CPI Installs Atomic Layer Deposition Systems
- Published: July 16, 2015
REDCAR, UK | The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) recently installed and commissioned two atomic layer deposition tools from Beneq, Espoo, Finland, for the development of conformal nano-scale coatings used for electronic and optoelectronic device and encapsulation based applications. Company says this continues its history of allowing companies working with CPI to develop and scale up a variety of device and encapsulation materials from laboratory scale through to roll-to-roll pilot production. 
Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is applied as a specialist barrier coating technique used for the protection of optoelectronic devices and is being utilized by CPI to add moisture ultra-barrier protection layers to flexible polymer substrates used to produce optoelectronic devices using sensitive active electronic materials.
Company says thin films produced using the ALD method are cost-efficient, defect-free, and completely conformal, thus providing superior barriers and surface passivation compared with other deposition techniques. These properties reportedly make them ideal for numerous kinds of critical applications that utilize flexible films such as Organic Light Emitting Devices (OLED), flexible display screens, photovoltaic cells, and wearable electronics.
The first of the two systems is the Beneq TFS 500. The multi-chamber system is designed for the batch production of ALD films and can handle single substrates to GEN 2 size (370 x 470 mm). The WCS 600 is a commercial roll-to-roll ALD system and provides a complimentary step in the scale-up of batch ALD technologies. The system enables clients to scale up large-area prototypes within the pilot scale manufacturing conditions needed to speed up the development of high performance barrier materials on flexible films and flexible electronic devices. The roll-to-roll ALD system is capable of handling films to 600 mm wide.
"We are very pleased and proud to be working with CPI in the commercialisation of next generation electronics," says Dr. Mikko Söderlund, technical sales director, Beneq. "CPI is a forerunner in the use of ALD for conformable nano-scale coatings. I am confident that CPI’s ALD expertise will accelerate the adoption of this disruptive barrier technology. They are a perfect partner for us to jointly develop the technology further and make it accessible to the industry."
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