Applied Spectra’s LIBS Instrument Fuels Solar Cell Research at GwangJu Institute of Science and Technology (S. Korea)

FREMONT, Calif. (January 2, 2011) — Applied Spectra, Inc., a leading supplier of LIBS and Femtosecond LA * instruments, announced today it received a purchase order for an RT100-EC LIBS system from the GwangJu Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) in South Korea. The RT100-EC LIBS instrument will fuel elemental research of CIGS and other thin-film solar cells at the Laser Micro/Nano Fabrication Laboratory in School of Mechatronics of GIST.

To improve solar cell efficiency and reliability, it is crucial to understand the elemental compositional ratios and identify unwanted impurities in CIGS and other types of thin film emitters. LIBS technology enables the solar cell industry to detect and monitor their products’ main chemical constituents and impurities, rapidly and cost-effectively.

“We need a robust hardware platform for consistent LIBS measurements, together with powerful software features to deploy versatile sampling protocols and then statistically process and analyze the collected data. This was the major consideration in selecting Applied Spectra’s RT100-EC LIBS instrument for our research,” commented Dr. Sungho Jeong, Professor at the School of Mechatronics of GIST.

“Applied Spectra is honored and pleased with Professor Jeong’s decision to make the RT100-EC instrument an essential part of his solar film elemental research,” said Dr. Jong Yoo, Vice President of Technology and Marketing. “The RT100 Series LIBS instruments allow LIBS researchers to rapidly optimize sampling protocols and data reduction methodology for their analytical applications. With our proven hardware platform and powerful software, researchers can now accelerate LIBS application development without worrying about potential measurement uncertainties in the LIBS experiment setup.”

* LIBS: Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy, Femtosecond LA: Femtosecond Laser Ablation

About Applied Spectra

Applied Spectra is a leading supplier of laser-based analytical instruments. Our unique, highly automated products harness the latest in laser ablation analysis techniques. We simplify the process of elemental chemical analysis, while delivering rapid, high-precision results that are environmentally friendly. Founded in 2004, we have a manufacturing, research and development facility in Fremont, CA, USA.

For more information, visit: www.appliedspectra.com.