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February 8, 2010...MIT’s Electronic Materials Research Group developed what they say is the first room temperature germanium laser. Another claimed first of the researchers is that the laser is the first germanium laser to produce light in wavelengths that are useful to optical communications.
One of the key benefits of a laser made out of germanium is that unlike other semiconductor materials used to make high performance lasers it is actually an indirect-band gap material. However, the researchers devised a way in which it can be "band-engineered to behave like a direct band gap material
by using tensile strain and n-type doping to compensate the energy difference between the direct and indirect conduction valleys." The researchers suspect that other indirect-band gap materials may be utilized in the same way.
The researchers detailed their findings in Optics Letters. (Ref: Optics Letters Database). To increase computational capacity, higher bandwidth connections are necessary. Wide-band gap compound semiconductor-based lasers allow more data to be transported at lower power than silicon. However integrating such lasers with electrical silicon components, which form the basis of most computer chips, is difficult and costly.
The researchers believe that the newly devised germanium laser could integrate optical and electrical components more easily on silicon. Such lasers could make the dream of optical computing closer to reality. Michigan Selected to be Site of New DOW Powerhouse Solar Shingle Facility
CompoundSemi News StaffFebruary 8, 2010...The Dow Chemical Company reports that Midland, Michigan is the preferred site for its first full-scale production facility of its Powerhouse Solar Shingle.
The final site selection is subject to finalizing local, state and federal funding. If selected, the facility could bring more than 1,200 jobs to the region by 2014.
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is considering up to $140 million in economic incentives for the plant, which would produce the photovoltaic solar panels in the form of solar shingles that can be integrated into rooftops with standard asphalt shingle materials.
Dow indicates that local, state, and federal funding will help Dow Solar Solutions accelerate production plans for the solar shingles already being manufactured on a small-scale at its market development plant in Midland. Caltech also recently signed a multi-year research collaboration with the company. If received, the MEDC economic package will add to the $100 million in investments Dow has already made in the development of solar solutions since the program’s inception in 2007 when Dow was awarded a $20 million Solar America Initiative Pathways Program grant by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Andrew N. Liveris, Dow Chairman and CEO commented, “Collaboration between government and business is essential to overcoming the challenges facing our society today, including energy, climate change and the creation of sustainable jobs. ” Dow Chemical News Release
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Semprius and Siemens Agree to Co-develop Demonstration CPV Systems
CompoundSemi News StaffFebruary 8, 2010...Semprius, Inc. and Siemens Industry, Inc. have entered into a joint development agreement to co-develop and deploy plug-and-play demonstration Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) systems based on Semprius’ Solar Module Arrays and Siemens’ automation and control components. The systems are to be installed at numerous international test sites including major utilities, commercial sites, and government facilities.
Semprius boasts that its scalable and efficient Solar Module Arrays offer the benefits of low installed cost and high capacity factor which combined enable very low energy costs in sunny, dry climates. Semprius says that they are applicable to a wide range of projects from distributed commercial and industrial to large scale utility installations. The U.S. Department of Energy selected Semprius this month to receive support through a $3 million subcontract from DOE’s PV Technology Incubator, which aims to accelerate commercialization of its solar photovoltaic systems. Siemens will integrate its components with Semprius PV module arrays. Then, together the companies will implement the test systems to validate performance of the combined technologies.
“Competitive project deployment cost for CPV will be the key for the success of this technology. Combining Siemens’ advanced automation and control equipment with Semprius Module Arrays has the potential to deliver electricity at grid level prices to both industrial and utility scale customers,” said Peter Krause, Business Segment Manager, Siemens Industry, Inc. Semprius News Release Emcore Sells 60 Percent Stake in Fiber Optics Business
CompoundSemi News StaffFebruary 3, 2010...Solar company, Emcore Corporation has agreed to sell the majority stake in its fiber optics business. Emcore entered into a share purchase agreement with Tangshan Caofeidian Investment Corporation (TCIC), a Chinese investment company. The investment from TCIC will form a joint venture in which TCIC will purchase 60 percent of Emcore's Fiber Optics business (excluding its satellite communications and specialty photonics fiber optics product lines).
The new joint venture entity will be called Emcore Fiber Optics, Limited (EFO), and registered in Hong Kong. Under the terms of the agreement, TCIC will pay Emcore approximately $27.8 million in cash and provide an additional funding of $27 million to EFO after the closing. The Fiber Optics businesses included in this transaction are Emcore's telecom, enterprise, cable TV (CATV), fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP), and video transport product lines. Emcore will retain the satellite communications and specialty photonics fiber optics product lines as well as the satellite and terrestrial solar businesses.
Emcore Chairman, Mr. Reuben F. Richards, Jr. will resign his position as executive chairman of and will assume the role of CEO for EFO. Also, Emcore's President and CEO, Dr. Hong Q. Hou, will also serve as a Director of EFO, providing strategic and operational oversight to the joint venture. TCIC nominated Dr. Yi Li as chairman of the board for EFO and will name a CFO to EFO after the closing.
