Applied Materials,
Inc. the global leader in Nanomanufacturing Technology™ solutions
with a broad portfolio of innovative equipment, service and software products
for the fabrication of semiconductor chips, flat panel displays, solar photovoltaic
cells, flexible electronics and energy efficient glass, today opened an advanced
solar research and demonstration facility in Xi'an, China. Applied Materials'
Solar Technology Center, the largest non-government solar energy research facility
in the world, is comprised of laboratory and office buildings covering more
than 400,000 square feet and contains an entire Applied SunFab™ thin film
manufacturing line and a complete crystalline silicon pilot process. These lines
are configured to closely simulate customer fabrication (fab) environments.
Applied Materials opened the world's largest solar R&D and customer demonstration facility in Xi'an, China on October 26. The state-of-the-art facility houses complete crystalline silicon and SunFab thin film pilot production lines. (Photo: Business Wire)
“This opening represents a critical breakthrough for the photovoltaic
industry and China and a tremendous benefit to our customers,” said Mike
Splinter, chairman and CEO of Applied Materials. “Establishing this center
in China is an integral part of Applied's global strategy and an important
step toward the industrialization of the global solar industry.”
Applied Materials is celebrating its 25th anniversary in China this year and
today has more than 800 employees and 13 offices in the country, with approximately
300 employees in Xi'an. Applied first broke ground in Xi'an in 2006
and the total investment in the multi-phase project is more than $250 million
dollars. The completed facility includes a solar technology center for R&D,
engineering, product demonstration, testing and training for crystalline silicon
and thin film solar module manufacturing equipment and processes. Employees
in the center will work closely with local suppliers to test and qualify new
materials and tools and evaluate potential new cost saving technologies. The
center has the largest solar array in Xi'an, a 56 kW array on a parking
lot structure.
“We believe this technology center will provide important contributions
to driving down the cost of solar around the world,” stated Mark Pinto,
senior vice president, general manager, Energy and Environmental Solutions and
Applied's chief technology officer. “In addition to housing Applied's
state-of-the-art research into solar manufacturing techniques, customers and
potential customers from around the world will be able to work side-by-side
with our technologists to reduce their time to market and improve factory productivity
and cell efficiency.”
Xi'an is located in the Shaanxi province in northwest China and is a
growing center of energy technology excellence in China. The local province
boasts more than 40 colleges and universities and Xi'an is recognized
as one of the leading high-technology research areas in the country. Applied
has worked closely with local governments, contributed to research and awarded
166 university scholarships since 2005 through an R&D fund with the Xi'an
Municipal Science and Technology Commission and Xi'an High Tech Park.
“As China works to build its renewable power infrastructure we are pleased
to offer such a unique facility. In the laboratories, local suppliers of systems
and materials will be able to work closely with our engineers to reduce development
costs, accelerate the industrialization of clean energy technology and contribute
to decreasing the cost of solar,” said Charlie Gay, president, Applied
Solar. “This is a powerful benefit we are bringing to our customers and
to China, and we look forward to immediately putting these capabilities to work.”