Optoelectronics startup Braggone secures funding to commercialize polymer technology
The materials startup has received multi-million dollars in funding from the same Finnish agency that funded Nokia in the past.
By Ann Steffora Mutschler, Senior Editor -- EDN, January 3, 2008
Oulu, Finland-based optoelectronics materials developer Braggone reported today that it has received multi-million dollars in funding from the National Technology Agency of Finland (TEKES) to commercialize its polymer materials for worldwide commercialization targeting semiconductor devices and flat panel displays.
TEKES also funded Nokia in the past.
Braggone said its material technology allows for custom tuning of the inorganic-organic polymer material properties to suit specific applications, which coat or print onto substrates at greater efficiency, lower temperatures and higher yields.
The company said its current materials are applied in digital displays used in mobile phones and televisions, advanced semiconductors, digital cameras, photovoltaic panels, LEDs and memory for PCs and MP3 devices.
The TEKES funding is specifically targeted for taking the materials production and sales from the lab to commercial scales.
These materials are part of an intellectual property portfolio of 17 filed patents, four of which have already been granted, Braggone noted, and the research for the semiconductor industry has resulted in a set of materials that are nano-engineered siloxane compounds for silicon containing anti-reflective coatings (ARCs).
Dr. Yrjö Ojasaar, CEO of Braggone explained in a statement, “We’ve had great success working in collaboration with chemical companies and equipment manufacturers to fine-tune and optimize the physical and application specific characteristics of these polymers.”
“Due to that collaboration and now with the additional funding from TEKES, we are on a rapid path to commercialization, as we can deliver PV manufacturers with increased performance and reduced costs all in one turnkey solution,” he continued.
In terms of solar cells and solar panels, Braggone said its nano-engineered materials can also revolutionize manufacturing.
Last October, Braggone described its materials-based approach aimed at increasing the efficiency of solar cells, as well as allowing manufacturing facilities to cost-effectively increase their capacity. Braggone’s material is spray coated on to a solar cell or glass then cured at an elevated temperature, to achieve what it says is a breakthrough for crystalline silicon makers, thin film photovoltaics and solar module manufacturing to further improve power output. The company said its technology minimizes the optical loss in solar cells and modules and captures as much light as possible in the cells by taming the physics.
“Our technology and materials for solar cells will make the dream of sub-one euro per peak watt manufacturing costs a reality. We can replace the CVD batch process, expensive capex, and expensive operating costs by simply spraying, slit or dip coating the anti-reflective and hydrogenation coatings in a rapid and cost-effective atmospheric in-line process,” Ojasaar added.
