Semiconductor Industry Veteran Dr. Sass Somekh Joins Ampulse Board of Directors

GOLDEN, Colo.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Ampulse Corporation, a developer and manufacturer of solar cell solutions based on proprietary and patented crystalline-silicon (c-Si) thin-film technology, today announced that Dr. Sass Somekh, former Executive Vice President with Applied Materials and President of Novellus Systems, has joined the Ampulse board of directors.

“Along with his technical expertise, Dr. Somekh brings with him a culture of innovation and creativity which will help us as we move forward in establishing Ampulse as a cost and technology leader in the thin-film solar PV industry.”

A veteran of the semiconductor industry, Dr. Somekh has played a leading role in developing and growing several key product offerings in the semiconductor-equipment industry, such as co-inventing of the Applied Materials Precision 5000, the first semiconductor-manufacturing system to be placed in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution in 1993. To recognize his industry achievements and thought leadership, Dr. Somekh received the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials Institute (SEMI) Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994 for his numerous contributions to the semiconductor-equipment industry.

In 2007, Dr. Somekh co-founded Musea Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on investments in clean energy technologies including the areas of solar energy, energy efficiency, and biofuels.

“As a strong believer in the development of groundbreaking solar technologies, I am delighted to serve on the Ampulse board and contribute to the success of a company that is taking a unique and innovative approach in developing c-Si thin-film solar technology that is more efficient, flexible and less costly than what’s currently on the market,“ said Dr. Somekh. “Ampulse is well-positioned to be a game-changer in the solar market and I look forward to helping the company reach its goals.”

“Ampulse is proud to have Dr. Somekh join our board, as his vast industry experience and knowledge of silicon processes and high volume manufacturing will assist us in developing optimal and highly cost-effective manufacturing processes for our c-Si thin-film solutions,” said Steve Hane, president and chief executive officer of Ampulse. “Along with his technical expertise, Dr. Somekh brings with him a culture of innovation and creativity which will help us as we move forward in establishing Ampulse as a cost and technology leader in the thin-film solar PV industry.”

Ampulse’s technology blends the best efficiency properties of c-Si with the attractive manufacturing costs and application flexibilities of emerging thin-film photovoltaic (PV) technologies. Ampulse’s manufacturing process uses a patented breakthrough technique to deposit c-Si, the material of choice for PV applications, on a flexible substrate. This results in a solar PV module that possesses high efficiency, an easy-to-install form factor, and industry low manufacturing and total system costs.

Ampulse delivers a “no-compromise” approach to the present-day challenges of PV technologies and creates a path to wide-scale deployment by supporting power generation cost, unsubsidized, below grid parity.

About Ampulse

Founded in 2007, Ampulse Corporation is a venture capital-backed developer and manufacturer of solar cell solutions based on proprietary and patented crystalline-silicon (c-Si) thin-film technology. The company leverages proprietary and patented technology developed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewal Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). For more information, please visit www.ampulse.com or call 1-877-AMPULSE.