News Releases

Innovative casting technology opens new market opportunities for wafer producers

MERRIMACK, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 30, 2012-- GT Advanced Technologies Inc., (NASDAQ: GTAT), today announced the commercial availability of its DSS™450 MonoCast™ crystal growth system. Modules produced from material grown in GT’s DSS™450 MonoCast™ furnace rival modules that incorporate traditional boron-doped batch CZ monocrystalline wafers in terms of total output. The DSS450 MonoCast furnace incorporates a number of new features that result in ≥80 percent mono volume yield per slabbed ingot and significantly increases Grade I wafers (>90% mono area/wafer) per ingot than other cast mono technologies. The MonoCast™ technology is being offered first on GT’s DSS450 and DSS450HP systems. Customers currently operating these DSS furnaces can migrate to the new DSS450 MonoCast system through a field upgrade.

GT’s DSS™450 MonoCast™ crystal growth system. Modules produced from material grown in the DSS450 MonoCast furnace rival modules that incorporate traditional boron-doped batch CZ monocrystalline wafers in terms of total output. (Photo: Business Wire)

“Advancements in ingot casting technologies are opening up new market opportunities for traditional multicrystalline wafer manufacturers to deliver next generation wafers that enable higher cell efficiency conversions,” said Tom Gutierrez, president and CEO of GT Advanced Technologies. “Our DSS450 MonoCast system continues GT’s successful track record of delivering production ready products that have undergone rigorous testing with our beta partners to ensure they perform to our specification. Our existing DSS customers can leverage their investment by upgrading to our DSS450 MonoCast systems in order to successfully compete in this new market with a technology that delivers high mono yields and enables higher efficiency cells.”

“GT’s market-leading expertise in crystal growth process knowledge, equipment and control system design and global support provide customers with a technologically advanced system that delivers proven performance and repeatability,” said Vikram Singh, GT Advanced Technologies’ vice president and general manager of its photovoltaic business unit. “Our ongoing work on material science and cell architectures with the Georgia Institute of Technology has continued to demonstrate that our MonoCast material when combined with advanced cell processing technology can deliver efficiency conversions of greater than 19 percent. This is an important indicator of the potential cell efficiency gains PV manufacturers can expect to achieve using GT’s MonoCast material.”

Modules produced from GT’s MonoCast material rival modules that incorporate traditional boron-doped batch CZ processed monocrystalline wafers in terms of total output. Cells produced from DSS450 MonoCast wafers have lower Light Induced Degradation (LID) and the full square surface dimension area across the wafer provides greater electricity generating surface area than the pseudo square shape of traditional monocrystalline wafers. The result is module efficiencies that are competitive with modules incorporating batch monocrystalline wafers.

The DSS450 MonoCast features new advanced hardware and an industry first automatic seed retention feature that eliminates dipping and operator intervention between melt and growth helping to automate the process and enabling the production worthiness of the DSS450 MonoCast system. When combined with GT’s new Acuity™ performance software, the DSS450 MonoCast can produce high quality ingots run after run.

GT Advanced Technologies, Inc. is a global provider of polysilicon production technology, and sapphire and silicon crystalline growth systems and materials for the solar, LED and other specialty markets. The company's products and services allow its customers to optimize their manufacturing environments and lower their cost of ownership. For additional information about GT Advanced Technologies, please visit www.gtat.com.

Some of the statements in this press release are forward-looking in nature, including statements regarding expected results from new technology offerings. These statements are based on management’s current expectations or beliefs. These forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the Company’s control, which could cause actual events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements. Factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements include the possibility that the Company is unable to recognize revenue on customer contracts, that technological changes could render existing products or technologies obsolete, the Company may be unable to protect its intellectual property rights, competition from other manufacturers may increase, exchange rate fluctuations and conditions in the credit markets and economy may reduce demand for the Company’s products and various other risks as outlined in GT Advanced Technologies Inc’s (formerly Solar International, Inc.) filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the statements under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2011 filed on May 26, 2011 and quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 filed on November 9, 2011. GT Advanced Technologies, Inc. is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any such obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.