PFI:AIR - TT: Technology Translation of Discoveries in Computational Modeling to Advance Thin Film Manufacturing

该PFI：AIR技术翻译项目的重点是将工业规模过程系统的热计算建模转化为商业应用，以便对薄膜和光伏（PV）行业中使用的薄膜特性和工艺进行预测性理解。这种计算模拟方法很重要，因为薄膜沉积是许多行业的支柱，包括薄膜PV、半导体、平板显示器、LED激光制造等。该项目将导致计算建模的概念验证，以推进薄膜制造。这些计算模拟方法将包括热方面以及蒸汽物质的产生、传输和沉积。这将为薄膜行业带来精确的计算模拟工程，并带来显著的经济效益。通过将热、蒸汽和薄膜生长纳入一个模型，这种方法比目前使用的不太复杂的方法有了显著的进步。 该项目由科罗拉多州立大学的工业/大学合作研究中心（I/UCRC）下一代光化学中心（NGPV）的成员参与。这是一个由NSF支持的行业驱动的联盟。此外，直接太阳能（能源部-STTR赠款）将帮助这一技术翻译工作从研究发现走向商业现实。 该项目解决了以下技术差距，因为它从研究发现转化为商业应用;这些包括开发用于预测薄膜厚度，薄膜均匀性和微观结构的方法。这些将通过实验验证。本论文将研究薄膜CdTe光致变色材料（PV）及其它薄膜的沉积。将理解这些材料的薄膜形成的物理学。这项研究的基础是我们小组已经完成的许多工业规模系统的热建模。工业硬件的精确几何形状被建模，并且通过计算预测的所得温度分布在实验测量的+/-2%以内。 潜在的经济影响预计将在未来2-5年内达到7.5亿美元的市场，这将有助于提高美国在关键模拟，薄膜和光伏行业的竞争力。

This PFI: AIR Technology Translation project focuses on translating thermal computational modeling of industrial scale process systems to commercial application in order to enable a predictive understanding of thin film properties and processes used in thin film and photovoltaic (PV) industries. This computational simulation approach is important because thin film deposition is the backbone for many industries including thin film PV, semiconductor, flat panel display, LED laser manufacturing and others. The project will result in a proof of concept of computational modeling to advance thin film manufacturing. These computational simulation methods will include thermal aspects as well as generation, transport and deposition of vapor species. This will bring accurate computational simulation engineering to the thin film industry and lead to significant economic benefits. By including thermal, vapor and film growth into one model, this approach is a significant advancement over the less sophisticated approaches currently in use. The project engages the members of Colorado State University's Industry / University Corporative Research Center (I/UCRC) Next Generation Photovoltaics Center (NGPV). This is an NSF supported industry driven consortium. In addition, Direct Solar (DOE-STTR Grantee) will aid in this technology translation effort from research discovery toward commercial reality. This project addresses the following technology gap(s) as it translates from research discovery toward commercial application; these include developing methods for the prediction of the film thickness, film uniformity and microstructure. These will then be verified experimentally. The deposition of thin film CdTe photovoltaics (PV) and other films will be studied. The physics of thin film formation of these materials will be understood. The foundation of this research is the thermal modeling of many industrial scale systems that have been completed by our group. The exact geometries of the industrial hardware are modeled and the resultant temperature distribution predicted by the computations is within +/- 2% of the experimental measurements. The potential economic impact is expected to be in a $750 million market in the next 2-5 years, which will contribute to the U.S. competitiveness in the critical simulation, thin film and PV industries.