The St. Paul operations of Veeco Instruments Inc. were awarded $800,000 in matching funds by the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s Office of Energy Security (OES). The money was provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support emerging renewable energy technology.

Awarded for a one-and-a-half year project, the matching funds will expedite to market the company’s CIGS (copper, indium, gallium, selenium) deposition equipment technology, which will help solar panel manufacturers to reduce product costs and increase the feasibility of solar power as an alternative energy source.

The state of Minnesota was awarded slightly more than $4 million in funding for the Emerging Renewable Energy Industries Grant Program. The company’s proposal was one of approximately nine selected by the Minnesota Department of Commerce OES.

The grant program provides funding for a portion of the cost of multiple activities to promote improved economic performance of both the direct recipient and its Minnesota suppliers and customers.

Veeco designs, manufactures, markets and services enabling solutions for customers in the high-brightness LED, solar, data storage, semiconductor, scientific research and industrial markets.

For more information, visit:  www.veeco.com