# US 7,611,754 B2 · Industrial microdeposition system including masking to reduce the impact of droplet alignment and droplet volume tolerances and errors

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- Number: US 7,611,754 B2
- Document ID: US7611754B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 10/535,997
- Filed: 2002-11-27
- Published: 2006-07-27
- Granted: 2009-11-03
- Earliest claimed: 2002-11-27
- Assignees: Ulvac, Inc.
- Inventors: Charles O. Edwards; David Albertalli
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7611754B2

## CPC

- B41J 2/04591: {Width of the driving signal being adjusted}
- B41J 2/04505: {aiming at correcting alignment}
- B41J 2/04506: {aiming at correcting manufacturing tolerances}
- B41J 2/0458: {controlling heads based on heating elements forming bubbles}
- B41J 2/04581: {controlling heads based on piezoelectric elements}
- B41J 2/04588: {using a specific waveform}
- B41J 2/2132: {Print quality control characterised by dot disposition, e.g. for reducing white stripes or banding (methods for local corrections by dot omission, image edge enhancement, or multi-pass mask selection G06K15/102; colour conversion H04N1/40)}
- H05K 3/125: {by ink-jet printing}
- H10K 71/135: {using ink-jet printing}
- H10K 71/166: {using selective deposition, e.g. using a mask}
- H10K 71/00: Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H10K: ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES

## Abstract

A microdeposition system microdeposit droplets of fluid material to define a feature pattern on a substrate. The feature pattern for the substrate is defined. A mask is created for the feature pattern that reduces a density of defects that occur due to a malfunctioning nozzle of the microdeposition head. The droplets of fluid material are microdeposited onto the substrate based on the mask to define subfeatures of the feature pattern. One of the nozzles of the microdeposition head is assigned to each of the sub-features in the feature pattern. The nozzles may be assigned randomly or using other functions. The assigned nozzles in the mask are assigned to one of a plurality of passes of the microdeposition head.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A microdeposition system for microdepositing droplets of fluid material onto a substrate, comprising:
a microdeposition head that includes a plurality of spaced nozzles;
a positioning device that controls a position of said microdeposition head relative to said substrate; and
a controller including:
a receiver that receives a feature pattern;
a mask generating module that creates a mask based on said feature pattern to reduce a density of defects that occur due to at least one of tolerance variations and a malfunctioning nozzle of said microdeposition head, and that assigns sub-features of said feature pattern to selected nozzles and selected passes of said microdeposition head based on said mask;
a positioning module that communicates with said positioning device and that generates position control signals for said positioning device based on said selected passes, and
a nozzle firing module that communicates with said microdeposition head and that selectively generates nozzle firing commands to fire said droplets from said selected nozzles onto said substrate during said selected passes to define said sub-features of said feature pattern.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The microdeposition system of claim 1 wherein said mask generating module randomizes said selected nozzles assigned to said sub-features.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The microdeposition system of claim 1 wherein a microdeposition pass is performed by at least one of moving said microdeposition head in a linear direction relative to said substrate and moving said substrate in a linear direction relative to said microdeposition head.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The microdeposition system of claim 1 wherein at least one of said sub-features is formed by multiple droplets that are microdeposited in layers, and wherein said mask assigns a different nozzle to each of said layers of said multiple-layer sub-feature.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The microdeposition system of claim 1 wherein said droplets form at least one of a light emitter, an electrical conductor, an electrical trace, an insulator, a solder bump, bondwire, plating, interconnects, a capacitor and a resistor.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The microdeposition system of claim 1 wherein said mask increases a number of microdeposition passes and reduces firing of nozzles of said microdeposition head during each of said microdeposition passes.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The microdeposition system of claim 1 wherein said selected nozzle and said selected pass assigned to microdeposit one of said droplets on a first location of said substrate vary based on said feature pattern.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The microdeposition system of claim 1 wherein said feature pattern defines a component of an electrical device.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The microdeposition system of claim 8 wherein said electrical device is one of a polymer light emitting diode, a light panel, an integrated circuit package and a printed circuit board.

### Claim 10

A microdeposition system that microdeposits droplets of fluid material to define pixels of a polymer light emitting display (PLED) on a substrate, comprising:
a microdeposition head that includes a plurality of spaced nozzles;
a positioning device that controls a position of said microdeposition head relative to said substrate; and
a controller including:
a receiver that receives information indicating locations of said pixels of said PLED on said substrate;
a mask generating module that creates a mask based on said information that reduces a density of defects that occur due to at least one of tolerance variations and a malfunctioning nozzle of said microdeposition head, and that assigns sub-features of said pixels to selected nozzles and selected passes of said microdeposition head based on said mask,
a positioning module that communicates with said positioning device and that generates position control signals for said positioning device based on said mask, and
a nozzle firing module that communicates with said microdeposition head and that selectively generates nozzle firing commands to fire said droplets from said selected nozzles onto said substrate during said selected passes to define said pixels.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The microdeposition system of claim 10 wherein a microdeposition pass is performed by at least one of moving said microdeposition head in a linear direction relative to said substrate and moving said substrate in a linear direction relative to said microdeposition head.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The microdeposition system of claim 10 wherein said PLED is a color PLED and wherein said pixels include first, second and third pixel components having different colors.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The microdeposition system of claim 10 wherein said PLED is a monochrome PLED.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The microdeposition system of claim 10 wherein said selected nozzle and said selected pass assigned to microdeposit one of said droplets on a first location of said substrate vary based on said information.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The microdeposition system of claim 10 wherein said pixels include pixel components and wherein each of said pixel components is formed by multiple droplets.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The microdeposition system of claim 15 wherein said mask generating module randomizes said selected nozzles for said pixel components of said pixels.