Research Highlight | Applied Materials
Continuous, high-speed atomic layer deposition for thin-film coatings
“Self-exhausting” precursor pulses enable fast, precise coating applications for materials such as solar cells.
With several new techniques for atomic layer deposition, Argonne materials scientists Jeffrey Elam, Joseph Libera, and Angel Yanguas-Gil have overcome some of the limitations of the thin-film coating process.
The proposed methods use precursor pulses applied to a moving substrate, and they could dramatically increase the speed of material deposition. These approaches pave the way for more efficient manufacturing of clean-energy materials including solar panels, solid-state lighting, and electrochromic windows.