Patent Grant
8962073
1. Field of the Invention
The disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for efficiently depositing patterns of films on a substrate. More specifically, the disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for depositing films on a substrate which may form part of an LED or other types of display.
2. Description of the Related Art
The manufacture of organic light emitting devices (OLEDs) requires depositing one or more organic films on a substrate and coupling the top and bottom of the film stack to electrodes. The film thickness is a prime consideration. The total layer stack thickness is about 100 nm and each layer is optimally deposited uniformly with an accuracy of better than +/−1 nm. Film purity is also important. Conventional apparatuses form the film stack using one of two methods: (1) thermal evaporation of organic material in a relative vacuum environment and subsequent condensation of the organic vapor on the substrate; or, (2) dissolution of organic material into a solvent, coating the substrate with the resulting solution, and subsequent removal of the solvent.
Another consideration in depositing the organic thin films of an OLED is placing the films precisely at the desired location. There are two conventional technologies for performing this task, depending on the method of film deposition. For thermal evaporation, shadow masking is used to form OLED films of a desired configuration. Shadow masking techniques require placing a well-defined mask over a region of the substrate followed by depositing the film over the entire substrate area. Once deposition is complete, the shadow mask is removed. The regions exposed through the mask define the pattern of material deposited on the substrate. This process is inefficient, as the entire substrate must be coated, even though only the regions exposed through the shadow mask require a film. Furthermore, the shadow mask becomes increasingly coated with each use, and must eventually be discarded or cleaned. Finally, the use of shadow masks over large areas is made difficult by the need to use very thin masks (to achieve small feature sizes) that make said masks structurally unstable. However, the vapor deposition technique yields OLED films with high uniformity and purity and excellent thickness control.
For solvent deposition, ink jet printing can be used to deposit patterns of OLED films. Ink jet printing requires dissolving organic material into a solvent that yields a printable ink. Furthermore, ink jet printing is conventionally limited to the use of single layer OLED film stacks, which typically have lower performance as compared to multilayer stacks. The single-layer limitation arises because printing typically causes destructive dissolution of any underlying organic layers. Finally, unless the substrate is first prepared to define the regions into which the ink is to be deposited, a step that increases the cost and complexity of the process, ink jet printing is limited to circular deposited areas with poor thickness uniformity as compared to vapor deposited films. The material quality is also typically lower, due to structural changes in the material that occur during the drying process and due to material impurities present in the ink. However, the ink jet printing technique is capable of providing patterns of OLED films over very large areas with good material efficiency.
No conventional technique combines the large area patterning capabilities of ink jet printing with the high uniformity, purity, and thickness control achieved with vapor deposition for organic thin films. Because ink jet processed single layer OLED devices continue to have inadequate quality for widespread commercialization, and thermal evaporation remains impractical for scaling to large areas, it is a major technological challenge for the OLED industry to develop a technique that can offer both high film quality and cost-effective large area scalability.
Finally, manufacturing OLED displays may also require the patterned deposition of thin films of metals, inorganic semiconductors, and/or inorganic insulators. Conventionally, vapor deposition and/or sputtering have been used to deposit these layers. Patterning is accomplished using prior substrate preparation (e.g., patterned coating with an insulator), shadow masking as described above, and when a fresh substrate or protective layers are employed, conventional photolithography. Each of these approaches is inefficient as compared to the direct deposition of the desired pattern, either because it wastes material or requires additional processing steps. Thus, there is a need for these materials as well for a method and apparatus for depositing high-quality, cost effective, large area scalable films.
In one embodiment, the disclosure is directed to an apparatus for depositing ink on a substrate, the apparatus comprising: a chamber for receiving ink; a discharge nozzle having an inlet port and an outlet port, the discharge nozzle receiving a quantity of ink from the chamber at the inlet port and dispensing the quantity of ink from the outlet port; and a dispenser for metering the quantity of ink from the chamber to the inlet port of the discharge nozzle; wherein the chamber receives ink in liquid form having a plurality of suspended particles and the quantity of ink is pulsatingly metered from the chamber to the discharge nozzle; and the discharge nozzle evaporates the carrier liquid and deposits the substantially solid particles on the substrate.
In another embodiment, the disclosure relates to a method for depositing ink on a substrate, the method comprising: using a pulsating energy having a first frequency to meter a quantity of ink to a discharge nozzle, the ink defined by a plurality of solid particles in a carrier liquid; receiving the metered quantity of ink at the discharge nozzle and evaporating the carrier liquid from the metered quantity of ink to provide a quantity of substantially solid ink particles; dispensing the substantially solid ink particles from the discharge nozzle and depositing the substantially solid ink particles on the substrate; and wherein at least a portion of the substantially solid ink particles are converted to a vapor phase during discharge from the discharge nozzle, directed to the substrate as a vapor, and condense on a surface of the substrate in substantially solid form.
