CONFERENCE MAIN SESSIONS
Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026 | CONFERENCE DAY 1 | Speaker |
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12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Registration & Welcome Reception (Light Lunch) | |
1:00 – 1:10 p.m. | Welcome Address & Audience Survey | |
1:10 – 2:40 p.m. | Introductory Session 01: Market Insights | |
1:10 – 1:40 p.m. | Keynote 1: tbc | tbc |
1:40 – 2:10 p.m. | Keynote 2: tbc | tbc |
2:10 – 2:40 p.m. | Keynote 3: tbc | tbc |
2:40 – 3:40 p.m. | Introductory Session 02: Technology Perspectives | |
2:40 – 3:10 p.m. | Keynote 1: tbc | tbc |
3:10 – 3:40 p.m. | Keynote 2: tbc | tbc |
3:40 – 4:10 p.m. | Coffee break / Exhibition Walk & Talk | |
4:10 – 5:40 p.m. | Introductory Session 03: Sustainability & Energy Efficiency | |
4:10 – 4:40 p.m. | Keynote 1: tbc | tbc |
4:40 – 5:10 p.m. | Keynote 2: tbc | tbc |
5:10 – 5:40 p.m. | Keynote 3: tbc | tbc |
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Poster Session & After Work Reception |
Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026 | CONFERENCE DAY 2 | Speaker |
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8:30 – 10:00 a.m. | Session 01 | |
8:30 – 9:00 a.m. | Keynote: tbc | tbc |
9:00 – 9:20 a.m. | Invited: tbc | tbc |
9:20 – 9:40 a.m. | Presentation tbc | tbc |
9:40 – 10:00 a.m. | Presentation tbc | tbc |
10:00 – 10:45 a.m. | Exhibition tour & demonstration | |
10:45 – 11:15 a.m. | Refreshment / Coffee break | |
11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. | Session 02 | |
12:45 – 2:15 p.m. | Lunch break | |
2:15 – 3:00 p.m. | Panel discussion incl Audience Q&A | |
3:00 – 4:30 p.m. | Session 03 | |
4:30 – 5:00 p.m. | Coffee break / Exhibition Walk & Talk | |
5:00 – 6:10 p.m. | Session 04 | |
18:30 – 22:00 | Conference Banquet dinner & Awards Ceremony (Bus Shuttle from MESSE Dresden to Dinner available) |
Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026 | CONFERENCE DAY 3 | Speaker |
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8:30 – 10:00 a.m. | Session 05 | tbc |
10:00 – 10:30 a.m. | Coffee break / Exhibition Walk & Talk | |
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Session 06 | tbc |
12:00 – 1:30 p.m. | Lunch break | |
1:30 – 3:00 p.m. | Session 07 | tbc |
3:00 p.m. | Closing remarks | |
3:00 – 6:00 p.m. | Lab tours | Location: tbc |
Read the abstract texts in order to learn more about the talk – please click on each presentation title.
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More information coming soon.
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Keynote 3: tbc
More information coming soon.
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Keynote 2: Global Architectural Glass Trends
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Keynote 1: EU Open Innovation Models for Driving Sustainability and Energy Efficiency in Coating Industry
Keynote 3 (Text)
More information coming soon.
Coating Technologies for Energy Conversion and Storage: A Perspective on the Past and Future
Anthropological climate change is one of the largest challenges facing society today and as a result, there is an urgent need to reduce human impact on the environment. The Fraunhofer Society has the mission of developing innovative solutions to societal problems by creating a bridge between fundamental research and industrial-scaled applications. The Fraunhofer FEP in Dresden has expertise in the development and application of electron beam and plasma technologies for vacuum coatings and surface treatments, and we work closely with academic and industrial partners to scale-up laboratory solutions to meet commercial demands for applications in the fields of energy and environment, life sciences, and microelectronics. Our aim is to overcome bottlenecks in cost, reliability, and performance towards reliable and scalable solutions for surface engineering, film deposition, and system integration. In this talk, I will present results from research areas at the Fraunhofer FEP in the field of plasma and surface technologies for sustainable solutions ranging from energy storage and conversion, energy efficient glazing, sustainable packaging, biomedical and life sciences, to sensing applications. The focus is on the development of tailored hardware platforms and processes to enable the deposition of functional and/or critical materials on a wide range of surfaces, including flexible, rigid, and biologically-relevant substrates.
Keynote: Recent Developments in Ion Beam Sputtering
Ion beam sputter deposition (IBSD) is a versatile PVD technique, which is the method of choice for high-precision optical coatings, especially for high-end laser applications. The advantages of films grown by IBSD in contrast to those grown by other PVD techniques are, for instance, a higher density, a better adhesion, less contaminations, lower particle generation, and a better thickness (homogeneity) control. This is related to a comparably low working pressure and a spatial separation of ion generation in the ion beam source, the sputtering (and scattering) process at the target, and thin film growth on the substrate. The spatial separation allows for independent variation of ion beam parameters (ion species, energy, current density distribution) and geometrical parameters (ion incidence angle, polar emission angle). Currently, thin film deposition faces great challenges related to increasing number and diversity of applications. The need of thin films with improved quality, the choice and complexity of materials, and the variety of shape and size of objects to be coated are steadily growing. IBSD has proven to be able to meet the challenges. In order to utilize the full potential of IBSD, the complex correlation of ion beam and geometrical parameters, properties of the sputtered (and scattered) particles, and thin film properties must be understood. This presentation reviews investigations related to that. Using selected examples, it is demonstrated how IBSD can be used to tailor thin film properties.
