Hermetically sealing a device without a heat treating step and the resulting hermetically sealed device

• US 8,304,990 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2010
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Aitken, Bruce Gardiner, Koval, Shari Elizabeth, Quesada, Mark Alejandro
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Shamim
• Application Number:
  US12/894,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20110020587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 313/512, 427/376.1, 427/372.2, 257/678
• US Class Current: 313/512
• 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 17/3621 one layer at least containing a fluoride
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3649 made of metals other than silver
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3663 specially adapted for use as mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 3/12 Silica-free oxide glass compositions
• 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 14/086 of zinc, germanium, cadmium, indium, tin, thallium or bismuth
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/844 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/239 Complete cover or casing

Abstract

A method for hermetically sealing a device without performing a heat treatment step and the resulting hermetically sealed device are described herein. The method includes the steps of: (1) positioning the un-encapsulated device in a desired location with respect to a deposition device; and (2) using the deposition device to deposit a sealing material over at least a portion of the un-encapsulated device to form a hermetically sealed device without having to perform a post-deposition heat treating step. For instance, the sealing material can be a Sn²⁺-containing inorganic oxide material or a low liquidus temperature inorganic material.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a substrate plate;

at least one component;

a single-layer hermetic seal consisting essentially of a non-heat treated Sn²⁺-containing inorganic oxide sealing material, wherein said at least one component is hermetically sealed between said non-heat treated Sn²⁺-containing inorganic oxide sealing material and said substrate plate, and wherein said non-heat treated Sn²⁺ containing inorganic oxide sealing material independently forms said single-layer hermetic seal; and

wherein said non-heat treated Sn²⁺-containing inorganic oxide sealing material has the following composition;

Sn (59-89 wt %);

P (0-13 wt %);

O (6-25 wt %); and

F (0-12 wt %).

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said non-heat treated Sn²⁺-containing inorganic oxide sealing material has a thickness of about 2 μ

m.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said non-heat treated Sn²⁺-containing inorganic oxide sealing material 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.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one component comprises an organic light emitting diode.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate plate is glass.