This question has not been answered so far. But now Manz – one of the leading manufacturers of laser scribing equipment – and PLANSEE, have been looking deeper into the topic within their collaborative research project. The results show that the coating parameters during the sputtering of the molybdenum layer significantly influence the quality of the structured areas. The process pressure and the target power influence the mechanical stress in the molybdenum layers and therefore contribute directly to the quality of the scribing. Furthermore our developers found out that, compared with layers in a compressive stress mode, layers under tensile stress require significantly lower laser fluence for full ablation.

Manz and PLANSEE will present their research results at the 26th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition in Hamburg. The poster session takes place on September 8th from 1:30 – 3.00 PM.

As a leading manufacturer of sputtering targets for thin film solar cells, PLANSEE is in constant communication with it customers and leading research institutions. In numerous research projects PLANSEE has contributed to the optimization of coating processes, and has developed new coating materials. Our coating materials stand for the highest material purity, density and a homogeneous microstructure – important pre-requisites for excellent thin films.