Method and apparatus for load-locked printing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9174433-B2
Application number	US-201313774683-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2013
Priority date	Jun 13, 2008
Publication date	Nov 3, 2015
Grant date	Nov 3, 2015

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 depositing an organic material on a substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving the substrate at an inlet chamber;
sealing the inlet chamber;
providing the inlet chamber with a substantially nitrogen environment;
floating the substrate using a gas bearing;
directing at least a portion of the substrate to a print-head chamber and, while floating the substrate using a combination of pressure and vacuum, discharging a quantity of the organic material from a discharge nozzle onto the portion of the substrate;
directing the substrate to an outlet chamber;
partitioning the print-head chamber from the outlet chamber; and
unloading the substrate from the outlet chamber.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising executing at least one intermediate processing step on the substrate before directing at least a portion of the substrate to the print-head chamber.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said at least one intermediate processing step comprises registering the substrate relative to a print-head of the print-head chamber.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein a conveying mechanism is used to carry out said step of directing the substrate.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said discharging step forms a patterned film on the substrate.

6. A method for depositing an organic material on a substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving the substrate at an inlet chamber;
sealing the inlet chamber;
providing the inlet chamber with a substantially chamber-gas environment, the chamber gas being substantially inert to the organic material;
floating the substrate using a gas bearing;
directing at least a portion of the substrate to a print-head chamber and, while floating the substrate using a combination of pressure and vacuum, discharging a quantity of the organic material from a discharge nozzle onto the portion of the substrate, forming a patterned film thereon;
directing the substrate to an outlet chamber; and,
unloading the substrate from the outlet chamber.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein said chamber gas comprises a substantially pure gas selected from the group consisting of clean dry air, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, helium, or any combination of the foregoing.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising executing at least one intermediate processing step on the substrate before directing at least a portion of the substrate to the print-head chamber.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said at least one intermediate processing step comprises registering the substrate relative to a print-head of the print-head chamber.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein a conveying mechanism is used to carry out said step of directing the substrate.

11. A method for depositing an organic material on a substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving the substrate at an inlet chamber;
sealing the inlet chamber;
providing the inlet chamber with a substantially inert-gas environment;
floating the substrate using a gas bearing;
directing at least a portion of the substrate to a print-head chamber and, while floating the substrate using a combination of pressure and vacuum, discharging a quantity of the organic material from a discharge nozzle onto the portion of the substrate, forming a patterned film thereon;
directing the substrate to an outlet chamber; and,
unloading the substrate from the outlet chamber.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising executing at least one intermediate processing step on the substrate before directing at least a portion of the substrate to the print-head chamber.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein said at least one intermediate processing step comprises registering the substrate relative to a print-head of the print-head chamber.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein a conveying mechanism is used to carry out said step of directing the substrate.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein said substantially inert-gas environment is comprised of nitrogen.

16. A method for depositing an organic material on a substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a housing comprising a plurality of chambers, including a first chamber, a second chamber, and a print-head chamber;
introducing the substrate into the housing;
providing at least one of the chambers with a substantially non-oxidizing environment;
floating the substrate in at least one of the chambers using a gas bearing;
directing at least a portion of the substrate to the print-head chamber and, while floating the substrate using a combination of pressure and vacuum, discharging a quantity of the organic material from a discharge nozzle onto the portion of the substrate;
directing the substrate away from the print-head chamber;
partitioning the print-head chamber from at least one of the other chambers; and
removing the substrate from the housing.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising executing at least one intermediate processing step on the substrate before directing at least a portion of the substrate to the print-head chamber.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein said at least one intermediate processing step comprises registering the substrate relative to a print-head of the print-head chamber.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein, during said discharging step, said partitioning step isolates the environments of the print-head chamber and the first chamber from each other.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein a conveying mechanism is used to carry out said step of directing the substrate.

21. The method of claim 16 , wherein said discharging step forms a patterned film on the substrate.

Assignees

• Kateeva Inc

Inventors

• Somekh Sass
• Vronsky Eliyahu
• Madigan Conor

Classifications

• H10P72/0466

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

• H10P72/36

  using air tracks · CPC title

• B41J2202/09

  Ink jet technology used for manufacturing optical filters · CPC title

• B05B17/0638

  spray being produced by discharging the liquid or other fluent material through a plate comprising a plurality of orifices · CPC title

• H05B33/10

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted to the manufacture of electroluminescent light sources · CPC title