H.C. Starck – Improving Sputtering Performance in State-of-the-Art Thin Film Materials Lab
Material utilization, cost reduction and improved sputtering performance are leading factors for sputtering target research and development efforts at H.C. Starck Inc., Fabricated Products Group. As one of the world’s largest producers of refractory materials - molybdenum, tungsten and tantalum powders, H.C. Starck is focusing on CIGS, a-Si (amorphous silicon) and CdTe thin films solar module manufacturers of photovoltaic solar cells.
H.C. Starck’s highly qualified R&D team is constantly working to improving sputtering target performance in the in-house state-of-the-art Thin Film Materials Lab equipped with specific sputtering tools and instrumentation for advanced testing and characterizations of thin film properties. Producing superior sputtering performance for thin films PV (TFPV) energy applications was made possible through in-house prototyping and modeling.
As a result, H.C. Starck’s molybdenum targets have extremely low levels of oxygen, are fully dense with refined microstructures optimized for improved sputtering. The monolithic rotary target design helps cut costs by improved target utilization, reduced arcing and superior power density.
Being a vertically integrated supplier of refractory materials, H.C. Starck has the knowledge and expertise to reduce, press, sinter and finish high performance materials for the marketplace. H.C. Starck uses highly specialized equipment and technologies capable of producing rotary sputtering targets at the height of the most demanding requirements of target users in the areas of LCD display, large area coating and solar cell applications.
Best in class production and extrusion facilities, H.C. Starck can produce molybdenum rotary targets with inside diameters of 125 mm (monolithic) and 135 mm (bonded) applications in molybdenum up through the current largest rotary target requirement. Tantalum, niobium, nickel-vanadium and other materials also can be produced in planar or rotary form. Targets in lengths of 4 m (or more) can be produced per customer specification.
Visit our team at the 25th EU PV Solar Energy Conference, 6-10 Sept, Feria Valencia in Valencia, Spain – Level 2, Hall 2 Booth A39 to find out how H.C. Starck can help develop solutions for your photovoltaic solar energy applications.
Contact
H.C. Starck Inc.
Fabricated Products Group
1250 E. 222nd Street
Euclid, OH 44117 USA
USA:
Cristian Cretu
T +1 216.692.6985
cristian.cretu@hcstarck.com
Europe:
Peter Faustmann
T: +49 30.9433089
peter.faustmann@hcstarck.com
High Grade Si3N4 Powders from H.C. Starck are Preferred Materials for Solar Energy Applications
H.C. Starck, Advanced Metal and Ceramic Powders (AMCP), high grade Si3N4 powders continue to meet the purity requirements established by ingot/wafer producers. As one of the top two suppliers qualified worldwide, H.C. Starck is chosen for their renowned Si3N4 Grade M 11 HP powder for the PV industry. An increasing number of manufacturers are opting for H.C. Starck as their primary supplier for reasons of product quality and their global market presence making them a preferred choice.
High grade Si3N4 powders are essential for purity of silicon ingots. Multicrystalline silicon ingots are produced by melting and solidification of high purity silicon in fused silica crucible in dedicated furnaces. An essential parameter leading to high quality wafers, the core part of any solar cell, is the purity of silicon ingots.
The main concerns during solidification of multicrystalline silicon are to avoid impurities entering the silicon and to minimize stresses created during solidification. In the currently established production technology, silica crucibles used for melting and crystallizing silicon are coated on their inside surface with a Si3N4 based coating, which facilitates an easy release of the ingot after finishing the production cycle.
A layer is sprayed on the crucible wall to prevent silicon/silica reactions that would provoke cracks and inhibit diffusion of oxygen and additional impurities from the crucible into the melt/solidified silicon requiring high grade Si3N4 powders provided by H.C. Starck.
Learn more about the advantages of H.C. Starck’s high grade Si3N4 powders from their Surface Technology & Ceramics team by visiting them at the 25th EU PV Solar Energy Conference, 6-10 Sept, Feria Valencia in Valencia, Spain – Level 2, Hall 2 Booth A39.
Contact
H.C. Starck GmbH
Im Schleeke 78 - 91
38642 Goslar
Germany
Dr. Thomas Schmidt
T +49 5321 751-3962
Thomas.schmidt@hcstarck.com
Michael Drost
T +49 5321 751-3755
michael.drost@hcstarck.com
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