Dr. Omid Shojaei, CEO of INDEOtec, joins PES to talk about the highlights and achievements that this young company has been able deliver to the thin film deposition industry in its short three-and-a-half year history.
PES: Welcome to PES. Can you tell us a little about your company, and explain how you serve the solar/PV industry?
Omid Shojaei: INDEOtec is a Swiss company that specialises in the conception and development of high-end modular and fully automated cluster equipment with multiple PECVD/PVD deposition modules for R&D and Pilot Production purposes.
Our company was founded in 2008 by an engineering team that has over 30 years of professional experience in the thin film deposition equipment and solar PV industries. Our Octopus family line offers state-of-the-art process development tools, specifically designed to meet the needs of R&D institutes and cell/module manufacturers who seek a highly flexible, yet reliable and modular tool that can be successfully used by several groups who work on different projects. Our Octopus products can process devices on silicon wafer and glass to serve both hetero-junction crystalline and thin film silicon applications. Out deposition tools are suitable for PV, TFT, OLED and MEMS.
PES: We note that you’re based in Switzerland, which is one of the world’s leading nations for PV tech. What is it about the country that promotes innovation?
OS: Without a doubt, Switzerland has positioned itself as a world leader in the manufacturing of high technology precision equipment. This has been thanks to the understanding of Swiss companies’ leaders that innovation is the only way to keep excelling and reaching new grounds – as well as because of the concentration of thriving high technology companies within a small geographical area.
These two elements combined have greatly facilitated communication and interaction among the different industry players, which is critical for the development of any industry. Because of this ongoing process, regions gradually begin to build up their reputation and brand names, as it is the case here in the Neuchatel-Jura area where INDEOtec is located; a region which stands out as a centre of excellence in Micro- and Nano-technologies, its watch industry, as well as for the fabrication of high-precision manufacturing equipment.
