ATEL Ventures, a leading provider of secured financing to emerging
growth companies, has announced that they have committed $2.0 million in
equipment lease financing to SiXtron Advanced Materials, a privately
held company that has developed a new process method for the
anti-reflection coating used in Silicon solar cell manufacturing.
SiXtron’s technology provides an alternative
to the incumbent solution of silane, a pyrophroic gas used in large
quantities by solar cell manufacturers. The highly scalable and
cost-effective thin-film process solutions created by SiXtron are
designed by to be "plug-and-play" with current solar cell manufacturing
practice. By eliminating the problems associated with the use of silane,
Sixtron technology will reduce the $/Watt manufacturing cost of Silicon
solar cells.
“We are extremely pleased to have ATEL
Ventures join our team and the new funding will allow us to continue to
move these products into the next phase of growth,”
says Zbigniew Barwicz, CEO at SixTron.
“With an easily adoptable process that both
reduces cost and increases safety, SiXtron’s
technological platform is truly impressive,”
said Steve Rea, Executive Vice President at ATEL.
About ATEL Ventures, Inc.
Since its founding in 1977, San Francisco-based ATEL Capital Group has
become the largest private and closely-held independent leasing company
in the United States, with approximately $2 billion in asset-secured
transactions under management. ATEL Capital formed ATEL Ventures, Inc.
to provide working capital and equipment financing term loans to
emerging growth companies in information technology, life sciences,
specialty retail and alternative energy. For information about ATEL
Ventures, contact Steven Rea, executive vice president, or visit their
website at www.atel.com/ventures.
About SiXtron Advanced Materials
Founded in 2004, SiXtron is a private, venture backed company located in
Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Sixtron was created as a spin-off, based on
technology developed at Bishop's University and the Université
de Sherbrooke. Sixtron is today focused on developing anti-reflective
coating solutions for the solar cell industry. Other highly scalable and
cost-effective thin film coating solutions, for both the electronics
industry and the industrial coatings sector, are under development.
Sixtron thin films have unique optical and mechanical properties, and
can be deposited without the complex requirements of pyrophoric silane
gas.
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