Invited: Scalable Deposition of Thermochromic VO2-Based Coatings for Energy-Saving Smart Windows
Vanadium dioxide (VO2) exhibits a reversible phase transition from a low-temperature monoclinic VO2 (M1) semiconducting phase to a high-temperature tetragonal VO2 (R) metallic phase at a transition temperature of approximately 68 °C for the bulk material. The automatic (i.e., without any switch system) response to temperature and the abrupt decrease of infrared transmittance with almost the same luminous transmittance (allowing to utilize the daylight) in the metallic state make VO2-based coatings a promising candidate for thermochromic smart windows reducing the energy consumption of buildings. To meet the requirements for large-scale implementation on building glass (glass panes, or flexible glass and polymer foils laminated to glass panes), VO2-based coatings should satisfy the following strict criteria simultaneously: a deposition temperature close to 300 °C, a transition temperature close to 25 °C, an integral luminous transmittance Tlum > 60 %, a modulation of the solar energy transmittance ΔTsol > 10 %, long-term environmental stability, and a more appealing color than yellowish or brownish colors in transmission.
The paper deals with strongly thermochromic YSZ/W and Sr co-doped VO2/SiO2 coatings, where YSZ is Y-stabilized ZrO2, prepared using a scalable sputter deposition technique on standard soda-lime glass at a low substrate temperature of 320 °C and without any substrate bias voltage. The coatings exhibit a transition temperature of 22 °C with an integral luminous transmittance Tlum = 63.7% (below the transition temperature) and 60.7% (above the transition temperature, i.e., no artificial lighting is needed during day) and a modulation of the solar energy transmittance ΔTsol = 11.2%. Such a combination of properties, together with the low deposition temperature, fulfill the aforementioned requirements for large-scale implementation on building glass and have not yet been reported in the literature.
The fundamental principles of this technique, and the design, structure and optical properties of the thermochromic coatings are presented. Reactive high-power impulse magnetron sputtering with a pulsed O2 flow feedback control allowed us to prepare crystalline VO2 of the correct stoichiometry at a low deposition temperature. The W doping of VO2 decreases the transition temperature to a room temperature, while the Sr doping of VO2 results in a significant increase in Tlum. An original design of a three-layer VO2-based coating utilizing a second-order interference in two antireflection layers is used to maximize Tlum and ΔTsol simultaneously. A compact crystalline structure of the bottom YSZ antireflection layer further improves the VO2 crystallinity, while the top SiO2 antireflection layer provides also the mechanical and chemical protection for the thermochromic VO2-based layer.
Recently, we have carried out a successful transfer of this technique from a laboratory-scale device to a large-scale (300 mm × 20 m substrates) roll-to-roll deposition device. This is a promising first step to a cost-effective and high-rate preparation of large-area thermochromic VO2-based coatings for future smart-window applications.
Large area antipathogenic surfaces based on sputtered TiO2 thin films and inline flash lamp annealing
Four million people per year acquire health associated infections (HAIs) in Europe [1]. To reduce spreading of pathogens, a photocatalytic coating with superacid surface properties has been developed that offer dual action by means of surface generated protons and radical oxygen species. This antipathogenic coating contains only benign materials and does not involve compounds that could induce antibiotic resistance.
The antipathogenic action of the films is realized by acidifying the surface of crystalline TiO2 thin films using a reactive gas-phase photo-fixation process yielding strongly surface-bonded SO4 groups, while maintaining the photocatalytic properties of the film [2,3].
The TiO2-films are deposited using a rotatable dual magnetron system with ceramic titania targets in bipolar pulsed mode, followed by the crystallization by inline flash lamp annealing (FLA). Furnace annealing of the films was used for reference purposes. The TiO2-film crystallization process has been studied as a function of deposition parameters, including plasma pulse parameters and oxygen flow.
X-ray diffraction demonstrated that by adjusting the PVD process the crystalline state after the annealing process, whether by furnace annealing or inline FLA, can be controlled to adjust the TiO2 crystallization enabling photo-fixation of SO4, as verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The temperature for the formation of crystalline TiO2 thin films has been studied, giving a lowest value for anatase crystallization to 225°C, which makes the process compatible with temperature resistive polymer substrates.
To understand the crystallization process of the inline FLA, simulations of the temperature profile were done and correlated with the furnace annealing process. This indicates the potential of linking the PVD process and the FLA process, which offers future possibilities to transfer the process to polymer substrates.
In conclusion, we have demonstrated that crystalline TiO2 coating can be applied on large substrate areas at moderate substrate temperature giving the opportunity to photo-adsorb sulfate groups on high-temperature resistant polymer substrates, thus suggesting a pathway for synthesis of antipathogenic foils by roll-to-roll processes. This study is a part of the funded project SANFLEX (m ERANET, grant no 685451).
References:[1] C. Suetens et al., “Prevalence of healthcare-associated infections, estimated incidence and composite antimicrobial resistance index in acute care hospitals and long-term care facilities: results from two European point prevalence surveys, 2016 to 2017”, Eurosurveillance, 2018, vol. 23/46.[2] D. Langhammer, J. Kullgren and L. Österlund: “Photoinduced Adsorption and Oxidation of SO2 on Anatase TiO2(101)”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142(52), 21767–21774.[3] Z. Topalian, et al., Adsorption and photo-oxidation of acetaldehyde on TiO2 and sulphate modified TiO2: Studies by in situ FTIR spectroscopy and micro-kinetic modelling, J. Catal. 2013, 307, 265-274.
Better ‚Understanding of the Vacuum‘ to Improve Film Quality and Process Control
A wide range of glass is coated and processed in a vacuum environment. The nature of a vacuum is inherently problematic especially when enacted on a very large scale and in high productivity environments. There is no such thing as a ‘leak’ free vacuum chamber, just the level of the leak, and also whether the nature of the leak will have an adverse effect on production quality and speed. The standard approach to assessing the vacuum quality is the pressure reading and helium leak checking. To a lesser extent, analysis of the trace gases via a quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS) located in the vacuum is used to provide more definitive analysis. Gas analysis is a powerful tool as it provides a total picture of species present, and this can be used to track production quality and the effect any unexpected or unwanted variations. It can provide on-line chamber atmospheric leak rates, leak rates of chamber components, substrate and chamber moisture outgassing rates, as well as the quality and ratio of process gases. All this information can be used to good effect to improve product quality and productivity.
