Sunovia Energy Technologies,
Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: SUNV) and its partner EPIR Technologies, Inc.
announced today the United States Department of Energy has awarded a second
contract to EPIR Technologies to provide improved infrared (IR) detectors to
be used in a new generation of tools for the inspection and characterization
of infrared materials and products. These advanced tools, known as Fourier transform
infrared (FTIR) materials characterization and inspection tools, are used to
characterize semiconductor material properties in a nondestructive fashion and
are especially useful in semiconductor production environments, to inspect the
product for quality control without damaging it.
EPIR, founded in 1998, is a world leader in the development of innovative new
infrared products, many of which have been developed and produced under contracts
with the U.S. Department of Defense. Sunovia is the exclusive distributor of
EPIR products.
The infrared detectors to be produced under the DOE contract are based on II-VI
materials (i.e., formulated from elements in the second and sixth columns of
the periodic table), similar to those used in ultra-high-efficiency multi-junction
solar cells that are being jointly developed by Sunovia and EPIR, also under
DOE sponsorship. It is believed that these ultra-high-efficiency solar cells
will outperform the most efficient solar cells produced today at a fraction
of their cost.
"We are excited to work with the Department of Energy on both next-generation
infrared detectors and photovoltaic solar cells. While II-VI materials have
been the state-of-the-art in infrared detection for years, they are just now
beginning to impact the solar industry with the emergence of thin-film CdTe
technology," said Dr. Siva Sivananthan, founder and CEO of EPIR. "The
single-crystal II-VI materials we have developed for infrared applications can
be tuned more precisely and to a wider degree than those of the materials currently
used in ultra-high-efficiency solar cells. This allows us to more efficiently
split the solar spectrum and thus achieve higher performance solar cells."
"Government funding is an important element in the early success of the
Sunovia-EPIR partnership, not only for its financial impact but also because
it demonstrates the value of the advanced technology we are jointly developing,"
said Carl Smith, co-founder and CEO of Sunovia. "In addition, the success
of EPIR's infrared detection business, along with the growth of Sunovia's leading-edge
LED illumination business, will generate cash that will help fund our important
work in developing ultra-high-efficiency solar cells to provide clean power
for future generations."
Posted July 22nd, 2009
