Apparatus and Techniques for Electronic Device Encapsulation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016159113-A1
Application number	US-201615047458-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 18, 2016
Priority date	Jan 21, 2014
Publication date	Jun 9, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Apparatus and techniques for use in manufacturing a light emitting device, such as an organic light emitting diode (OLED) device can include using one or more modules having a controlled environment. The controlled environment can be maintained at a pressure at about atmospheric pressure or above atmospheric pressure. The modules can be arranged to provide various processing regions and to facilitate printing or otherwise depositing one or more patterned organic layers of an OLED device, such as an organic encapsulation layer (OEL) of an OLED device. In an example, uniform support for a substrate can be provided at least in part using a gas cushion, such as during one or more of a printing, holding, or curing operation comprising an OEL fabrication process. In another example, uniform support for the substrate can be provided using a distributed vacuum region, such as provided by a porous medium.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for providing a substrate coating, comprising:
transferring a substrate to an enclosed ink jet printing system, wherein the enclosed ink jet printing system is configured to deposit a patterned organic material in a deposition region over at least a portion of an active region of a light-emitting device fabricated upon the substrate; printing organic material over the deposition region of the substrate using the enclosed printing system; transferring the substrate with the patterned organic material deposited thereon to an enclosed curing module, wherein the enclosed curing module is configured to treat the organic material deposited on the substrate to form a solid organic film layer; supporting the substrate in the enclosed curing module using a pressurized gas cushion distributed between the substrate and a substrate support apparatus; and treating the organic material deposited on the substrate using the enclosed curing module to form a solid organic film layer.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising, after transferring the substrate into an enclosed ink jet printing system:
supporting the substrate in the enclosed printing system using a first pressurized gas cushion distributed between the substrate and a first substrate support apparatus; wherein supporting the substrate in the enclosed curing module comprises using a second pressurized gas cushion distributed between the substrate and a second substrate support apparatus.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein supporting the substrate using at least one of the first distributed pressurized gas cushion and the second distributed pressurized gas cushion suppresses mura on the formed solid organic film layer.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein supporting the substrate in at least one of the enclosed printing system and the enclosed curing module comprises forcing gas through a porous ceramic material to distribute the pressurized gas cushion used to support the substrate.

5 . The method of claim 2 , comprising establishing at least one of the first distributed pressurized gas cushion and the second distributed pressurized gas cushion using a non-reactive pressurized gas.

6 . The method of claim 2 , comprising establishing at least one of the first distributed pressurized gas cushion and the second distributed pressurized gas cushion using a combination of a pressurized non-reactive gas region and at least a partial vacuum region.

7 . The method of claim 2 , wherein supporting the substrate in at least one of the enclosed printing system and the enclosed curing module additionally comprises physically contacting the substrate with a support structure.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein physically contacting the substrate with the support structure is in an area corresponding to a region outside of the active region of the light-emitting device fabricated upon the substrate.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the support structure comprises at least one lift pin.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising while supporting the substrate in the enclosed curing module, retaining the substrate at a periphery of the substrate to restrict lateral translation of the substrate while supporting the substrate by the pressurized gas cushion.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein treating the organic material deposited on the substrate includes providing an ultraviolet treatment.

12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising holding the substrate in the enclosed curing module for a specified duration before treating the organic material on the substrate.

13 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising, after printing organic material over the deposition region of the substrate:
transferring the substrate with the patterned organic material deposited thereon from the enclosed inkjet printing system to an enclosed holding module; and holding the substrate for a specified duration in the enclosed holding module; wherein the transferring of the substrate with the patterned organic material deposited thereon to the enclosed curing module comprises transferring the substrate with the patterned organic material thereon from the holding module to the enclosed curing module.

14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising, after transferring the substrate to the enclosed holding module:
supporting the substrate in the enclosed holding module using a first pressurized gas cushion distributed between the substrate and a first substrate support apparatus; wherein supporting the substrate in the enclosed curing module comprises using a second pressurized gas cushion distributed between the substrate and a second substrate support apparatus.

15 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a controlled processing environment for each of the enclosed printing system and the enclosed curing module.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the controlled processing environments are maintained below specified limits of reactive gaseous species.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the reactive gaseous species are water vapor, ozone, and oxygen that are maintained below 100 parts-per-million for each species.

18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the controlled processing environments are maintained below specified limits of particulate contamination level.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the particulate contamination level is controlled at least in part using multiple fan filter units located along or nearby a path traversed by the substrate.

20 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the controlled processing environments are gas environments at or near atmospheric pressure.

21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the controlled gas environment is a non-reactive gas environment.

22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the non-reactive gas environment is maintained using nitrogen.

Assignees

• Kateeva Inc

Inventors

• Ko Alexander Sou-Kang
• Mauck Justin
• Vronsky Eliyahu
• Madigan Conor F
• Rabinovich Eugene
• Harjee Nahid
• Buchner Christopher
• Lewis Gregory

Classifications

• H10P72/3314

  Continuous loading and unloading into and out of a processing chamber, e.g. transporting belts within processing chambers · CPC title

• H10P72/0468

  comprising a chamber adapted to a particular process · CPC title

• H10P72/0462

  characterised by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers · CPC title

• H10P72/0461

  characterised by the presence of two or more transfer chambers · CPC title

• H10P72/0452

  characterised by the layout of the process chambers · CPC title