TAUNTON – Kopin Corp. (NASDAQ: KOPN), a provider of transistor wafers for cellular phones and wireless networks, last week announced it has secured a $600,000 contract to develop solar cells for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The contract is the second phase of a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program to develop indium nitride (InN)-based quantum-dot solar-cell technology. Kopin’s partners on the project include groups at Virginia Tech and Magnolia Optical Technologies.
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“The goal of this STTR program is to develop high-efficiency solar cells that are resistant to extreme conditions while achieving high solar electric power conversion efficiency,” Roger Welser, Kopin’s director of technology and new product development, said in a statement.
Once developed, the new solar-cell technology will enable photovoltaic power systems of future NASA space exploration missions to operate in extreme environments with high temperature and radiation exposures, Welser said.
The project is part of Kopin’s long-term goal to do robust business in the emerging terrestrial renewable energy market, by developing highly-efficient, low-cost technologies.
Kopin is currently exploring a number of options for synthesizing high-performance photovoltaic materials. Ultimately, the company aims to develop solar cells with power-conversion efficiencies approaching 60 percent – well beyond the current state-of-the-art efficiency of 40 percent – according to John C.C. Fan, Kopin’s president and CEO.
The company also is a maker of lightweight, power-efficient, ultra-small liquid crystal displays and heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs). It has delivered more than 20 million displays for a range of consumer and military applications including digital cameras, personal video eyewear, camcorders, thermal weapon sights and night-vision systems.
Kopin Corp. (NASDAQ: KOPN) is a maker of lightweight, power-efficient, ultra-small liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) for a variety of applications, under trademarks including CyberDisplay and The NanoSemiconductor Co. Its technologies are protected by more than 200 global patents and patents pending. For additional information, visit www.kopin.com.
To learn more about the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, visit www.nasa.gov.
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