Amtech Systems, Inc. today announced its solar subsidiary, Tempress Systems, received a follow-on order for the second phase of a multiphase 1GW project. This turnkey order for the second phase is similar in size and includes Tempress' high-throughput PECVD and diffusion platforms. The first and second phases of this China project are designed to manufacture n-type bi-facial solar cells and modules at an attractive cost per watt. This repeat order is expected to ship within the next twelve months. Amtech's backlog as of April 25, 2017 is approximately $125 million compared to the December 31, 2016 backlog of $52 million.
Fokko Pentinga, CEO and President of Amtech, commented, "Over the years, we have made advances in n-type technologies in collaboration with leading research institutes, including the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN). With recent declines in the cost of n-type wafers and the market demand for higher efficiency and lower cost per watt, we are seeing increased adoption of n-type bi-facial technologies for production of c-Si cells. Recently, at one of the largest solar tradeshows, SNEC in Shanghai, there was much excitement and a trend towards adoption of bi-facial cells, which requires two PECVD steps. We believe that Amtech has the right mix of n-type cell technologies and high-throughput tools to capitalize on the growing market demand for higher efficiency cells, and that n-type bi-facial cell technologies have the best roadmap to higher efficiency."
