Kalpana Systems, a Dutch equipment manufacturer, is launching spatial atomic layer deposition (sALD) tools that can be used in roll-to-roll manufacturing processes in the solar, organic light-emitting diode, battery and packaging industries. The first application is expected to be the application of a barrier layer.
Kalpana Systems, a Dutch thin-film equipment company, is launching spatial atomic layer deposition (sALD) equipment for use in roll-to-roll manufacturing processes in the production of solar energy, organic light-emitting diodes, batteries and packaging.
The startup company recently raised €3.5 million ($3.82 million) in funding from corporate and institutional investors, including a government grant.
“Since the company was founded in 2021, we have been developing the first machine, which has been operational since December 2023. The newly raised money will be used to further develop the machine from prototype to a commercial product and to scale up production. This is what Diederick Spee, CEO of Kalpana Systems, says pv magazine. “We are working with several customers in the solar cell, packaging and battery markets to test the performance of the sALD layers on their products.”
“There is significant interest from perovskite and organic solar cell manufacturers who face stability and durability challenges and are looking for cost-effective encapsulation methods,” Spee said. “Our initial focus is on the application of barrier layers, which are relevant to all market segments.”
Kalpana Systems equipment is designed to support the high throughput required for industrial processes with web speeds up to 10 m/min. It enables the deposition of multiple layers of different precursor materials in a single deposition process, and its atmospheric pressure characteristics enable inline integration and combinations with other deposition techniques.
Kalpana Systems is developing two models, K300 and K600 respectively. Both support process temperatures from 80 C to 150 C. “However, the first commercial system, the K300, will most likely be deployed in the solar or flexible electronics industries, where production speed requirements better match the specifications of this machine .” It supports web widths of 100-600mm and offers a maximum ALD process speed of less than 200 cycles/m2/min.
For battery and packaging applications, the K600 “will be able to operate at higher line speeds and coat more complex layers,” which is typical of the battery or packaging industry, Spee said. It supports web widths of 600-1500 mm and a maximum ALD process speed of 200-800 cycles/m2/min.
Both models can handle a variety of substrates, including flexible material. Spee emphasized that the equipment is not industry-specific, but can be deployed in “any type of roll-to-roll production process” as the operational temperature, line speed, web dimensions and related parameters are programmable.
A lead time of 9 to 12 months is provided for equipment orders, including installation and acceptance testing at customer sites. Spee added that while the system is “easy to operate” and functions like other types of roll-to-roll processing equipment, Kalpana will provide varying levels of support during customer onboarding depending on their needs and requirements.
“The uniqueness of Kalpana’s roll-to-roll technology lies in its high volume, throughput and fast production time,” says Frederic Petit, partner at Emerald Technology Ventures, advisor to SIG InnoVentures, one of the company’s investors , in a statement. “This differentiates them from other providers in the market and enables broad market acceptance, including packaging applications.”
The company’s investors include Dutch growth-stage investor Fairtree Elevant Ventures, Switzerland-based SIG InnoVentures, the corporate venture arm of SIG, a major producer of food and beverage cartons and packaging, and the Energy Transition Fund Rotterdam.
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