Whilst the method of quadrupole mass spectrometry (QMS) is long established, it has not been widely taken advantage of in large area glass coating. The reason lies in a lack of industrial robustness and the difficulty in maintaining the operation of the QMS method on large systems and with skill sets of typical operators running the plants.
More recently, the method of remote plasma optical emission spectroscopy (RPOES) has been shown as a very important tool to track gas species in an industrial vacuum environment. The popularity of RPOES lies solely with its inherent industrially robustness compared to quadrupole mass spectrometry (QMS) methods, operators cannot break it! When relying on gas analysis to provide information key to maintaining a production process, it is critical that the method is always providing information, i.e. no down-time. The reliable data provided by RPOES can be used to establish closed loop control of many machine functions as well as a foundation for artificial intelligence-based decision making. A well-established application is the monitoring and high-speed control of reactive sputtering processes where the RPOES provides the ‘sensing’ of the gaseous conditions of the process, which is then input to a closed loop controller to maintain the process conditions for stable, high-rate thin film production.
The talk will give a detailed assessment of the method and the different uses within large area coating. The scientific merit of the method is to some degree still an ‘open box’ due to its unique characteristics. For example, it will also be shown how RPOES can monitor D, T, 4He, 3He and neon gas in ‘Fusion’ reactor exhausts with such speed and accuracy, that one of the key challenges to commercial viability of Fusion Energy can now be overcome.
Keynote (Text)
More information coming soon.
Invited: Nanoparticle-based Solar Control Films
Fashion in civil engineering is driving building windows to be increasingly larger. This opens our lives to daylight but at the cost of intense heat from the burning sunlight during summer heat waves. “Smart window” technology based on electrochromic metal oxides to dynamically modify the window state has been promised for decades as a solution to this problem, however the prohibitively high cost of sputtering has inhibited broad use in the market. Amperial is developing a solution processed alternative to enable roll-to-roll fabrication of complete electrochromic devices. The core electrochromic material is based on metal oxide ceramic nanocrystals, coatable at a temperature of 110°C enabling the use of plastic as a substrate. Combined with developments of a lithium storing counter electrode and proprietary polymer developments we have demonstrated completely solution processed electrochromic device stack that can be fabricated under atmospheric conditions without the need for inert gas. The result is a lightweight foil device suitable for adhering to glass post-installation to enhance building efficiency. Patent-pending additives to the active electrochromic layer further boosts the electrochromic effect. Amperial will continue to develop electrochromic foil and enter conduct pilot installations with a retrofit product for residential and commercial buildings in 2025, opening a new market segment for electrochromic devices to improve building efficiency.
Advancements of Electrochr. Films for Energy-Efficient Glass Facades (FLEX-G 4.0 Project)
The presentation at the International Conference on Coatings on Glass and Plastics (ICCG) will focus on the machinery development for industrial manufacturing of innovative switchable electrochromic (EC) films as a cost-effective retrofit solution for windows and glass facades. The FLEX-G 4.0 (BMWi funded) project aims to develop the pilot production process and demonstration of switchable electrochromic films. The upscaling of the small-scale (EC) films production process to a continuous roll-to-roll concept is essential for achieving higher production rates. This approach provides high speed, high efficiency, and minimal cycle time of continuous flow manufacturing, ultimately contributing to increased output and reduced costs per unit. Additionally, roll-to-roll manufacturing enables real-time monitoring of parameters such as thickness, temperature, and coating uniformity, allowing for rapid detection of deviations from desired specifications. This approach also minimizes material waste compared to batch processing, with less setup waste between batches, leading to more efficient material utilization. The development of system designs and manufacturing technologies will be discussed, as well as the production process requirements of large-area EC films. The presentation will shed light on the transition from small-scale production to continuous roll-to-roll manufacturing, emphasizing the benefits of this approach in terms of increased production rates and cost-effectiveness. The insights shared aim to contribute to the advancement of industrial manufacturing processes for innovative EC films and their applications in energy-efficient windows.
Directly sprayable anti-reflection coatings for deposition on hot glass substrates
Anti-reflection (AR) coatings play a pivotal role in enhancing the power output of solar modules by eliminating reflection losses at the air-cover glass interface [1]. Due to enhanced solar transmission AR coated front cover glass solutions dominate the PV market [2]. Single-layer Sol-Gel based coatings are compelling due to their streamlined application, scalability, cost-effectiveness, durability and broad-spectrum AR properties [1, 3]. In this investigation, we explore the viability of employing a Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) based spraying solution, which can be directly administered onto flat glass surfaces with air atomizing nozzles at substrate temperatures exceeding 500°C. The compatibility of spray process with hot glass deposition is appealing because it opens the possibility of cost-effective online production with continuous glass ribbon substrates. Our findings demonstrate that the coatings produced through this method exhibit thickness uniformity, conformally coat patterned glasses, and withstand a subsequent industrial tempering process without compromising their anti-reflection properties. Finally, we investigate the potential of employing a secondary spray application with organically modified silica precursors for improved weathering durability.
