Phive, An Overview

Institute of TechnologyTallaght

10 Sept 09

Fiachra Green

Confidential: ©Phive Plasma Technologies

Phive company background


• Phive was set up in 2006 to exploit a new configuration of plasma sources

for industrial uses.

• Plasma sources allow for the generation and control of low temperature

plasmas for the modification, etching and chemical deposition processes

on different materials

• This new plasma source technology has been developed by Dr Bert

Ellingboe in Dublin City University, a veteran of the Semi and flat panel

display business’s and extensively published in the field of plasma physics

• The CEO is Bernard Hensey, after a chance meeting with Bert, liked the

innovations and supported the start up

• Fiachra Green joined in 2008 after 16 years with Applied Materials

Technology - Plasma


Technology – how to generate Plasma


Gas mixture H2:SiH4RF

Showerhead

Substrate

Plasma

Heater

Pump

Exhaust

Technology – Where to use it


The Solar PV Industry• Why Pick Solar?

– Semi in the doldrums – next generation expected 2014-2016– Flat panels dominated by 1 Company– Fusion is later– Semi fabs being converted to solar factories– Solar is a fast growing industry 30% CAGR for a-Si last 15

years– Thin film Solar has a well defined problem which limits it ability

to be cost competitive with current electricity generation costs ($0.3-$0.4/kWh Vs $0.1/kWh)…

– …and Phive has a solution to the problem– Government sponsor, US, Japan, Europe


CleanTranspare

ntConductor

Laser PlasmaDeposition Laser Back

Contact Laser Assembly

Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition

• PECVD is used to apply a thin film of silicon on a substrate to make PV solar panels

©Phive Plasma Technologies


• Cost reduction is needed to meet grid parity and throughput is the major cost driver

• Silicon deposition rate is too slow and is the biggest factory throughput limiter today.

• The solution is to increase deposition rate by increasing RF Frequency

• This has its limitations, increasing frequency decreases the size of panel you can deposit onto...– Uni-solar= 3Å/s limited by frequency– Applied Materials = 3-6Å/s limited by

frequency– Oerlikon = 5-7Å/s limited by frequency– Phive = 12Å/s ~ 20Å/s unlimited by

frequency

The Problem

Going from 3 to 20 Å/s increase the Fab capacity from 30Mw to 100Mw

Phive

Competition

a-Si Solar PV production line


= $200M

= $140M

70MW

Plasma deposition equipment makes up ~70% of the capital costs of a thin film PV Solar manufacturing facility

With Phive Plasma Sources


= $137M

= $77M

70MW

Using Phive Technology Can reduces capex costs by 31% And will make a-Si solar cost competitive with grid rates

Products


We sell fully tested advanced plasma source modules that can be easily inserted into a new tool build or retrofitted to an existing tool

10%-20% of the value of a full PECVD tool market size of 2012 ~€250M

Patent Application Number

Patent Number Status

Family 1 Checkerboard Geometry

IE2005/0301 IES84503 Granted

US11/127,328 US7,342,361 Granted

PCT/EP06/062261

National PhaseCA,CN,EP,KR, JP & US

Family 2 Checkerboard Geometry

EP06123896 Search Report

PCT/EP07/062175

Responding to Citations

Family 3 Power Splitting

GB0806146.7 Search Report

US61/044,797 Provisional Application

Family 4 Washboard Geometry

GB0900411.0 Filed

R+D Roadmap


Solar 2007

Semi 2011

Fusion 2013

Summary

• Phive has developed hardware which allows plasma processing to occur at higher frequencies and larger areas than are currently available

• Phive plans to concentrate on the Solar PV market with planned product release in 2010-2011

• Will continue to develop its solar capability • Plan to be ready for Semi upturn in R&D 2011


Phive, An Overview

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