Externally Funded Projects

Process and equipment technology for cost- and resource-effective manufacturing of high-efficiency silicon heterojunction solar cells

It is the aim of the PATOS project to develop high-efficiency solar cells with efficiency rates of more than 22 % as an integrated concept. In particular, the focus is on reducing the production costs. For the use in the automotive sector, the look of the cells is of high importance. Therefore, the integration of solar modules into car roofs will be researched within this project as a practical application example.

Selective contact systems for high-efficiency silicon solar cells

It is the aim of the project to develop new charge-carrier selective contact systems based on PVD for silicon solar cells. Among the main fields of application for these contact systems will be the substitution of local point contacts with passivating back contacts that stretch across the whole surface and the development of transparent passivated contacts for the front side of solar cells and for tandem solar cells. The project focuses on increasing the efficiency compared to the PERC technology.

Another important aspect is the creation of the basic conceptual and engineering requirements for a successful implementation of selective contacts for the evolutionary development of PERC solar cells on the basis of economically suitable PVD technologies. The application of the developed technologies will be tested up to the integration into tandem cells.

Tunnel contacts on n-type for the metallization by means of screen printing

The goal of the project TuKaN is to make contacts that are passivated by means of tunnel oxide usable for the industrial manufacturing of solar cells using screen printing metallization. A scalable deposition method for the single-sided high-rate deposition of a-Si:H layers at high temperatures shall be developed, along with an industrial process for nPERT solar cells with a passivated backside contact and the core components for a completely passivated screen-printed solar cells.

The approach of the consortium is to achieve highly doped poly-silicon layers by crystallizing deposited amorphous silicon layers (a-Si:H) and to optimally provide them with a contact layer by means of a special screen printing method. Furthermore, a PECVD source for high-temperature applications shall be developed and be compared with a newly-developed Cat-CVD source. For this purpose, a corresponding demonstration coating system for inline processing will be assembled at the ISC Konstanz. 

3D electrode structuring to increase the power and energy density of all-solid-state batteries

The project is aiming at significantly increasing the power density of all-solid-state batteries (ASSB) by the targeted structuring of high-capacity cathodes. The focus is on the process chain for an industrialization of the corresponding 3D-structured electrodes.

For that purpose, a structure model kit shall be developed for abrasive and synthesizing methods for the targeted 2D- and 3D structuring of all-solid-state cathodes.

Within the subproject, VON ARDENNE will contribute their existing and vacuum deposition technologies, particularly evaporation and particle coating as part of the structure model kit.

Process technology for structured Si layers as anodes in high-energy lithium-ion batteries

Silicon anodes for lithium-ion cells have a high potential for increasing the volumetric energy density of the cells. Therefore, they offer considerable advantages for increasing the battery capacity at limited space in the field of electromobility.

The challenge of the drastic change in volume of the silicon during charging and discharging cycles shall be tackled by means of restructuring the Si anodes. To achieve that, both innovative approaches for the structuring with laser or etching and particle coating are being pursued.

Dynamic deposition of a-Si:H and TCO layers for high-efficiency silicon heterojunction solar cells as a key for high-volume production at reduced manufacturing costs

DYNASTO targets the development of dynamic deposition methods for the creation of transparent contact layers (transparent conducting oxide, TCO) and amorphous silicon passivation and contact layers for the high-volume manufacturing of solar cells with an increased efficiency. The focus of the development work on PVD coating methods for TCO deposition is on silicon heterojunction cells (SHJ).

The PECVD deposition of doped aSi thin-film layers, however, aims at the application in TOPCon-like cell concepts with passivated contacts based on a layer stack consisting of silicon oxide and a polycrystalline silicon thin-film layer. The crystallinity is created by a subsequent high-temperature step.

Sophisticated freeform coating of flat and three-dimensional substrates

The main goal of the project is the highly precise freeform coating of large substrates, i.e. the creation of very defined layer thickness profiles on three-dimensional surfaces.

The technological basis is magnetron sputtering in an inline arrangement, which enables the creation of large-area layer systems at the high precision and quality that is required in optics. The size of the substrate (diagonal or diameter) shall be as big as 500 millimeters.

The technologies developed within this project shall also be usable and scalable for substrates exceeding that size.

Customized thin glass composites for optoelectronic systems

The aim of the project is to research the technical and technological basics of a value chain for flexible glass and glass composites in different optical and optoelectronic applications. The focus is on roll-to-roll processing to enable a commercial use of the photonic high-tech material thin glass.

The innovation the project is aiming for is a combination of coating and lamination as well as the development of a production-ready transition of the processed roll to a semi-finished product that is ready to install. Both these steps are extremely challenging, especially due to the unique mechanical properties of the thin glass.

As a result, the consortium, which represents the whole value chain of thin glass processing, will be able to offer a complete kit of raw materials, semi-finished products, tools and technologies.

New methods for the high-volume production of metal bipolar plates

Based on results gained during the small-scale production of metal bipolar plates for fuel cells in the automotive sector, this project focuses on researching new production methods for the high-volume production of metal bipolar plates and on proving their functionality. This includes the necessary quality assurance and cost reduction measures.

Production chains shall be developed that connect all the production steps from recasting over coating and mating to quality inspection. This subproject is dedicated to the technological requirements of the coating for mass production starting from the roll material.

Development of a robust, large-area parabolic trough reflector

The project is aiming at developing a new production method for large-area, laminated glass mirrors and to prove its feasibility by manufacturing prototypes of parabolic trough mirrors.

The novel mirror concept approaches the creation of a mirror based on a precisely bent carrier glass, which is bent using an innovative bending measure. A thin flat glass coated with a PVD method is laminated on this bent carrier glass. Therefore, the parabolic trough mirror that is to be developed will have a higher reflectivity compared to commercial ones.