Solarig Completes 22MW PV Connection to Grid in Spain
CompoundSemi News StaffSeptember 8, 2008...Spanish photovoltaic company, Solarig has connected to the grid all its photovoltaic projects scheduled for 2008 totaling 22 megawatts under the current Spanish feed in tariff. They represent an investment of 132 million Euros. Solarig uses a variety of PV generation technologies including: cadmium telluride thin-film modules, 3rd generation CPV systems (concentrators with double axis trackers) with Fresnel lenses and triple junction high efficiency cells. It also uses monocrystalline modules with double axis solar trackers. Additionally, the company has started to develop building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) projects to integrate photovoltaic systems in roofs and façades of shopping centers, industrial warehouses and other types of buildings.
The company hopes to soon have projects around the world. In the past few months Solarig has reportedly opened new branch offices for the development of photovoltaic projects in Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, France, South Korea and United States. It has also opened a European Marketing Platform in Malta. In China, the company reportedly produces monocrystalline silicon cells and modules through a joint-venture with a Chinese leading photovoltaic manufacturer and has recently inaugurated its representative office in Beijing. Solarig says it manages a large international portfolio of photovoltaic solar projects in Southern Europe, United States and South Korea. In addition, the company says that it will soon start to build its first photovoltaic park in Italy. Company News Release IQE Launches New Epitaxy Services for Improved MEMS Capabilities
CompoundSemi News StaffSeptember 8, 2008...IQE of Cardiff, UK, announced the addition of an extensive range of new epitaxy services for enhanced MEMS capabilities. The company points out that engineered substrates enable the greatest degree of flexibility in both the design and manufacture of MEMS devices. Additionally the company says they allow customers to design their products free of the limitations of standard bulk silicon substrates. IQE says different doping levels and species within each layer can also be accommodated as can epitaxial layers on SOI. Its new epitaxial services for MEMS applications include: thick virtual SiGe substrates, thin super-lattice structures, SiGe etch stop layers, and SiGe epitaxy for applications such as IR sensors. The company boasts a wide range of materials capabilities with multi-layer Si, SiGe and Ge epitaxy.
IQE notes that the substrates come in wafer sizes up to 200mm. The company says its new enhanced services are suited to technologies based on SOI or bulk silicon wafers, and its single wafer reactors offer excellent resistivity and thickness uniformity with tight control of doping and other critical film parameters. IQE says its reactors allow abrupt transitions between differently doped layers, and they produce films free of bulk silicon defects. Alistair Hoy, Sales Manager for IQE's Silicon Products Division said, "Many key players are turning to engineered substrates to facilitate greater flexibility and control over their design and manufacturing processes. The use of epitaxial layers opens up an exciting new range of possibilities for the MEMS technology sector." Company News Release
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Skyworks and Ember Partner to Develop Portfolio of Front-End Modules for ZigBee Applications
CompoundSemi News StaffSeptember 8, 2008...Skyworks of Atlanta, Georgia USA, announced that it is partnering with Ember to develop a portfolio of ZigBee front-end modules. The company says that the modules will target applications such as smart meters in energy management, home area networks (HAN), and industrial automation. ZigBee is a wireless network standard that is designed for remote monitoring and control, and sensor-network applications. West Technology Research Solutions (WTRS) is forecasting the ZigBee/IEEE 802.15.4 market to grow at an annual rate of over 117 percent from approximately 8.4 million units shipped in 2007 to as many as 516 million in 2012.
“Skyworks’ partnership with Ember accelerates our efforts in the energy management industry by more than doubling our addressable market for front-end modules,” said Stan Swearingen, Skyworks’ vice president and general manager of Linear Products.
Bob Gohn, Ember’s vice president of marketing commented, “We are making it easier than ever for our customers to deliver exceptional performance in their products across a wide range of ZigBee-based applications.”
The companies have released several front-end modules that are capable of working together in ZigBee applications.
Skyworks News Release September 8, 2008...Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. of Tokyo announced the development of a silicon carbide diode-based inverter for use in a vehicle. The company has reportedly launched tests using an X-TRAIL FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle) equipped with this technology. The technology may one day go into hybrid electric, full electric, or fuel cell vehicles. Inverters on electric-powered vehicles control the direct current electricity coming from the power source, and convert it to alternating current. Nissan notes that their size has often set limitations on vehicle layout. The inverter reportedly employs a new Nissan-developed heterojunction diode (HJD) structure. Nissan says that the SiC diode and HJD structure together reduce the overall size and weight of the inverter and dramatically improve its reliability.
