H.C. Starck offers high performance solutions for thin film PV apps

EUCLID, USA: Through research and product innovation, H.C. Starck Inc., Fabricated Products Group has developed sputtering targets offering superior sputtering performance for thin films PV (TFPV) energy applications.

Focusing on CIGS, a-Si (amorphous silicon) and CdTe thin films solar module manufacturers, H.C. Starck has been developing and successfully producing custom sputter targets in molybdenum (Mo) and nickel based (Ni) alloys along with its other core competency materials: tantalum (Ta), niobium (Nb) and tungsten (W).

H.C. Starck's planar and rotary sputtering targets were developed in response to the demand to lower the cost per watt in the rapidly growing photovoltaic industry. Their state-of-the-art Thin Film Materials Lab equipped with sputtering tools and supporting equipment for testing film characteristics made it possible for in-house prototyping and modeling to achieve this goal.

As a vertically integrated supplier, H.C. Starck is one of the world's largest producers of molybdenum, tungsten and tantalum powders, and has expertise in reducing, pressing and sintering these high performance materials and finishing them for market.

H.C. Starck uses highly specialized equipment and technologies capable of producing rotatable sputtering targets at the height of the most demanding requirements of target users in the areas of LCD display, large area coating and solar cell applications.

Best in class production capabilities with premier extrusion facilities, H.C. Starck can produce molybdenum rotary targets with inside diameters of 125mm (monolithic) and 135mm (bonded) applications in molybdenum up through the current largest rotary target requirement.

Tantalum, niobium, nickel-vanadium and other materials also can be produced in planar or rotary form. Targets in lengths of 4 m (or more) can be produced per customer specification. H.C. Starck's extruded rotary targets are fully dense with extremely low oxygen levels.