Emcore Awarded Solar Panel Contract From NASA
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 17, 2009...Emcore Corporation, a maker of multi-junction solar cells based in
Albuquerque, New Mexico USA, was awarded a contract to manufacture, test, and deliver solar panels for NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement spacecraft. The contract, valued at approximately $5 million, will be managed by MEI Technologies, Inc. for the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). MEI Technologies is a prime contractor at GSFC for the Electrical Systems Engineering Services.
The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission is one of NASA's satellite-based science missions studying global precipitation, including rain, snow, and ice. NASA has scheduled the launch of the spacecraft for summer of 2013. The GPM spacecraft solar arrays will be powered by Emcore's latest generation, 30% efficiency class ZTJ multi-junction solar cells, which are third generation triple-junction solar cells using gallium arsenide on a germanium substrate. Emcore will produce the solar cells and panels at its facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Christopher Larocca, Chief Operating Officer of Emcore, stated, "We are very excited to earn this contract award from MEI Technologies and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. This award reaffirms Emcore's position as the leading solar panel supplier for space missions. Our proven manufacturing capability, technology leadership, and reliability heritage make Emcore the supplier of choice for demanding spacecraft power systems."
Emcore News Release
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June 17, 2009...Jim Flanary, the former COO of First Solar, has reportedly joined Austin, Texas-based CIGS company HelioVolt as CEO.
He served as COO of First Solar, during a critical scale-up phase of the Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) module manufacturer, and he implemented the core manufacturing process methods that allowed First Solar to rapidly scale production while addressing early product quality issues. Most recently at HelioSphera, Jim was again responsible for helping a newly established thin film module manufacturer bring up its operations in Tripolis, Greece.
“HelioVolt is one of a small number of CIGS companies positioned for commercial scale-up,” said Scott Sandell, General Partner at New Enterprise Associates and member of HelioVolt’s Board of Directors.
HelioVolt founder and Chief Strategy Officer Dr. BJ Stanbery commented, “Jim brings a unique combination of entrepreneurial drive and operational capabilities with solid business growth, experience that aligns him well with our plan to deliver the most efficient and cost effective products to the market.”
“HelioVolt is one of the most promising thin-film companies in the solar industry today and I feel honored to lead the company through its next growth phase,” Flanary said. HelioVolt News Release Oclaro Introduces New Focus 1064nm High Power Laser for Raman Spectroscopy
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 17, 2009...Oclaro, the company resulting from the merger of Bookham and Avanex, has introduced a 1064 nm variant of its New Focus high power SWL-7500 single wavelength lasers for Raman spectroscopy. According to the company, the new laser is designed for Raman spectroscopy in which longer wavelengths can help reduce the fluorescence background of the spectra. Oclaro says that
the laser provides narrow linewidth and long coherence length, which are required for industrial spectroscopic applications such as quality control, chemical analysis, and security. The high power laser is enabled by the GaAs (gallium arsenide) chips manufactured at the company's facility in Zurich.
Oclaro News Release Ascent Solar Manufactures Flexible CIGS-Based PV Laminate
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 15, 2009...Ascent Solar, a copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS), thin-film photovoltaic module
reported that the company has manufactured a monolithically interconnected 5-meter-long, flexible and light-weight module on a polyimide substrate.
Ascent Solar Sr. Vice President for Production Operations Dr. Prem Nath stated, “This is the largest monolithically interconnected CIGS module on polyimide and may be the largest of any CIGS module regardless of construction. The size and efficiency of this module make it a breakthrough for the emerging opportunities of flexible CIGS photovoltaic modules.”
The CIGS-based thin-film material in this module was made using the company’s unique 1.5 MW roll-to-roll manufacturing line. The module was encapsulated during the testing and qualification of equipment that will be used for its 30 MW plant under construction.
According to the company's internal testing and evaluation, The 2-kilogram module produces 123 watts (under standard test conditions) with an aperture area efficiency of 9.1%. Ascent solar notes that the 5-meter length is a baseline for its development of large area flexible building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) products with our strategic BIPV partners.
Company News Release RFMD Starts GaN Foundry Services
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 15, 2009...RF Micro Devices (RFMD) of Boston, Massachusetts USA, reports that it has formed a gallium nitride (GaN) foundry services business for RF components. RFMD says its new service will leverage its experience in the gallium arsenide (GaAs) to produce reliable, price-competitive GaN technology for multiple RF power markets.
The company boasts that its existing, high-volume manufacturing assets allow the company to deliver GaN technology to foundry customers with predictable, reliability and increased uniformity and cycle times through its wafer fab that are typically 30-40% faster than its competition.
