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.
Claims27
A system for depositing an organic material on a substrate, comprising:
- a housing comprising at least a print-head chamber and a second chamber;
- an opening in at least one side of each of the print-head and second chambers;
- means for reversibly sealing said print-head chamber and said second chamber from the rest of said housing;
- a print head disposed within the print-head chamber;
- a gas bearing disposed within the print-head chamber and configured to floatingly support said substrate in and through at least one of the chambers, said gas bearing comprising a gas-bearing surface comprising a plurality of fluid nozzles, wherein said plurality of fluid nozzles comprise pressure ports and vacuum ports;
- a vacuum source in flow communication with at least one of the chambers;
- and
- an inert-gas source in flow communication with at least one of the chambers.
A system for depositing an organic material on a substrate, comprising:
- a housing comprising at least a print-head chamber and a second chamber;
- an opening in at least one side of each of the print-head and second chambers;
- one or more seals for reversibly sealing the openings of the print-head and second chambers;
- a print head disposed within the print-head chamber;
- a gas bearing disposed within the print-head chamber, said gas bearing comprising a gas-bearing surface comprising a plurality of pressure ports and vacuum ports, wherein said gas bearing is configured to floatingly support said substrate above said gas-bearing surface during printing;
- at least one transport mechanism for moving the substrate into and out of the print-head chamber;
- a vacuum source in flow communication with at least the print-head chamber;
- and
- an inert-gas source in flow communication with at least the print-head chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.