Slot-die coating method, apparatus, and substrate

A slot-die coating apparatus for manufacturing a patterned coating layer on a substrate, the apparatus comprising:

• a substrate carrier arranged for providing the substrate comprising a substrate surface;
• a slot-die coating head comprising an outflow opening from which outflow opening, in use, flows a coating fluid, wherein the outflow opening forms a slit that is, in use, arranged in a slit direction over the substrate surface;
• and
• a controller arranged for controlling a relative movement between the outflow opening and the substrate surface along a coating direction transverse to the slit direction;
• wherein the controller is further arranged for controlling an intermittent transfer of the coating fluid from the slot-die coating head onto the substrate surface to provide, by said intermittent transfer, coated areas on the substrate surface separated by uncoated areas;
• wherein
• in use, the substrate surface comprises a pre-patterned layer of high surface energy areas and low surface energy areas;
• wherein a contact angle of the coating fluid on the substrate surface is lower in the high surface energy areas than in the low surface energy areas;
• wherein boundaries between the low surface energy areas and high surface energy areas are arranged along the slit direction;
• and wherein the apparatus further comprises:
• a synchronizer comprising a sensor for determining positions of the high and low surface areas of the pre-patterned coating layer relative to the slot-die coating head, wherein the synchronizer is operatively linked to the controller for synchronizing the intermittent transfer with a passage of the outflow opening over the boundaries between the low surface energy areas and high surface energy areas wherein the transfer is enabled when the outflow opening passes over a high surface energy area and wherein the transfer is disabled when the outflow opening passes over a low surface energy area.