Spectrolab, headquartered in Sylmar, California, is a subsidiary of The Boeing Company that manufacturers space solar cell

Solar cell

A solar cell is a solid state electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect....

s and panels. It is also a subsidiary of the Boeing Satellite Development Center

Boeing Satellite Development Center

The Boeing Satellite Development Center is a major business unit of Boeing Defense, Space & Security. It brought together Boeing satellite operations with that of GM Hughes Electronics' Space and Communications division.-History:...

, which is a unit of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems

Boeing Integrated Defense Systems

Boeing Defense, Space & Security formerly known as Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a unit of The Boeing Company responsible for defense and aerospace products and services. Boeing Integrated Defense Systems was formed in 2002 by combining the former "Military Aircraft and Missile Systems"...

. It was founded in 1956 by Alfred E. Mann

Alfred E. Mann

Alfred E. Mann , who is also known as Al Mann, is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist. According to Forbes magazine, his estimated net worth exceeded $2.2 billion as of 2007, ranking him the 204th richest man in America and the 390th richest man in the world.Born and raised in Portland, his...

, who has gone on to become a billionaire American entrepreneur

Entrepreneur

An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...

 and philanthropist

Philanthropist

A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...

. Spectrolab was acquired by Hughes Aircraft Company in 1975 and became a subsidiary of Hughes until its sale to Boeing in 2000. The company claims its "NeXt Triple Junction" high efficiency solar cells have a minimum average efficiency of 29.9%. In 2006 testing at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory , located in Golden, Colorado, is the United States' primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is a government-owned, contractor-operated facility; it is funded through...

 demonstrated an efficiency of 40.7% using triple-junction solar cells developed by Spectrolab.
Spectrolab has recently geared its highly efficient space solar cell technology for terrestrial purposes with great success using concentrators. Spectrolab's terrestrial products are the highest efficient solar cells currently available in the market.

Solar cells

The company's ultra triple junction solar cells use exotic materials like germanium

Germanium

Germanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ge and atomic number 32. It is a lustrous, hard, grayish-white metalloid in the carbon group, chemically similar to its group neighbors tin and silicon. The isolated element is a semiconductor, with an appearance most similar to elemental silicon....

, GaInP₂, and gallium arsenide to achieve their efficiency.