Integrated electrohydrodynamic jet printing and spatial atomic layer deposition system for area selective-atomic layer deposition

An integrated electrohydrodynamic jet printing and spatial atomic layer deposition system for conducting nanofabrication, the system comprising:

• an electrohydrodynamic jet printing station that includes an E-jet printing nozzle;
• a spatial atomic layer deposition station that includes a zoned ALD precursor gas distributor that discharges linear zone-separated first and second ALD precursor gases;
• a heatable substrate plate supported on a motion actuator that comprises at least one linear motion stage that supports the substrate plate and commands movement of the substrate plate within a horizontal plane along two coordinate axes;
• a build substrate retained on the heatable substrate plate, the build substrate having a working surface on which an inhibition material is applied at the electrohydrodynamic jet printing station and an ALD material film is grown at the spatial atomic layer deposition station;
• and
• a conveyor on which the motion actuator is supported, the conveyor being operative to move the motion actuator along a linear travel path between the electrohydrodynamic jet printing station and the spatial atomic layer deposition station.

A method of conducting area-selective atomic layer deposition, the method comprising:

• positioning a heatable substrate plate that supports a build substrate within a printing window of an E-jet printing nozzle of an electrohydrodynamic jet printing station;
• forming a pattern of an inhibition material onto a working surface of the build substrate to define an ALD growth area on the working surface using the E-jet printing nozzle;
• conveying the heatable substrate plate away from the printing window of the E-jet printing nozzle of the electrohydrodynamic jet printing station and to a spatial atomic layer deposition station without removing the build substrate from the substrate plate;
• positioning the heatable substrate plate that supports the build substrate within a deposition window of a zoned ALD precursor gas distributor discharges linear zone-separated first and second ALD precursor gases towards the substrate plate;
• and
• depositing an ALD material film onto the ALD growth area.