High Throughput Magnetron Sputtering Technology at 10,000 Wafers per Hour for Cost-Competitive Manufacturing of Transparent Conductive Oxides (TCO)

High Throughput Magnetron Sputtering
Technology at 10,000 Wafers per Hour
for Cost-Competitive Manufacturing of
Transparent Conductive Oxides (TCO)
E. SCHNEIDERLÖCHNER, J. BRÜCKNER, R. BIEDERMANN,
R. RANK, R. KÖHLER, M. DIMER, M. FLÖSSEL, S. GATZ

3rd International Workshop on SHJ Solar Cells
October 19th 2020

 1 High Throughput Sputtering @10K wph

OUTLINE

 VON ARDENNE GmbH – Brief Overview

 XEA|nova Platform for SHJ Manufacturing

 TCO Layers for SHJ Mass Production

 Summary

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VON ARDENNE TODAY / FINANCIAL KPIs 2019

 OPERATING FIGURES – VON ARDENNE GROUP

 Top Management

 Operating
 Order Intake Revenue Performance
 Pia von Ardenne ~ € 230 m ~ € 290 m ~ € 312 m

 Family-owned company > 500 coating systems ~ 1000 > 650 patents
 based in Dresden installed in 50 countries employees worldwide

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VON ARDENNE CHINA

 Designed in Germany
 manufactured in China

 VON ARDENNE China
 Satellite Branches

 VON ARDENNE China, Shanghai

Sales & Services established China Manufacturing ~100 employees
since 2006, based in Shanghai of e.g. sputter coaters for PV & supported by headquarters in
with satellite offices Architectural Glass Germany

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VON ARDENNE WORLDWIDE & IN CHINA Manufacturing, Sales & Services

 Sales & Services

 XEA|nova TCO coater

 VON ARDENNE Headquarters
VON ARDENNE North America
 VON ARDENNE Japan

 VON ARDENNE PR China

 VON ARDENNE Vietnam

 VON ARDENNE Malaysia

 > 3 GW XEA|nova TCO coaters for HJT solar cell production
 worldwide installed

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XEA|NOVA L – 10,000WPH TCO FOR HIGH EFFICIENCY SHJ SOLAR CELLS
► VA is working with our customers for the success
 of high volume manufacturing of SHJ solar cells

► VA values our customers benefit from

 ▪ Experience: > 3GW XEA|nova TCO coaters sold
 ▪ Continuous Improvement:
 24/7 learnings incorporated in lean design
 ▪ Reliability:
 easy & low maintenance, uptime >93%
 ▪ Persistance:
 target campaign length up to 30 days
 XEA|nova L for 8000 to >10,000 wafers per hour
 ▪ Know How: technology enabling >24% with ITO
 90/10 targets, applying busbar technology Ready for single or double ended automation

 ▪ Quality: inhouse manufactured magnetrons,
 magnet bars & end blocks for best quality control,
 low cost and fast customer support

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XEA|NOVA L – 10,000WPH TCO – CONFIGURE TO ORDER
► One platform various capacity options
 M6 M10 G12
 Throughput
 166mm 182mm 210mm
XEA|nova 5.5 5.500 4.100 2.800
XEA|nova L8 8.000 6.600 4.700
XEA|nova L10 10.000 8.300 6.000
► Processing of half cells also available
 e.g. M10: 13,200 half cells per hour

► Choice of deposition chambers with
 5 to 8 independent process units

► Sputter up or down is configurable

► Gas separation unit can be positioned
 where needed

► Controlled gas ambient
 in carrier return system available

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XEA|NOVA L – FLEXIBLE DESIGN READY FOR 25% IN PRODUCTION

► Plug & Play cathodes in cantilever design enable
 adaptation of process sequence over time of use

 ▪ Advantage: sequence of process and gas configurable process chamber ready for the future
 separation units is configurable to tune
 transparency & contact properties independently
► Process campaign duration
 of 3-4 weeks depending on configuration

► Easy maintenance access
 to magnetrons & heaters

► No facility crane is needed

 cantilever design: high flexibility, plug & play

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XEA|NOVA L – 10,000WPH WAFER POCKETS FOR HIGHEST EFFICIENCIES

VON ARDENNE developed a high accuracy, high
yield wafer pocket for minimum edge exclusion

