The Holst Centre is structurally embedding spatial atomic layer deposition (ALD) into its core technology portfolio in the flexible electronics domain.
For this new activity, Holst Centre sees many benefits for materials suppliers, equipment and component manufacturers and end users in the fields of flexible electronics, OLED lighting and displays, OPV and thin-film transistors.
Figure: Holst Centre Spatial ALD reactor developed by TNO
ALD is a technique capable of producing ultra-thin conformal films with atomic level control over thickness. It is widely accepted in, for example, the semiconductor industry. Recently a new field of applications interested in spatial ALD has emerged: flexible electronics. These include flexible displays, flexible OLEDs, and flexible (organic) solar cells. However, such applications require high-throughput and low-cost production techniques, often at atmospheric pressure, to make them economically viable. Pre-requisites that are considered to be weak points of (conventional) ALD.
On the process side, one of the milestones has been the demonstration of Al2O3 layers with deposition rates compatible with high industrial throughput demands (10 – 100 times faster than conventional ALD).
Dutch research organisation TNO has already been active in the field of spatial ALD since 2008. The tool development has already led to the creation of a spin-off equipment manufacturer called SoLayTec.
In keeping with its shared-research philosophy, Holst Centre is now actively looking for industrial and academic partners to join this new activity. The aim is to develop the materials and processes needed to bring spatial ALD to market-readiness in new application domains such as organic photovoltaics (OPVs), OLED lighting and displays.
A number of workshops have already been organised to detail the contents of the research roadmap in dialogue with (potential) partners. Holst Centre hopes to announce partnerships for the spatial ALD activity later this year.
Jaap Lombaers, Managing Director at Holst Centre siad, "Spatial ALD can potentially benefit a substantial number of Holst Centre activities related to high-speed and high-precision material deposition on flexible substrates. We have great ambitionsfor this new activity, which in the short term will attract the interest of a number of new or existing industrial partners."
