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Painting on a solar cell
8 Reasons
to Work with Spire
Solar cells could soon be produced more is not far-fetched. “You’d have to paint the
cheaply using nanoparticle “inks” that allow light-absorbing material and a few other
Semiconductor
them to be printed like newspaper or layers as well,” Korgel said. “This is one
painted onto the sides of buildings or step in the direction towards paintable solar
to Develop
rooftops to absorb electricity-producing cells.”
sunlight. Researchers apply the nanoparticle
Your Next
“inks” as a spray on the solar cells. Korgel uses the light-absorbing
Optoelectronics
Brian Korgel, a University of Texas at Austin nanomaterials, which are 10,000 times
chemical engineer, is hoping to cut costs to thinner than a strand of hair, because their Product...
one-tenth of their current price by replacing microscopic size allows for new physical
the standard manufacturing process for properties that can help enable higher-
solar cells—gas-phase deposition in a efficiency devices. In 2002, he co-founded a
vacuum chamber, which requires high company called Innovalight, based in
temperatures and is relatively expensive. California, which is producing inks using
“That’s essentially what’s needed to make silicon as the basis. This time, Korgel and
solar-cell technology and photovoltaics team are using copper indium gallium
widely adopted,” Korgel said. “The sun selenide (CIGS) which is both cheaper and
provides a nearly unlimited energy resource, benign in terms of environmental impact.
but existing solar energy harvesting “CIGS has some potential advantages over
technologies are prohibitively expensive silicon,” Korgel said. “It’s a direct band gap
Spire Semiconductor is a complete
and cannot compete with fossil fuels.” semiconductor- you need much less
1
compound semiconductor fabrication
facility dedicated to supporting its
material to make a solar cell, and that’s one
customers.
For the past two years, Korgel and his team of the biggest potential advantages.”
Spire Semiconductor has its own MOCVD
have been working on this low-cost,
III-V and II-VI multi-wafer, multi-reactor
nanomaterials solution to solar cell His team has developed solar-cell
2
capabilities for high volume production
manufacturing. Korgel is collaborating with prototypes with efficiencies at one percent;
requirements.
professors Al Bard and Paul Barbara, both however, they need to be about 10 percent. Spire Semiconductor has a first-class
of the Department of Chemistry and “If we get to 10 percent, then there’s real
3
compound semiconductor device
fabrication facility with class 100
Biochemistry, and Professor Ananth potential for commercialization,” Korgel said.
cleanrooms.
Dodabalapur of the Electrical and Computer He also said that the inks, which are semi-
Engineering Department. They recently transparent, could help realize the prospect
Spire Semiconductor’s engineering staff
showed proof-of-concept in the Journal of of having windows that double as solar 4
has extensive experience in material
and device design, process development
the American Chemical Society. cells. Korgel said his work has attracted the
and testing.
The inks could be printed on a roll-to-roll interest of industrial partners. Funding for
printing process on a plastic substrate or the research comes from the National
5
You can work directly with Spire
Semiconductor’s engineers.
stainless steel. The prospect of being able Science Foundation, the Welch Foundation
to paint the “inks” onto a rooftop or building and the Air Force Research Laboratory.
Spire Semiconductor can manufacture
6
your products in volume exclusively
for you.
As a pure play foundry, we do not
Strengthening partnership
7
compete with our customers.
Working with Spire Semiconductor will
8
keep you ahead of your competition.
As part of its development strategy for solar Avancis. Saint-Gobain provides a vast range
energy, Saint-Gobain is acquiring Shell’s of products and services in solar energy via
share of Avancis, a joint venture between Saint-Gobain Solar, its new entity which
the two companies. Avancis has developed groups all of Saint-Gobain’s solar
Edward D. Gagnon
General Manager,
highly competitive technology for thin-film businesses. Present across the whole value
Spire Semiconductor
CIS (Copper, Indium and Selenide) to chain, Saint-Gobain Solar’s strategy hinges
manufacture photovoltaic modules. With an on three independent activities. The making
annual capacity of 20 megawatts, the and selling of high-tech components for
company’s first plant is already operating in PV modules (special glass, performance
Torgau, Germany. This extremely promising plastics, etc.) and high-performance
technology necessitates expertise in glass mirrors for solar thermal plant operators.
coating and in glass thermal treatment, two The production by its Avancis company of
processes belonging to the core portfolio of thin-film PV modules using CIS (Copper,
Semiconductor
Saint-Gobain, a worldwide leader in flat Indium, Selenide) technology, for distributors Spire Semiconductor, LLC
glass for the building and automotive and integrators. The design and marketing
25 Sagamore Park Road, Hudson, NH 03051
industries. Saint-Gobain intends to of PV solutions for homes, offices, industrial
T 603.595.8900 F 603.595.0975
sales@spiresemi.com
accelerate the industrial development of installations and farm buildings.
September 2009
www.compoundsemiconductor.net 13
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