In still another embodiment, the disclosure relates to a method for depositing ink on a substrate, the method comprising: providing liquid ink to a chamber, the liquid ink defined by a plurality of suspended particles in a carrier liquid; pulsatingly energizing a dispenser to meter a quantity of liquid ink from the chamber to a discharge nozzle, the quantity of liquid ink metered as a function of a frequency of at least one of a pulse amplitude, a pulse duration or a pulse frequency; receiving the metered quantity of ink at a discharge nozzle, the discharge nozzle having a plurality of conduits for directing the metered quantity of ink; heating the metered quantity of ink at the plurality of conduits to evaporate the carrier liquid; and discharging the plurality of suspended particles from the discharge nozzle onto the substrate; wherein the plurality of suspended particles are deposited on the substrate in substantially solid form.
In still another embodiment, the disclosure relates to a system for depositing ink on a substrate, the system comprising: a chamber having a quantity of ink, the ink defined by a plurality of suspended ink particles in a carrier liquid; a discharge nozzle proximal to the chamber for receiving a metered quantity of ink pulsatingly delivered from the chamber by a dispenser, the discharge nozzle evaporating the carrier liquid to form a substantially solid quantity of ink particles; and a controller in communication with the discharge nozzle, the controller energizing the discharge nozzle to communicate the substantially solid quantity of ink particles from the discharge nozzle onto the substrate.
In still another embodiment, the disclosure relates to a system for depositing ink on a substrate, the system comprising: a chamber for receiving a quantity of ink, the ink having a plurality of suspended particles in a carrier liquid; an ink dispenser for pulsatingly metering a quantity of ink delivered from the chamber; a discharge nozzle for receiving a metered quantity of ink delivered from the chamber and evaporating the carrier liquid from the received quantity of ink to form a substantially solid quantity of particles; a first controller in communication with the ink dispenser, the first controller pulsatingly energizing the dispenser to meter a quantity of ink delivered from the chamber; and a second controller in communication with the discharge nozzle, the second controller energizing the discharge nozzle to communicate the metered quantity of particles from the discharge nozzle onto the substrate.
In still another embodiment, the disclosure relates to a method for providing accurate deposition of ink on a substrate, the method comprising: providing a quantity of ink to a chamber, the ink having a plurality of suspended particles in a carrier liquid; metering at least a portion of the ink delivered from the chamber to an inlet of a discharge nozzle by activating a dispenser; receiving the metered ink at a discharge nozzle, the discharge nozzle having an inlet port and an outlet port; transporting the metered ink from the inlet port to the outlet port of the discharge nozzle forming substantially solid particles; and depositing the substantially solid particles from the outlet port of the discharge nozzle onto a substrate by energizing the discharge nozzle to pulsatingly eject at least a portion of the substantially solid particles onto the substrate.
In still another embodiment, the disclosure relates to a system for accurate deposition of ink on a substrate, the system comprising: a storage means for storing a composition of ink particles in a carrier liquid; a metering means in communication with the storage means to pulsatingly meter at least a portion of the composition; a transporting means for transporting the ink from the chamber to a discharge nozzle; an evaporating means for evaporating the carrier liquid to form a substantially solid quantity of ink particles at the discharge nozzle; and a discharging means for discharging the substantially solid ink particles from the discharge nozzle onto a substrate.
In still another embodiment, the disclosure relates to an apparatus for depositing particles on a substrate, the apparatus comprising: a chamber for receiving ink, the chamber receiving ink in liquid form having a plurality of particles in a carrier liquid; a dispenser associated with the chamber, the dispenser metering a quantity of ink delivered from the chamber to a discharge nozzle, the discharge nozzle evaporating the carrier liquid to form a substantially solid quantity of ink particles; wherein the discharge nozzle rotates axially relative to the chamber to discharge the substantially solid quantity of ink particles; and wherein the discharge nozzles deposits the substantially solid particles onto a substrate.
In still another embodiment, the disclosure relates to a system for controlling a printing device, the system comprising: a first controller having a first processor circuit in communication with a first memory circuit, the first memory circuit containing instructions for directing the first processor to: identify a plurality of chambers, each chamber receiving liquid ink having a plurality of dissolved or suspended particles in a carrier liquid, engage each of the plurality of chambers to meter a quantity of liquid ink for dispensing; a second controller having a second processor circuit in communication with a second memory circuit, the second memory circuit containing instructions for directing the second processor to: identify a plurality of discharge nozzles, each of the plurality of discharge nozzles receiving the quantity of liquid from a corresponding one of the plurality of chambers, activate each of the plurality of the discharge nozzles to evaporate at least a part of the carrier liquid, direct each of the plurality of discharge nozzles to deposit substantially solid ink particles onto a substrate.