References
[1] D. Chen, „Anti-reflection (AR) coatings made by sol–gel processes: A review,“ Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, vol. 68, no. 3-4, pp. 313-336, 2001.[2] „International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaic (ITRPV). 14th ed.,“ VDMA, Frankfurt, 2023.[3] Y. Zeng, N. Song, S. Lim, M. Keevers, Y. Wu, Z. Yang, S. Pillai, J. Y. Jiang and M. Green, „Comparative durability study of commercial inner-pore antireflection coatings and alternative dense coatings,“ Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, vol. 251, p. 112122, 2023.Keynote: From Optical Optimization by Genetic Algorithm to Multiscale Thin Film Deposition Modelling: Application to Low-E Glass and Head-up Display
Thin film materials are key components in a large variety of fields including automotive and mechanical engineering, optics, micro- and nanotechnology, medical applications, photovoltaics and display technology. The performance and reliability of these products depend to a high degree on the precision, reproducibility and intrinsic performance of the coatings involved. Besides empirically derived know-how, fundamental insights of the mechanisms underlying the synthesis process and intrinsic material properties can be easier acquired through a coupled process and material modelling approach. Therefore, with increasing size, throughput, functional integration of coated products as well as market specific regulatory requirements, a simulation-driven development of deposition processes and advanced thin film materials becomes a necessary tool.
The Virtual CoaterTM project aims to realize an easy-to-operate and computer-low-resources computational material-modelling platform that serves as a translation environment to accelerate the development of thin film materials and the related deposition processes. Making use of existing and validated simulation tools, it provides a multi-physics approach for the prediction of deposition process features as well as intrinsic film properties.
In this lecture, we will present our latest developments in the field, and we will demonstrate how this modeling platform built on optimized fast multi-scale algorithms can depict a “digital twin” of an industrial magnetron sputtering system, and how when coupled to Genetic Algorithm optimization it can be used to tune the deposition process to achieve desirable coating properties in the field of Low-E glass and Head Up Display. A special attention is paid to the influence of the coater configuration and its critical deposition parameters (power, pressure, …) on the optical properties of the coatings selected.
Advanced Optical In-line Monitoring: Hyperspectral Imaging and Beyond
Optical spectroscopy is an established, centuries-old technique that provides information about material, structure and composition of a sample, based on its wavelength-dependent interaction with visible and non-visible light. Although imaging spectroscopy, which is the conjunction of spatial and spectral information, has been available in different varieties for decades now, it has attracted a lot of attention in the last ten years under a new term – hyperspectral imaging (HSI). Here, we show the reasons for this significant growth of HSI and state-of-the-art implementations including push-broom, snapshot and interferometric detection of the spectrally and spatially resolved information. While HSI has its origin in satellite-based remote sensing, different applications of surface inspection and in-line monitoring have been industrially realized until now. Current limits in acquisition speed, spatial resolution, data size and analysis as well as illumination constraints are discussed in this presentation. Going beyond this, we illustrate the future potential of HSI due to the increasing computational power, new light sources for illumination and improved detection. As most applications are still evolving with the further analysis and understanding of the so-called hypercubes, i.e. the acquired HSI data that consist typically of millions of data points, a major advantage of prospective systems is the application-oriented design. Therefore, multispectral imaging that acquires only the specifically required information based on, for example, spectrally tunable illumination and custom filter design in the detection, holds a great promise towards more efficient and tailored applications. In addition, this enables advanced optical measurement schemes that include information on the 3D surface topography and the scattered light, e.g. due to the roughness of a sample surface. We show how such an application can be realized for in-line inspection in a roll-to-roll process with on-site data processing based on edge computing, eventually leading towards a digital manufacturing infrastructure.
Plasma Diagnostics for Enhanced Coating Processes
To meet the challenges of tighter process windows, and of process transfer from research labs to industry, measurements of the fundamental process drivers are required. Impedans Ltd offers a comprehensive suite of plasma diagnostic tools [1]. The RF-compensated, self-cleaning Langmuir probes by Impedans give precise measurements of electron density, temperature, and plasma potentials, enabling the generation of spatial and temporal profiles within the plasma to ensure uniformity across large surface areas. Additionally, Impedans provides the novel Plato Langmuir probe tailored for high deposition rate coating tools, providing insight into their plasma parameters for the first time [2]. The Quantum ion energy analyzer directly measures the ion energy and flux impacting the substrate, enabling exact control over the structural attributes of deposited thin films and facilitating process transfer by aligning ion/neutral ratios from tool to tool. Lastly, the Octiv VI probes monitor plasma current, voltage, and impedance for RF and Pulsed DC sources, ensuring process repeatability [3]. This talk will present the applications of these sensors across diverse thin film deposition systems for process development and improvement.
References[1] Impedans Ltd, Dublin, Ireland [www.impedans.com] [2] Artem Shelemin et al, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 39, 063003 (2021)[3] J Roggendorf et al Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 31 065007 (2022)
Thin Film Analysis by Variable Angle Spectroscopy in the infrared
The need for reliable measurement techniques for optical characterization of thin films is growing. In the past, we have developed tools for measuring directional optical properties in the solar range which have proven to be a valuable instrument evaluating thin film properties by variable angle spectroscopy.
We recently have extended this measurement capability by developing a similar goniometer-based system for the infrared, allowing to measure transmittance and reflectance for angles of incidence ranging from (near-)normal incidence to values as high as 85 degrees depending on the sample size. The wavelength range of this tool is between 1.5 and 25 microns, mostly depending on the detector that is installed. Measurements can be performed at P and S polarization separately and are completely automated. We also developed an autosampler for the same system, that allows automated measurements on multiple samples, such as a reference standard, in one measurement series.
Examples of experimental results are given to demonstrate the value of this technique for various coating applications
Keynote: Digital Transformation in Thin Film Deposition
Industry 4.0, digital transformation, the internet of things IoT, cyber-physical systems, digital twins, … have become well known in modern production. Thin film deposition is a key enabling technology and an important step within the fabrication of many devices, from computer, mobile phones, to engine parts, or photovoltaics. With the advancement of digital technologies like data analytics and machine learning algorithms, advanced process control and significant optimization of thin film deposition can be achieved. Real-time monitoring and analysis of the deposition processes becomes feasible with appropriate infrastructure. This infrastructure should handle data integration from different sources (cleaning, sputtering, quality systems) and should have an effective data management system for storing and analyzing large amounts of data.
