# US 7,744,957 B2 · Method and apparatus for depositing material > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,744,957 B2 - Document ID: US7744957B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 10/690,704 - Filed: 2003-10-23 - Published: 2005-04-28 - Granted: 2010-06-29 - Earliest claimed: 2003-10-23 - Assignees: The Trustees of Princeton University - Inventors: Stephen R. Forrest; Max Shtein - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7744957B2 ## CPC - C23C 14/12: Organic material - C23C 14/228: {Gas flow assisted PVD deposition} - H10K 71/18: using non-liquid printing techniques, e.g. thermal transfer printing from a donor sheet - H10K 85/324: {comprising aluminium, e.g. Alq3} - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - H10K: ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES ## Abstract A method of depositing organic material is provided. A carrier gas carrying an organic material is ejected from a nozzle at a flow velocity that is at least 10% of the thermal velocity of the carrier gas, such that the organic material is deposited onto a substrate. In some embodiments, the dynamic pressure in a region between the nozzle and the substrate surrounding the carrier gas is at least 1 Torr, and more preferably 10 Torr, during the ejection. In some embodiments, a guard flow is provided around the carrier gas. In some embodiments, the background pressure is at least about 10e-3 Torr, more preferably about 0.1 Torr, more preferably about 1 Torr, more preferably about 10 Torr, more preferably about 100 Torr, and most preferably about 760 Torr. A device is also provided. The device includes a nozzle, which further includes a nozzle tube having a first exhaust aperture and a first gas inlet; and a jacket surrounding the nozzle tube, the jacket having a second exhaust aperture and a second gas inlet. The second exhaust aperture completely surrounds the first tube aperture. A carrier gas source and an organic source vessel may be connected to the first gas inlet. A guard flow gas source may be connected to the second gas inlet. The device may include an array of such nozzles. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of depositing a patterned layer of an organic material on a surface of a substrate, comprising: mixing vapor of an organic material for deposition with a carrier gas; introducing the carrier gas carrying the organic material for deposition into a nozzle; ejecting the carrier gas carrying the organic material from the nozzle at a flow velocity that is at least 10% of the thermal velocity of the carrier gas, such that the organic material introduced with the carrier gas into the nozzle is deposited onto a substrate, separated from the nozzle, forming the layer of the organic material on the surface of the substrate, the layer comprising a plurality of separate films; and based upon the molecular mass of the carrier gas, the molecular mass of the organic material, the mean free path of the ejected material, or a combination thereof, selecting a separation s between the nozzle and the substrate and a downstream pressure PL sufficient to create a dynamic pressure surrounding the carrier gas in a region between the nozzle and the substrate of at least 1 Torr. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic pressure is at least 10 Torr. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein a background pressure of at least 5 Torr is provided. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising: providing a guard flow surrounding the ejected material. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the dynamic pressure of at least 10 Torr is affected by a guard flow surrounding the ejected material. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the method is performed in a vacuum chamber at base pressure, thereby providing a background pressure of less than about 0.1 Torr. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the molecular weight of the organic material is greater than the molecular weight of the carrier gas. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the guard flow comprises a first gas, the carrier gas comprises a second gas, and the molecular weight of the first gas is greater than the molecular weight of the second gas. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a background pressure of about 760 Torr is provided, and the background pressure is the ambient atmosphere. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic pressure is at least about 760 Torr. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a background pressure of at least about 10−3 Torr is provided. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the background pressure is at least 0.1 Torr. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the background pressure is at least 1 Torr. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the background pressure is at least 10 Torr. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the background pressure is at least about 760 Torr. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the background pressure of at least about 760 Torr is provided by a glove box without the use of a vacuum apparatus. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the background pressure is achieved without the use of vacuum apparatus. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic pressure is not greater than about 2 times the background pressure. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic pressure is not greater than about 10 times the background pressure. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of separate films comprises a plurality of pixels. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the nozzle diameter, the nozzle length, and nozzle-to-substrate separation is about equal to the gas mean free path length. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic pressure is at least 0.5 Torr greater than the background pressure. ### Claim 23 A method of depositing a patterned layer of an organic material on a surface of a substrate, comprising: mixing vapor of an organic material for deposition with a carrier gas; introducing the carrier gas carrying the organic material for deposition into a nozzle; ejecting the carrier gas carrying the organic material from the nozzle at a flow velocity that is at least 10% of the thermal velocity of the carrier gas, such that the organic material introduced with the carrier gas into the nozzle is deposited onto a substrate, separated from the nozzle, to form the patterned layer of organic material, the layer comprising a plurality of separate films on the surface of the substrate; and providing a guard flow around the carrier gas. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The method of claim 23, wherein the method is performed with a background pressure of at least about 760 Torr. ### Claim 25 (depends on 23) The method of claim 23, wherein the method is performed in a glove-box without the use of a vacuum apparatus. ### Claim 26 (depends on 23) The method of claim 23, wherein the plurality of separate films comprises a plurality of pixels. ### Claim 27 (depends on 23) The method of claim 23, wherein at least one of the nozzle diameter, the nozzle length, and nozzle-to-substrate separation is about equal to the gas mean free path length.