Method and apparatus for load-locked printing
AssigneeKateeva, Inc.
InventorsSass Somekh, Eliyahu Vronsky
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for preventing oxidation or contamination during a circuit printing operation. The circuit printing operation can be directed to OLED-type printing. In an exemplary embodiment, the printing process is conducted at a load-locked printer housing having one or more of chambers. Each chamber is partitioned from the other chambers by physical gates or fluidic curtains. A controller coordinates transportation of a substrate through the system and purges the system by timely opening appropriate gates. The controller may also control the printing operation by energizing the print-head at a time when the substrate is positioned substantially thereunder.
Claims11
A method for depositing an organic material on a substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving the substrate at an inlet chamber;
- flooding the inlet chamber with nitrogen, and sealing the inlet chamber;
- floating the substrate using a gas bearing;
- directing at least a portion of the substrate to a print-head chamber and, while floating the substrate using a combination of pressure and vacuum, discharging a quantity of the organic material from a discharge nozzle onto the portion of the substrate;
- directing the substrate to an outlet chamber;
- partitioning the print-head chamber from the outlet chamber;
- and
- unloading the substrate from the outlet chamber.
A method for depositing an organic material on a substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving the substrate at an inlet chamber;
- flooding the inlet chamber with a chamber gas, consisting essentially of nitrogen, and sealing the inlet chamber;
- floating the substrate using a gas bearing;
- directing at least a portion of the substrate to a print-head chamber and, while floating the substrate using a combination of pressure and vacuum, discharging a quantity of the organic material from a discharge nozzle onto the portion of the substrate, forming a patterned film thereon;
- directing the substrate to an outlet chamber;
- partitioning the print-head chamber from the outlet chamber;
- and
- unloading the substrate from the outlet chamber.
A method for depositing an organic material on a substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving the substrate at an inlet chamber;
- flooding the inlet chamber with a chamber gas and sealing the inlet chamber;
- directing at least a portion of the substrate to a print-head chamber and, while floating and controlling the substrate using the chamber gas and a combination of pressure and vacuum, discharging a quantity of the organic material from a discharge nozzle onto the portion of the substrate, forming a patterned film thereon;
- directing the substrate to an outlet chamber;
- partitioning the print-head chamber from the outlet chamber;
- and
- unloading the substrate from the outlet chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.