News

16 July 2009

 

Veeco creates Solar Process Development Center from DayStar’s New York assets

To accelerate its penetration of the rapidly growing copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar market, epitaxial deposition, process, and metrology equipment maker Veeco Instruments Inc of Plainview NY, USA has acquired certain non-core assets of the Halfmoon, NY operation of CIGS PV developer DayStar Technologies Inc. Veeco has bought selected equipment, taken over leased facilities, and hired DayStar’s R&D group in Clifton Park, NY.

“As we have previously disclosed, we are in negotiations with potential strategic partners to allow us to expand our manufacturing capability and commercialize our CIGS PV modules,” says DayStar’s CEO Dr Robert Aldrich. “This sale of our New York assets is another step in our strategic partnership strategy and is consistent with the direction we established for DayStar approximately two years ago. In 2007 we moved our primary operations to Santa Clara, California and focused our development on single-step reactive sputtering on glass substrates and we moved away from flexible foil-based CIGS,” Aldrich explains. “We have retained the intellectual property developed in New York for future use in either glass or flexible substrate PV modules, while Veeco has purchased assets that will allow them to advance their CIGS solar equipment strategy.”

DayStar reckons that the asset sale will reduce annual operating expenses by over $2m. Previously, the firm cut its staffing by 30% in Q2/2009, after net loss grew to $7.7m in Q1/2009 due to increased R&D spending for CIGS-on-glass module and manufacturing process development.

The transaction also allows DayStar to continue efforts on its proprietary reactive sputter process currently in use to produce CIGS-on-glass PV modules without diminishing opportunities to re-enter flexible PV module markets when business, technology, and market conditions favor such a product. DayStar’s core technology (the creation of the critical CIGS layer in a single heated process step using the same proven reactive sputter process as used in virtually all flat-panel display and architectural glass factories) remains exclusively owned by the firm.

“Veeco’s efforts to advance their CIGS equipment business, leveraging their extensive portfolio of thermal deposition technology, aligned perfectly with DayStar’s efforts to bring our single-step reactively sputtered CIGS to market,” says DayStar’s chief technology officer Robert Weiss. “Our New York team has provided expert support as the company transferred headquarters to California,” he adds. “DayStar’s resources are focused on our core technology as we begin our production ramp while our earlier efforts on flexible substrate two-step CIGS facilitates Veeco’s mission in solar.”

“The creation of a Solar Process Development Center will accelerate Veeco’s position as a leading integrated equipment provider to the rapidly growing CIGS solar market,” says David Bruns, senior VP, general manager, Veeco Solar Equipment. “We have brought on board a team of highly qualified CIGS technology specialists who bring to Veeco years of CIGS process know-how on a range of glass and flexible substrates. These CIGS process development specialists will now work in tandem with our design team to help our customers achieve the lowest cost of ownership through process and hardware optimization on Veeco’s suite of equipment,” he adds.

“This transaction is another example of Veeco’s commitment to the fast-growing CIGS thin-film marketplace,” says CEO John Peeler. “In the past year we have rapidly expanded our CIGS product line [based on the May 2008 acquisition of Mill Lane Engineering of Lowell, MA, which made CIGS web-coater systems and deposition sources] to include integrated thermal deposition sources, our FastFlex platform for flexible CIGS solar cells and our FastLine platform for CIGS on glass. Based upon the broad end-market applications for CIGS in solar farms, building-integrated and portable devices, combined with CIGS’ forecasted competitiveness on a cost/watt basis, we see a $750m equipment market opportunity for CIGS by 2011,” Peeler adds.

See related items:

Veeco launches FastLine glass coating systems for CIGS-based solar cells

Veeco to supply CIGS PV manufacturing equipment to Daiyang Metal

DayStar aims to ramp production by Q1/2009

Veeco acquires Mill Lane Engineering

See: Veeco Company Profile

Search: Veeco DayStar CIGS

Visit: www.veeco.com

Visit: www.daystartech.com