The key to success is the combination of the process expertise and know-how with the digital information to provide proper correlation and sound interpretation of the available data. Two aspects of the digital transformation in thin film deposition will be addressed in this presentation. Firstly, a software framework for automated data acquisition, storage, and visualization is introduced. This framework enables correlation of in-situ and ex-situ output data from various sources, including analytical data from coated samples, with process parameters. Secondly, the transformation of process data obtained through experiment or physical simulation into a digital twin is demonstrated. As a result, the digital twin can predict real-time characteristics of the deposition process, such as uniformity.
Invited: Optical Coatings Computer-aided Production
Nowadays, optical coating designers stay in front of challenges in development and production of more and more complex optical elements. Demands on the quality are growing, desired specifications become more sophisticated, and designers should work on the cutting edge of the optical coating technology. Very often the desired specifications are contradictive and require a compromise solution, or cannot be completely formalized. Designs providing desired specifications should be produced with high accuracy. It means that already at the theoretical designing step, one should take technological issues into account. Typically, optical coating designer has a quite limited set of thin-film materials in his/her disposal. Sometimes, on the contrary, there is a large choice of materials including metals, metal-composites, or mixtures. During theoretical designing, it is important, how many layers, what layer thicknesses can be produced accurately in the deposition process. Monitoring method (optical or non-optical) and monitoring strategy play an important role. Physical properties such as mechanical stress, thermal issues, vacuum shifts should be considered and foreseen. Also, subsequent characterization tools should be considered since they provide feedback to the deposition process. Modern thin film software tools help optical coating designers to meet all these challenges in complex including (i) obtaining first design estimations including also principal achievement of the desired specifications, (ii) design solution tailoring to monitoring technique and specifics of the deposition chamber, and (iii) reliable post-production characterization utilizing all available experimental data. Powerful and efficient design algorithms including machine learning elements (so-called deep search methods) allow one to find solutions of the most complex design problems to achieve specifications. After the first design solutions have been found, and it is shown that the specifications are achievable, the modern software tools allow one to simplify the design structure or try various available thin-film materials combinations taking the monitoring and physical issues in mind. Simulations tools such as virtual simulators in the case of optical monitoring or Monte-Carlo analysis for quartz crystal or time-monitoring exploring stability of design candidates to deposition errors should be harnessed by optical coating designers. The simulation tools should be able to model the deposition process as accurate as possible, i.e., the software tools should be able to provide a possibility to include simulation parameters, which are characteristic for the deposition plant in use. Post-production algorithms considering the most reliable coating models should be tailored to the deposition plant where the optical elements are produced.
Advancing Glass Coating Quality Through In-Line Color Control
This presentation delves into the crucial role of In-Line Color Control in glass production, emphasizing its significance in maintaining color stability and addressing the functional aspects of glass beyond aesthetics. Applications include Low-E Glass for energy efficiency in different climates, Sun Protection Glass for temperature regulation, and Colored Glass for aesthetic appeal. An inline spectrophotometer is highlighted for its In-Line spectral color measurement capabilities, ensuring accuracy and real-time quality control. The instrument’s ability to measure reflectance at various angles contributes to consistent results, aligning with human visual perception. Other instruments offer specialized measurements for different glass properties. Overall, the integration of advanced spectrophotometry technology enhances energy-efficient architecture, meeting the demands of architects, energy regulations, and quality standards.
Applications:
1. Low-E Glass: In colder regions, the coating on glass allows near-infrared energy from the sun to pass through, warming up the room. However, once heated, the coating reflects long infrared wavelengths, preventing heat loss and contributing to energy conservation.
2. Sun Protection Glass: In sunnier climates, glass coatings are designed to reflect infrared energy, keeping buildings cooler. The thickness and composition of these layers impact the color of the glass. In-Line Color Control ensures the accuracy of each layer’s spectral properties, maintaining consistent quality.
3. Colored Glass: Architects often desire specific colors on glass for aesthetic reasons. When combined with solar control coatings, the color may vary based on the viewing angle and illumination conditions. Modern spectrophotometers address this challenge by measuring spectral curves under different angles and illuminations, ensuring color consistency.
ROI:
An inline coil coating color control system offers fast ROI, usually within 6 months.
• Reduces primer and powder coating costs, waste, and rework
• Catches color issues early, saving a modern coating line ≈$50,000/month
• Offers visibility to all stakeholders and tracks results for a revenue increase of ≈5%
Conclusion: In the pursuit of energy-efficient architecture, the role of glass extends beyond aesthetics to functionality. In-Line Color Control, facilitated by advanced spectrophotometers, ensures the stability of the glass coating process, meeting the demands of architects, energy efficiency regulations, and quality standards. The integration of such technology contributes to sustainable building practices and enhances the overall performance of coated glass in diverse environmental conditions.
Digital solutions for efficient and sustainable large area coating
Global strategies have been developed to reach net-zero-emissions in the next decades. Different regions of the world have committed to different timelines. But they all push carbon producers to develop strategies to reduce their carbon footprint. Manufacturing companies have a large share on those regional footprints, leading to an increased pressure in the future to reduce CO2 or to compensate it. On the other hand, manufacturers are also economically oriented companies that pursue goals such as sales growth and cost reduction in order to enable overall profit growth.
