Gayatri Rane, Advanced Energy Industries GmbH, Metzingen, Germany
In this presentation, learn how the Advanced Energy Customer Solutions Lab drives customer process capabilities and process improvements in industrial and optical vacuum coatings. The lab provides hands-on experience with AE technologies such as controlled power delivery and materials characterization of plasma-based advanced thin film coatings. The lab contains an industrial/optical drum coater, a Gen 2.0 in-line coater and analytical lab, as well as a training and product demonstration area. Equipment configuration is flexible with access to testing in various power delivery modes and configurations such as single and dual magnetron sputtering, DC and pulsed DC, bipolar pulsing, Dynamic Reverse Pulsing (DRP)® and RF sputter deposition. Examples of past and ongoing projects are TiOx films deposited using DRP, repeatability and control of very thin interference layers, silicon nodule reduction, bias film studies and impact of reverse pulse control on film characteristics. Located in Karlstein am Main near Frankfurt, Germany, it is a geographical convenience for international customers. The mission of lab is to provide an access to AE products and expertise in a collaborative environment without the disruption to production timelines and enable customers deployment of advanced plasma technologies with the repeatability and control essential for today’s thin film production.