- 11 May 2006 -

Spire's Bandwidth Semiconductor to offer GaAs concentrator PV for terrestrial applications

Bedford, MA, USA, based Spire Corporation says that its wholly owned subsidiary Bandwidth Semiconductor LLC, is now offering custom GaAs concentrator solar cells for terrestrial applications. The GaAs-based solar cells are based on Spire's space and terrestrial solar cell technology developed over 25 years, during which record high cell efficiencies for terrestrial applications were produced.

Bandwidth Semiconductor operates a complete compound semiconductor device fabrication line focused on producing custom devices, with highly advanced MOCVD equipment for deposition. This means that Bandwidth's high efficiency GaAs cells can be designed and manufactured to address specific customer requirements. Customization options include concentration, cell size, and operating temperature.

Roger Little, Chairman and CEO of Spire, said: "With the demand for solar electricity and the shortage of polycrystalline silicon, concentrator solar technology has an opportunity to become significant in the marketplace. Bandwidth Semiconductor, with its extensive facilities and focus on custom device support, is an ideal supplier."

Earlier, Spire completed installation and commissioning of a SPI-Line™ turnkey PV module assembly line for Unison Co., Ltd. (Unison) of Chonan-City, Korea.
Spire’s advanced PV module manufacturing equipment and process technology will enable Unison to manufacture state-of-the-art PV modules from solar cells to address the growing Korean and Asian solar PV market.

Roger G. Little, said: "We are pleased to work with Unison to ensure their continued growth in Korea’s alternative energy market. Spire was chosen by Unison because of our well-earned reputation for reliability and innovative technology."

Spire Corporation introduced two new solar simulators for testing PV modules under simulated sunlight conditions. The SPI-SUN SIMULATOR 3500i and the SPI-SUN SIMULATOR 4600i were developed in response to the needs of customers and feature best-in-class specifications. For 25 years, Spire's solar simulators have been the industry standard in manufacturing and test laboratories worldwide.

Finally, Spire has sold 941,176 shares of its common stock at $8.50 per share, for gross proceeds of approximately $8 m, in a private placement to two accredited institutional investors. The net proceeds of the stock sale were approximately $7.7 m after deducting placement fees and other closing costs. Spire intends to use the proceeds to fund future development initiatives and for general corporate purposes.

Web: www.spirecorp.com