The coating of flexible substrates such as ultra-thin glass or web with functional layers is highly efficient thanks to the use of roll-to-roll (R2R) technologies. Crucial for plant operators and ultimately for the price is the coating thickness homogeneity and thus also the electrical properties of the applied coatings for a high and above all constant yield without rejects. Until now, the electrical properties of the coating could only be determined and analysed at defined measuring points. Within the joint project KODOS – Fabricated Thin Glass Composite for Optoelectronic Systems (funding reference 13N14607), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, an integrable solution for in-line process monitoring and mapping of process parameters was developed with the project partner SURAGUS GmbH at Fraunhofer FEP in Dresden, Germany.
Within the project “Backplane”, funded by the Saxon State Ministry of Economics, Labour and Transport SMWA (grant number: 100392259), a multicolour OLED microdisplay was realised by scientists of the Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP (Dresden, Germany). With the Saxon project partner digades GmbH, a finished optics module should be brought to market in the future.
The processing of ultra-thin glass requires specialised handling to avoid glass breakage during production. Until now, this has been a major obstacle for the entry of this innovative material into new applications. Therefore, a unique process chain for ultra-thin glass processing has been implemented at Fraunhofer FEP (Dresden, Germany): starting with adapted cleaning processes up to the final inspection. The results have been funded within the project CUSTOM (grant no. AiF 21708 BR) by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection BMWK and the project Glass4Flex (grant no. 13N14615) funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMBF.
