SEALING TECHNIQUE FOR DECREASING THE TIME IT TAKES TO HERMETICALLY SEAL A DEVICE AND THE RESULTING HERMETICALLY SEALED DEVICE

• US 20100193353A1
• Filed: 04/06/2010
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, Chong Pyung An, Mark Alejandro Quesada
• Original Assignee: Bruce Gardiner Aitken, Chong Pyung An, Mark Alejandro Quesada
• Inventors: Aitken, Bruce Gardiner, Quesada, Mark Alejandro, An, Chong Pyung
• Granted Patent: US 8,435,604 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 204/192.26
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3615 Coatings of the type glass/metal/other inorganic layers, at least one layer being non-metallic
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3649 made of metals other than silver
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3671 specially adapted for use as electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3678 specially adapted for use in solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 3/247 containing fluorine and phosphorus
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 8/24 Fusion seal compositions being frit compositions having non-frit additions, i.e. for use as seals between dissimilar materials, e.g. glass and metal; Glass solders
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/06 characterised by the coating material C23C14/0021 , C23C14/04 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/844 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/873 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/40 Thermal treatment, e.g. annealing in the presence of a solvent vapour
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 Organic PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A sealing method for decreasing the time it takes to hermetically seal a device and the resulting hermetically sealed device (e.g., a hermetically sealed OLED device) are described herein. The sealing method includes the steps of: (1) cooling an un-encapsulated device; (2) depositing a sealing material over at least a portion of the cooled device to form an encapsulated device; and (3) heat treating the encapsulated device to form a hermetically sealed device. In one embodiment, the sealing material is a low liquidus temperature inorganic (LLT) material such as, for example, tin-fluorophosphate glass, tungsten-doped tin fluorophosphate glass, chalcogenide glass, tellurite glass, borate glass and phosphate glass. In another embodiment, the sealing material is a Sn²⁺-containing inorganic oxide material such as, for example, SnO, SnO+P₂O₅ and SnO+BPO₄.

Claims

1. A method for hermetically sealing a device, said method comprising the steps of:

cooling an un-encapsulated device;

sputtering a target material consisting of SnO and BPO₄ to deposit a single thin film layer of a sealing material over at least a portion of said cooled device to form an encapsulated device; and

wherein the thin film sealing material layer forms a hermetic barrier on the device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said low liquidus temperature inorganic material has a liquidus temperature ≦

1000°

C.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said low liquidus temperature inorganic material has a liquidus temperature ≦

600°

C.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said low liquidus temperature inorganic material has a liquidus temperature ≦

400°

C.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said cooling step further includes cooling said un-encapsulated device to a temperature <

15°

C.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said cooling step further includes cooling said un-encapsulated device to a temperature <

10°

C.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said cooling step further includes cooling said un-encapsulated device to a temperature <

1°

C.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said sputtering step further includes depositing the sealing material at a deposition rate of about 5 Å

/second over said at least a portion of said cooled device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said sputtering step further includes depositing the sealing material at a deposition rate of about 25 Å

/second over said at least a portion of said cooled device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said sputtering step further includes depositing the sealing material at a deposition rate of about 75 Å

/second over said at least a portion of said cooled device.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising heat treating the encapsulated device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said heat treating step is performed at a temperature <

400°

C.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said heat treating step is performed at a temperature <

200°

C.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said heat treating step at a temperature <

100°

C.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein said heat treating step at a temperature <

40°

C.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said hermetically sealed device has an oxygen permeance of less than 0.01 cc/m²/atm/day and a water permeance of less than 0.01 g/m²/day.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein said device is a selected one of:

an organic-electronic device including;

an organic emitting light diode (OLED),

a polymer light emitting diode (PLED),

a photovoltaic,

a metamaterial,

a thin film transistor; and

a waveguide;

an inorganic-electronic device including;

a light emitting diode (LED),

a photovoltaic,

a metamaterial,

a thin film transistor; and

a waveguide;

an optoelectronic device including;

an optical switch;

a waveguide;

a flexible substrate;

a food container; and

a medical container.

2-3. -3. (canceled)

7. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

22-25. -25. (canceled)