US investors fund Australian luminescence-imaging systems company 30 August 2010 Applied Ventures, the venture capital arm of the Nasdaq-listed Applied Materials Inc, and US venture capitalists Allen & Buckeridge and Uniseed, have invested in the Australian luminescence-imaging systems company, BT Imaging Pty Ltd (BTi). Launched in 2008, Sydney-based start-up BT Imaging is a world leading supplier of luminescence-based inspection and quality control systems for the photovoltaic manufacturing industry. BT Imaging’s luminescence-imaging systems are used for research, product and process development, as well as for quality control of silicon blocks waters, photovoltaic cells and PV modules. The company’s patented photoluminescence technology allows real time electronic inspection of every wafer or solar cell processed through a manufacturing line. Ian Maxwell, CEO of BT Imaging, said that securing additional funding in this challenging economic environment demonstrates investor confidence in BT Imaging’s products and management. “This financing provides us with additional R&D and product development capability, putting the company at least a year ahead of its original roadmap.” Allied Ventures General Manager, J. Christopher Moran, commented that as the solar industry continues to expand, “we see an increasing need to address quality control applications to achieve higher production yields and optimize efficiency.” The technology used in BT Imaging’s systems was developed at the Centre of Excellence for Advanced Silicon Photovoltaics and Photonics at the University of New South Wales in Sydney by Thorsten Trupke, BT Imaging’s Chief Technical Officer, and Robert Bardos, the company’s Vice President of R&D. More information |