PLD4Energy
Pulsed Laser Deposition Lab for Energy Research (PLD4Energy)
The energy transition requires new materials for greening chemistry and transportation. Electrolyzers and fuel cells need more efficient electrodes and more robust membranes. Scarce materials call for everyday alternatives. PLD4Energy is a Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) facility for producing such thin film (and membrane) alternatives. It is tailored to research for energy applications. PLD4Energy has the right in-situ diagnostics to move from small to larger film areas in a controlled manner. The facility is surrounded by multiple materials characterization tools. It lends itself to fundamental research, as well as the next, essential step: actual implementation. Researchers and companies are welcome.
Infrastructure and User Services
PLD4Energy is a thin film deposition and (in-situ) characterization facility that consists of two deposition chambers for pulsed laser deposition (PLD) (up to 1” and 4” deposition area, respectively) and one chamber for sputtering (up to 4’’ deposition area). The PLD chambers are surrounded by in-situ diagnostics (e.g. residual gas analysis, x-ray and infrared analyses, optical emission spectroscopy) which allow to characterize the film growth process as well as the thin film itself, regarding thickness, composition, structure, etc. The uniqueness of the facility is that one laser is used for both deposition chambers, so that upscaling and materials screening can be investigated; novel in-situ diagnostics for PLD will complement the facility. Next to the PLD facility itself, multiple materials characterization tools are available in the lab to realize full processing and characterization, such as microscopes, diffractometer, spectrometer.
Service to users: PLD4Energy is built as a user facility with different modes of usage envisaged – self-user, assisted-user, technician-usage. For all modes of usage, the users will be supported by DIFFER personnel, training, etc. Users can make use of all equipment of PLD4Energy as well as the surrounding materials characterization tools. Data will be stored centrally and be shared with the users; the DIFFER CODAC system will facilitate this.
Examples/description of the type of research
PLD4Energy focuses on the deposition and characterization of thin films and coatings. Main focus will be on metal oxide and metal thin films. The facility enables research in the entire value chain from thin film deposition and growth, in-situ thin film characterization, up to component design and application.
Thin film deposition and growth studies include research on up-scaling which is still a limitation with PLD, on tailored processing for targeted materials structures and properties, and on materials screening for developing strategies for selection of complex metal oxide thin materials.
In-situ characterization includes research 1) with known in-situ characterization tools for new materials development and 2) with new in-situ characterization tools that will be developed and can be developed further towards standard add-on equipment.
Component design and application is enabled through the 4’’ feasibility of the entire infrastructure as well as the combination of PLD and sputtering which allows to fabricate multi-layers as well as integrated (micro-)structured structure. This allows to transfer small sample research to applied research in industrial scale demonstrators.
How to access the infrastructure ?
The main access mechanism is physical access. PLD4Energy is a physical facility where experiments will be carried out; the same holds for the surrounding materials characterization. The data that will be produced, will be stored according to DIFFER ICT guidelines. The CODAC system will give access to the users for their digital data. Analysis software will be available at respective computers at location. Depending on the licensing agreement of individual software, digital access to analysis software might be possible as well.