As an innovative and reliable partner of the photovoltaic and display industries we provide environmentally friendly structuring solutions for improved product performance and production speed.

1. An Easy to Use Approach to Thin Film Patterning:
The isishape™ Process Technology
Ingo Koehler, Senior Manager R&D, Structuring Solutions
LC Division, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt / Germany

2. Structuring Solutions
Strategic Intent:
As an innovative and
reliable partner of the
photovoltaic
and display industries
we provide
environmentally friendly
structuring solutions
for improved product
performance and
production speed.
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 2

3. Table of Contents
1 MOTIVATION
2 TECHNOLOGY & PROCESSES
3 CONCEPT & PERFORMANCE
4 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
5 SUMMARY & CLOSING REMARKS
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 3

4. One Thing In Common……
Monitors OLEDs • Layer structuring of
TVs semiconductors,
passivation-, AR-
coatings, TCOs
LCD TVs • Sometimes
Solar cells selectively!
(no impact to the
Touch layer underneath)
Panels
Flexible
Displays
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 4

5. Possibilities of Structuring
Photo Lithography
• Apply of Photoresist isishape
• Exposure (special Layout) Hiper Etch™ & SolarEtch™
• Developing EASY & FAST
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
• Rinsing
• Etching
• Screen printing / Dispensing
• Rinsing
• Heating
minus 50%
• Stripping
• Cleaning Screen printing / Dispensing
• Drying
• Drying Cleaning minus 63%
Drying
isishape™ PROCESSES
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 5

6. Table of Contents
1 MOTIVATION
2 TECHNOLOGY & PROCESSES
3 CONCEPT & PERFORMANCE
4 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
5 SUMMARY & CLOSING REMARKS
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 6

7. The isishape™ structuring process
Screen Cleaning Structured
Substrate Heating
Print & Drying Substrate
EASY, FAST & ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 7

8. Printing Step: Screen Printing
Screen Printer
Application Laboratory Darmstadt Key Features
• Using regular screen printer
(low investment)
• Wet film height: 5-40µm
• Non-aggressive formulation
(no Cl2, no HF)
• Common acid resistance screens
(stainless steel or polymer)
• Safe working environment
• Excellent cleaning of equipment
Just print your “etch structure” on … and screens with water
Formulation for other printing techniques available
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 8

9. Etching Step: Heating
Laboratory: Hot Plate Production: Belt Furnace
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 9

10. Cleaning Step: Rinsing
CLEANING WITHOUT ORGANIC DETERGENT
• DI water only
• According to requirements:
a) Spray nozzle
b) Ultra Sonic bath
c) Rinse water neutralisation
by
1N KOH
(17ml per 1litre DI water) Carbon filter
…or combinations
Rotary pump
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 10

11. Table of Contents
1 MOTIVATION
2 TECHNOLOGY & PROCESSES
3 CONCEPT & PERFORMANCE
4 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
5 SUMMARY & CLOSING REMARKS
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 11

12. isishape™ Concept
PRINTABLE STRUCTURING SOLUTIONS
Functional and Semiconductors
TCO Layers (wafers and layers) Metal Layers
Antireflective Layers
ITO SiO2 c-Si Al
IZO SiNx a-Si Ag
AZO The chemical concept enables selective etching of layer systems.
Other structuring solutions upon request.
ZnO
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 12

13. Selectivity is Possible
• Different pastes used
SiO2 Metal
Printing ITO
Substrate
SiO2 Metal
Heating ITO
Substrate
SiO2 Metal
ITO
Cleaning Substrate
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 13

14. isishape HiperEtch™ 04S
130 nm ITO / GLASS Key Features
• Screen-printable Paste
• ITO etching at 100-180°C (oven)
• smallest line width <40 µm on 130 nm
crystalline ITO thickness
40µm
• Excellent cleaning of ITO glass and
screens with water
• Very low concentrations of organic
Screen: stainless steel
compounds and etchant in water after
350 mesh, 16 µm wire diameter,
rinsing
5 µm emulsion thickness • Environmentally friendly process
Pattern: 25 µm
Etching: on hot plate at 170°C, for 180 sec (no HF, no Cl2)
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 14

15. isishape HiperEtch™ 04S
130 nm ITO / GLASS Key Features
• Screen-printable Paste
• ITO etching at 100-150°C (oven)
• smallest line width <70 µm on 280 nm
amorphous ITO thickness
• Excellent cleaning of ITO glass and
screens with water
270 nm ITO / PLASTIC
• Very low concentrations of organic
Screen: stainless steel
compounds and etchant in water after
250 mesh, 25 µm wire diameter,
rinsing
20 µm emulsion thickness • Environmentally friendly process
Pattern: 60 µm
Etching: on hot plate at 140°C, for 180 sec (no HF, no Cl2)
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 15

16. Surface Profile of Structured ITO
• ITO – Structuring on Plastic Substrate
– isishape HiperEtch™ 09S Etching at 140°C, for 180 sec on hotplate
– 50 µm line width / 5-6µm shoulder
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 16

17. isishape HiperEtch™ 06S
Key Features
145 nm Al / PLASTIC
• Screen-printable Paste
• AL etching at 100-150°C (oven)
• smallest line width <50 µm
on 100-300 nm Al thickness
50µm • Excellent cleaning of ITO glass and
screens with water
• Very low concentrations of organic
Screen: stainless steel
compounds and etchant in water after
300 mesh, 20 µm wire diameter,
rinsing
15 µm emulsion thickness • Environmentally friendly process
Pattern: 75 µm
Etching: oven at 120°C, for 120 sec (no HF, no Cl2)
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 17

