Newport Corporation Unveils the SolaryX™ 1600P High Throughput Thin Film Photovoltaic Laser Scribing System
Irvine, CA - Sept. 2, 2008 - Newport Corporation, a worldwide leader in laser and photonic solutions, today announced the latest addition to the SolaryX™ family of industry-leading thin film photovoltaic laser scribing systems - the SolaryX 1600P laser scribing system. The SolaryX 1600P tool is a fully automated solution that was designed for full production photovoltaic manufacturing environments. It offers a fast, flexible, and accurate means to scribe thin film solar panels. The SolaryX 1600P system is the latest addition to Newport's broad portfolio of photovoltaic manufacturing and test solutions that includes the SolaryX family of scribing systems, lasers, light sources, motion systems, optics, test and measurement technologies and integrated solutions.
"The SolaryX 1600P scribing system is a cutting-edge solution that significantly enhances our leadership position as a supplier of thin film photovoltaic laser scribing systems to the rapidly growing solar cell manufacturing market," said Larry Parson, Vice President and General Manager for Newport Corporation's Integrated Solutions Business. "What makes our flagship product unique is that it combines all of Newport's key photovoltaic technologies such as lasers, motion control and optics into a fully automated, high-throughput, flexible system. No matter what panel sizes or materials our customer may be working with, Newport can easily configure the SolaryX 1600 laser scribe system to meet that customer's specific needs."
At the heart of the SolaryX 1600P tool is a Newport-designed air-bearing motion control platform leveraging the company's expertise in high-speed stage mechanics and ceramic air-bearing designs. In operation, this air-bearing stage is used to scribe extremely straight lines, providing the smallest possible dead zones in the industry and producing the highest possible efficiencies in the final product. Used for more than a decade in the company's DynamYX
wafer positioning stages, the scribe stage in the SolaryX 1600P system offers proven performance and reliability critical for robust production applications.
The SolaryX 1600 laser scribe tool also incorporates HIPPO or Explorer lasers from the company's Spectra-Physics Lasers Division. These lasers have emerged as the technology of choice for customers that want to support 24/7 manufacturing environments with high throughput, fast repetition rate IR and green lasers.
The SolaryX 1600 system can support up to 1600 x 1100mm glass panel sizes in its standard configuration. Custom versions can handle additional panel sizes upon special request.
Parson concluded, "Over the next several months, Newport will continue to expand the SolaryX family, and we look forward to introducing several new platforms that support a broad range of applications, solar cell materials, panel sizes, and processing requirements. By offering accurate, high-speed laser scribing, edge isolation, test equipment, drilling of interconnects and other photovoltaic laser machining applications, Newport continues to develop new solutions that improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of solar cells."
About Newport Corporation
Newport Corporation is a leading global supplier of advanced-technology products and systems to customers in the scientific research, microelectronics, aerospace and defense/security, life and health sciences and precision industrial manufacturing markets. Newport's innovative solutions leverage its expertise in high-power semiconductor, solid-state and ultrafast lasers, photonics instrumentation, sub-micron positioning systems, vibration isolation, optical components and subsystems and precision automation to enhance the capabilities and productivity of its customers' manufacturing, engineering and research applications. Newport is part of the Standard & Poor's SmallCap 600 Index and the Russell 2000 Index.
Company Contact:
Brian Bardwell
Sr. Manager of Corporate Communications
Tel: 949-253-1218
Fax: 949-253-1800
Email: brian.bardwell@newport.com