Nissan says that previous silicon diodes used in electric-powered vehicles created power losses and required heat dissipation countermeasures. However, the company contends that its newly developed SiC diode provides high power efficiency with improved heat resistance and reliability to create a high breakdown voltage, large capacity inverter. The company boasts that its new SiC inverter's diode surface has been reduced by 70% and the circuit energy efficiency has been improved by 20% in comparison to previous diodes. Additionally, the company says that simplification of the system's cooling mechanisms allows for further reductions in the size and weight of the inverter by 15% to 20%. The company says it aims to further reduce the inverter size by employing SiC diodes on the transistor. Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. News Release Solibro Starts Shipments of CIGS Modules
CompoundSemi News StaffSeptember 2, 2008...Solibro GmbH of Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany, has started shipping copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin film solar cell modules to customers. The company has reportedly signed supply contracts for almost its entire production with important photovoltaic systems companies like HaWi Energietechnik GmbH, SUNOVA AG, Geckologic GmbH, Thermovolt AG, and SUNSET Energietechnik GmbH. In April 2008, the first full size module was made and measured, and the company produced its first 11 % full area efficiency modules. The company notes that a smooth production ramp helped it produce its first MWp of CIGs solar modules in mid-August. Solibro says its up-time, yield, throughput and efficiency are all steadily improving as planned.
Q-Cells, the parent company of Solibro, announced on August 13 that Solibro will increase the capacity of its plant in Bitterfeld-Wolfen from 30 MWp to 45 MWp. Additionally it will build a second production line with a production capacity of 90 MWp. Both expansion projects have already begun, and first modules from the 90 MW site are expected in Q4 2009. “We are excited too see our first modules being installed in the field now”, said Solibro COO Dr. Johannes Segner. “The data from our reference test sites make us confident that the field performance of our products will meet our customers’ demanding expectations.” Dr. Segner concluded, “The strong demand for Solibro products and the successful ramp-up of production was the basis for the expansion decision. We are eager to support the growth of our customers.” Q-Cells News Release PTB Epitaxy Facility of the PTB Boasts Production of Highest Purity Semiconductor Layers
CompoundSemi News StaffSeptember 3, 2008...PTB has reportedly set up a new molecular beam epitaxy system to create semiconductor layers of the highest purity. High purity semiconductor layers have highly-mobile electrons move through the crystal without collision with residual impurities. PTB says that already the first structures made with at its facility have shown an electron mobility of up to up to 7.5 million cm2/Vs, a value five times better than conventional epitaxy system. PTB says its new development extends its leading position in electrical quantum metrology with semiconductor structures.
PTB points out that semiconductor heterostructures made of GaAs and AlGaAs are employed to produce electrical resistance using the quantum hall effect and to produce applications for single-electron charge pumps. The mobility of electrons increases with decreasing impurities of the material. PTB says that the fabrication of pure semiconductors is achieved through molecular-beam epitaxy with a high quality vacuum in the growth chamber. Also, PTB uses special cooling panels to adsorb residual impurities before they can be incorporated in the semiconductor crystal.
PTB says it will promote the development of semiconductor single-electron pumps. Furthermore, the universality of electrical quantum Hall resistance metrology will be investigated focussing on measurements of the fractional quantum Hall effect. PTB News Release Bookham Introduces 20W Fiber Laser Pump Module
CompoundSemi News StaffSeptember 3, 2008...Bookham of Zurich has introduced a single emitter-based pump laser module capable of delivering 20W of fiber coupled power into a 105µm, 0.15NA fiber. The module operates at wavelengths from 795 to 980nm. Bookham says the product is designed to target fiber laser and direct systems for material processing applications, and will allow laser manufacturers to optimize their dollar per watt ratio. The company indicates that the increased power output of its pump module enables customers to generate greater power levels for fiber laser pumping with fewer modules. According to Bookham this allows for more compact pump configurations, greater pump block efficiency and simplification of packaging.
“As we see new entrants into the already highly competitive fiber laser marketplace, cost will be an increasingly important factor for differentiation and the dollar per watt ratio is the key metric for all manufacturers,” said Gunnar Stolze, Director of High Power Laser Marketing and Sales at Bookham. “With this increased power offering, we are enabling manufacturers who do not have their own internal pump laser diode technology to compete on both performance and price.”
Company News Release International Rectifier Rejects Vishay’s Buyout Offer
CompoundSemi News StaffSeptember 2, 2008...International Rectifier Corporation (IR) of El Segundo, California USA, a maker of power management solutions, announced that its board of directors has unanimously declined the offer of Vishay to acquire the company. According to IR, the board of directors decided that the the non-binding and unsolicited proposal from Vishay Intertechnology, Inc., a maker of discrete semiconductors and components, to acquire all of the outstanding shares of International Rectifier for $21.22 per share in cash was not in the best interests of IR and its shareholders. In a letter from the IR board to Vishay officially declining the offer, IR characterized the offer as “inadequate” and “opportunistic”.
Richard J. Dahl, chairman of the board of International Rectifier said, “Vishay’s proposal significantly undervalues the Company and its future prospects when compared to the shareholder value realizable under our recently adopted strategic plan.” He added, “In our judgment, IR shareholders will be better served by allowing management to move forward with its strategic plan. We believe that IR’s valuation is still under the cloud of legacy issues. The Board and our management team look forward to executing the exciting opportunities available to our Company and to delivering this value to our shareholders.”
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