Vantaa, Finland) to develop a turnkey manufacturing solution for creating higher-efficiency, more cost-effective solar cells. More

SEMI Creates Solar Group
Ann Steffora Mutschler, Senior Editor — Electronic News, 1/29/2008

San Jose-based industry association Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International has formed a photovoltaic (PV) group, given that 20% of SEMI members currently play a role in the PV industry and the cross-over of technologies and industry structure is high. More

Chinese Company Begins Thin-Film Solar Cell Production
Yao Gang, Editor-in-Chief, SI China — Semiconductor International, 1/14/2008

Nantong Qiangsheng Photovoltaic Technology Co. Ltd. (Shanghai) will start production of thin-film solar cells in Nantong, Jiangsu, this month. The company plans to add two more production lines in 2008. More

SunPower Building 8 MW Solar Power Plant in Spain
Ann Steffora Mutschler, Senior Editor — Electronic News, 1/4/2008

San Jose-based solar cell and solar panel manufacturer SunPower Corp. reported that its Spanish subsidiary will put together a solar power plant in the Extremadura region of Spain, capable of producing ~8 MW solar electric power annually. More

Applied's Solar Strategy Goes Very Large
David Lammers, News Editor — Semiconductor International, 11/20/2007

While the crystal silicon photovoltaics (PV) market is growing as more businesses and homeowners seek to connect rooftop solar panels to the electrical power grid, Applied CEO Michael Splinter has his sights set on the larger prize — thin-film PV modules that leverage Applied's ability to make deposition equipment that, with little modification, can handle the very large glass substrates used in the flat panel display industry. More

Solar President Makes Appeal for Semicon Involvement
Aaron Hand, Executive Editor, Electronic Media — Semiconductor International, 7/19/2007

Aiming to generate involvement from the semiconductor manufacturing industry in his own sector, Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association (Washington), confirmed the photovoltaics industry is one of the hottest new growth markets for semiconductor material and tool suppliers to pursue. More

The Potential of Thin-Film Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells
Koen Snoeckx, Guy Beaucarne, Filip Duerinckx, Ivan Gordon and Jef Poortmans, IMEC, Leuven, Belgium — Semiconductor International, 6/1/2007

If the efficiency and cost targets can be met, thin-film crystalline silicon solar cells have the potential to become a solid alternative to the bulk multicrystalline silicon solar cells that currently dominate the photovoltaics market. More

Practical Chip Design: There's Lots of Silicon in PV Cells, But Is There Any Gold for the Electronics Industry?
Ron Wilson, Executive Editor, EDN, 2/12/2008

EDN Executive Editor Ron Wilson blogs on solar discussion at a SEMI lunch in Silicon Valley, with presentations by Paul Basore, vice president of technology for the Renewable Energy Group, and Mark Pinto, CTO of Applied Materials. Pinto said a 1 GW polysilicon wafer fab will consume 200x the silicon area of a production 300 mm IC wafer fab. Pinto said, "A quick back-of-envelope calculation suggests that even with the new polysilicon refining and growing capacity now being built, converted or planned, the growth plans of this industry have the potential to greatly increase the cost of silicon for every use, including ICs." More