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May 10, 2010...Mimix Broadband, an RF, microwave, and millimeter wave component company has agreed to be acquired by M/A-COM Technology. The company's jointly announced that their respective corporate parents have signed a definitive merger agreement that will add Mimix and its subsidiaries to the M/A-COM Tech family of companies.
Mimix is a fabless supplier of gallium arsenide (GaAs) semiconductors for DC to 50 GHz RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave applications. Under the terms of the merger agreement, Mimix Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries will join M/A-COM Tech as subsidiaries of M/A-COM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is currently expected to close in late May 2010. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The company's anticipate that the acquisition will: add breadth to M/A-COM Tech’s portfolio of high performance semiconductors and provide significant opportunities for margin expansion and cross-selling; Increase penetration of high-growth, profitable markets, including point-to-point radio and MoCA applications; strengthen M/A-COM Tech’s block diagram solution selling approach; deepen both companies’ relationships with key global customers; augment M/A-COM Tech’s hybrid fab business model.
“This strategic merger with Mimix enables us to expand our product offering of high performance, multi-function MMIC solutions, which Mimix has deep expertise in developing,” stated Joe Thomas, CEO, M/A-COM Tech. Shrink Solar LLC Unveils 5th Generation Solar Concentrator Technology in Solar-Window Prototype
CompoundSemi News StaffMay 10, 2010...Shrink Nanotechnologies of Carlsbad, California USA, announced that its wholly-own subsidiary Shrink Solar LLC has unveiled the fifth generation of its solar concentrator technology. The technology is reportedly based on the company's proprietary NanoShrink material and its photovoltaic quantum dots.
Shrink Solar says its patent-pending nano-based technology filters out wavelengths currently not absorbed by silicon and re-emits them into a device by concentrating light. Unlike other solar concentrator technologies, the company says it functions without needing a tracking device, mirror or lens.
Additional structures and circuit design also bolster efficiency.
The company expects that as the technology evolves and becomes more optimized, it will be form fit into existing silicon PV systems for windows, roofing, consumer products, and other solar applications.
"Our fifth generation solar window prototype delivers the necessary proof-of-concept to attract larger, international players in the solar energy sector and ultimately provide the resources to continue to optimize this technology for commercial applications. Because our solar concentrator technologies are easily upgradable and can be designed to be integrated into existing solar installations, existing silicon PV manufacturers as well as window manufacturers are key potential commercial partners. We hope to begin to announce small scale development partnerships in the near future," said Mark L. Baum, CEO of Shrink Nanotechnologies, Inc.
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CIGS Material from Global Solar Energy Powers PV Rooftop Installation in Italy
CompoundSemi News StaffMay 10, 2010...Global Solar of Tucson, Arizona USA reports that its copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar material is powering the rooftop system currently producing 820 kW of solar energy for a plastics manufacturer in Orgiano, Italy. The systemwas made possible by Yohkon Energía SL, a Spanish producer of solar modules and applied solutions, and CDM Italy, a photovoltaic (PV) specialist and Italian branch for Espacasa SL Spain and Global Solar Energy.
Yohkon Energía, a strategic partner of Global Solar, manufactures modules based on Global Solar’s CIGS material. Global Solar's CIGS material can be encapsulated in either traditional glass modules or in a flexible laminate.
“The recently completed rooftop system in Italy is a milestone for the CIGS market as much as it is for Global Solar,” said Dr. Jeff Britt, chief executive officer, Global Solar Energy. “Given that Global Solar is producing CIGS solar cells with efficiency well above 11 percent, we recognize that the Yokhon Energía and CDM Italy system is merely the first in a new chapter of solar technology adoption. We look forward to working with these organizations as Global Solar’s technology in both glass modules and BIPV continues to be applied in systems around the world.” Australian Government to Award AUS$1.5 Billion for 400 MW of Solar Projects
CompoundSemi News StaffMay 10, 2010...The government of Australia has pledged AUS$1.5 billion for its Solar Flagship program. The program will pick entrants from 52 applicants to produce to solar projects totaling 400 MW. One of the projects will be solar thermal (using heat to create power), and he other will be solar photovoltaic. The two power station projects are expected to be running by 2015, according to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald.
The solar photovoltaic project is expected to be comprised of multiple photovoltaic technologies. There is no word yet on whether or not it will include thin-film solar or solar concentrator photovoltaic technology.
According to the article, one possibility that has gained some traction among the the proposals is to use an integrated approach in which either more than one technology, or a solar technology and other renewable energy technologies, or even solar and fossil fuel to overcome solar's inherent down-time when the sun goes down. ZSW CIGS Thin-film Solar Cell Achieves 20.1% EfficiencyMay 4, 2010...In the lab at the Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung (Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research, ZSW) in Germany, a CIGS thin-film solar cell has reached an efficiency of 20.1%, according to an article on the site, Renewable Energy Focus.com.
The copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar thin-film cell was reportedly produced in the ZSW research laboratory in Stuttgart.
