Solaytec a stand-alone company again

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) equipment manufacturer Solaytec will no longer focus exclusively on the PV industry. After a management buy-out, separating it from Amtech Systems, the company will look for opportunities in new markets. Already sampling experiments are being conducted together with battery manufacturers.

Originally a TNO spin-off, Solaytec developed a so-called spatial ALD process – a continuous ALD process that can support through-put demands of the PV industry. In 2015, it was absorbed by semiconductor and solar equipment group Amtech Systems. Last April, the parent company announced its intention to divest all its PV subsidiaries. According to a press release, Solaytec was disposed of to management and staff in an amicable transaction.

Another Dutch spatial ALD equipment manufacturer, Almere-based Levitech, is also exploring opportunities in the battery industry. In an interview with Bits&Chips, CEO Jaap Beijersbergen told (link in Dutch) spatial ALD nowadays has to compete with batch processes.