Home
North Carolina-based Semprius, a semiconductor technology company, has won $500,000 in federal stimulus money to help fund its solar-energy technology.
Semprius, which pulled in $6.5 million in venture capital financing last month, will use the money to fund development of a more efficient and inexpensive solar panel.
The company is developing a novel transfer printing technology for the manufacture of advanced semiconductor devices. In conventional solar panels, semiconductors cover 100% of the panel’s surface. Semprius’ technology covers only 0.1% of the panel with semiconductor cells. The remainder of the panel is covered in hundreds of tiny lenses focusing the sun’s energy onto the semiconductor cells.
The lenses are far less expensive than the semiconductor cells.
Semprius will use the $500,000 from the American Recovery and Investment Act to fund its efforts to maximize the efficiency of the lenses in concentrating and directing sunlight to the semiconductor cells.
