Dong Xu Ltd. places order for multiple KAI thin film coating equipment
Trübbach (Switzerland), February 22, 2011 - Oerlikon Solar today announced an order from Dong Xu Ltd., one of China's well-known photoelectric glass manufacturers. The order consists of multiple Oerlikon Solar KAI equipment which operates the key process of coating thin film silicon.
With Dong Xu Ltd.'s order, Oerlikon Solar is further increasing its customer base in China. The KAI equipment will be utilized as the core absorber technology for Dong Xu's initial thin film silicon production line and will form the central part in their thin film silicon production line. The KAI is a fully automated PECVD system (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) for the industrial mass production of large-area 1.4 m2 solar modules. Designed for the deposition of amorphous and microcrystalline photovoltaic absorption layers, this system forms the central part of Oerlikon's field-proven production line. High throughput and yield at low cost are accomplished by the unique batch design and the patented Plasma Box®. With its leading technology, Oerlikon generally offers a highly competitive solution for the production of thin film silicon solar modules which is truly clean, using only non-toxic material, advantageous under real life conditions, and environmental friendly due to a very short energy payback time.
"Both parties have thus laid the grounds for a promising partnership for the planned future expansion of the customer's manufacturing capacity of thin film silicon solar modules," says Helmut Frankenberger, CEO of Oerlikon Solar.
About Oerlikon
Oerlikon (SIX: OERL) is a leading high-tech industrial group specializing in machine and plant engineering. The Company is a provider of innovative industrial solutions and cutting-edge technologies for textile manufacturing, thin-film coating, drive, vacuum, solar energy systems and advanced nanotechnology. A Swiss company with a tradition going back 150 years, Oerlikon is a global player with around 16,000 employees at 157 locations in 36 countries and sales of CHF 2.9 billion in 2009. The Company invests more than CHF 200 million annually in R&D, with over 1,200 specialists working on future products and services. The operative businesses rank either first or second in their respective global markets.
About Oerlikon Solar
Oerlikon Solar designs and manufactures field-proven equipment and end-to-end manufacturing lines for the mass production of environmentally sustainable thin film silicon solar modules. With its amorphous and high-efficiency Micromorph® tandem technology, Oerlikon has dramatically increased the efficiency of thin film silicon and created innovative end-to-end manufacturing solutions for thin film PV, enabling new entrants in the fast-growing, global PV manufacturing business. Oerlikon Solar leads the thin film solar equipment sector with 14 customers in production in seven countries, and almost 4 million modules and 450 MW of capacity produced worldwide.
Oerlikon Solar has Micromorph® patents dating back to 1993, was the first to integrate the high-efficiency Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) layer, and the first to commercialize the high-efficiency Micromorph® process and support the majority of its customers in migrating to it. To date it is the only proven end-to-end Micromorph® solution available on the market, offering lowest cost of electricity $/kWh, and proving highest future cost reduction potential.
Oerlikon Solar is headquartered in Switzerland, has about 700 employees in 13 locations worldwide, numerous production sites around the globe and maintains sales and service centers in the USA, Europe, China, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore and Japan.
For more information, please visit www.oerlikon.com/solar and www.oerlikon.com/solar/thinfab
