Method and apparatus for load-locked printing

• US 8,802,195 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2013
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kateeva, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Kateeva, Inc.
• Inventors: Somekh, Sass, Vronsky, Eliyahu
• Primary Examiner(s): PARKER, FREDERICK JOHN
• Application Number:
  US13/773,643
• Publication Number:
  US 20130164438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• Field of Search: 427/66, 427/261, 427/287, 427/294
• US Class Current: 427/261
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 17/0638 spray being produced by discharging the liquid or other fluent material through a plate comprising a plurality of orifices
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 17/0646 Vibrating plates, i.e. plates being directly subjected to the vibrations, e.g. having a piezoelectric transducer attached thereto
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 13/02 for particular articles
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 15/00 Enclosures for apparatus; Booths spray booths B05B16/00
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 5/0208 for applying liquid or other fluent material to separate articles B05C5/0204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 5/00 Processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces to obtain special surface effects, finishes or structures
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0015 for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing selective coating B41J2/2114
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/015 characterised by the jet generation process B41J2/215 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14 Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16505 Caps, spittoons or covers for cleaning or preventing drying out
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/315 characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material B41J2/385, B41J2/435 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/09 Ink jet technology used for manufacturing optical filters
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/16 Nozzle heaters
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/393 Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine ; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0011 Pre-treatment or treatment during printing of the recording material, e.g. heating, irradiating after-treatment of prints B41M7/00; printers for treating or overcoating copy materials before, during or after printing B41J11/0015
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0047 by ink-jet printing
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 4/137 Spraying in vacuum or in an inert atmosphere
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67201 characterized by the construction of the load-lock chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67784 using air tracks
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/005 Processes
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/10 : Apparatus or processes specially adapted to the manufacture of electroluminescent light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 : Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/135 : using ink-jet printing
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/191 : characterised by provisions for the orientation or alignment of the layer to be deposited
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/40 : Thermal treatment, e.g. annealing in the presence of a solvent vapour

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for preventing oxidation or contamination during a circuit printing operation. The circuit printing operation can be directed to OLED-type printing. In an exemplary embodiment, the printing process is conducted at a load-locked printer housing having one or more of chambers. Each chamber is partitioned from the other chambers by physical gates or fluidic curtains. A controller coordinates transportation of a substrate through the system and purges the system by timely opening appropriate gates. The controller may also control the printing operation by energizing the print-head at a time when the substrate is positioned substantially thereunder.

Claims

1. A method for printing an organic material on a substrate, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a housing comprising;

a substrate-receiving region and a substrate-processing region; and

a print-head chamber enclosing at least one print-head having at least one nozzle;

receiving the substrate at the substrate-receiving region;

transporting the substrate to the substrate-processing region;

sealing the substrate-processing region;

providing the substrate-processing region with an inert-gas environment;

floating the substrate in the substrate-processing region, wherein the substrate is floated using a gas bearing comprising a plurality of gas ports and vacuum ports;

while floating the substrate, printing a quantity of the organic material with the at least one print-head having at least one nozzle onto a portion of the substrate; and

,

transporting the substrate out of the substrate-processing region.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising after the step of receiving the substrate at the substrate-receiving region:

sealing the substrate-receiving region; and

,

providing the substrate-receiving region with an inert-gas environment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said inert-gas environment comprises a substantially nitrogen-gas environment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said printing step forms a film on said substrate.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said film comprises a patterned film.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the patterned film is printed on a substrate for an OLED display.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the organic material comprises an OLED material.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the print-head comprises an ink chamber in flow communication with a nozzle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a floatation gas used for the plurality of gas ports is an inert gas.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the inert gas is nitrogen.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the inert gas is a noble gas and combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the inert gas is a combination of nitrogen with a noble gas and combinations thereof.