Voltaix, a provider of materials that are intended to enhance the performance of semiconductor chips and solar cells, announced that it has received $12.5 million in financing from Intel Capital, the global investment arm of Intel Corp.. Voltaix states that the investment will accelerate its manufacturing capacity expansion.
Voltaix manufactures electronic chemicals and gases used in ‘front-end’ semiconductor manufacturing processes at leading integrated circuit fabs worldwide. The company is also a supplier of CVD precursors for production of advanced photovoltaic cells.
"We have provided critical materials for semiconductor and thin film solar applications for more than twenty-five years," said Dr. John P. de Neufville, President of Voltaix and an early contributor to amorphous materials research. "We believe that thin film solar cell production, particularly products that can support Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), is poised for significant expansion. This financing will help enable us to construct a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility to meet growing demand for thin film energy technologies."
"Materials innovation is critical to enabling new capabilities in semiconductor device manufacturing," said Arvind Sodhani, President of Intel Capital and Intel executive vice president. "Our financing of Voltaix is part of Intel Capital’s manufacturing strategy to foster innovation around integrated circuit manufacturing and complementary cleantech areas such as thin film photovoltaics."