In order to achieve both – greater sustainability by reducing the carbon footprint and higher profits – various approaches are possible. In this session we will show how digitalization can support both goals. The basic production technology for energy-efficient glass and plastic coatings was established about decades ago. Now, new digital solutions are raising resource efficiency in production to a significantly higher level. We show by specific examples (VA PROCESSMASTER, VA RECIPEMASTER, VA TIPCOS) how software-based automation increases productivity based on time savings while at the same time reducing resource losses e.g. material or energy. Out-of-specification losses due to process drift are avoided, the energy efficiency of process working points is optimized, and complex changes of production tool states can be automated and thus optimized accordingly to reduce resource losses caused by human error. In summary, modern software solutions help minimizing the carbon footprint of coating products while at the same time enabling the increase of yield and profit.
Keynote: Highly Flexible Displays: Challenges & Opportunities
An increasing number of various devices with flexible displays were prototyped and many have entered the mass market in recent years. The bending radius is the relevant parameter for flexible displays, which is set by the given application. The preferred substrate for flexible display is plastic with a minimum bending radius about 1 mm and unbreakability. However, (ultra-) thin glass can compete down to 5 mm and has advantages in terms of scratch resistance and barrier characteristics, the latter applies especially for OLEDs. Furthermore, it is much easier to manufacture TFTs, which are required for high resolution displays, on glass substrates because of the temperature limits of plastics (require printed TFTs).
Challenges for flexible displays derive from the application such as “bend once” (e.g., curved monitors) vs. “bend often” (e.g., foldable smartphones, rollable TVs). Delamination and brittle must be avoided. Other topics are for example waviness which disturbs the image incl. “uneven” reflections and mechanical stress for LCDs which lead to non-uniformity.
The main driver for flexible displays are the opportunities for new designs and features of products with displays. They have been introduced since about 2010 starting with plastic substrates and curved displays in smartphones (“edge”) and TVs (radius of several meters). Curved TVs didn’t last but curved monitors for gaming is an increasing market as well as automotive applications.
Rollable displays are driven by hiding a display due to design or space reasons such as rollable TVs or rear seat entertainment. Also the dashboard display can be made rollable: Just a few inches high for manual driving and with large height for autonomous driving.
„Carrying small, seeing big“ is the philosophy of foldable smartphones and other mobile devices like laptops (the lower part shows the keyboard when needed). So-called “infold” displays have a radius of 1 mm (preferable less) and are bend very often. The mechanical stress is high, also as most smartphones are stored in pockets. No one wants to show and see photos on a wavy surface in the center of the display. “Outfold” displays are easier to manufacture because of a radius of several millimeters but they are less suitable for mobile devices because the display is always “outside”. There are also some interesting designs of foldable automotive displays.
The holy grail of flexible displays is stretchable incl. 3D freeform. An increase of the length of about 20% have been achieved for prototypes. One main challenge is the interconnect between displays driver ICS and the (sub) pixels. The charm is great freedom in the design and shape of products to integrate displays incl. interactivity such as touch. A multi-spherical demonstrator with microLEDs for an automotive center console gained huge attention.
Invited: Damage Mechanisms in Glass
Glass alteration starts immediately after forming of a new surface. Atmospheric conditions during storage and any cleaning step may affect the quality of a subsequent coating. Common features of surface alteration have been described for soda lime silicate (SLS) glass types, as float and container glasses are the commercially most relevant products to be coated. With upcoming application in electronic devices, a variety of flat glass compositions more or less similar to standard SLS is to be considered. There are alkali-free glasses, glasses designed for chemical strengthening, and others. Moreover, thin glass products pose new challenges for handling and cleaning. Based on the knowledge on SLS glass, some aspects of surface damage mechanisms of thin glasses will be discussed.
Invited: Glass Panel based Packaging and Applications in High Performance Computing and 5G Telecommunications
Glasses are available at panel size, which can bring in a large cost advantages for larger packages. The dielectric properties of glasses allow building conductive connections with short delay times, low parasitic capacitances and good high frequency properties. Also, special glasses can be developed with minimized losses and with particular low dielectric constants for GHz applications like antenna in package concepts where even antenna arrays have to be integrated. In the current work we review the state of glass panel based packaging including industrial readiness over the whole process chain and show examples where glass has already shown its usefulness in packaging.
Mechanical Characterization for Reliable Handling and Functionalization of Ultra-thin Flexible Glass
Ultra-thin glass is an attractive flexible substrate for coating applications, e.g. foldable displays, wearables etc. Beside these main applications, the conscious use of resources is another top issue of our time. Thus, many new ideas are developed with respect to weight reduction of components or upgrade solutions using light-weight flexible substrates retrofitted to existing products. Ultra-thin glass is readily considered for such approaches and often tested at laboratory scale. However, the brittleness of glass is still a challenge in industrial processes. Glass fracture typically happens randomly and suddenly. Thus, the mechanical stability of the ultra-thin glass is essential during handling, functionalization and within the device. To maintain the stability of the glass, crucial parameters like mechanical thin film stress and the substrate strength must be under tighter control than for conventional materials. Therefore, the influence of each processing step on the strength of the ultra-thin glass must be known. Random sampling as well as structured investigations are useful for this purpose. However, many conventional strength testing methods are not suited for the characterization of ultra-thin glass due to its thickness of only 100 µm or less. This presentation will provide an overview of suitable test methods to characterize the mechanical behavior of ultra-thin glass. Moreover, the influence of magnetron sputtered thin films on the substrate strength will be discussed. The focus of the presented results will be on industrially relevant use cases like transparent conductive oxides and antireflective coating systems.
Laser polishing - a way of influencing glass surfaces
Glass can be found in many areas of everyday life, from life science, food, packaging, solar thermal energy, building technology, motor vehicles, electronics and so on. The reasons for these diverse areas of application are due to the properties of glass, first and foremost its good transparency. However, its good chemical resistance, thermal resistance and good electrical and thermal insulation properties also predestine this material for these applications. But hardly anyone is aware that not all glass is the same and how glass becomes what we use almost every day.
