Method and apparatus for load-locked printing

• US 8,875,648 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2013
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• 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): EDWARDS, LAURA ESTELLE
• Application Number:
  US13/773,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20130209669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 118/300, 118/50, 118/696, 118679-681, 118/500, 347/1, 347/4, 347 9- 11, 347/12, 347/13, 347/40, 347/97, 347101-108, 347/8
• US Class Current: 118/300
• 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 system for depositing an organic material on a substrate, comprising:

a housing comprising a plurality of chambers, including at least a print-head chamber and a second chamber;

means for reversibly sealing said print-head chamber and said second chamber;

a print head disposed within the print-head chamber;

a gas bearing disposed within the print-head chamber, said gas bearing comprising a plurality of vacuum and pressure ports;

at least one transport mechanism for moving the substrate into and from the print-head chamber; and

,

a controller in communication with the print-head chamber, the means for reversibly sealing, the gas bearing, and the transport mechanism;

the controller including a processor circuit in communication with a memory circuit, the memory circuit instructing the processor circuit to;

(a) operate the means for reversibly sealing and the at least one transport mechanism, such that the substrate can be transported into the print-head chamber;

(b) operate the gas bearing, such that the substrate can be floated above the gas-bearing;

(c) energize the print-head, such that the organic material can be printed onto the substrate; and

,

(d) operate the means for reversibly sealing and the at least one transport mechanism, such that the substrate can be transported from the print-head chamber.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one gas input in said housing.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said controller is adapted for communication with said gas input.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising a vacuum source and an inert-gas source adapted for communication with at least one of the chambers.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said inert-gas source comprises a nitrogen source.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein said controller is adapted for communication with said vacuum source and said inert-gas source.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said communication between said controller and said vacuum source and said inert-gas source is by way of one or more valves.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the memory circuit is adapted to instruct the processor circuit to operate said inert-gas source for providing said print-head chamber with an inert-gas environment during a printing operation.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said print head comprises a print nozzle, and wherein said controller is adapted for communication with said print nozzle for energizing said print nozzle.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said controller is adapted to identify the location of the substrate within the housing, and to energize the print nozzle at a time when the substrate is at a precise location under the print head.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising a plurality of print-heads disposed within said print-head chamber.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of print-heads are arranged in an array.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory circuit is adapted to instruct the processor circuit to open said means for reversibly sealing said print-head chamber for transporting said substrate into and from the print-head chamber.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said means for reversibly sealing comprises one or more gates.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said means for reversibly sealing further comprises one or more air curtains.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein said means for reversibly sealing comprises one or more partitions.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said one or more partitions comprise at least one air curtain acting as a partition.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory circuit is adapted to instruct the processor circuit to close said means for reversibly sealing said print-head chamber during a printing operation.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the memory circuit is adapted to instruct the processor circuit to operate said inert-gas source for providing said print-head chamber with an inert-gas environment during said printing operation.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one transport mechanism comprises at least in part a gas bearing.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one transport mechanism comprises at least in part a conveyor.