Increasingly, coating processes in photovoltaics, for semi-conductors and also for other products in glass or metal, require vacuum conditions or inert gases. Infrared emitters transfer energy without contact and are consequently ideal heat sources for vacuum processes. It is of great advantage if the infrared system is precisely matched to the vacuum application. Heraeus Noblelight has created a vacuum test chamber in its in-house Application Centre in Kleinostheim. Since its foundation, the test centre has helped to allow infrared emitters to be matched precisely to product and process. In-house tests keep track, in a targeted manner, of the influences of vacuum conditions on infrared heat; they allow customers to investigate their materials and processes more precisely, so that they can design infrared systems of maximum efficiency.
The ambient atmosphere can influence the efficiency of the infrared radiation, so tests in conditions as near to those met in practice as possible are helpful:
- Pressures of 1000 mbar up to 10-6 mbar can be generated according to customer requirements.
- Short wave infrared emitters or medium wave Carbon Infrared (CIR) emitters can be used. to heat the materials either directly in the chamber or via a quartz glass sheathing tube.
- Tests are recorded by computer with the aid of temperature sensors and are evaluated in collaboration with the customer.
The color and the type of the material and the color and the thickness of the coating, as well as the required temperature and drying time all affect the design of the heating process. Even with innovative coatings and new materials, tests are very much worthwhile to ensure that systems are designed and built in the most energy-efficient ways possible.