An important aspect of glass processing is surface finish. As it is a transparent material, numerous efforts are made to improve this transparency through coatings, to functionalize surfaces and to enhance the stability of the entire glass. However, the brittle-hard material also has certain limits in terms of machinability. For example, glass lacks plastic deformability, so that even the smallest damage to the glass surface significantly reduces the load-bearing capacity of a component.
The most stable of all glass surfaces is the fire-polished surface. Fire polishing melts all surface defects away and smoothes rough surfaces. Fire polishing is usually carried out manually with a gas burner or, in some cases, semi-automatically. Plasma processes are also used. The disadvantage of both processes is the flame/plasma pressure, which has a negative effect on the molten surface. This is why laser polishing is becoming increasingly popular for more and more applications, as it is a forceless process that can be automated and controlled very easily. The surface is smoothed solely by the surface tension of the molten glass. Due to this effect, this process is also very suitable for rounding glass edges, which increases the stability of the glass enormously. CO2 lasers are used almost exclusively for glass, as the laser beam is almost 100% absorbed.
This article presents the laser polishing of glass. First, the equipment and system technology required for polishing glass in various dimensions and geometries is introduced. In the next step, the special features of the different types of glass are discussed. Not all glass is the same, as there are considerable differences in the processing temperature and the coefficient of expansion depending on the chemical composition. The laser and process parameters must therefore be set separately for each type of glass. The polishing process is also described, in particular the laser beam shaping and beam movement as well as the necessary temperature management during process control and glass handling. The adjustment of the corresponding laser and process parameters depending on the initial geometry and roughness is also discussed. A series of application examples and potential uses for the targeted influencing of glass surfaces with laser beam technology round off the presentation.
Keynote: Physical Interpretation of Role of Optical Constants in Thermal Insulation and Heat Shielding Coating
A Zero Energy Building (ZEB) is defined as a building with net-zero energy consumption, which means the annual amount of energy used by the building is equal to the amount of renewable energy created on-site. To achieve this, thermal insulation and heat shielding, especially through windows, are considered critical factors. Depending on the climate and environment where the buildings are constructed, appropriate glazing windows are designed to minimize energy usage. For instance, regions with significant summer and winter temperature differences require windows with low U-values and low Solar Heat Gain Coefficients (SHGC). In contrast, areas of perpetual summer necessitate low Overall Thermal Transfer Values (OTTV) to conserve energy used by air conditioning. Additionally, the design of visible transmittance is gaining attention for its potential to save lighting energy, particularly in the green building ratings of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Thailand’s Rating of Energy and Environmental Sustainability (TREES).
To meet these requirements, numerous coating technologies have been invented. Atmospheric pressure CVD is used to create transparent conductive films, mainly composed of tin oxide, for heat-shielding windows. The sputtering method is applied to produce both Ag-based Low-E windows with thermal insulation and reflective coatings for heat shielding. This method employs multiple stacks to control light interference from the visible to infrared regions, resulting in optimized windows that meet customer requirements.
This presentation will review representative products for thermal insulation and heat shielding used in business. Then, I will discuss some of the physics that determine the optical constants common to Ag, transparent conductive materials, and TiN, from the standpoint of these materials’ band structures. The presentation will demonstrate that inter-band and intra-band transitions can explain the origins of optical constants, with the only difference being the transitions’ contributions. Finally, I will examine the optical properties of Ag-based Low-E and reflective coatings made of TiN using the matrix formalism of light’s electric field intensity. While anti-reflection coatings for lenses stack dielectric materials with significant differences in the real part of optical constants to achieve low reflection, both the real and imaginary parts of the optical constant play crucial roles in controlling light in Ag-based Low-E and reflective coatings made of TiN. The significance of optical constants in relation to SHGC and OTTV will be discussed. These phenomena will also be explored using the electric field intensity in the multi-layer stack of Ag-based Low-E and reflective coatings made of TiN.
Invited: Context is Everything: How Visual Environments and Lighting Influence Glass Appearance and Bird Deterrent Efficacy
Bird collisions with architectural glass is a significant environmental issue that impacts every region of the world where glass and birds coexist. Growing awareness of this problem has led to rapid growth in demand for bird friendly glazing, codes that require it, and new product performance evaluation methodologies. This talk will focus on what makes a good collision deterrent and the challenges of evaluating bird safe products. It will break down the factors that influence product efficacy—such as visual contrast, lighting environment, Low-E coatings, specularity vs diffusion, etc.—as well as potential confounds and considerations for testing processes.
Invited: How Automotive Industry is challenging Coating Technologies for Display Cover Glasses
The number of displays in cars is growing very fast (driver information systems, navigation systems, passenger entertainment, …). Glass is the best material to cover these displays because of its scratch resistance and resistance against chemicals and all environment related threats like high or low temperatures or humidity. It is also valuated by end users as a pure, natural and high-quality material.
For this special application coatings are mandatory to ensure the necessary usability. Antiglare and Antireflective coatings allow readability even in bright conditions. Antifingerprint coatings ease the cleaning of display cover glasses, which is very important for all types of touch screens.
The industry provides well established solutions for flat cover glasses, especially for non-chemically hardened cover glasses like driver information systems.
Today most displays are mounted in so called head impact zones. In order to avoid injuries of drivers and passengers, the glass is chemically hardened by ion exchange. This process must be performed on a final shaped substrate. Therefore, coatings must be applied in a later step leading to many process challenges mainly linked to the question of how to coat the full surface homogenously and up to edge – but not to coat the edge itself.
In addition, the progresses in shaping glass into 3D free forms add even more challenges for all coating processes.
Finally, upcoming regulations like the PFAS ban, are driving the industry to search for new technical solutions.
Customer expectations and their consequences for production processes and process sequences will be presented and explained. Because perfect solutions are not available yet, this talk is to be understood as a motivation and inspiration for machine manufacturers and process developers to imagine new designs and novel approaches.
