Imec is collaborating with Flamac on novel PV materials

Nicolas Mokhoff, EE Times -- EDN, December 21, 2011

MANHASSET, NY -- Research center Imec is collaborating with Flamac to develop novel materials as an alternative for the standard solar cells made of copper indium gallium and selenium (CIGS).

Flamac's recently installed deposition equipment will be used for the automated deposition of a variety of thin-film materials. Imec's thin-film solar cell activities are integrated in the Solliance collaboration platform, which is to strengthen the position of the Eindhoven-Leuven-Aachen triangle (ELAT region) as a thin-film photovoltaic player. Solliance is cooperating with the solar business community.

Flamac is located in Flanders and is a division of the Strategic Initiative Materials (SIM) and is subsidized by the Flemish government.

"Enabling R&D centers like Imec to speed up their materials development is exactly what Flamac aims to achieve. I'm delighted that Flamac and Imec have initiated a partnership in this application area," said Johan Paul, manager of Flamac, in a statement.

"This broadening [collaboration] is a new important step in the strengthening of the ELAT region in the domain of thin-film solar cell technology as we strive to together with Solliance," said Jef Poortmans, Program Director Energy at Imec.

This story was originally posted by EE Times.