Our Capabilities

 One of the world’s best solar PV testing facilities

We developed a small scale slot-die coater which enables us to use slot die coating, an industry transferable deposition method, to fabricate our smallest lab scale solar cells.  Slot die coating, a non-contact deposition technique, deposits a precise volume of ink to a substrate by means of a meniscus between the die and the substrate.  The use of spin coated in our process is entirely circumvented so that all our research is translatable to industry production.

Our team has combatted defects observed in our electroactive thin films, such as cracks and pinholes, by developing an effective polymer based additive to reduce these defects.    CSIRO has patented this additive technology.

Roll-to-Roll Printing/Coating

Slot die coater

• Single cells (<2ml dead volume)
• Research modules (10 cmx10 cm)
• Interconnected module up to 0.1 m x 100 m device

Screen printer

• Off-the-shelf industrial printer
• Used to print metal electrodes
• High throughput capability, i.e. up to 6000 units per hour

Reverse gravure coater

• Up to 100 units per minute, 30cm wide
• Typically 5~20 units per minute
  (0.5 ~ 6m/min)
• High heating capacity

Batch Printing/Coating

Slot die on 3D printer platform

• <1ml dead volume
• Research cells on 25 mm x 2 5mm
• Module (10 cm x 10 cm) on glass

Gravure/flexo proofer

• Testing printing parameters on flexible substrates
• It can be used for photoactive layer,
  interlayer and electrodes of 10 x 10 cm² modules

Spray coater

• Conventional air brush automated by PC controlled stage and pumps
• Controlled vertical film composition by differentially pumped dual-feed nozzle
• Lateral composition control for rapid formulation screening

Screen printer

• Batch screen printer for up to A4 size printing
• Used to print silver ink for back electrode of modules