Beneq announces the first
continuous mode Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) research tool commercially available,
the TFS 200R. It has been designed for process development related to Roll-to-Roll
ALD. In TFS 200R, the flexible substrate is fixed on a cylinder. The cylinder
is surrounded by a number of nozzles, each creating a certain gas zone. As the
cylinder is rotated, the substrate passes through different gas zones and is
then coated. This tool is very useful for basic research of the continuous mode
ALD process and is a must for all those who are considering using ALD in a high
throughput Roll-to-Roll production. Roll-to-Roll ALD has recently acquired a
lot of interest, especially as a method to deposit high quality moisture barriers
for flexible electronics.
The very first TFS 200R was recently delivered to the Advanced Surface Technology
Laboratory (ASTRaL) at Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) in Finland,
where it serves as a research tool to study nanotechnological coating solutions
for the paper industry. Prof. David Cameron, LUT, says "The high level
of flexibility in the configuration of this new tool will allow us to explore
the processing problems inherent in developing a roll-to-roll process."
Sampo Ahonen, CEO of Beneq, continues, "Our new ALD research tool will
accelerate the development of high volume production Roll-to-Roll ALD applications
for flexible electronics and the paper industry, and this will pave the way
for high throughput industrial Roll-to-Roll ALD solutions and equipment."
The goal of the research work at ASTRaL with the new TFS 200R tool is the integration
of Atomic Layer Deposition into paper industry applications, in cooperation
with the paper and packaging companies Stora-Enso and UPM Raflatac and the coating
company Savcor. The work is supported by the EU via TEKES, the Finnish Funding
Agency for Technology and Innovation.
For additional information, please contact:
Mr Sampo Ahonen, CEO, Beneq Oy
M: + 358 40 520 1090,
www.beneq.com
Beneq Oy, based in Vantaa, Finland, is a supplier of industrial equipment and
technology for global markets. Beneq is turning innovations into success by
providing nanotechnology enabled functional coating applications for the cleantech
and renewable energy fields, especially in glass, photovoltaics, and emerging
thin films markets. Beneq's solutions are based on Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD)
and proprietary atmospheric nHALO® and nAEROTM aerosol coating technologies.