Method of fabrication of hermetically sealed glass package

• US 20050199599A1
• Filed: 03/09/2004
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Li, Xinghua, Widjaja, Sujanto
• Application Number:
  US10/796,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20050199599A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/121.85
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/54 Glass
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0006 taking account of the properties of the material involved B23K26/32, B23K26/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8426 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8722 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants

Abstract

A method of sealing an OLED structure includes providing a top glass substrate and a bottom glass substrate, and at least one layer of organic material between the glass substrates. The illustrative method also includes focusing a relatively high power, a relatively short-duration laser radiation onto a region of one glass substrate, thereby heating a focal volume through multiphoton absorption. The intense heat causes the interface of the glass to swell and bond onto the other glass substrate. An apparatus for sealing the structure and a sealed package are also disclosed.

Claims

11. An apparatus for sealing, comprising:

a laser;

a controller, which controls the output power of the laser; and

an optical element that focuses light from the laser onto a top substrate, wherein the substrate absorbs the light in a multiphoton absorption process, providing a hermetic seal between the top substrate and a lower substrate.

1. A method of sealing, the method comprising:

providing a top substrate and a bottom substrate, and at least one layer of organic material between the substrates; and

focusing a relatively high power, short-duration laser irradiation onto a region of the top glass substrate, thereby sealing the top substrate to the bottom substrate.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the substrates is glass.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the focusing effects a localized non-linear optical absorption of the light.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the non-linear optical absorption is a multiphoton absorption.

5. A method of as recited in claim 2, wherein at least one of the substrates absorbs substantially none of the light from the laser wavelength at low intensities.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein one of the substrates does not have electrodes.

7. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein a bandgap of the at least one glass substrates lies in the UV range.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the top glass substrate absorbs energy through non-radiative process.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the top glass substrate efficiently transfers energy from the laser to heat through non-radiative process.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein an OLED material is between the two glass substrates.

12. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the laser emits light at a wavelength that corresponds to an energy that is less than a bandgap energy of a material of the top layer.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the focusing of the light by the optical element provides an intensity within a focal volume of the optical element that exceeds a threshold for multiphoton absorption.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

a diagnostic system, which provides monitoring of a sealing process.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the diagnostic system 206 provides distance feedback measurement information.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the diagnostic system 206 provides laser energy data.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, further comprising an optical element that reflects light from the laser, and which transmits light from a probe beam from the diagnostic system.

18. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein the probe beam is emitted from a light source of the diagnostic system.

19. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the bottom substrate and the top substrate are glass, and an OLED material is disposed over the bottom substrate.

20. An OLED package, comprising:

a top substrate and a bottom substrate; and

a

a glass hermetic seal between the substrates, which provides a barrier to contaminants.