Method and apparatus for load-locked printing

• US 9,174,433 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2013
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kateeva, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Kateeva, Inc.
• Inventors: Somekh, Sass, Vronsky, Eliyahu, Madigan, Conor
• Primary Examiner(s): Mellott, James M
• Application Number:
  US13/774,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20130307898A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: 427/256
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 depositing an organic material on a substrate, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the substrate at an inlet chamber;

sealing the inlet chamber;

providing the inlet chamber with a substantially nitrogen environment;

floating the substrate using a gas bearing;

directing at least a portion of the substrate to a print-head chamber and, while floating the substrate using a combination of pressure and vacuum, discharging a quantity of the organic material from a discharge nozzle onto the portion of the substrate;

directing the substrate to an outlet chamber;

partitioning the print-head chamber from the outlet chamber; and

unloading the substrate from the outlet chamber.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing at least one intermediate processing step on the substrate before directing at least a portion of the substrate to the print-head chamber.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said at least one intermediate processing step comprises registering the substrate relative to a print-head of the print-head chamber.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a conveying mechanism is used to carry out said step of directing the substrate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said discharging step forms a patterned film on the substrate.

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

receiving the substrate at an inlet chamber;

sealing the inlet chamber;

providing the inlet chamber with a substantially chamber-gas environment, the chamber gas being substantially inert to the organic material;

floating the substrate using a gas bearing;

directing at least a portion of the substrate to a print-head chamber and, while floating the substrate using a combination of pressure and vacuum, discharging a quantity of the organic material from a discharge nozzle onto the portion of the substrate, forming a patterned film thereon;

directing the substrate to an outlet chamber; and

,

unloading the substrate from the outlet chamber.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said chamber gas comprises a substantially pure gas selected from the group consisting of clean dry air, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, helium, or any combination of the foregoing.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising executing at least one intermediate processing step on the substrate before directing at least a portion of the substrate to the print-head chamber.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said at least one intermediate processing step comprises registering the substrate relative to a print-head of the print-head chamber.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein a conveying mechanism is used to carry out said step of directing the substrate.

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

receiving the substrate at an inlet chamber;

sealing the inlet chamber;

providing the inlet chamber with a substantially inert-gas environment;

floating the substrate using a gas bearing;

directing at least a portion of the substrate to a print-head chamber and, while floating the substrate using a combination of pressure and vacuum, discharging a quantity of the organic material from a discharge nozzle onto the portion of the substrate, forming a patterned film thereon;

directing the substrate to an outlet chamber; and

,

unloading the substrate from the outlet chamber.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising executing at least one intermediate processing step on the substrate before directing at least a portion of the substrate to the print-head chamber.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said at least one intermediate processing step comprises registering the substrate relative to a print-head of the print-head chamber.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein a conveying mechanism is used to carry out said step of directing the substrate.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein said substantially inert-gas environment is comprised of nitrogen.

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

providing a housing comprising a plurality of chambers, including a first chamber, a second chamber, and a print-head chamber;

introducing the substrate into the housing;

providing at least one of the chambers with a substantially non-oxidizing environment;

floating the substrate in at least one of the chambers using a gas bearing;

directing at least a portion of the substrate to the print-head chamber and, while floating the substrate using a combination of pressure and vacuum, discharging a quantity of the organic material from a discharge nozzle onto the portion of the substrate;

directing the substrate away from the print-head chamber;

partitioning the print-head chamber from at least one of the other chambers; and

removing the substrate from the housing.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising executing at least one intermediate processing step on the substrate before directing at least a portion of the substrate to the print-head chamber.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said at least one intermediate processing step comprises registering the substrate relative to a print-head of the print-head chamber.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein, during said discharging step, said partitioning step isolates the environments of the print-head chamber and the first chamber from each other.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein a conveying mechanism is used to carry out said step of directing the substrate.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein said discharging step forms a patterned film on the substrate.