Bob Van Buskirk, president of RFMD's Multi-Market Products Group, said, "RFMD's Foundry Services business unit is providing GaN foundry customers access to RFMD's industry-leading compound semiconductor technology and production facility and the many benefits of RFMD's scale manufacturing, including reliability, uniformity, cycle time and quality. RFMD GaN is a breakthrough technology that can change the RF power component industry as a result of its superior linearity, bandwidth and RF power density. Additionally, RFMD GaN is a "green" technology enabling higher efficiencies than previously possible, thereby requiring less power consumption to achieve similar performance or superior performance at similar power consumption levels."
Company News Release HRL Receives Phase II Contract for COSMOS Program
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 15, 2009...HRL Laboratories, LLC, of Malibu, California USA, reported that it has received a Phase II, 18-month contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to continue its work on the compound semiconductor materials on silicon (COSMOS) program.
HRL says that the goal of the DARPA/Air Force Research Laboratory program is to develop new methods to integrate compound semiconductor technologies with complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuits in order to achieve high performance such as high-dynamic-range (16 bits), high-bandwidth (500 MHz). It will also reportedly offer analog-to-digital conversion for challenging RF receiver applications, such as communications, radar and sensor systems.
HRL announced in December 2008 at the IEEE's International Electron Device Meeting in San Francisco that it had successfully integrated silicon CMOS with indium phosphide (InP) double heterojunction bipolar transistors (DHBTs), thus completing phase 1 of the project which started in 2007.
The company says it expects the innovation will result in higher bandwidth and lower distortion signals for optical and RF communications.
Phase II of the program will focus on significantly improving both the yield and density of the heterogeneous interconnect process using the HRL 400 GHz, 250 nm InP HBT process combined with commercial 130 nm CMOS. The program has a target of producing a 500 MHz bandwidth digital-to-analog converter with 13-bit dynamic range at the rated bandwidth. Company News Release NREL Seeks Proposals for PV Incubator Program; Announces Partnerships with 13 U.S. Solar Businesses
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 10, 2009...The U. S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is seeking project proposals as part of recently announced DOE funding to accelerate commercialization of solar energy technologies. NREL also announced partnerships with 13 U.S. small solar businesses, which have the capability to enter the market by 2012. The goal of the PV Incubator program is to shorten the timeline for companies to transition prototype and pre-commercial PV technologies into pilot and full-scale manufacturing. The NREL says that the anticipated program funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is $9 million, and the subcontracts will be up to $3 million each.
Several of the 13 partnerships are companies that are developing compound semi-based technologies.
International Solar Electric Technology, Inc. of Chatsworth, California will develop low cost, monolithically integrated, printed CuInGaSe2 (CIGS) modules on flexible stainless steel substrates. $456,006.
TiSol, LLC of Pasadena, California, will develop a viable technology for thin film deposition using a flame synthesis methodology for dye sensitized solar cells. $499,100.
Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. of Littleton, Colorado, will develop zinc magnesium oxide (ZnMgO) window layers to enable high performance mid-bandgap CuInGaSe2 on polyimide modules. This work is also reportedly an important step towards the realization of CuInGaSe2 (CIGS)–based tandem cells. $315,037.
EPIR Technologies, Inc. of Bolingbrook, Colorado, will develop a high efficiency single-crystal Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) solar cell for solar concentrating systems. $500,000.
MicroLink Devices of Niles, Colorado, will develop high efficiency, low-cost, multijunction solar cells based on epitaxial liftoff and wafer bonding. $500,000.
Vanguard Solar, Inc. of Sudbury, Massachusetts, will develop a high efficiency, novel nanostructured II/VI semiconductor-based thin-film photovoltaic cell that they hope to produce inexpensively. $500,000.
Luna Innovations Incorporated of Danville, Massachusetts, will investigate new acceptor molecules for high efficiency organic photovoltaic cells. $499,994. NREL News Release Semprius Raises $6.4 Million in Series B Round of Financing
CompoundSemi News StaffJune 10, 2009...Semprius, Inc., of Durham, North Carolina USA, a semiconductor company with an unique printing transfer technology, reports that it has closed a $6.4 million Series B round of venture funding. Existing investors ARCH Venture Partners, Applied Ventures, Illinois Ventures, and Intersouth Partners were joined by InQTel and GVC Investment Fund.
The initial focus of Semprius’ technology is on the production of low cost, high performance solar concentrator modules for utility scale power generation. According to the company, its printing transfer technology allows the placement of nearly any high performance semiconductor onto any target substrate. The company boasts that the unique design and the and low cost assembly technology of its solar concentrator modules enables energy production at wholesale rates. The company notes that the funding will be used to complete development and begin field deployment of solar modules for selected customers.
“We’re delighted to have attracted new investors to help us grow the company, and to get such strong support from our existing investors,” said Joe Carr, President and CEO of Semprius, Inc. “Our current focus on photovoltaic products for solar modules represents an enormous market opportunity and we are well positioned to take advantage of this growing need.”
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