Suniva, Inc., a U.S. manufacturer of high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon solar cells and modules, today announced that it is working with Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates (NASDAQ: VSEA) to use ion implantation of boron in the manufacture of solar cells. This collaboration will enable Suniva to use fewer processing steps in the mass production of its next generation n-type cell product, ARTisun Star. ARTisun Star is scheduled for production in the first quarter of 2012 with targeted cell efficiencies that will approach 20 percent.