Continuous and R2R ALD for Coating of Polymer Webs

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1 Continuous and R2R ALD for Coating of Polymer Webs AIMCAL 2011 Web Coating Conference Dr. Mikko Söderlund Application Manager

2 Cost of ownership [ /m 2 ] R2R ALD a paradigm change Large-area (batch) ALD Solar, optical, lighting, medical Roll-to-roll ALD Packaging, photovoltaics, lighting, flexible electronics Single wafer ALD Semiconductor >> 10 /m 2 << 1 m 2 /h >100 nm/h <10 /m 2 ~1 m 2 /h ~100 nm/h Throughput [m 2 /h] < 1 /m 2 >20 m 2 /h ~6000 nm/h 2

3 Driving applications 1. Barrier-on-foil 2. Pinhole blocking layer 3. Device encapsulation 4. Adhesion layer 5. Rough surface passivation 6. Buffer layer 7. Window layer P. F. Carcia et. al, J. Appl. Phys. 106, , 2009 ALD Al 2 O 3 is an excellent candicate for most above applications 3

4 ALD process and properties 1. Introduction of gasses: fast 3. Purging: slow Al 2 O 3 : ~0.1 nm /cycle 2. Chemical reaction: fast Properties & Benefits Low process temperatures (< 100 C) Nanoscale thickness accuracy Dense, conformal, pinhole-free Engineered new functional materials 4

5 Up-scaling challenges Challenges Target (initial) High-speed R2R processing 1 m/min, 0.5 m web width Barrier film quality WVTR <10-3 g/(m 2 day) Cost of ownership << 70 $/m 2 5

6 Spatial ALD concepts 3 ALD cycles (BABABA) Gas distribution system Levy et al, APL, 92, (2008) Precursor A Precursor B Moving substrate (web) A Inert gas buffering N Key issues: - stationary steady-state gasses (no pulsing) - efficient spatial separation of reactive gasses - scalability with regard to web speed and width B E. R. Dickey and W. A. Barrow, Lotus Applied Technology, LLC Society of Vacuum Coaters, Santa Clara, CA, May 14,

7 Continuous ALD R&D An R&D platform for pre-study of different R2R compatible chemistries & substrates 7

8 Continuous ALD R&D 8

9 R2R ALD schematics 9

10 Overview of WCS

11 R2R ALD productivity aspects ALD precursors, Al 2 O 3 Trimethyl aluminum (TMA), low grade (< 1 $/g) Water or alternative oxidizers Material consumption ~2 mg/(m 2 cycle) 1 g/m 2, for 50 nm thick film 1 g/min 0.5 SLM flow (for 500 mm web, 2 m/min) Inert gas (N 2 ) flows in SLM s Maintenance In principle clean process moving/wearable part maintenance Maintenance of filter used for deactivating precursors Cost of ownership Model estimating throughput, yeild, film material & thickness, mater. consumption, utilities, labor, investment & depreciation CoO < 2$/m 2 (500 mm web, 1 m/min) 11

12 R2R ALD roadmap Q4/2011 R2R compatible process demonstration Q1/2012 Assembly of R2R ALD system WCS 500 Q2/2012 Testing of WCS 500 Q3/2012 Delivery of first unit in September

13 Summary Need for affordable & high performance moisture barriers is a driver for R2R ALD development Challenges in up-scaling throughput Scaling web speed & width Barrier quality Cost of ownership Need for R&D system for pre-study of various processes TFS 200R developed for R2R compatible R&D Web Coating System WCS 500 development platform True R2R ALD, addresses web handling Up to 500 mm wide web, target 2 m/min web speed CoO <2 $/m 2 WVTR < 10-3 g/(m 2 day), roadmap to < 10-6 g/(m 2 day) In development 2011-Q2/

14 Thank you! Dr. Mikko Söderlund Application Manager 14