Rumor: Applied Materials to Unfurl New Factory-in-a-Box Line Soon

Applied Materials is getting ready to expand its solar equipment lineup.

The company, according to sources, is going to announce a turnkey manufacturing unit for making microcrystalline solar modules this Summer. Microcrystalline solar cells are essentially a step up from traditional amorphous thin film solar cells: They contain an extra layer of material that enhance the efficiency. Amorphous silicon cells tend to sport around a 6 percent to 7 percent efficiency. Microcrystallines can get something like a 9 percent to 10 percent efficiency.

That’s far less than the 18 percent to 22 percent efficiency achieved by classic crystalline solar cells. Microcrystallines, however, are made on less expensive thin film manufacturing lines. Thus, with microcrystalline, you get better efficiency without all the cost.

Rival Oerlikon already sells a turnkey system for these kind of panels. Four customers have already adopted it.

An Applied spokesperson said the company has not made any official announcements or commitments. The company is talking about the possibility, but has not indicated when or if a move into this market might occur.

Oerlikon and Applied are the leaders in the factory-in-a-box segment. In this market, the companies effectively create a manufacturing line for a customer and hand over the keys. Applied has 12 customers that have agreed to set up factories around its amorphous silicon turnkey systems. When you count amorphous and microcrystalline customers, Oerlikon has 10.

Erecting a complete fabrication for a company helps smooth the path toward commercialization by eliminating a good portion of the R&D required to bring a product to market. Intel did something like this in the ‘90s: It would often design PCs or servers for smaller manufacturers to help them get to the market quicker. Applied has also used its technological know-how in semiconductor equipment manufacturing to help Asian chip makers move more rapidly. One joke I heard a few years ago was that the research labs for most Taiwanese companies is located in Santa Clara, Calif., or Applied’s headquarters.