These and other embodiments of the disclosure will be discussed with reference to the following non-limiting and exemplary illustrations, in which like elements are numbered similarly, and where:
In one embodiment, the disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for depositing a film in substantially solid form on a substrate. Such films can be used, for example, in the design and construction of OLEDs and large area transistor circuits. In one embodiment, the disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for depositing a film of material in substantially solid form on a substrate. In another embodiment, the disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for depositing a film of material substantially free of solvent of a substrate. Such films can be used, for example, in the design and construction of OLEDs and large area transistor circuits. The materials that may be deposited by the apparatuses and methods described herein include organic materials, metal materials, and inorganic semiconductors and insulators, such as inorganic oxides, chalcogenides, Group IV semiconductors, Group III-V compound semiconductors, and Group II-VI semiconductors.
Referring to
The thermal jet print-head of
A heater 110 can be added optionally to chamber 130 for heating and/or dispensing the ink. In
In the embodiment of
The evaporation of the liquid in the ink may be accelerated by heating the discharge nozzle. The evaporated liquid can be removed from the chamber and subsequently collected (not shown), for instance, by flowing gas over one or more of the discharge nozzle faces. Depending on the desired application, micro-pores 160 can provide conduits (or passages) having a maximum linear cross-sectional distance W of a few nanometers to hundreds of microns. The micro-porous region comprising discharge nozzle 180 will take a different a shape and cover a different area depending on the desired application, with a typical maximum linear cross-sectional dimension D ranging from a few hundred nanometers to tens of millimeters. In one embodiment, the ratio of W/D is in a range of about 1/10 to about 1/1000.
In the exemplary apparatus of
Dislodging the ink particles may include vaporization, either through sublimation or melting and subsequent boiling. It should be noted again that the term particles is used generally, and includes anything from a single molecule or atom to a cluster of molecules or atoms. In general, one can employ any energy source coupled to the discharge nozzle that is capable of energizing discharge nozzle 180 and thereby discharging the material from micro-pores 160; for instance, mechanical (e.g., vibrational). In one embodiment of the disclosure, a piezoelectric material is used instead of, or in addition to, nozzle heaters 150.
Another distinction in the embodiment of
Referring again to
In another exemplary embodiment, piezoelectric elements (not shown) can be positioned at or near chamber 130 to meter out the desired quantity of ink 101 through orifice 170, thereby forming droplet 101. In yet another exemplary embodiment, liquid can be streamed out of chamber 130 through orifice 170 (by, for instance, maintaining a positive ink pressure) and this stream can be pulsatingly interrupted by a mechanical or electrostatic force such that metered droplets created from this stream and further directed onto discharge nozzle 180. If a mechanical force is utilized, this force can be provided by introducing a paddle (not shown) that pulsatingly intersects the stream. If an electrostatic force is utilized, this force can be provided by introducing a capacitor (not shown) around the stream that pulsatingly applies an electromagnetic field across the stream. Thus, any pulsating energy source that activates a dispensing mechanism and thereby meters liquid 102 delivered from chamber 130 through orifice 170 and to discharge nozzle 180 can be utilized. The intensity and the duration of each energy pulse can be defined by a controller (not shown) which is discussed below. Furthermore, as noted above, this metering can occur primarily when the ink is ejected from chamber 130 through orifice 170; alternatively, this metering can occur primarily wile the ink is traveling from orifice 170 to discharge nozzle 180.
As discussed in relation to
Discharge nozzle 180 has a proximal surface (alternatively, inlet port) 181 and a distal surface (alternatively, outlet port) 182. Proximal surface 181 and distal surface 182 are separated by a plurality of partitions 160 and conduits 165. Proximal surface 181 faces chamber 130 and distal surface 182 faces substrate 190. Nozzle heater 150 can be activated such that the temperature of discharge nozzle 180 exceeds the ambient temperature which enables rapid evaporation of the carrier liquid from droplet 102 which is now lodged in conduits 160. Nozzle heater 150 may also be activated prior to energizing the ink dispenser (and metering ink droplet 102 as it travels from chamber 130 through orifice 170 to discharge nozzle 180) or after droplet 102 lands on discharge nozzle 180. In other words, chamber heater 110 and discharge heater 150 can be choreographed to pulsate simultaneously or sequentially.
