Applied Materials Inc., a supplier of equipment to the solar photovoltaic industry, has opened a solar research and demonstration facility in Xi'an, China.
Applied Materials' Solar Technology Center comprises a laboratory and office buildings covering more than 400,000 square feet, and contains an entire Applied SunFab thin-film manufacturing line and a complete crystalline silicon pilot process. These lines are configured to closely simulate customer fabrication environments.
The completed facility includes a solar technology center for research and development, engineering, product demonstration, testing and training for crystalline silicon and thin-film solar module manufacturing equipment and processes. Employees in the center will work closely with local suppliers to test and qualify new materials and tools and evaluate new technologies. The center also features what Applied Materials says is the largest solar array in Xi'an – a 56 kW array on a parking lot structure.
SOURCE: Applied Materials
