Voltaix raises $12.5 million from Intel Capital for hybrid solar/chip fabrication material
Voltaix is in an interesting position as a maker of chemicals and gases that can be used in the production of both solar cells and semiconductor chips. That may explain why it has received $12.5 million from Intel Capital.
The Branchburg, N.J.-based company said today that it will use the investment to accelerate its manufacturing capacity expansion. The company makes materials used to process semiconductor chips and it also makes CVD precursors to make thin-film solar cells. Deutsche Bank estimates that thin-film solar cell production will increase four-fold from 2007 to 2010.
Voltaix makes high-purity gases and chemicals used in manufacturing. The company, the former ChemOvonic Division of Energy Conversion Devices, was spun off as an independent business in 1986. The company competes with a variety of other companies in the chip material and equipment industries.
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About the Author, Dean Takahashi
Dean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.