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The Solar Fab at Arizona State University is a Core Facility that offers start-to-finish solar cell fabrication, characterization and testing capabilities. Additional services include the ability to make modules and perform fundamental reliability testing.
ASU's commitment to solar is compelling; with over 24 MW of on-site solar generation capacity, ASU has more solar generation capacity than many large cities. The Solar Fab Core Facility launched in 2009 as the Solar Power Lab. Its first silicon was realized in 2010.
The ASU Solar Fab Core is housed in the MacroTechnology Works building in the ASU Research Park. The lab's total area is 9,073 square feet, which is comprised of 6,370 sq ft of class 100/1000 cleanroom space, 2,097 sq ft of H occupancy and 606 sq ft feet of dry lab space.
The story of Beyond Silicon: Advancing the future of photovoltaics
Beyond Silicon is engineering the future of solar energy. As an advanced photovoltaics startup rooted in cutting-edge academic research, their mission is to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy by developing high-efficiency perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells.
Beyond Silicon employees measuring perovskite/silicon solar cell performance.
Accelerating Tandem Solar Cell Innovation
"Access to ASU’s solar and electronic materials infrastructure has allowed us to move quickly from lab scale to pilot scale in a capital-efficient way," says Zhengshan "Jason" Yu.
Yu, co-founder and CEO of Beyond Silicon also asserts that "these facilities give us the ability to develop our product, iterate fast and validate performance with confidence—all without heavy CapEx investment upfront."
Developing tandem solar cells that surpass the performance and cost-efficiency of traditional photovoltaics requires precision at every level—from material synthesis to device fabrication and testing. ASU’s Solar Fab and Advanced Electronics and Photonics (AEP) Core have been pivotal in enabling Beyond Silicon to prototype, characterize and refine their tandem architecture.
Sputtering materials during solar cell fabrication in the Solar Fab's facilities at the MacroTechnology Works.
Beyond Silicon employees working on the Solar Fab's slot-die coater to dispense perovskite materials.
Building the Clean Energy Future in Arizona
Beyond Siliconwas founded with a bold goal: to help Arizona lead the world in next-generation solar manufacturing. The team includes ASU alumni and researchers and we are proud to be part of a growing ecosystem where innovation, infrastructure and industry converge to advance U.S. leadership in photovoltaics.
Recently installed Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) tools
Agnitron Mini Agilis 50
This tool is used for growth of UWB nitride films (e.g., AlN, AlGaN and GaN) for various applications such as research into power electronic devices. The vertical flow geometry, double-wall, water-cooled, quartz tube reactor accommodates up to a single 2-inch diameter wafer and has induction heating for temperatures from 600 °C to 1550°C.
Agnitron Agilis 100
This tool is used for growth of UWB oxide films such as beta, alpha and epsilon phases of Ga2O3 and AlGa2O3. Similar to the Mini Agilis 50, the Agilis 100 employs a vertical MOCVD reactor geometry with RF induction for substrate heating in the 400 °C to 1050 °C temperature regime.
Agilis 100 software control
Agilis 100 chamber bake showing setpoint (blue) and actual (red) temperatures
MOCVD tool coming soon
Veeco Propel
This 200 mm capable MOCVD is designed as a flexible platform for early stage research and development and small production needs for nitride applications including power, RF and photonics.
The reactor is based upon Veeco’s proprietary TurboDisc design which provides laminar flow and a uniform temperature profile across the entire wafer.
The tool has been successfully procured and is currently awaiting delivery. Pending a smooth installation and setup process, it is anticipated to become operational within the next year.
The KLA Tencor P17 OF Profiler is a high-resolution, stylus-based surface profiler that performs 2D and 3D scans to measure step height, roughness and surface topography on samples up to 300mm. Its programmable stage and optional stress measurement module support precise analysis of deposition rates, surface texture and shape across various sample types.
Quantum research at ASU is supported by key Core Facilities including the Eyring Materials Center (EMC), NanoFaband Research Computing. These labs provide the tools and environment needed to drive breakthroughs across the field.
ASU School of Molecular Sciences (SMS) assistant professor Dr. Justin Earley is designing molecular systems whose electron spins act like qubits, with the goal of building room-temperature quantum devices. Using EMC equipment, including tools for scanning electron microscopy, his team is uncovering how molecular structure can be leveraged for powerful and accessible quantum technologies.
To build their quantum sensor, Xie’s team uses a diamond with a defect that traps a quantum particle sensitive to magnetic fields. A green laser makes the diamond glow red—its brightness shifts with the magnetic field.
Anna was recognized for her mentorship and behind-the-scenes contributions that empower graduate students using the Genomics Core’s advanced sequencing technologies and data analysis services. Her recent leadership in transitioning microbiome sequencing to a new platform greatly improved the quality of student research and project outcomes.
“I love watching students and interns learn and grow into confident, successful scientists. It is gratifying to realize that my work is appreciated, even though it is primarily behind the scenes.”
Researchers analyzed hydrogen isotopic compositions and water contents in pyroxenes from two recent ordinary chondrite falls (Chelyabinsk and Benenitra) and compared them to Antarctic finds, which showed signs of terrestrial contamination.
Introduction:
Water is found throughout the inner solar system. However, because the water snowline lies beyond the terrestrial planet formation zone, traditional models suggest water must have been delivered from farther out. The "how" remains the key unresolved questions in planetary science.
Conclusion:
Chelyabinsk and Benenitra chondrites preserve D-poor nebular water, showing minimal loss during thermal metamorphism on S-type asteroids. These asteroids likely delivered substantial water to Earth and Mars early in accretion, reducing the need for late-stage volatile delivery.
