Method and apparatus for load-locked printing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12285945-B2
Application number	US-202418429872-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2024
Priority date	Jun 13, 2008
Publication date	Apr 29, 2025
Grant date	Apr 29, 2025

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for preventing oxidation or contamination during a circuit printing operation. The circuit printing operation can be directed to OLED-type printing. In an exemplary embodiment, the printing process is conducted at a load-locked printer housing having one or more of chambers. Each chamber is partitioned from the other chambers by physical gates or fluidic curtains. A controller coordinates transportation of a substrate through the system and purges the system by timely opening appropriate gates. The controller may also control the printing operation by energizing the print-head at a time when the substrate is positioned substantially thereunder.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for forming a film on a substrate, the method comprising:
transporting a substrate to a printhead region having an inert gas environment using gas floatation,
floating the substrate on a gas in the printhead region using a combination of pressure and vacuum; and
while floating the substrate in the printhead region:
moving the substrate in a first direction and moving at least one print-head in a second direction, the first and second directions being substantially orthogonal to each other,
controlling a float height of the substrate using pressure of the gas,
detecting a misalignment of the substrate,
printing a material on a surface of the substrate using the at least one print-head; and
using the detected misalignment to control printing the material on the surface of the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving the substrate at a inlet region, isolating the inlet region, and forming the inert gas environment prior to transporting the substrate to the printhead region.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, after transporting the substrate to the printhead region, isolating the printhead region.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transporting the substrate from the printhead region to an outlet region, wherein the printhead region and the outlet region are enclosed in a housing and separated by a partition.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising controlling a location of the substrate using the pressure and vacuum.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein using the detected misalignment to control printing the material comprises adjusting position of at least one of the print-head and the substrate based on the misalignment and adjusting print-head firing based on the misalignment.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein detecting the misalignment comprises determining a magnification misalignment, a translational misalignment, an angular misalignment, or a combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein detecting the misalignment comprises identifying an alignment target on the substrate using a camera.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising aligning the substrate along the first direction before printing the material on the substrate.

10. A method for forming a film on a substrate, the method comprising:
transporting a substrate to a printhead region having an inert gas environment using gas floatation,
floating the substrate on a gas in the printhead region using a combination of pressure and vacuum; and
while floating the substrate in the printhead region:
moving the substrate in a first direction and moving at least one print-head in a second direction, the first and second directions being substantially orthogonal to each other,
controlling a float height of the substrate using pressure of the gas,
detecting a misalignment of the substrate,
printing a material on a surface of the substrate using the at least one print-head; and
using the detected misalignment to control dispensing the material from the at least one print-head while printing the material on the surface of the substrate.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein printing the material on the surface of the substrate comprises printing the material in a pattern on the surface of the substrate.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the material is printed in a pattern on the surface of the substrate to form a display device.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the material comprises an organic material.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein detecting the misalignment comprises determining a magnification misalignment, a translational misalignment, an angular misalignment, or a combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein using the detected misalignment to control printing the material comprises adjusting position of at least one of the print-head and the substrate based on the misalignment to correct for the misalignment.

16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising controlling a location of the substrate using the pressure and vacuum.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein:
the at least one print-head comprises an energizing element to dispense the material from the at least one print-head, and
using the detected misalignment to control dispensing the material from the at least one print-head while printing the material on the surface of the substrate comprises activating the energizing element based on the misalignment.

18. A method for forming a film on a substrate, the method comprising:
transporting a substrate to a printhead region having an inert gas environment using gas floatation,
floating the substrate on a gas in the printhead region using a combination of pressure and vacuum; and
while floating the substrate in the printhead region:
moving the substrate in a first direction and moving at least one print-head in a second direction, the first and second directions being substantially orthogonal to each other,
controlling a float height of the substrate using pressure of the gas,
detecting a misalignment of the substrate,
printing a material on a surface of the substrate by activating an energizing element of the at least one print-head to dispense the material onto the surface of the substrate;
positioning the substrate based on the detected misalignment; and
activating the energizing element of the at least one print-head based on the detected misalignment.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising controlling a location of the substrate using the pressure and vacuum.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the material comprises an organic material.

Assignees

• Kateeva Inc

Inventors

• Somekh Sass
• Vronsky Eliyahu
• Madigan Conor F

Classifications

• H10P72/0466

  characterised by the construction of the load-lock chamber · CPC title

• H10P72/36

  using air tracks · CPC title

• B41J2/16523

  Waste ink transport from caps or spittoons, e.g. by suction (Collecting or collectors of waste ink B41J2/1721) · CPC title

• B41J2/16508

  connected with the printer frame · CPC title

• B41J2/315

  characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material (B41J2/385, B41J2/435 take precedence) · CPC title