thin-film photovoltaics  

• PIA|nova^®
• GC60V
• GC330H
• R&D and Pilot Systems 

The PIA|nova^® is a modular, flexible and highly automated production system for depositing metallic contact layers, transparent conductive oxides (TCO) and different absorber layers, for instance for CIGS or CdTe photovoltaic solar cells. The modular conceptof the system allows for the combination of high reliability, cost efficiency and the flexibility to configure th equipment according to the needs of our customers.

Examples for the application range of PIA|nova^®: 

Thin-film solar cells: a-Si:H, a-Si:H/µc-Si:H
Front contact: SiOxNy, ZnO:Al
Back contact: ZnO:Al, Ag, Al

Thin-film solar cells: CdTe
Front contact: ITO, SnO₂
Back contact: Al, Cr, Mo, Sb₂Te₃, NiV

Thin-film solar cells: CIGS
Front contact: i-ZnO, ZnO:Al
Absorbers: CuGa, In 
Back contact: SiO_xN_y, Mo  

Our GC60V enables the deposition of several layer systems at in a vertical substrate arrangement.

The  GC330H Glass Coating System is designed for coating flat glass substrates with thin-film multi-layer stacks and enables the deposition of several layer systems in horizontal substrate arrangement.

Technology

The sputter chamber consists of a customized number of universal technological compartments of the advanced 780 mm design. All compartments are identical to provide for maximum flexibility, are fit for either accepting turbo-molecular pumps in their lid or sputtering sources of different design from Planar Cathodes (WSM) to Rotatable Dual Magnetrons (RDM) for DC or AC sputtering. Additional tools and advanced process control systems can be easily integrated.

Equipment

• Process vacuum system based on turbo-molecular and dry screw pumps
• Customer is free to re-configure the tooling of the sputter chamber by swapping pump lids, magnetron lids, magnetron environments and other equipment between the compartments.
• Maintenance valves for selective venting of adjacent sputter zones are available.