GT Solar International, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOLR), a global provider of polysilicon production technology, and sapphire and silicon crystalline growth systems and materials for the solar, LED and other specialty markets, announced that it has shipped its 3000th DSS™ multicrystalline ingot growth furnace. Taiwan-based Gigastorage Corporation will install the milestone system, a DSS450HP, in its multicrystalline wafer production facility in Hsinchu.
“Achieving the milestone shipment of our 3000th DSS ingot growth furnace is a testimony to the reliability and longevity of our DSS architecture that continues to deliver sustained value to customers eight years after its market introduction,” said Tom Gutierrez, president and chief executive officer of GT Solar. “We are pleased to recognize Gigastorage Corporation, a valued GT customer, as the recipient of our 3000th DSS furnace.”
GT Solar introduced its first DSS crystallization system, the DSS240, in 2003. The DSS architecture was designed to accommodate future advancements in crystalline growth process technology. Customers can easily upgrade their existing furnaces to achieve higher levels of performance and throughput. The latest generation DSS650, which the company announced in January 2011, continues this commitment to delivering higher levels of productivity and efficiency while lowering the cost of manufacturing. The DSS240 was capable of producing multicrystalline ingots of 240 kilograms. That same customer could upgrade those DSS240 furnaces to the DSS650 level of performance with minor equipment and process changes and start producing ingots greater than 625 kilograms.