2008-07-25 00:58:07 -

www.atel.com/ventures/index.html - ATEL Ventures, a leading provider of secured financing to emerging growth companies, has announced that they have committed $2.0 million in equipment lease financing to SiXtron Advanced Materials, a privately held company that has developed a new process method for the anti-reflection coating used in Silicon solar cell manufacturing.

SiXtron's technology provides an alternative

to the incumbent solution of silane, a pyrophroic gas used in large quantities by solar cell manufacturers. The highly scalable and cost-effective thin-film process solutions created by SiXtron are designed by to be "plug-and-play" with current solar cell manufacturing practice. By eliminating the problems associated with the use of silane, Sixtron technology will reduce the $/Watt manufacturing cost of Silicon solar cells.

"We are extremely pleased to have ATEL Ventures join our team and the new funding will allow us to continue to move these products into the next phase of growth," says Zbigniew Barwicz, CEO at SixTron.

"With an easily adoptable process that both reduces cost and increases safety, SiXtron's technological platform is truly impressive," said Steve Rea, Executive Vice President at ATEL.

About ATEL Ventures, Inc.

Since its founding in 1977, San Francisco-based ATEL Capital Group has become the largest private and closely-held independent leasing company in the United States, with approximately $2 billion in asset-secured transactions under management. ATEL Capital formed ATEL Ventures, Inc. to provide working capital and equipment financing term loans to emerging growth companies in information technology, life sciences, specialty retail and alternative energy. For information about ATEL Ventures, contact Steven Rea, executive vice president, or visit their website at www.atel.com/ventures.

About SiXtron Advanced Materials

Founded in 2004, SiXtron is a private, venture backed company located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Sixtron was created as a spin-off, based on technology developed at Bishop's University and the Universite de Sherbrooke. Sixtron is today focused on developing anti-reflective coating solutions for the solar cell industry. Other highly scalable and cost-effective thin film coating solutions, for both the electronics industry and the industrial coatings sector, are under development. Sixtron thin films have unique optical and mechanical properties, and can be deposited without the complex requirements of pyrophoric silane gas.

ATEL Ventures, Inc.
Steve Rea, 415-616-3436
srea@atel.com