The sun is rising at Applied Materials Inc. The chip and flat panel display equipment and services provider has outlined its strategy to enter the solar photovoltaic (PV) equipment market.

The company will provide a combination of manufacturing tools, technology and process innovations from the flat panel and semiconductor industries that may allow customers to increase conversion efficiency and yields, helping to lower the overall cost per watt for solar electricity users.

This week, at the world's largest solar show, the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference in Dresden, Germany, Applied is showcasing several PVD and PECVD products and processes, material-handling technologies and services to support solar cell production for both crystalline-silicon and thin-film solar applications. These include Applied’s ATON in-line sputtering system for both thin-film and multi- or mono-crystalline silicon. Other products highlighted at the show include Applied’s New Aristo in-line PVD/CVD system, PECVD technology and the SmartWeb PV roll-to-roll coater for flexible solar cell applications.
  
"The solar industry has reached the inflection point that Applied Materials has been waiting for, as solar customers seek economies of scale with suppliers who can better meet their needs for global support and who can provide advanced systems that meet technology, throughput, quality and yield goals," Mike Splinter, Applied’s president and CEO, said in a statement today.

With the rising price of traditional energy, the solar market has been heating up in recent months. Dow Corning has outlined a new focus on solar technology, and last week Sharp announced that it will supply solar panels for an entire community of solar-powered homes in California. Dupont, Suntech and Evergreen Solar  have all announced major new solar investments in recent months.