Emcore News Release Allied Building Products Corp. to be Solyndra's First North American Distributor
CompoundSemi News StaffFebruary 3, 2010...Solyndra, Inc., a maker of cylindrical CIGS solar systems for rooftops, has signed a new distribution agreement with Allied Building Products Corp., a national distributor of roofing, solar and other building products and materials, based in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
“We are proud to be Solyndra’s first distributor in North America,” said Bob Feury, CEO of Allied Building Products Corp. “Solyndra’s unique solar panel technology should be considered by all commercial building owners evaluating new low-slope roof installations or reroofing applications.”
“Allied Building Products has broad reach, extensive customer support and strong logistics capabilities in the roofing channel,” said Chris Gronet, Solyndra CEO and founder. “We are very pleased to have them as our first distributor in North America.”
Solyndra News Release AXT Gets 5-year Contract for Germanium Substrates with Azur Space
CompoundSemi News StaffFebruary 3, 2010...AXT, Inc., a manufacturer of compound semiconductor substrates, has been awarded a 5-year contract for germanium (Ge) substrates with Azur Space Solar Power GmbH, a provider of solar cells for space and terrestrial applications. According to AXT, the contract is the result of a collaboration that enabled Azur Space to obtain an industry-leading 40 percent conversion efficiency rate in average for Triple Junction concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) solar cells and the 30 percent conversion efficiency rate in average for triple junction GaAs space solar cells. Germanium is a single-element substrate used to produce devices for photovoltaic applications including space and terrestrial solar cells. AXT is a leading supplier of germanium substrates and the company points out that it has its own source of germanium raw material through its China joint venture.
"We are very pleased to announce our successful partnership with Azur Space," said Morris Young, chief executive officer of AXT, Inc. "Since 1964, Azur Space has been at the forefront of the development of solar technology and we are excited that our collaboration over the past months has resulted in one of the highest conversion efficiency rates in the industry, further advancing the potential of this important triple junction CPV technology. We are thrilled to be working with them and look forward to a long and prosperous relationship."
AXT News Release
Umwelt-Sonne-Energie Completes 1.9 MWp Solyndra Panel Project
CompoundSemi News StaffFebruary 1, 2010...
Solyndra, a Fremont, California-based manufacturer of cylindrical photovoltaic systems, reports that Umwelt-Sonne-Energie GmbH (USE Projects) has completed a 1.9MWp installation over ten rooftop sites. The project, completed in only two months, is the largest collective Solyndra project to date with 10 rooftop sites in ten Belgium cities. The sites are owned by a large international food retailer. According to Solyndra, the power generated will be sold to local utilities under an agreement with the building owners.
Solyndra's unique cylindrical, thin film PV systems are reportedly designed to generate more electricity from typical low-slope commercial rooftops while providing significantly lower installation costs than conventional flat plate PV technologies. Unlike other technologies, the systems do not need costly directional adjustment platforms.
"This is a great example of how Solyndra's PV systems can take advantage of underutilized commercial rooftop space to generate significant power. The project also offers a good model for how distributed power generation can work in an urban setting," said Chris Gronet, Solyndra CEO and founder. "USE Projects designed and delivered a PV system that we believe can enable the highest energy production per roof over the system lifetime while taking advantage of Solyndra's low overall installation costs."
Solyndra News Release TriQuint Announces Tripower Family of 'Green' Base Station Amplifier RF Transistors
CompoundSemi News StaffFebruary 1, 2010...TriQuint Semiconductor, has released the first products in its new 'green'
TriPower family of 3G/4G wireless base station RFICs. According to the company, TriPower reduces electricity needed to power network base station amplifiers while it allows operators to more easily increase network capacity and speed.
TriQuint says that such a network with 2000 base station ampliers to cover a medium sized city would cut CO2 emissions by about 340 tons each year. According to the US Forestry Service, each acre of trees absorbs about 2.6 tons of CO2 annually. Using TriPower in such a system would be the equivalent of adding more than 130 acres of trees to the ecosystem.
TriQuint Networks Vice President, Brian P. Balut stated, “The complex modulation requirements of 3G and 4G networks cannot be delivered efficiently by legacy semiconductor technologies." He added, "We believe that for reasons of reliability, cost and efficiency, TriPower’s GaAs HV-HBT technology is the best choice.”
Balut explained that TriPower RFICs can be easily linearized using conventional Digital Pre-Distortion (DPD) techniques.
Independent researchers at the University of California at San Diego have compared key base station amplifier semiconductor technologies including Silicon LDMOS, Gallium Nitride (GaN) and TriPower GaAs HV-HBT technology. UCSD lead researcher, Professor Donald Kimball, concluded in a November 2008 paper that TriPower devices offer a clear efficiency advantage. TriQuint News Release Our news features are reported
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