Method and apparatus for load-locked printing
AssigneeKateeva, Inc.
InventorsSass Somekh, Eliyahu Vronsky
Life of this patent
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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.
Claims18
A method for forming a film of a selected material on a substrate, comprising:
- receiving a substrate at a substrate-inlet region;
- transporting the substrate to a substrate-printing region;
- providing an inert-gas environment at the substrate-printing region, wherein the printing region comprises a print-head chamber enclosing at least one print-head having at least one nozzle;
- floating the substrate at the substrate-printing region, wherein said substrate is floated with a combination of pressure and vacuum;
- while floating the substrate, printing a film of a selected material on the substrate with the at least one print-head having at least one nozzle;
- transporting the substrate away from the substrate-printing region;
- and,
- removing the substrate from a substrate-outlet region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.