The jury selected Oerlikon Solar's KAI 1200 PECVD system as "the best technical product for thin-film manufacturing".

Oerlikon Solar's KAI 1200 PECVD technology (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition) is a machine used to deposit the silicon absorber layers that are at the heart of Oerlikon Solar's Micromorph thin-film silicon PV technology. The deposition of these layers is one of the most critical steps in the production of thin-film, and the quality of this manufacturing step determines to a large extent the overall efficiency and performance of thin-film PV modules.

In addition to producing high quality absorber layers, the KAI 1200 is designed to significantly improve the speed of manufacturing, reducing the process cycle time by over 30%, according to the company. A source said that the improvements resulting from the KAI 1200 are a major factor in reducing the total cost of manufacturing on the path to grid parity.

"We are very proud of this achievement and recognition of Oerlikon Solar's technology leadership and production worthy equipment," said Jeannine Sargent, CEO of Oerlikon Solar. "The award reflects our intensive research and development in thin-film PV."

Oerlikon Solar is a leader in silicon-based thin-film solar technology and end-to-end manufacturing solutions with 10 established customers in operation or ramp up worldwide representing 600 MWp of yearly production capacity.