- Hindrik de Vries - SALD B.V., Eindhoven / Netherlands
Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a technology that produces very thin, conformal films with thickness control and composition at the atomic level. SoLayTec, a spin off company of TNO, industrialized a dedicated spatial ALD platform for the deposition of passivation layers in silicon solar cells. The sister company SALD B.V. founded in 2019 is focussing on novel applications of spatial ALD (s-ALD). Hence, a more versatile “SALD platform” was developed to enable robust handling and processing of flexible and porous substrates.
In this talk I want to give an update on the general progress of s-ALD with a particular emphasis on low temperature processing in order to obtain compatibility with polymeric substrates. Our novel SALD platform is well-matched with high throughput roll-to-roll processing which can open up new avenues in surface engineering of novel materials. The roll-to-roll s-ALD system is being developed for large scale industrial processing together with a German partner. In addition, I will present several interesting examples of applying s-ALD on textiles and membranes.