THIN FILM IWASTE MANAGEMENT
Waste,waste and more waste
One of the key issues for the commercial viability of engineered thin film materials is the amount of waste generated by faulty product, often when a considerable amount of value has been added to the material before it is rejected. A major cause of these rejects is dust or other particlulate contamination so a key step in improving yields is to improve cleanliness throughout the manufacturing process. Sheila Hamilton of Teknek discusses new elastomer technologies formulated to address the specific issues of small particle removal.
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hin film solar applications have taken an economic hit lately but this has not stopped the growth of engineered thin film materials and applications. Of course applications are also driven by Flat Panel Displays (FPD) as well Back Light Units (BLU) are key drivers for engineered thin films providing broader opportunities for research scope and financing.
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www.solar-pv-management.com I Issue IX 2011
Engineered thin film devices usemany different layers of coated polymer films in sheet format. These sheets are laminated together, often with glass sheets to form the finished functional unit. Contamination at any stage of the manufacturing process can cause defects, either electrical or optical, which result in the scrapping or rework of these expensive displays.
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