Systems

The key feature of flash-lamp annealing (FLA) is tempering thin coatings within a few milliseconds. High energy densities on substrates are achieved in a very short interval of time by means of a high-energy flash of light, facilitating faster annealing during dynamic sheet-to-sheet or roll-to-roll coating processes, and therefore higher throughput. FLA can be used, for example, as an alternative for annealing transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layers as well as for the treatment of thin-film electronics and for recrystallization of various materials.

Reliable process control is mandatory for industrial appli-cations. The most important parameters are consistent energy density per flash and duty cycle of the flashes.
A custom charging module was developed in the electronics development section of the Fraunhofer FEP as part of Project InnoFlash that is used with the FLA array. This newly developed module facilitates highly accurate charging of the energy storage device within a few milliseconds, which is one of the essential requirements for treating large surface areas with FLA.