Method and apparatus for load-locked printing
AssigneeKateeva, Inc.
InventorsSass Somekh, Eliyahu Vronsky, Conor Madigan
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.
Claims21
A method for depositing an organic material on a substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving the substrate at an inlet chamber;
- sealing the inlet chamber;
- providing the inlet chamber with a substantially nitrogen environment;
- 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;
- sealing the inlet chamber;
- providing the inlet chamber with a substantially chamber-gas environment, the chamber gas being substantially inert to the organic material;
- 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;
- 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;
- sealing the inlet chamber;
- providing the inlet chamber with a substantially inert-gas environment;
- 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;
- and,
- unloading the substrate from the outlet chamber.
A method for depositing an organic material on a substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a housing comprising a plurality of chambers, including a first chamber, a second chamber, and a print-head chamber;
- introducing the substrate into the housing;
- providing at least one of the chambers with a substantially non-oxidizing environment;
- floating the substrate in at least one of the chambers using a gas bearing;
- directing at least a portion of the substrate to the 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 away from the print-head chamber;
- partitioning the print-head chamber from at least one of the other chambers;
- and
- removing the substrate from the housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.