Method and apparatus for load-locked printing

• Main Authors: Madigan, Conor, Vronsky, Eliyahu, Somekh, Sass
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 31.12.2019
• Subjects: APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TOSURFACES, IN GENERAL; APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL; ATOMISING APPARATUS; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY IONIMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COLOUR PRINTING; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; LINING MACHINES; METALLURGY; NOZZLES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PRINTING; PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; PROCESSES FOR APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TOSURFACES, IN GENERAL; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; SPRAYING APPARATUS; SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; STAMPS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THESURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; TRANSPORTING; TYPEWRITERS

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.