AIXTRON SE, a supplier of deposition systems to the semiconductor industry, and Manz AG, a Reutlingen-based specialist engineering company, have agreed on a strategic cooperation. Both partners will be working on further developing solutions for use in efficient organic light-emitting diode (OLEDs) production, aiming to jointly exploit the opportunities offered by the future market for OLED technologies.

Within the cooperation, the partners will be developing a new system to demonstrate efficient organic layer deposition up to a substrate size of Gen8 (2,300 mm x 2,500 mm) based on AIXTRON’s patented OVPD process technology. The new demonstration system will for the first time enable the advantages offered by this technology to be outlined with regard to efficient production of organic light-emitting diodes for displays and lighting applications on an industrial scale and at a reasonable prize.

Manz will be contributing its extensive experience in purifying and handling large-scale glass substrates and in developing and manufacturing large vacuum systems. As the efficient organic layer deposition is considered a key step in the economically viable production of large-scale OLEDs, AIXTRON’s part in this cooperation will be to further develop its OVPD process technology. This way, it will be possible to manufacture extremely homogenous, easily scalable thin films with high material efficiency and deposition rates.

The new system will be assembled in the coming months in a clean room at AIXTRON. As well as demonstrating the proprietary OVPD process and its scalability for large substrates, a key focus will be the qualification of new components. Alongside reduced manufacturing costs, increased output is the prerequisite for achieving greater market penetration for OLED technology. This in turn requires the launch of more efficient production processes in conjunction with the use of large-format substrates.