Scale up of Vanadium Dioxide-Based Thermochromic Coating Deposition for Large Area
Vanadium dioxide-based coatings offer great potential for thermochromic switchable smart windows as they exhibit a significant change in optical transparency and reflectivity in the infrared spectrum. Here W doping of VO2 is used for the adjustment of the switching temperature. Additional Sr doping has been introduced by the Justus Liebig University Giessen to overcome the drawback of yellow-brownish color impression of the ternary VWO2.
In the course of the project »IntelVanaGlas«, the coating technology for VWSrO2 will be extended from laboratory scale to large-scale coating. We report on the project progress including the transition from laboratory scale rf-sputter deposition to large scale applicable DC sputter deposition, optical emission spectroscopy for process control and seed layer incorporation to promote proper Vanadium dioxide growth at lowered substrate temperature. Furthermore, the integration of additional dielectric layers for optimized optical properties will be discussed.
Thermochromic Smart Window for Optimized Solar Heat Management: From Lab to Pilot-Scale Production
With constantly progressing climate change and global warming, we face the challenge to reduce our energy consumption and CO2 emission. In Europe, more than 1/3 of our total energy consumption results from buildings, where more than 30% of energy loss is due to dated inefficient windows. Here we present our development of the SunSmart thermochromic smart window for optimized solar heat management in buildings in continental and oceanic climates. Our proprietary smart window combines high visible transmission of up to 75% with high solar modulation of up to 23%. The material autonomously changes its solar heat transmission at a temperature around 21°C and transitions from an infrared transparent to blocking state, whilst staying fully transparent in the visible. In an optimized IGU this leads to a change in G value of up to 13% between the cold and the hot state. The use of the newly developed smart window can lead to annual energy and cost savings of approximately 1000 kWh and 20 €/m2 glass (500 € per year) for an average household in the Netherlands. The thermochromic technology is complementary to current low-e coatings and can be implemented in regular windows and frames without additional requirements for special installations like wiring. In addition to optical performance and impact on energy, cost and CO2 emission savings, we present the first 1 x 1 m2 demonstrator installed in a test building with monitoring of the thermochromic performance in real environment. Furthermore, we present the scale up of the thermochromic coating to 1 m2 glass plates within our newly established pilot line for liquid coating deposition using an industrial washing machine, an industrial roller coater and a specially designed furnace. Lastly, we give an outlook on application via a 2.5 m width roller coater and next steps towards commercialization of the new smart window.
Keynote: Refractive Index Modification of Glass Surfaces for Datacom, Sensing and Quantum Packaging
Refractive Index Modification of Glass Surfaces for Datacom, Sensing and Quantum Packaging
The Fraunhofer IZM utilizes ion exchange processes to modify the refractive index of large panel glass substrates through the incorporation of silver ions. This allows for the integration of optical waveguides, as well as other optical components with multiple functionalities. The components and their combination in complex layouts generate functionalized glass substrates for a wide range of applications in the fields of datacom, sensors, and quantum packaging. In this presentation the ion-exchange processes are shown and the impact on the refractive index is demonstrated. Some of the components that can be created are then presented and shown how they can be used in the various applications. Finally, promising future applications of glass substrates are discussed.
Invited: Enhancing Augmented Reality: Flexible Production of Slanted Surface Relief Gratings (SRG) with Ion Beam Technology
Optical gratings, especially surface relief gratings (SRG), are becoming ever-important, with applications ranging from laser mirrors to mixed and augmented reality (MR/AR) devices. In particular, slanted surface relief gratings are essential as in- and out-couplers of light into the waveguide to produce lightweight near-eye AR displays. They allow to suppress higher diffraction orders, maximize light yield, and achieve a wide field of view. The pattern can either be etched directly into the waveguide by reactive ion beam etching (RIBE) or be produced through nano-imprint lithography (NIL). NIL requires the production of a master stamp with defined grating properties. Reactive ion beam trimming (RIBT) is a suitable technology for producing master stamps as it adds additional degrees of freedom, such as varying the slant angle over the substrate or the etching depth over the whole sample. Furthermore, it is shown how the shape of the slanted grating can be improved by applying different process parameters.
Sputtered Optical Coatings for Sensor Applications in Adaptive Automotive Headlights
With an increasing degree of automation in mobility, the demands on the sensors and the number of sensors in the vehicle are steadily increasing. For sensor integration and combination an efficiently manufacturable compound system including LiDAR, radar and lighting system has been designed. The challenge of the system development was to balance functional aspects and external design requirements for the integration into the headlight.
In the pilot project “Smart Headlight” of the PREAPRE program of the Fraunhofer Society the Fraunhofer institutes FEP, IOF, ILT, IMS and FHR will prove the integration of such a sensor-lighting combination into automotive headlights under shared coaxial decoupling in driving direction.
The optical system consists of two combiner components. Their four surfaces are coated to control the requirements of the sensor and lighting systems regarding their needed transmittance and reflectance covering a wavelength range between the nanometer scale [visible (VIS), infrared (IR)] and millimeter scale [radar wavelengths] under a broad range of angles of incidence. Multilayer optical interference coatings for this specific functionality are designed and manufactured at FEP Dresden.
The development of the thin film designs must consider for example the balance between a high reflecting band for coupling the LiDAR and an antireflective function for the transmittance of the lighting system in the VIS – both in directly neighbored wavelength ranges. A second combiner component must couple the radar signals and simultaneously provide low-loss transmission of lighting and LiDAR spectral range. The beam-shaping functionality for the radar system is realized by laser structuring of the radar-facing multilayer reflector.
A similar principle of structuring conductive coating materials in optical multilayer systems can also be interesting for the optimization of architectural windows regarding mobile radio waves.
Practical aspects of these design developments and the manufacturing process of the sputtered coatings will be presented.