engineering the solar age - Suppliers for Photovoltaics

Highly efficient coating systems for the solar industry

VON ARDENNE manufactures equipment for industrial vacuum processes based on plasma and electron beam technologies. This internationally operating company, headquartered in Dresden, re-established itself from the former Research Institute Manfred von Ardenne (Forschungsinstitut Manfred von Ardenne) in 1991. The institute laid the technological basis for future development.

In photovoltaics, the key competence of the Saxon company lies in thin-film technologies for the manufacture of the different kinds of solar cells. VON ARDENNE develops and supplies highly automated systems which enable the deposition of metal contacts, transparent conductive oxides (TCO) or precursor layers such as Cu/Ga/In on all customary substrate sizes. With PIA|nova^®, VON ARDENNE focuses on the horizontal coating of glass substrates. Vertical arrangements are also possible however, e. g. with the GC60V glass coating system.

In addition, the company offers various technological solutions for manufacturing wafer-based solar cells.

VON ARDENNE key components

VON ARDENNE offers key components, such as magnetron sputter sources from in-house production. These magnetrons enable the highly precise deposition of complex compound layers on large areas. The sputter sources therefore form the technological basis for the manufacture of most layer systems in photovoltaics. Magnetron sputter sources with rotatable targets (tubes) are predominantly used here. Their excellent material utilization (up to 85%), and thus extended service life, keep the coating costs of sputter systems low in comparison to systems using magnetron sputter sources with planar targets.