Product Briefing Outline: Bekaert Advanced Coatings, a total solution provider for rotatable sputter technology, has developed a series of flexible and high performing sputter hardware components for rotating cylindrical magnetron applications. With these key components a customized and complete sputter solution can be worked out in close collaboration with the customer. Whether it concerns an existing coater in an upgrade/rebuild project or a new coater in a green field project, maximum flexibility can be offered for building in all critical components needed for sustaining a controlled process to realize high end products.
Problem: Within the large area coating business the rotating cylindrical magnetron concept has proven to offer superior properties relative to the planar concept and to satisfy most of the industrial requirements. Especially in architectural and automotive industry this technology is commonly accepted as state-of-the-art. In display and PV applications however, the use of rotatable technology is more recently introduced and not yet well-known.
Solution: Bekaert offers sputter hardware solutions for rotating cylindrical magnetron applications. With the critical key components, a customized solution can be worked out in close collaboration with the customer. This allows PV cell manufacturers to reduce the cost per Watt peak, by gaining from the advantages of this rotatable technology, e.g. a larger useful target material inventory and increased target material utilization, leading to reduced machine down-time; an increased process stability for reactive depositions (drastically reduced arc sensitivity); an enhanced target cooling leading to the ability to use higher power density and thus obtaining a higher deposition rate; a more focused ejection of particles and an enhanced anode functionality during AC sputtering.
Applications: Sputtering of transparent conductive oxides (such as doped oxides of In, Zn, Sn and Cd), reflective layers (thin film), anti-reflective layers (c-Si) and absorbers, necessary in the production of PV cells.
Platform: The Bekaert sputter module solutions consist of the magnetron (end blocks, compact end block or Bekaert Axial Magnetron and adjustable magnet bars), electronics (which can be DC or AC), gas control (which can consist of gas manifold, pumps, plenum and process control), integration of the solution (PLC control, safety interlocks, custom designed automation etc.) and rotatable targets.
Availability: Total solution is currently available.