 ► Low cost carrier design that provides high
 accuracy via our patented pocket solution
 ► Designed for robust & easy handling
 ► Highly repeatable process results
 ► Quick and cost effective customized Wafer (sunny side down)
 design optimization on site for max. JSC & FF
 ► Efficient wafer format change at minimal cost

 Frame for edge exclusion

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XEA|NOVA L – 10,000WPH TCO FOR BEST IN CLASS VOC
High power, high speed DC or pulsed MF VON ARDENNE Magnet Bar RVA07
layer deposition process optimized for
no sputter damage

 ► T ‘ g g 15%
 higher magnetic field than competitors
 5000 Gauss (500mT) at magnet bar surface
 1200 Gauss (120mT) at target surface
 ► Low target voltage for minimum damage

No need for costly RPD processing

No need for slowly deposited seed layers

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XEA|NOVA L – 10,000WPH TARGET UTILIZATION

► Target utilization UT > 80% guaranteed
 
 ▪ =
 
► For further optimization of target utilization,
 magnetron test services have been established in
 at VON ARDENNE headquarters

► Carrier and process environment are designed for
 maximum wafer allocation (= high area density)
 within best uniformity range,

 ▪ adjustable for the specified wafer format

► Layer thickness homogeneity < ±4%

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DEVELOPING HIGHER MOBILITY TCOs
► VA owns a large process portfolio adjusted for
 various target materials available for SHJ solar cell
 manufacuring

► Mobilities µ >90 cm2/Vs achieved w/ high power
 rotatable magnetron sputtering

► Different high mobility target materials show
 slightly different properties: lower mobility, but
 higher charge carrier densities possible

► Light absorption A < 1%
 for 450nm <  < 1200nm (µ > 70 cm²/Vs)

► Developing multilayer solutions for lowest contact
 resistance at highest transparency

► Active R&D programs with i.a. Helmholtz Zentrum
 Berlin (HZB) and Fraunhofer Institute for Solar
 Energy Systems (ISE)

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iVOC AFTER SPUTTERING THE TCO LAYER
 PECVD system 1 coating on
► ∆iVOC = iVOC_afterPVD - iVOC_beforePVD iVoc level 740mV before TCO
 often used as measure for sputter damage

► VA’ z VD
 ∆iVOC up to +4mV right after PVD

► depending on the aSi deposition technology
 and the choosen PVD process parameters
 PVD 1 PVD 2
 ∆iVOC of -3mV to +3mV is our standard for
 high throughput sputtering
 PECVD system 2 coating on
 iVoc level 745mV before TCO
 XEA|nova
 production data PVD 4 PVD 5 PVD 6

 VOC > 745mV,  >24%
 @ different customer sites
 applying busbar technology
 PVD 1 PVD 2 PVD 3

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XEA|NOVA – 2 GENERATIONS OF PLATFORMS FOR SHJ MASS PRODUCTION
► VON ARDENNE XEA|nova system deposits 5.5
 front + rear side w/o vacuum break

► “Configure to order” based on highly modular
 platform design, configurable for different layer
 stacks using sputter up or sputter down

► Substrate heating & preheating included
 5.500 wph

► Plug & play cantilever cathode design for
 best in class CoO
 ▪ easy & safe maintenance
 L
 ▪ variable process sequence over time of use

► Carriers with optimized pocket design
 (XEA|nova 5.5, 6x9 and XEA|nova L, 9x12 wafer)

► XEA|nova L prepared for M6, M10 and M12, also
 half cells & other wafer formats are possible 8.000 wph
 prepared for > 10.000 wph

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SUMMARY
XEA|nova L - Best in Class Cost of Ownership
 ► 10,000wph for low CAPEX/ wafer
 ► optimized for low OPEX/ wafer
 ► 2 XEA|nova L for 1 GW

 Highest Throughput on Market ✓
 Manufactured in PR China ✓
 Uptime > 93%, Yield 99,9 %
 ✓
 Target Material Utilization >80%
 ✓
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