Applied CEO: Solar may be 25 percent of 2009 sales

By Nichola Groom LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Applied Materials Inc's solar equipment business could make up as much as a quarter of its sales in 2009, up from about 10 percent this year, Chief Executive Mike Splinter said on Thursday. In an telephone interview, Splinter said orders from its solar customers were still strong, despite a weakening global economy and tightening credit outlook. "Our pipeline is still full, people are still very interested in both expanding capacity and developing new capacity in the solar cell area," Splinter said. "We are working hard to make sure we can fulfill those needs." Applied Materials, the No. 1 computer-chip equipment maker, is aggressively expanding its solar equipment business to take advantage of booming demand for renewable energy sources. Last year, Splinter said, solar made up "close... [read full story]