Loading
Solar Factory
About
Our vision is to develop groundbreaking technologies to revolutionize the way solar technology is manufactured and used. We are developing high-throughput processes that allow for the parallel investigation of numerous material combinations and process parameters. Printing is the most effective means of applying structures to large areas. This represents a paradigm shift in manufacturing with the potential to drive solar energy generation at extremely low costs.
Research Topics
The printing and coating of solution semiconductors has outstanding potential to increase production throughput and reduce the cost of solar energy. The development of the microstructure during drying and curing is of paramount importance for the performance of printed solar cells. In our team, we investigate the influence of process conditions and ink composition on efficiency using methods comparable to those employed in large-scale industrial plants. We specialize in combinatorial methods on continuous coating systems to shorten the lab-to-fab transition time. Our group's research focuses primarily on:
- Process and material development for third-generation photovoltaics (organic and perovskite-based semiconductors)
- Continuous combinatorial processes for solution-processed semiconductors
- Fundamental understanding of microstructure development during thin-film drying
- Continuous characterization methods and process control
- Simulation-based module optimization
- Lab-to-fab equipment and process scaling
Team members
Research institutions / facilities
Our infrastructure is specifically designed for printing and coating solution-processable semiconductors. It offers maximum flexibility regarding substrate, material, and process properties for printing solar modules. These include facilities for process development, material evaluation, and module manufacturing:
- Fully equipped chemistry lab with cleanroom capabilities and semiconductor material storage and handling
- State-of-the-art printing (slot die, inkjet, screen) and coating lab for nm precision in the Z-direction on rigid and flexible substrates
- Fully automated multi-head R2R printing and coating system for processing functional electronic, optoelectronic, and dielectric materials up to 30 cm web width
- Multiple galvo-head-equipped batch and R2R-capable laser systems (ns, fs) for structuring single- and multi-layer stacks with nm precision in the Z-direction and lateral resolution in the micrometer range
- Backend lab for contacting, encapsulation, and packaging of solar modules
- Accelerated lifetime testing with variable temperatures and illumination (ISOS-L1/2), as well as climate chamber tests (ISOS-D1/2/3)
Publications
References
Last Modified: 13.04.2026