Semiconductors
Emerging Markets Likely to Drive Growth in Semiconductors
17 December 2010POSTED IN Business News
As a whole, the semiconductor equipment and materials industry has posted significant gains in 2010. Revenues have surged, thanks in part to mobile devices, tablet computers and the emerging solar market.
Microchip Powered by its own Solar Cell
15 December 2010POSTED IN Research
A microchip that harvests the energy its needs from a solar cell placed on the chip’s microelectronics was presented at the International Electron Device Meeting by researchers from the University of Twente's MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology (The Netherlands) and the universities of Nankai (China) and Utrecht (The Netherlands) .
Amtech Announces $23 Million in New Solar Orders
09 December 2010POSTED IN Business News
Amtech Systems, Inc., a global supplier of production and automation systems and related supplies for the manufacture of solar cells, semiconductors, and silicon wafers, today announced that its solar subsidiary, Tempress Systems, Inc., has received approximately $23 million in new solar orders for its diffusion processing systems from new and existing customers in China.
Getting More Charge from Solar: The challenges of selective emitter
07 December 2010POSTED IN Applications Features
Solar cells come with an intrinsic deficiency. The electrons activated by blue light turn into charge carriers, but then even before they get out to the silver conductor grids, they recombine with at the wafer’s surface, generating heat rather than current.
Implications for the ‘Super Photon’ in Solar Technology
06 December 2010POSTED IN Editors Blogs
You may have seen that physicists from the University of Bonn in Germany have developed a completely new source of light, a so-called "super photon," or what physicists call a Bose-Einstein condensate of photons.
Until recently, this was thought to be impossible, but now that it has been done, could it help solar technology?
Dual-Diameter Nanopillars Absorb More Light
18 November 2010POSTED IN Research
Tuning the shape and geometry of highly-ordered nanopilllar arrays greatly enhanced their optical absorption properties in recent work by researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California at Berkeley.
Photo caption: Ali Javey, a Berkeley Lab-UC Berkeley chemist, has been at the forefront of nanopillar research. Photo by Roy Kaltschmidt, Berkeley Lab Public Affairs.
Applied Materials Q4 Results Exceed Expectations
30 April 2011POSTED IN Business News
Applied Materials, Inc., the global leader in manufacturing solutions for the semiconductor, flat-panel display and solar industries, today reported stronger than expected results for its fourth quarter of fiscal 2010, which ended 31 October 2010.
Applied Materials Delivers Critical Photomask Etch Technology for 22nm Lithography
02 March 2011POSTED IN New Products
Applied Materials today launched its new Applied Centura Tetra X Advanced Reticle Etch system – a system that etches photomasks needed for device layers at 22nm and beyond.
UK Semiconductor Research gets £10 Million
21 September 2010POSTED IN Research
The Engineering and Physical Science Research Council’s National Centre for III-V Technologies will receive £10 million from the council over the next five years to support research in III-V semiconductor materials, which are used in solar cells and other devices.
Natcore Increases Thin-Film Growth Rate by Factor of 10
15 September 2010POSTED IN Applications News
Scientists at Natcore Technology Inc. working at the Ohio State University facilities have discovered methods to increase by 10 times the rate at which thin films are grown using Natcore's proprietary liquid phase deposition (LPD) process.
IXYS High Density, High Efficiency MOSFET with Integrated Silicon Carbide Technology
25 August 2010POSTED IN New Products
IXYS Corporation announced the successful integration of Silicon Carbide (SiC) technology and the latest super junction MOSFET technology into a single user friendly package enabling increased power density and higher efficiency in fast switching power supplies and solar inverter applications.
Silicon Solar Cell Manufacturing at Warp Speed
23 August 2010POSTED IN Business Opinion
First, I must state that I do not fully agree with all the parallels drawn between the silicon solar cell manufacturing industry and the semiconductor or electronics assembly industries. The solar cell manufacturing industry is definitely not a “drop-in” career for semiconductor engineers. The solar industry, however, is following many of the same trends and developments that the two other industries pursued as they matured several years ago.
Applied Materials Third Quarter Results: Net Sales Up 10%
30 April 2011POSTED IN Business News
Applied Materials, Inc., the global leader in Nanomanufacturing Technology solutions for the semiconductor, flat panel display and solar industries, today reported results for its third quarter of fiscal 2010 ended August 1, 2010. Applied generated net sales of $2.52 billion, operating profit of $183 million, and net income of $123 million or $0.09 per share. Non-GAAP net income was $234 million or $0.17 per share.
A Step Toward Practical Solar Water Splitting
17 August 2010POSTED IN Research
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University and Brown University have demonstrated a proof-of-principle for tunnel barrier photoelectrodes that could help make solar water splitting more practical.
System Detects Trace Impurities in III-V Semiconductor Manufacturing
09 August 2010POSTED IN Research
In a step toward solving a long-standing problem in semiconductor manufacturing, scientists have developed a way to detect traces of contaminant molecules in the arsine gas used to make a variety of semiconductor devices including solar cells.
150V Low RDS(ON) MOSFET Enables Higher Performance in Isolated DC-DC Applications
20 July 2010POSTED IN New Products
DC-DC designers need MOSFET solutions that offer lower switching losses and less noise in a compact footprint. Leveraging its advanced process and packaging technologies, as well as system expertise, Fairchild Semiconductor has released a 150V MOSFET with low RDS(ON) (17mOhm MAX) and an optimized Figure of Merit (FOM) (17mOhm * 33nCº Max) to bring high efficiency, lower power dissipation and less heat in a 5mm x 6mm MLP footprint.
MEMC Completes Acquisition of Solaicx
02 July 2010POSTED IN Business News
MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc., a global leader in the manufacture and sale of wafers to the semiconductor and solar industries, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of privately held Solaicx.
McBain Inspection and Wafer Handling Systems at Semicon West
02 July 2010POSTED IN New Products
McBain Systems announced that it will be exhibiting at the Semicon West show in San Francisco later this month.
SinguLYS Single-Axis Air Bearing Stages for PV Manufacturing
01 July 2010POSTED IN New Products
Newport Corporation, a worldwide leader in laser and photonic solutions, announces the new SinguLYS family of single-axis air bearing stages.
RoseStreet Lab Announces Multiband Solar Cell Technology
28 June 2010POSTED IN Applications News
RoseStreet Labs Energy, Inc. (RSLE) announced today a breakthrough laboratory demonstration of the first known multiband photovoltaic device featuring three distinct light absorption regions integrated into a single layer thin film device.
