METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING PATTERN AND STRUCTURE FORMATION BY AN ELECTRIC FIELD
First Claim
1. A processing apparatus, comprising:
- a processing chamber configured to receive a processing medium that is subject to being affected by an electric field while processing a substrate;
a substrate holder for holding a substrate to be processed within the chamber;
at least one electric field applicator operable to expose the substrate during processing to a non-uniform, spatial-temporal electric field that is capable of affecting the processing medium, when the electric field applicator is electrically energized by an electrical bias and the processing medium becomes dipolar in the presence of the electric field;
a distribution coupling unit operable to couple a time-varying electrical bias to the at least one electric field applicator to thereby energize the electric field applicator to interact with the dipolar properties of the medium or particles therein;
wherein the processing medium or particles therein are affected by the electric field; and
a spatial-temporal electric field being an electric field that varies as a function of time and of position relative to the substrate, the function being effective to move, align or otherwise affect the medium or particles in processing of or on the substrate.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A processing method and apparatus uses at least one electric field applicator (34) biased to produce a spatial-temporal electric field to affect a processing medium (26), suspended nano-objects (28) or the substrate (30) in processing, interacting with the dipole properties of the medium (26) or particles to construct structure on the substrate (30). The apparatus may include a magnetic field, an acoustic field, an optical force, or other generation device. The processing may affect selective localized layers on the substrate (30) or may control orientation of particles in the layers, control movement of dielectrophoretic particles or media, or cause suspended particles of different properties to follow different paths in the processing medium (26). Depositing or modifying a layer on the substrate (30) may be carried out. Further, the processing medium (26) and electrical bias may be selected to prepare at least one layer on the substrate (30) for bonding the substrate (30) to a second substrate, or to deposit carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with a controlled orientation on the substrate.
8 Citations
42 Claims
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1. A processing apparatus, comprising:
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a processing chamber configured to receive a processing medium that is subject to being affected by an electric field while processing a substrate; a substrate holder for holding a substrate to be processed within the chamber; at least one electric field applicator operable to expose the substrate during processing to a non-uniform, spatial-temporal electric field that is capable of affecting the processing medium, when the electric field applicator is electrically energized by an electrical bias and the processing medium becomes dipolar in the presence of the electric field; a distribution coupling unit operable to couple a time-varying electrical bias to the at least one electric field applicator to thereby energize the electric field applicator to interact with the dipolar properties of the medium or particles therein; wherein the processing medium or particles therein are affected by the electric field; and a spatial-temporal electric field being an electric field that varies as a function of time and of position relative to the substrate, the function being effective to move, align or otherwise affect the medium or particles in processing of or on the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 39)
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26. A method of electric field processing, comprising:
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providing an electric field processing apparatus comprising;
a processing chamber configured to receive a substrate and a processing medium having dielectric properties affected by an electric field, at least one electric field applicator, and a distribution coupling unit for coupling an electrical bias to the at least one addressable electric field applicator;supporting in the chamber a substrate to be processed; introducing a processing medium into the chamber; applying a non-uniform, time-varying electrical bias to the at least one electric field applicator to create an electric field to exert a dipolar effect on the processing medium in the vicinity of or at the surface of the substrate or both; and processing the substrate with the effected processing medium. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42)
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Specification