Midsummer DUO series deposition tool features an unbroken vacuum chain design, which reduces the chances of contamination in an inline process
This tool has a cycle time of 20 seconds
The order is valued at $25.5 million
Sweden-based supplier of a turnkey thin-film solar cell production line, Midsummer, has received a follow-up order from a domestic CIGS cell maker, to whom it had previously delivered an initial order in May 2025.
The company says that the order includes the supply and installation of its DUO series vacuum-based deposition tool, along with after-sales service and personnel training. This tool, designed to deposit thin films of target materials onto pre-punched thin stainless substrates (156 × 156 mm), uses the sputtering method without breaking the vacuum chain. The company states that this design (unbroken vacuum chain) reduces the risk of contamination during fabrication. Its clean-room environment requirements are also less stringent than conventional peers, reducing capital expenditure (CapEx). The substrate passes through up to 25 process chambers to stack multiple layers of a cell within 20 seconds (cycle time). The company’s datasheet says that the tool, measuring 6.4 × 2.9 × 2.2 m (L × W × H), offers an annual throughput of 5 MW. On the utility side, it consumes a maximum power of 81 kW.
In techno-commercial terms, this order is valued at $25.5 million, which will largely be recognized in the company’s 2026 revenues, while the peripheral tools, such as substrate cleaning, screen printing, characterization, and sorting, are excluded. The company notes that the May 2025 order has been fulfilled, with its equipment having reached its destination.
