Batteries
Imagine safer and more stable batteries with unrivalled range and fast charging. Superspatial ALD enables you to revolutionise battery performance.
The best spatial ALD technology for thin film coating
Spatial ALD technology has many benefits over conventional thin film deposition technologies, such as PVD, thermal CVD or PECVD. Think of perfect layers without defects or pinholes, with the highest level of control over layer composition. Think of high uniform and conformal layers on complex 3D structures. Think industrial-level throughput. However, low production speed and high costs prevented the industrial use of ALD as a coating method for thin film on large surface areas. Now, we have found a way to make the best and fastest technology for thin film coating commercially viable. We like to call it: Super spatial ALD.
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Super spatial ALD technology: 3D thinking
Super spatial ALD is here to solve all the issues that come with producing thin films of the highest quality and throughputs. Inspired by nature, we took a 3D view of the spatial ALD process and developed a new design to deposit thin layers on flexible substrates, which are moved as a helix through the machine. Wrapped around a central cilinder, the web is exposed to the different precursor gases via a rotating deposition head.
Our technology solves the challenge of current spatial ALD applications that require a large footprint. Something that often isn’t available in existing facilities. Compared to other spatial ALD applications, our helical design is the only solution that provides good gas separation, which is crucial for a constant process with low contamination and high uptimes.
ALD: the technology for high-quality thin films
So how does Superspatial ALD work? Superspatial ALD is based on the principles of Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). ALD is a coating method for thin films, growing the coating layer by layer of one atom thick. ALD provides superior coverage and conformal deposition with the precision of a single atom. In the ALD process, the substrate is exposed to alternating precursor gases in a vacuum chamber. Before releasing the next gas to the substrate, the chamber needs purging. Only then, the process can be repeated to build the coating one layer at a time. Its costly operational conditions and low throughputs and uptimes have been the reason that ALD is hard to make commercially viable.
To speed up the process, spatial ALD technology has been developed. Instead of placing the substrate in a chamber and pulsing alternating gasses, a substrate is exposed to the different precursor gasses in different locations, separated by flows of inert gas (nitrogen) and exhausts. This removes the need for a vacuum to control the precursor exposure, while the reactions take place at relatively low temperatures. However, in current applications spatial ALD requires a footprint that often isn’t available in existing facilities. Additionally, good gas separation is challenging but crucial in achieving a constant process with low contamination and high uptimes.
Complex multi-layers on a roll
The main component of our spatial ALD technology is the rotating deposition head. It consists of separate segments for each gas, preventing contamination by curtains of inert gas and exhausts in between. As the deposition head rotates around the web, it enables the deposition of complex multi-layers. The continuous roll-to-roll technology speeds up the production process even more, without taking up precious space in the production line.
Superspatial ALD preserves all the benefits of ALD: perfect layers without defects or pinholes with the highest level of control, while it improves throughput and uptime, and creates an affordable solution that can run continuously. Ultimately, Superspatial ALD is the technology for applying thin films that speeds up the current ALD process 1000x or more. Can you imagine what possibilities that offer your business?
Production-ready spatial ALD technology
Our Super spatial ALD equipment offers many benefits for your production line. Super spatial ALD is available for a wide range of web materials, at variable web widths. Our feeder and drawer modules are designed to handle a broad range of materials and foil widths in one machine. Our roll-to-roll deposition of complex multi-layers opens up all kinds of possibilities.
Quality layers
Layers from a few to several hundred nanometer of the highest quality and conformality.
High throughput
Roll-to-roll technology offers high throughputs and uptime.
Energy efficient
Operates at atmospheric pressure at low temperatures.
Easy integration
Flexible system with a small footprint.
Profitable
Unbeatable Total Cost of Ownership per m2 or square foot
Spark your imagination
Are you currently producing thin film material and interested in exploring the advantages of nano coating for your product? Discover how our thin film equipment can help you disrupt your sector and download the product sheet.
Discover our spatial ALD applications
Superspatial ALD makes spatial ALD technology commercially viable for a multitude of applications.
Learn more
Solar PV
Imagine challenges on stability and costs for scaled up production of flexible solar cells solved. Unleash the potential of organic and perovskite with Superspatial ALD.
OLED
Imagine large-area and next generation OLED screens manufactured at a low production price combined with long lifetime. Superspatial ALD is here to make that happen.
Packaging
Imagine extended shelf life of products thanks to packaging with high barrier properties, produced with high throughput and uptimes. Get it done with superspatial ALD thin films.
Frequently asked questions
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Atomic Layer Deposition is a thin film deposition technique that builds coatings atom-by-atom through sequential, self-limiting surface reactions. This enables precise control over film thickness and composition at nanoscale level, producing uniform, conformal, and pinhole-free layers, even on complex 3D structures.
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Traditional ALD is a temporal process where a substrate sits in a chamber while precursor gases are pulsed alternately with purge cycles. Spatial ALD takes a different approach by separating the precursor gases spatially rather than temporally. The substrate moves through different zones containing alternating precursor gases, separated by inert gas curtains and exhaust regions. This eliminates the need for time-consuming purge cycles and enables continuous, high-speed processing at atmospheric pressure
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Super spatial ALD is Kalpana Systems' proprietary spatial ALD technology featuring a unique 3D helical design. In this configuration, flexible substrates are wrapped around a central cylinder and moved in a helical path while being exposed to different precursor gases via a rotating deposition head. This design solves the large footprint challenge of conventional spatial ALD systems while maintaining excellent gas separation. This helps achieve low contamination, constant process conditions, and high uptimes.
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Effective gas separation between precursor zones is critical for preventing cross-contamination and ensuring consistent, high-quality film deposition. Poor gas separation leads to parasitic reactions, reduced process control, and lower equipment uptime. The helical design of super spatial ALD provides superior gas separation compared to planar spatial ALD configurations, enabling stable industrial-scale production.
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Super spatial ALD operates at relatively low temperatures, making it suitable for temperature-sensitive substrates such as flexible polymers, organic materials, and perovskite solar cells. This low-temperature capability expands the range of possible applications compared to thermal CVD or other high-temperature deposition methods. With a maximum process temperature of 150°C, super spatial ALD is less energy intensive than other thermal deposition methods, making it a sustainable and more cost-effective alternative.
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Spatial ALD can produce a wide range of thin film materials, primarily metal oxides, metals, and nitrides. Common materials include aluminum oxide (AlOx), titanium dioxide (TiOx), zinc oxide (ZnO), nickel oxide (NiO), Silicon Oxide (SiOx) zirconium oxide (ZrOx), and tin oxide (SnOx). The technology can also deposit metal nitrides such as well as organic materials. Beyond single materials, super spatial ALD enables the creation of multilayer structures, nanolaminate composites, and doped films by alternating different precursors during the process. This versatility allows the system to produce barrier layers, conductive layers, optical coatings, catalytic surfaces, and protective films tailored to specific application requirements.
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The technology accommodates different precursor chemistries and can be configured for specific material systems based on your application needs. Whether you require high-k dielectrics, transparent conductive oxides, electron or hole transport layers, or barrier coatings, the system can be optimized for the appropriate materials and process conditions.