18. isishape SolarEtch™ BES
80nm PE-CVD SiNx Key Features
on textured c-Si • Screen-printable Paste
• SiNx etching at 280-380°C
• smallest line width 80 µm on textured
surface
• Very good line definition after etching
• Excellent cleaning of wafers with 0.1%
KOH solution in water (cleaning without
detergent)
Screen: stainless steel
• Very low concentrations of organic
280 mesh, 25 µm wire diameter,
compounds and etchant in water after
19 µm emulsion thickness rinsing
Pattern: 80 µm
Etching: on hot plate at 350°C, for 120 sec • Environmentally friendly process
(no HF, no Cl2)
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 18

19. isishape SolarEtch™ BES
Diameter: 54µm
80nm SiNx on shiny etched Si 80nm SiNx on dg c-Si
Screen: stainless steel
300 mesh, 20 µm wire diameter,
20 µm emulsion thickness
Pattern: 30 / 40 µm
Etching: on hot plate at 350°C, for 120 sec
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 19

20. isishape SolarEtch™ BRS
120nm SiO2 on c-Si Key Features
• Screen-printable Paste
• Fast etching process for thermal
grown SiO2
• smallest line width 100 µm
110 µm
• Very good line definition after etching
• ≈30 seconds at 20°C for 100nm SiO2
• Maximum etch depth of 250nm SiO2
• Excellent cleaning for wafers and
Screen: stainless steel screens with water
250 mesh, 25 µm wire diameter,
19 µm emulsion thickness • Very low concentrations of organic
Pattern: 100 µm compounds and etchant in water after
Etching: at room temperature, for 30 sec rinsing
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 20

21. isishape SolarEtch™ SiD
Dispenser
Dispenser
Application Laboratory Darmstadt
Key Features
Application Laboratory Darmstadt
• Contactless process with dispensing
• Silicon etching at 200-250°C (oven)
• smallest line width 300 µm on Silicon
• Excellent cleaning of wafer and screen
with water
• Easy in-line integration
• Low investment costs
• No need for screens and stencils
• Very flexible for R&D and production
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 21

22. isishape SolarEtch™ SiD
401 601 801 1001 1
Width: 400 µm
Depth:2.7 µm
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 22

23. Table of Contents
1 MOTIVATION
2 TECHNOLOGY & PROCESSES
3 CONCEPT & PERFORMANCE
4 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
5 SUMMARY & CLOSING REMARKS
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 23

24. The isishape™
Structuring Process
Exhaust
Into air without
any treatment
Screen Heating Cleaning Structured
Substrate
Print & Drying Substrate
Waste water
& Filters
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 24

25. Cross flow filtration for rinse water
(as one possible process)
+ KOH for
keeping pH Fresh Rinse Water
pH
Cross Flow Filter
Rotary Pump
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 25

26. Waste Water Analysis Results
isishape HiperEtch™ 04S
100mg PASTE PER
SUBSTRATE
30 2 litre TAP WATER FOR
RINSING
25 COD
24 BOD
20
mg per litre
CROSS FLOW FILTRATION
(Pall Module UNP-1003 CROSS FLOW FILTRATION
15 PVDF; Pore size 100 kD) (Pall Module UNP-1003
PVDF; Pore size 100 kD)
plus Ionic exchange or
10 Osmose water treatment.
9
5 6
3 2 1
0
UNTREATED WASTE CROSS FLOW CROSS FLOW +
WATER FILTRATED WASTE OSMOSE FILTRATED
WATER WASTE WATER
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 26

27. Table of Contents
1 MOTIVATION
2 TECHNOLOGY & PROCESSES
3 CONCEPT & PERFORMANCE
4 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
5 SUMMARY & CLOSING REMARKS
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 27

28. Summary Display
isishape HiperEtch™ concept
shows many advantages in display applications:
⊚ Excellent processing
⊚ Standard equipment for printing, etching and rinsing
⊚ Very good line resolution (down to 40 µm)
⊚ Low material consumption
⊚ Fast etching rate (100 nm /minute)
⊚ Environmentally friendly
⊚ Very low organic concentration in rinse water
⊚ Easy cleaning without organic detergent
⊚ isishape HiperEtch™ products contain no fluoride
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 28

29. Summary Solar
isishape SolarEtch™ concept
shows many advantages in Solar Cell production:
⊚ Excellent processing
⊚ Standard equipment for printing, etching and rinsing
⊚ Improved paste spreading + Very good line resolution
(down to 80 µm SiNx on textured Si front side)
⊚ Low material consumption
⊚ Fast etching rate (100 nm [SiNx] – 1 µm /minute [Si])
⊚ Environmentally friendly
⊚ Very low organic concentration in rinse water
⊚ Easy cleaning without organic detergent
⊚ isishape™ products contain no fluoride (except BRS)
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 29

30. Final Remark / Q&A Session
ST
RU
CT
UR
IN
G
SO
LU
TI O
NS
EASY - FAST - ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
WE WILL SUPPORT YOUR SUCCESS
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 30

31. xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 31

32. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.
xx/xx/xxxx Editor: Presentation name here Page 32