BALZERS, Liechtenstein--(BUSINESS WIRE)--After only 12 months on the market, the SOLARIS production tool from Oerlikon Systems wins the solar industry’s most prestigious award for innovation and technological excellence in a production system; the “Solar Industry Award 2010.”

“SOLARIS was the PV industry choice in the “PV Tool Award” category by winning with a majority of the votes – a clear winner,” says Jackie Cannon, Director of SOLAR & IC Publishing.

The annual “Solar Industry Awards” highlight and promote important aspects of the global PV and solar industry, including people, process & tools, and companies. Individuals in the industry select the winning products according to the following parameters:

• Industrial significance
• Competitive advantage
• Product innovation in terms of unique technology
• Product acceptance in the marketplace
• Potential of a product to become an industry standard

SOLARIS: new generation technology

“The SOLARIS concept continues to win fans across the industry,” adds Dr. Volker Wüstenhagen, Head of Advanced Nanotechnology. “As a compact, cost-effective platform with single wafer handling it has become a very popular solution with PV manufacturers.”

“This award also confirms our unwavering commitment to the ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO 14001 (environmental) standards,” adds Andreas Dill, CEO of Advanced Technologies. “We continue to be very committed to the development of more sustainable new production solutions by reducing both the direct and indirect impact of our business operations and products on the environment.”

An advanced PVD sputter system, SOLARIS is an optimal production solution for front and backside coating of crystalline silicon solar cells. Its multi-layer capability allows passivation and SiN coating on the front side and passivation and Al contact layers on the backside. Its strikingly small footprint (3.3 x 2.2 m) and easy integration into existing production lines give SOLARIS a remarkably low ‘cost of ownership’.

A star at the EU PVSEC

The SOLARIS team was handed over the award at the 25^th EU PVSEC in Valencia, Spain during the most important industry venue in Europe where the SOLARIS production tool was demonstrated live at the booth of the Meyer Burger Technology Ltd. Meyer Burger is the strategic cooperation partner for Sales and Marketing of SOLARIS in the industry of Photovoltaics worldwide.

Oerlikon – Enabling High Technology

Oerlikon (SIX:OERL) is one of the world’s leading international high-tech industrial groups specializing in machine and plant engineering. The company is a leader in the field of industrial solutions and innovative technologies for textile manufacture, thin-film solar and thin-film coating, drive, precision, and vacuum systems. With roots in Switzerland and a long tradition stretching back 100 years, Oerlikon is a global player with a workforce of more than 16000 at more than 150 locations in 37 different countries. The company’s sales amountedto CHF 2.9 billion in 2009 and it ranks either first or second in the respective global markets.

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