Thin-film cluster tool

• Subject Area: Condensed Matter Physics
• Term: Funded in 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 556490221

With record efficiencies >26%, perovskite solar cells have reached the performance of established silicon technology within a short time. Due to the property of precisely adjusting various band gaps via the composition of the material, perovskites are ideally suited both as a "standalone" single solar cell and, in particular, for tandem cells based on silicon solar cells or for multi-junction solar cells. Efficiencies of almost 34% have already been achieved with silicon perovskite tandem cells on a small area of 1 cm2. In addition to their use in solar cells, perovskite materials are also suitable for many other optoelectronic applications, e.g. for lasers, light-emitting diodes or detectors. It is essential to deposit these materials with high quality, both for efficiency and for the long-term stability and reproducibility of the components. Unfortunately, many of the substances used in the production of perovskites react sensitively to the oxygen or water molecules in the air and therefore cannot be used under atmospheric conditions. Conventional perovskite synthesis with solvents can also lead to undesirable reactions with the starting materials. Therefore, manufacturing processes in inert or vacuum-based platforms are of interest as they ensure controlled synthesis and characterization. Therefore, manufacturing processes in inert or vacuum-based platforms are of interest as they ensure controlled synthesis and characterization. Such a platform is to be implemented within a customized cluster tool with several deposition chambers. The cluster tool enables, among other things, the deposition of hybrid perovskite, inorganic and organic thin films. An automated sample transporter transports the samples from chamber to chamber for coating. The automated sequential deposition ensures particularly high precision and reproducibility, even in lengthy processes. The system should make it possible to produce complete optoelectronic components largely automatically within this system and to characterize them afterwards or during deposition.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Dünnschicht-Clustertool
• Instrumentation Group: 8380 Schichtdickenmeßgeräte, Verdampfungs- und Steuergeräte (für Vakuumbedampfung, außer 833)
• Applicant Institution: Universität Stuttgart
• Leader: Professor Dr. Michael Saliba