Founded some 25 years ago, 5N+ is a leading global producer of specialty semiconductors and performance materials.
With 800 employees and operations on three continents, the Company, was built through organic growth and strategic acquisitions, which have also contributed to our strong roots and rich heritage.
2000
A group of employees of a major Canadian mining and metals company start their own company through a management buyout of certain assets.
5N+ is initially founded to provide materials for medical imaging purposes to reduce X-ray exposure.
2003
A new primary refining plant in Montréal is commissioned, which houses the Company’s hydrometallurgical operations. It is a closed-loop refining plant, from primary extraction of mining concentrates to recycling capabilities.
2005
5N+ moves into new, larger facilities on Garand Street in Montréal and acquires refining equipment that strengthens its leadership in the markets it serves.
2007
Seizing opportunities for growth, the Company begins construction of its first international manufacturing facility in Eisenhüttenstadt, Germany.
Enters the thin-film photovoltaic market to enable solar power generating technologies in renewable energy sector.
Lists on the TSX with ticker symbol “VPN” on December 20, 2007.
2009
Strengthens its position in semiconductors and pure metals through acquisition of Firebird Technologies.
2011
Expands its global footprint and becomes a leading diversified producer of specialty metals and chemical products, including bismuth products.
2014
Solidifies its U.S. manufacturing presence by acquiring the remaining ownership interest in its subsidiary Sylarus Technologies, in St. George, Utah, a leading producer of germanium substrates for solar cells.
Acquires a Canadian company with significant intellectual property and processes for the manufacture of micron-size solar and additive manufacturing powders used in electronics markets.
2018
Doubles production capacity of ultra-high purity semiconductor engineered materials in Montréal to address growing demand.
2021
Acquires Heilbronn, Germany-based AZUR SPACE Solar Power Gmbh (“AZUR”), a global leader in the development and manufacturing of multi‐junction solar cells based on III‐V compound semiconductor materials.
Investment in Montréal to optimize supply chain and expand the development and manufacturing of critical and strategic materials.
Acquires minority stake in Microbion for the development of active pharmaceutical ingredients for novel treatments of rare diseases.
2022
Expansion in tellurium recovery and production capacity in Montreal to support growing demand from renewable energy sector.
2023
Increases production capacity in Montréal by 35% in 2023.
More on Azur's storied heritage
AZUR’s roots are closely linked to the more than 100 years of industrial history of AEG-Telefunken. Founded in 1964 as a part of Telefunken, it developed and manufactured solar cells for the first German satellite, AZUR, which launched in 1969.
Since that time, more than 15 million space qualified solar cells and Coverglass Interconnected Cell (CIC) assemblies, providing more than 11 MW of power to over 700 space projects have been delivered by AZUR. The cells power satellites in all Earth orbits (LEO, MEO, GEO), as well as spacecraft under environmental conditions from Mercury (HIHT) to Jupiter (LILT), without a failure or anomaly.
Intelsat, Globalstar, Hotbird, ATV, Galileo Sat, Meteosat, Glonass, GMES and OneWeb are just some of the commercial telecommunication and Earth exploration satellite programs powered by our solar cells.
In cooperation with the European Space Agency, the German Aerospace Center DLR and NASA, AZUR has developed and provided solar cells for scientific missions in deep space and to other planets, such as Hubble Space Telescope, Rosetta, Venus Express, Mars Express, Herschel-Planck, JUICE, Europa Clipper and many others.
The technologies developed by AZUR for space applications are now also used for terrestrial photovoltaics systems as well as opto- and power-electronic devices.
Technical Milestones
- 1964: Silicon space solar cell reaches 8% efficiency at AM0
- 1974: First multi-crystalline Si solar cell with 10% efficiency at AM 1.5
- 1986: High efficiency Si solar cell reaches 18% efficiency at AM0
- 1990: Ultrathin (5 µm) GaAs solar cell reaches 20% efficiency at AM0
- 2008: Triple-junction GaAs solar cell with 30% efficiency at AM0
- 2009: World record lattice-mismatched CPV GaAs triple-junction solar cell with 41.1% efficiency at AM1.5d (in cooperation with Fraunhofer ISE)
- 2012: Triple-junction solar cell with 35% efficiency at AM1.5 for terrestrial one sun applications in large-scale production
- 2017: First quadruple-junction space solar cell 4G32C with 32% beginning-of-life efficiency and 28.7% end-of-life efficiency at AM0
- 2019: Triple-junction space solar cells adapted for low-intensity low-temperature (LILT) conditions for missions to Jupiter
- 2022: First quintuple-junction solar cells 5C46 for terrestrial CPV applications