PECVD production-scale coater
Application
Plasma enhanced CVD of p-i-n tandem stack of amorphous hydrogenated silicon on metal foils for production of solar absorbing multi-layers.
Engineering and Technology
The PECVD coating system is a roll-to-roll type production plant engineered for one-sided vacuum coating of up to 1340 mm wide metal foils.
The deposition zone consists of one or more RF electrodes inside a gas-tight volume and is configured for upward deposition. The particular configuration of the deposition zones prevents cross-contamination.
Substrate is preheated before coating deposition, heated during the deposition process and cooled down after coating. Temperature gradients on foil do not exceed 4 oC/cm. Temperature on electrical devices, the curved plate and substrate is monitored with thermocouples and IR sensors.
Substrate is mechanically supported by a heated curved plate. The curved plate consists of several segments with a radius of curvature of 10 meters.
Irreversible winding system ensures optimized tension and foil handling without scratching and wrinkling.
The pumping system consists of mechanical booster and dry roughing pumps. The RF zones have separate, throttled pump lines to vary gas flows and pressure independently in each zone.
Two-level service platform, movable chamber door and RF electrodes ensure maintenance simplicity.
The control system applies modular concept for easy extension of the control software.
Data Sheet
Substrate: metal foils
Substrate width: up to 1340 mm
Substrate thickness: 50 ... 100 µm
Maximum roll diameter: up to 820 mm
Coating: a-Si:H
Winding speed: 0.05 ... 0.5 m/min
Process temperature: +150 ... +250°C
Deposition sources: 12 RF capacitive discharges
Total length of deposition zones: 7,800 mm
Floor space requirement (L x W x H): 13.0 m x 20.8 m x 7.13 m