Method and apparatus for curing thin films on low-temperature substrates at high speeds
AssigneeNcc Nano, LLC
InventorsKurt A. Schroder, Karl M. Martin, Doug K. Jackson, Steven C. McCool
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Abstract
A curing apparatus for thermally processing thin films on low-temperature substrates at high speeds is disclosed. The curing apparatus includes a strobe head, a strobe control module and a conveyor control module. The strobe control module controls the power, duration and repetition rate of a set of pulses generated by a flash lamp on the strobe head. The conveyor control module along with the strobe control module provide real-time synchronization between the repetition rate of the set of pulses and the speed at which the substrate is being moved under the strobe head, according to the speed information.
Claims11
A curing apparatus comprising:
- a conveyor system for transporting a layer of thin film mounted on a low-temperature substrate;
- a strobe head having a flash lamp for providing a plurality of electromagnetic pulses to said layer of thin film;
- a strobe control module for controlling power, duration and repetition rate of said plurality of electromagnetic pulses generated by said flash lamp;
- and
- a conveyor control module, in conjunction with said strobe control module, for synchronizing in real-time said repetition rate of said plurality of electromagnetic pulses with the speed at which said low-temperature substrate is being moved pass said strobe head;
- and
- an air knife for cooling said thin film after said thin film has been exposed to one of said electromagnetic pulses.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.