December 6--OC Oerlikon Corporation Ltd. (Balzers, Liechtenstein) acquired the laser technology, staff, and equipment of Exitech Ltd. (Oxford, England), a worldwide provider of nano- and micro-laser systems. Oerlikon's Optics, Solar, and Wafer Processing business units in particular stand to benefit from this acquisition. Exitech will be integrated in the Oerlikon Optics business unit.
Lasers play a key role in the production of minute surface structures measuring a few billionths of a meter (nanometers). This technology is highly significant for Oerlikon. In the production of thin-film solar modules, for instance, the coated glass surface is divided into solar cells by laser scribing. Thanks to the cutting properties of lasers, the solar cells are formed into functioning modules without having to be specially assembled. So far, Oerlikon has had to purchase external technology for this important process.
For more information, visit www.oerlikon.com/optics.
