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TECSTAR Claims 26.1% Solar Cell Efficiency
City of Industry - September 8, 1998 - TECSTAR Inc.'s Applied Solar Division (ASD) continues to set record-breaking efficiency levels in their solar cell technology. A new 26.1 percent benchmark was reached using the Cascade multijunction solar cell technology developed under a USAF Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) program. TECSTAR has been developing multijunction solar cells since 1992, emphasizing the Cascade multijunction technology since 1995 under the ManTech program.

TECSTAR ASD has transitioned Cascade technology into a commercial, reverse bias protected, 4-cm x 6-cm solar cell assembly, achieving lot average efficiencies exceeding 23 percent, with best cell efficiencies of 24 percent.

The Company has entered full production of this technology for multiple customers and is working toward even higher efficiencies. In addition, TECSTAR has validated an improved, radiation hard, Cascade multi-junction solar cell design. This cell strengthens the end-of-life performance by 10 percent while not reducing beginning-of-life performance.

TECSTAR Inc. was founded in 1954 as the country's first supplier of space solar cells. Today, the privately held company employs 900 people with '97 sales of $121 million. TECSTAR supports the space and aircraft industries, both as a leading producer of critical aircraft subsystems and ground support equipment, and by offering the most advanced technology in spacecraft solar panels and arrays. The company maintains an unblemished on-orbit performance on over 400 satellites involving programs like Vanguard, the first satellite powered by solar cells in the late 1950's, through today's on-orbit constellations such as GPS, Iridium, Landsat, Orbcomm, and the Mars-Pathfinder program. TECSTAR ASD is ISO 9001 certified by DNV.

  • TecStar




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