August 21, 2012 – Aixtron SE delivered a Prodos Gen 3.5 polymer vapor phase deposition (PVPD) system, based on its proprietary close coupled showerhead (CCS) technology, to an unidentified major Asian customer. The system will be installed and commissioned "within the next couple of weeks" at the customer’s site, where it will be used to deposit organic polymer thin films in production of flexible electronic devices.
The Prodos Gen 3.5 system, which incorporates carrier-gas enhanced deposition and CCS technologies, is designed to match production environments processing Gen 3.5 substrates sized at 650 × 750mm2. (A R&D version with flexible configuration handles 200 × 200mm2 substrates.)
Aixtron’s PVPD technology is a platform for controlled deposition and in-situ formation of polymer thin films from vapor phase. This "dry" deposition technology (vs. conventional solution-based polymer deposition methods) has advantages in controlling layer properties, high contour conformity of the deposited layers, continuous change of polymer building blocks (controlled co-deposition) during the process, and efficient production work flows, according to the company.
"With flexible electronics still being at an early stage, the prospects for this novel technology are very promising and will allow our customer to develop new applications," including flexible flat-panel displays that are lightweight and rugged, with improved power consumption, color brightness, and legibility, stated Aixtron COO Bernd Schulte.