"This record is for thin-film technology in general and not just CIGS solar cells," said Dr. Michael Powalla, Member of the Board and Head of the Photovoltaics Division at ZSW.
The tiny cell had an area 0.5 cm2 and was produced in a CIGS laboratory coating plant using a modified co-evaporation process. The article noted that in theory, the co-evaporation process can be scaled up to a commercial production process.
The thin-film solar cell with a CIGS layer and contact layers reportedly has a total thickness of 4 µm.
Fraunhofer ISE in Freiburg, Germany has confirmed the new results.
As the article points out, commercially available CIGS thin-film solar modules currently range from 10% to 12% efficiency.
ZSW contends that efficiency levels of up to 15% can be achieved in commercial modules within few years.
Veeco Announces Winners of Veeco Labs Energy Innovation Research Grants
CompoundSemi News StaffMay 4, 2010...Veeco of Plainview, New York, a provider of scanning probe microscopes (SPM), announced the winners of the second phase of the Veeco Labs Research Grant Program, “Energy Innovation", which was created to facilitate Veeco's collaboration with leading SPM community scientists. The second phase solicited development and validation proposals for using an SPM to speed the characterization of, facilitate the development of, improve the yield/efficiency of, or enhance the fundamental understanding of energy generation, storage , or conservation. A panel of Veeco scientists judged the proposals.
The winners received Veeco’s Electronics Module Packages (worth up to $27,500 retail) for their universities.
Brooke Beam of the University of Arizona, won with the proposal, “Mapping the Interfacial Electrical Properties of Organic Photovoltaic Devices”.
Qiao Chen of the University of Sussex won with the proposal, “In-situ Mapping of Electronic Property of Active Anode for Water Splitting with C-AFM”.
Rolf Crook, Simon Connell, and Stephen Evans of the University of Leeds
won with their proposal, “Scanning Capacitance Microscopy/Photovoltaic Generation”.
Palash Gangopadhyay, Jayan Thomas, and Robert A. Norwood of the University of Arizona won with the proposal,
“Conducting AFM Modulator”.
Gajendra Shekhawat of Northwestern University won with the proposal, “SPM-Based Nanopatterning of Piezoactuators and Nanorods for Photovoltaics”.
Adam Stieg of the University of California, Los Angeles won with his proposal,
“Pyroelectricity for Energy Harvesting”.
Christopher M. Yip and Timothy P. Bender of the University of Toronto had a proposal entitled,
“Combinatorial Microscopies for the Characterization of Photovoltaic Materials”. Enfinity Signs Agreement to be Solyndra Solutions Provider
CompoundSemi News StaffMay 4, 2010...Solyndra, Inc., a manufacturer of CIGS-based cylindrical photovoltaic (PV) systems for commercial rooftops, reports that it has signed a "Solyndra Gold Level Solutions Provider" agreement with Enfinity, of Belgium. Enfinity offers financing and development for renewable energy systems.
"Enfinity demonstrated their excellent customer service with a 340 kW project completed in Belgium this past year. We have been working closely with them to evaluate our systems in Northern Europe, resulting in a new 2 megawatt order and a multi-megawatt pipeline," said Chris Gronet, Solyndra's CEO. "Their global reach and outstanding reputation for technical and service excellence makes them a great addition to our Solutions Provider Program."
"We have been very impressed with the ease of installing Solyndra panels and the lightweight, non-penetrating mounting system," said Hans De Backer, CEO Enfinity Group. "With the low balance of system costs, and other benefits, Solyndra is a great addition to our product lines. We look forward to growing our relationship and to offering Solyndra panels to customers around the world." Aixtron on Track for Record Year; Gets Order from ETH Zurich for 4-inch Black Magic Tool for CNT Nanofluidics
CompoundSemi News StaffMay 4, 2010...Aixtron is reportedly on track to a record year in revenues and profits with a very strong first quarter, according to posted quarterly earnings for Q1 2010.
Aixtron also reported a previous order for one Black Magic CNT (carbon nanotube) deposition system from ETH Zurich, a leading Institute in Switzerland. The system was installed in a 1x4 inch wafer configuration at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering.
Professor Hyung Gyu Park, Head of the Nanoscience for Energy Technology and Sustainability group commented, “Having evaluated several CNT tools, we found that the Aixtron Black Magic system was the best overall in terms of uniformity and process control for wafer-scale growth of single wall carbon nanotubes. The system interface is user friendly and the reactor uses growth technology that has been proven in many labs as well as industry. We are extremely pleased with the system and it has consistently produced high quality, vertically aligned single wall carbon nanotubes which is exactly what we require. We are integrating these nanotubes into novel devices on a wafer-scale."
Revenues for the quarter grew an impressive 234 percent compared to the same quarter of 2009. Net income increased 440 percent over the quarter a year ago. And the EBIT margin nearly doubled from 16 percent to 30 percent. Our news features are reported
by the CompoundSemi News staff writers.
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