Application of APC solutions on coating plants in the photovoltaic industry

摘要

Within the last few years, photovoltaic industry developed enormously. Due to this, the complexity of almost all relevant processes increases. To prevent corresponding costs increasing, too, the concept of Equipment Engineering Systems (EES) is essential. Integrating applications like Advanced Process Control (APC) and FDC is fundamental to improve product yield and reduce manufacturing costs. Above all, the approach of APC has verified its potential to optimize and stabilize various processes in the semiconductor industry. Particularly, the coating process in coating plants like PECVD equipments becomes far more stable when an APC application is involved. Nevertheless, adapting APC solutions to relevant processes in photovoltaic factories still remains a huge challenge. Therefore, our main focus is on investigating the potentials to successfully transform already evaluated APC applications from the semiconductor industry to fit the photovoltaic industry's needs.