US 10,433,434 B2Granted

Guided transport path correction

AssigneeKateeva, Inc.

InventorsEliyahu Vronsky, Karl Mathia, Alexander Sou-Kang Ko

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A printer deposits material onto a substrate as part of a manufacturing process for an electronic product; at least one transported component experiences error, which affects the deposition. This error is mitigated using transducers that equalize position of the component, e.g., to provide an “ideal” conveyance path, thereby permitting precise droplet placement notwithstanding the error. In one embodiment, an optical guide (e.g., using a laser) is used to define a desired path; sensors mounted to the component dynamically detect deviation from this path, with this deviation then being used to drive the transducers to immediately counteract the deviation. This error correction scheme can be applied to correct for more than type of transport error, for example, to correct for error in a substrate transport path, a printhead transport path and/or split-axis transport non-orthogonality.

Claims14

Dependent claims

An apparatus to fabricate a thin-film layer, the apparatus comprising:

a material source;
a support structure to support a substrate;
a conveyance system to provide relative transport between the material source and the substrate along a conveyance path, wherein during the relative transport, the material source is to deposit a material onto the substrate, in order to form the thin-film layer;
an optical source to form an optical beam;
an optical detector fixed in position relative to at least one of the material source or the substrate, the optical detector to detect divergence of the position of the optical detector from the optical beam;
and
at least one transducer to displace at least one of the material source or the detector relative to the conveyance path, the at least one transducer to be driven in dependence on an output of the optical detector so as to cause the position of the optical detector to remain coincident with the beam during the relative transport.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/828,335Filed 30 Nov 2017 · continuation
Priority: 8 Jul 2016
Published: US 2018/0014411 A17 Jun 2018
Granted: 1 Oct 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification26 codes

B41J 3/407
Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed: for marking on special material
B05C 5/0208
The liquid or other fluent material being discharged through an outlet orifice by pressure, e.g. from an outlet device in contact or almost in…:…
B05D 5/12
Processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces to obtain special surface effects, finishes or structures: to obtain a…
B41J 13/0027
Control of the transport of the copy material: in the printing section of automatic paper handling systems

Family

Application62/359,969Us provisional application · filed 8 Jul 2016
Application62/459,402Us provisional application · filed 15 Feb 2017
Application62/489,768Us provisional application · filed 25 Apr 2017
Application15/642,188Parent of this continuation · filed 5 Jul 2017
US 2018/0160550 A1Pre-grant publication · published 7 Jun 2018
US 9,961,783 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2018/0014411 A1Published application
US 10,433,434 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.