SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR INKJET PRINTING FOR FLAT PANEL DISPLAYS

• US 20060292291A1
• Filed: 06/27/2006
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: KURITA, Shinichi, WHITE, John M.
• Application Number:
  US11/426,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20060292291A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/58
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/003 for changing the angle between a print element array axis and the printing line, e.g. for dot density changes
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/005 for serial printing movements superimposed to character- or line-spacing movements
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/407 for marking on special material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/543 with multiple inkjet print heads B41J2/17503, B41J2/2103 take precedence

Abstract

A system for inkjet printing, which includes an inkjet printing module support having one or more inkjet heads disposed thereon. The one or more inkjet heads are configured to move along a first axis. The system further includes a substrate stage configured to move along a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis. The substrate stage is configured to support a substrate having one or more ink landing positions disposed thereon in a pattern that is not aligned with either the first axis or the second axis. The system further includes a system controller configured to simultaneously move the one or more inkjet heads along the first axis and move the substrate stage along the second axis during a printing operation such that the one or more inkjet heads dispense ink into the ink landing positions.

Claims

1. A method for inkjet printing, comprising:

disposing a substrate on a substrate support;

providing an inkjet head that is disposed above the substrate support and has a plurality nozzle that are adapted to dispense an ink droplet therefrom, wherein the plurality of nozzles comprise a first nozzle and a second nozzle;

dispensing ink from the first nozzle to a first region of a sub-pixel formed on a surface of the substrate; and

dispensing ink from the second nozzle to a second region of the sub-pixel formed on the surface of the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first region is a rectangular shaped sub-pixel that has a short side that is aligned along a first direction.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising orienting the inkjet head at an angle relative to the first direction.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein dispensing ink from the first nozzle and dispensing ink from the second nozzle sequentially occur while the inkjet head is translated in the first direction.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein performing the printing operation further comprises moving the inkjet head in a second direction that is generally perpendicular to the first direction.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the inkjet head contains between about 128 and about 760 nozzles.

7. A method for inkjet printing, comprising:

disposing a substrate on a substrate support;

providing a first inkjet head and a second inkjet head that are disposed above the substrate support, wherein the first and second inkjet heads each have a plurality of nozzles that are adapted to dispense an ink droplet therefrom;

dispensing ink from a first nozzle formed in the first inkjet head on a first region of a sub-pixel formed on a surface of the substrate; and

dispensing ink from a second nozzle formed in the second inkjet head on a second region of the sub-pixel formed on the surface of the substrate.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first region is a rectangular shaped sub-pixel that has a short side that is aligned along a first direction.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising orienting the first inkjet head and the second inkjet head at an angle relative to the first direction.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein dispensing ink from the first nozzle and dispensing ink from the second nozzle sequentially occur while the first inkjet head and the second inkjet head are translated in the first direction.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein performing the printing operation further comprises aligning the first nozzle a desired distance from the second nozzle in a second direction which is generally perpendicular to the first direction.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the first inkjet head and the second inkjet head contain between about 128 and about 760 nozzles.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the movements of the inkjet heads and the substrate are determined by a system controller according to an image data file for the substrate.

14. A method for inkjet printing, comprising:

disposing a substrate on a substrate support, wherein the substrate has a plurality of sub-pixels formed on a surface of the substrate;

providing an inkjet printing module having a first inkjet head and a second inkjet head that are disposed above the substrate, wherein the first and second inkjet heads each have a plurality of nozzles that are adapted to dispense an ink droplet therefrom; and

dispensing a plurality of ink droplets on the sub-pixels, wherein dispensing the plurality of ink droplets comprises;

dispensing at least one ink droplet on a first region of the sub-pixel from a first nozzle formed in the first inkjet head; and

dispensing at least one ink droplet on a second region of the sub-pixel from a second nozzle formed in the second inkjet head.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of sub-pixels have a first color filter region and a second color filter region that are disposed diagonally to each other.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of sub-pixels have a first color filter region and a second color filter region that are disposed in a pattern that is not aligned with a predominant transfer direction of the first inkjet head and the second inkjet head.

17. A system for inkjet printing, comprising:

a substrate stage having a substrate supporting surface;

a first inkjet head that contains a plurality of nozzles which are positioned over the substrate supporting surface; and

a system controller that is configured to dispense an ink droplet from at least two of the plurality of nozzles onto a sub-pixel formed on a substrate disposed on the substrate supporting surface as the first inkjet head is transferred in a first direction.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first direction is aligned generally parallel to a short side of the sub-pixel that is rectangular shaped.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein plurality of nozzles are aligned at an angle relative to the first direction.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein plurality of nozzles contain between about 128 and about 760 nozzles.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein plurality of nozzles are aligned in a linear array.

22. The system of claim 17, further comprising an actuator that is adapted to move the substrate stage relative to the first inkjet head during the inkjet printing process.

23. A system for inkjet printing, comprising:

a substrate stage having a substrate supporting surface;

a first inkjet head that contains a first array of nozzles which are positioned over the substrate supporting surface;

a second inkjet head that contains a second array of nozzles which are positioned over the substrate supporting surface, wherein the second array of nozzles are offset a fixed distance relative to the first array of nozzles during the inkjet printing process; and

a system controller that is configured to dispense an ink droplet from one in the first array of nozzles and one nozzle in the second array of nozzles onto a sub-pixel formed on a substrate as the first inkjet head and the second inkjet head are transferred in a first direction.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the first direction is aligned generally parallel to a short side of the sub-pixel that is rectangular shaped.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the first array of nozzles and the second array of nozzles are aligned at an angle relative to the first direction.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the first array of nozzles and the second array of nozzles contain between about 128 and about 760 nozzles.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the first array of nozzles and the second array of nozzles are aligned in a linear array.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the system controller is configured to move the first inkjet head and the second inkjet head in the first direction and a direction opposite to the first direction.

29. The system of claim 23, further comprising an actuator that is adapted to move the substrate stage relative to the first inkjet head and the second inkjet head during the inkjet printing process.