Natcore was formed to exploit technology, licensed from Rice University, that enables the controlled deposition of silicon dioxide and mixed silicon oxides from an aqueous solution at ambient temperatures and pressures.

Silicon dioxide, or silica, is a fundamental building block in semiconductors, fiber optics and, of course, solar cells. It is an absolutely essential element in all these applications, and it is currently deposited onto silicon through a process called “Thermal Oxide Growth.”

Simply put, this process uses complicated, multi-million-dollar furnaces, operating in a vacuum and at temperatures of up to 1,000º Celsius (1,800º Fahrenheit), to grow the necessary thin films of silicon dioxide. In contrast, Natcore’s “Liquid Phase Deposition” (LPD) process simply grows these thin films of silicon dioxide in mild chemical baths using standard, low-cost equipment.

Because Natcore’s process is so relatively mild, it allows for much thinner silicon wafers, as well as the development of advanced materials and devices that would be destroyed during the standard Thermal Oxide Growth process.

Natcore’s "Liquid Phase Deposition" LPD process was discovered at Rice University and has been independently tested and validated in an industrial laboratory setting at one of America’s most respected laboratories.

In short, the technology is now ready to be tailored to specific applications. The films and processes Natcore plans to move into commercial production promise to have significant impacts on solar cells, semiconductor devices, optical and optoelectronic components, prescriptive and protective eyewear, and energy-saving architectural coatings, among many other uses.

The first products are planned for the rapidly growing silicon solar cell manufacturing industry.