Mar 20 2013
Veeco Instruments Inc. announced today that the world record for energy efficiency of a commercial-ready production solar cell by Solar Junction was achieved on its Dual GEN200® Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) System.
Solar Junction, a developer of high efficiency multi-junction solar energy cells for the concentrating photovoltaics (CPV) market, reported last October that the power conversion efficiency of their CPV cells was measured at an unprecedented 44 percent at 947 suns, as verified by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Homan Yuen, Ph.D., Solar Junction’s Vice President of Research & Development, commented, “Veeco’s MBE system enables us to reach critical milestones in solar cell efficiency. Their system is instrumental in pushing the boundaries of technology to make CPV a more competitive option for solar power.”
Jim Northup, Veeco’s Vice President and General Manager, commented, “We wholeheartedly congratulate Solar Junction on their world record, and are committed to supporting their new facility’s production ramp. The GEN200 is the ideal pilot production tool, and we take great pride in providing the deposition platform for this ground-breaking result.”
The GEN200 MBE cluster-tool design provides the material source and wafer configuration flexibility for R&D or for multi-wafer production applications. The flexibility of the cluster tool design enables the GEN200 system to deliver higher throughput and lower cost per wafer, in a footprint up to 60% smaller than comparable MBE systems. It can support dual growth modules, allowing facilities to either greatly increase production or grow different materials within a single, integrated system.