Transferring viscous materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12414241-B2
Application number	US-202117923258-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2021
Priority date	May 12, 2020
Publication date	Sep 9, 2025
Grant date	Sep 9, 2025

Abstract

A method and device are described to transfer a viscous functional material onto a receiving substrate. A plate is provided having a cavity surface that includes a cavity. A plurality of individually addressable resistive heater elements are provided that are in thermal contact with respective zones of the cavity. Viscous functional material is provided in the cavity with a material composition that, when sufficiently heated, generates a gas at an interface between the cavity surface in the cavity and the functional material, to transfer the functional material from the cavity by the gas generation onto the receiving substrate. Respective portions of the viscous functional material in respective zones of the cavity are heated by supplying respective ones of the plurality of individually addressable heater elements with an electric power having a respective time dependent magnitude.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A transfer device for transferring of a functional material, onto a receiving substrate, the device comprising:
a plate having a donor surface that includes at least one donor area that is formed as a cavity in the donor surface and that is filled with the functional material, the functional material being one selected from the group consisting of: an electric conductor, an electric insulator, a thermal conductor and a thermal insulator, and wherein the functional material has a viscosity of at least 50 Pa·s and a material composition that, when sufficiently heated, generates a gas at an interface between the donor area surface in the donor area and the functional material, to transfer the functional material from the at least one donor area by the gas generation onto the receiving substrate;
a plurality of individually addressable resistive heater elements, each of the individually addressable resistive heater elements being in thermal contact with a respective zone of the cavity forming the at least one donor area; and
control circuitry configured to supply an electric power having a respective time dependent magnitude to respective ones of the plurality of individually addressable resistive heater elements,
wherein the resistive heater elements are arranged in a heater matrix comprising:
a first set of powerlines arranged in a first planar direction of the plate, and
a second set of powerlines arranged in a second planar direction transverse to the first planar direction; and

wherein respective heater elements are electrically connected to respective pairs of a powerline of the first set and a powerline of the second set.

2. The transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the functional material has a viscosity of at most 1000 Pa·s.

3. The transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the resistive heater elements are of a material with a negative temperature coefficient or are varistor heater elements.

4. A transfer device for transferring of a functional material, onto a receiving substrate, the device comprising:
a plate having a donor surface that includes at least one donor area that is formed as a cavity in the donor surface and that is filled with the functional material, the functional material being one selected from the group consisting of: an electric conductor, an electric insulator, a thermal conductor and a thermal insulator, and wherein the functional material has a viscosity of at least 50 Pa·s and a material composition that, when sufficiently heated, generates a gas at an interface between the donor area surface in the donor area and the functional material, to transfer the functional material from the at least one donor area by the gas generation onto the receiving substrate;
a plurality of individually addressable resistive heater elements, each of the individually addressable resistive heater elements being in thermal contact with a respective zone of the cavity forming the at least one donor area; and
control circuitry configured to supply an electric power having a respective time dependent magnitude to respective ones of the plurality of individually addressable resistive heater elements,
wherein the control circuitry is configured to supply the electric power in a plurality of heating cycles,
wherein the control circuitry, during mutually different phases within a heating cycle, provides a respective one of at least a subset of the plurality of individually addressable heater elements with an electric power,
wherein the electric energy provided within a single phase is below a threshold value at which a transfer of the functional material occurs, and the total amount of electric energy provided in the plurality of heating cycles exceeds the threshold value.

5. The transfer device according to claim 4 , wherein the functional material has a viscosity of at most 1000 Pa·s.

6. The transfer device according to claim 4 , wherein the resistive heater elements are arranged in a heater matrix comprising:
a first set of powerlines arranged in a first planar direction of the plate, and
a second set of powerlines arranged in a second planar direction transverse to the first planar direction; and
wherein respective heater elements are electrically connected to respective pairs of a powerline of the first set and a powerline of the second set.

7. The transfer device according to claim 6 , wherein the resistive heater elements are of a material with a negative temperature coefficient or are varistor heater elements.

8. A transfer device for transferring of a functional material, onto a receiving substrate, the device comprising:
a plate having a donor surface that includes at least one donor area that is formed as a cavity in the donor surface and that is filled with the functional material, the functional material being one selected from the group consisting of: an electric conductor, an electric insulator, a thermal conductor and a thermal insulator, and wherein the functional material has a viscosity of at least 50 Pa·s and a material composition that, when sufficiently heated, generates a gas at an interface between the donor area surface in the donor area and the functional material, to transfer the functional material from the at least one donor area by the gas generation onto the receiving substrate;
a plurality of individually addressable resistive heater elements, each of the individually addressable resistive heater elements being in thermal contact with a respective zone of the cavity forming the at least one donor area; and
control circuitry configured to supply an electric power having a respective time dependent magnitude to respective ones of the plurality of individually addressable resistive heater elements,
wherein the transfer device is configured to move the plate and the receiving substrate relative to each other while in the process of transferring functional material from the at least one donor area, a first portion thereof already adheres to the receiving substrate while another portion thereof remains adhered to the plate surface in the donor area.

9. The transfer device according to claim 8 , wherein the functional material has a viscosity of at most 1000 Pa·s.

10. The transfer device according to claim 8 , wherein the resistive heater elements are arranged in a heater matrix comprising:
a first set of powerlines arranged in a first planar direction of the plate, and
a second set of powerlines arranged in a second planar direction transverse to the first planar direction; and
wherein respective heater elements are electrically connected to respective pairs of a powerline of the first set and a powerline of the second set.

11. The transfer device according to claim 10 , wherein the resistive heater elements are of a material with a negative temperature coefficient or are varistor heater elements.

12. A transfer device for transferring of a functional material, onto a receiving substrate, the device comprising:
a plate having a donor surface that includes at least one donor area that is formed as a cavity in the donor surface and that is filled with the functional material, the functional material being one selected from the group consisting of: an electric conductor, an electric insulator, a thermal conductor and a thermal insulator, and wherein the functional material has a viscosity of at least 50 Pa·s and a material composition that, when sufficiently heated, generates a gas at an interface between the donor area surface in the donor area and the functional material, to transfer the functional material from the at least one donor area by the gas generation onto the receiving substrate;

Assignees

• TNO

Inventors

• Hendriks Rob Jacob
• Bruning Fabien Bernard Jacques

Classifications

• H05K2203/1105

  Heating or thermal processing not related to soldering, firing, curing or laminating, e.g. for shaping the substrate or during finish plating · CPC title

• H05B2203/019

  Heaters using heating elements having a negative temperature coefficient · CPC title

• H05B2203/005

  using multiple resistive elements or resistive zones isolated from each other · CPC title

• H05B3/22

  non-flexible · CPC title

• H05B1/0244

  Heating of fluids (H05B1/0247 takes precedence) · CPC title