May 28 2008
XsunX, Inc., a solar technology company engaged in the build-out of its multi-megawatt solar module manufacturing facility, announced today that it has expanded its existing two-year relationship with Newport Corporation by selecting Newport as its preferred supplier for laser and motion subsystems for its integrated Thin Film Photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing line. These products are used to create monolithically interconnected cells on the solar panels and to laser scribe bar codes on the panels for quality control purposes.
Newport Corporation is a leading global supplier of advanced photonics technologies to customers in a wide range of industries. The company has developed innovative solutions for the automated manufacturing of solar cells that leverage its expertise in high-power lasers, precision positioning systems, vibration isolation and optical subsystems to enhance the speed and precision of the solar cell manufacturing process.
"We are pleased that XsunX has chosen us as their preferred supplier for lasers and precision motion subsystems, which play a key role in enabling high-precision, high-volume and low cost manufacture of thin film solar panels," stated Robert J. Phillippy, President and CEO of Newport. "We believe that XsunX's selection of Newport is a further validation of our ability to provide value-added solutions to our photovoltaic customers."
"Our relationship with Newport and their Spectra-Physics Lasers Division dates back to when they provided us with assistance in developing techniques for laser scribing of plastic substrates," stated Mr. Tom Djokovich, CEO of XsunX. "When XsunX migrated to designing a glass substrate module, Newport continued to provide support and problem solving expertise. Automating cell integration using lasers gives thin film an enormous economy of scale over crystalline. We are pleased to be working with a globally-recognized leader in the buildout of our multi-megawatt thin film photovoltaic solar manufacturing facility," concluded Djokovich.