Post-doc Bram Hoex and his research group in Plasma & Materials Processing (PMP) at Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands, have been awarded the Leverhulme Technology Transfer Award for 2008. They received €70,000 for their successful transfer of two innovations from PMP to OTB Solar, an Eindhoven-based company that supplies equipment to solar cell manufacturers. The first was the introduction of anti-reflection and passivation coatings for silicon solar cells, which formed the basis for a new OTB Solar machine for making solar cells that is now being used worldwide by leading manufacturers. The second innovation involved placing an additional reflection and passivation coating at the rear of the solar cell. Both innovations have been patented by PMP and OTB Solar. Interestingly, during his PhD research, Hoex spent one day a week on-site at OTB Solar as an ongoing cooperative partnership between the school and the company in the field of thin-film deposition. His work at the company galvanized that partnership, and he ultimately served as a liaison between both parties in the transfer of the technology. Go to: FirstScience News

Posted November 12th, 2008 under Tech Transfer

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