Micro-structure transfer system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10978327-B2
Application number	US-201616332147-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2016
Priority date	Oct 10, 2016
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

A micro-structure transfer system may include a printhead and a pressure control device to control a pressure of fluid coupled with the printhead. The pressure control device forms a meniscus of fluid at a number of nozzles defined within the printhead to pick up a number of micro-structures. A printhead for transferring micro-structures includes a number of fluid chambers, a number of nozzles defined in an orifice plate through which fluid may exit the chambers, and a pressure control device to control a pressure of fluid within each of the chambers. The pressure control device forms a meniscus of the fluid at a number of nozzles defined within the printhead to pick up a number of micro-structures.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A micro-structure transfer system comprising:
a testing device to test micro-structures on a wafer to produce wafer map information defining operability of each of the micro-structures;
a printhead; and
a pressure control device to control a pressure of fluid coupled with the printhead;
wherein the pressure control device is to form a meniscus of fluid at a number of nozzles defined within the printhead to pick up a number of micro-structures; and
wherein the pressure control device is to handle the number of micro-structures based on the wafer map information.

2. The micro-structure transfer system of claim 1 , wherein the printhead further comprises a number of fluid ejection elements to selectively deposit at least some of the micro-structures on a target substrate by ejecting the fluid through the nozzles.

3. The micro-structure transfer system of claim 2 , wherein the micro-structure transfer system deposits the micro-structures on the target substrate based on a pixel pitch defining a position of the micro-structures on the target substrate.

4. The micro-structure transfer system of claim 2 , wherein the fluid election elements are selectively actuated, with the pressure control device, to form the meniscus at the number of nozzles.

5. The micro-structure transfer system of claim 1 , wherein the pressure control device comprises a number of pumps, a number of resistive elements, or combinations thereof to form the meniscus.

6. The micro-structure transfer system of claim 1 , wherein the micro-structure transfer system, based on the wafer map information,
actuates a number of actuators of the printhead to deposit functioning micro-structures on a target substrate; and
actuates the actuators to deposit inoperable micro-structures in a disposal area.

7. The micro-structure transfer system of claim 6 , wherein each of the actuators of the printhead are individually addressable to activate individual resistive elements based on the wafer map information.

8. The micro-structure transfer system of claim 1 , further comprising a carriage to move the printhead in at least two coordinate directions.

9. The micro-structure transfer system of claim 1 , wherein:
the printhead comprises a number of fluid chambers;
the number of nozzles are defined in an orifice plate of the printhead through which fluid may exit the chambers; and
the pressure control device is to control a pressure of fluid within each of the chambers; and
the pressure control device is operable to form a convex meniscus of fluid protruding from and exterior to a number of nozzles defined within the printhead to pick up the number of micro-structures.

10. The micro-structure transfer system of claim 9 , further comprising a number of actuators in each of the chambers to:
assist the pressure control device to form the meniscus; and
create pressure within the chambers to eject fluid from the chambers through the nozzles.

11. The micro-structure transfer system of claim 10 , wherein the actuators are individually selectively controlled to selectively place the micro-structures along a length of a target substrate.

12. The micro-structure transfer system of claim 1 , wherein the pressure control device, based on the wafer map information, is operable to not form a meniscus at a nozzle that corresponds to an inoperable micro-structure on the wafer such that the inoperable micro-structure is left on the wafer when other, operable micro-structures are picked from the wafer by other nozzles having a meniscus.

13. The micro-structure transfer system of claim 1 , wherein the pressure control device is operable to form a convex meniscus of fluid protruding from and exterior to each of the number of nozzles defined within the printhead to pick up the number of micro-structures.

14. A method of transferring micro-structures comprising:
with a pressure control device of a printhead, controlling a pressure of fluid within a number of fluid channels defined in the printhead to form a meniscus of the fluid protruding from a number of nozzles defined in the printhead; and
picking a number of micro-structures from a wafer via the meniscus using adhesive forces between the fluid and the micro-structure.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising actuating a number of actuators of the printhead to deposit the micro-structures on a target substrate.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising, with the printhead, disposing of deficient micro-structures.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the pressure control device utilizes a number of pumps, the actuators, or combinations thereof to form the meniscus.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
testing the micro-structures at the wafer to produce wafer map information defining operability of each of the micro-structures; and
based on wafer map information, actuating a number of actuators of the printhead to deposit the micro-structures in a disposal area.

19. The method of claim 14 , further comprising picking a first number of the micro-structures from the wafer based on a pattern of the micro-structures to be formed on a target substrate and then picking a second number of the micro-structures from the wafer based on the pattern.

20. The method of claim 14 , wherein the micro-structures are Light Emitting Diodes.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Ge Ning
• Chang Ya-Ling
• Holder Helen A

Classifications

• H10P72/3202

  Mechanical details, e.g. rollers or belts · CPC title

• H10P72/0616

  Monitoring of warpages, curvatures, damages, defects or the like · CPC title

• H10P72/3212 Primary

  the substrates to be conveyed not being semiconductor wafers or large planar substrates, e.g. chips or lead frames · CPC title

• G03F7/161 Primary

  using a previously coated surface, e.g. by stamping or by transfer lamination · CPC title

• B41J2/14016

  Structure of bubble jet print heads · CPC title