In the next step of the process, liquid ink 103 (previously droplet 102) is directed to inlet port 181 of discharge nozzle 180 between confining walls 145. Liquid ink 103 is then drawn through conduits 160 toward outlet port 182. As discussed, conduits 160 can comprise a plurality of micro-pores. Liquid in ink 103, which may fill conduits 160 extends onto the surrounding surface, with the extent of this extension controlled in part by the engineering of confining walls 145, may evaporate prior to activation of discharge nozzle 180, leaving behind on the micro-pore walls the particles 104 (
Activating nozzle heater 150 in
Substrate 190 is positioned proximal to discharge nozzle 180 for receiving the dislodged material to form thin film 105. Simultaneous with steps shown in
In
Also, in the embodiments of
Including a motion system with the multi-nozzle micro-porous print-head has practical advantages as it provides for high speed printing of arbitrary patterns. The positioning systems utilized in the apparatus of
Referring to
In one embodiment, a discharge apparatus according to the disclosure can be used to deposit ink in substantially solid form on a substrate. The ink can be composed of the material to be deposited on the substrate in the form of particles initially suspended or dissolved in a carrier liquid. The carrier liquid can be organic, for example, acetone, chloroform, isopropanol, chlorbenzene, and toluene, or can be water. The carrier liquid can also be a mixture of the materials identified above. One or more of the components to be deposited on the substrate can be an organic molecular compound, for example, pentacene, aluminum tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) (A1Q3), N,N′-diphenyl-N,N′-bis(3-methylphenyl)-(1,1′-biphenyl)-4,4′-diamine (TPD), bathocuproine (BCP), or fac tris(2-phenylpyridine) iridium (Irppy). One or more of the components to be deposited on the substrate may also be polymeric. One or more of the components to be deposited on the substrate may be inorganic, such as a semiconductor or insulator or conductor. One or more of the deposited materials can be an electron injection material. One or more of the deposited materials can be an electron transport material. One or more of the deposited materials can be light emitting material. One or more of the deposited materials can be a hole transport material. One or more of the deposited materials can be a hole injecting material. One or more of the deposited materials can be an exciton blocking material. One or more of the deposited materials can be a light absorbing material. One or more of the deposited materials can be a chemical sensing material. The deposited materials may be used as, for instance, conductors, light emitters, light absorbers, charge blockers, exciton blockers, and insulators, in, for instance, OLEDs, transistors, photodetectors, solar cells, and chemical sensors.
The properties of the ink can define an important factor in depositing the film. One of the important performance criteria for the ink can be the efficient, reliable, and uniform loading of the ink material from the chamber into the discharge nozzles. Relevant performance criteria include the ability of the ink: (1) to wet one or more of the discharge nozzle surfaces; (2) to be drawn rapidly into the discharge nozzle holes; and (3) to spread rapidly over the area of the discharge nozzle containing the discharge nozzle holes. Another important performance criterion for the ink is the consistent delivery of the desired mass of material into the discharge nozzle, so the desired amount of material is consistently deposited each time the discharge nozzle discharges its material. The ink can be adapted so that the ink is reliably delivered from the chamber orifice to the discharge nozzle with a consistent ink volume. These adaptations have been carried out by the inventors for target inks by designing the physical and chemical properties of the ink liquids and the material dissolved or suspended in the ink. These properties include, but are not limited to, viscosity, thixotropy, boiling point, material solubility, surface energy, and vapor pressure.
In one embodiment, the discharge apparatus according to the disclosed embodiments can be used to deposit metal material on a substrate. The deposited metal material can be deposited in substantially solid form. The deposited material can include metal synthesis utilizing organo-metallic precursor materials dissolved or suspended in a solvent, or metal dissolved or suspended in a solvent. The metal dissolved or suspended in a solvent may comprise, at least partially, nanoparticles, which can be coated with organic compounds. The metal can be, for instance, gold, silver, aluminum, magnesium, or copper. The metal can be an alloy or mixture of multiple metals. Such metal material is useful in many applications, for instance, as thin film electrodes, electrical interconnections between electronic circuit elements, and passive absorptive or reflective patterns. Metal films deposited by the discharge apparatus can be used to deposit the electrodes and electrical interconnections utilized in circuits including organic electronic devices such as OLEDs, transistors, photodetectors, solar cells, and chemical sensors. Organo-metallic or metallic material can be delivered to the discharge nozzle, and upon activation of the discharge nozzle can be delivered to the substrate. A reaction converting the organo-metallic material into metallic material can be carried out prior to or during delivery of the liquid from the chamber to the discharge nozzle, during delivery from the discharge nozzle to the substrate, or following deposition on the substrate. When delivering metal material from the discharge nozzle to the substrate, it is advantageous to utilize nanoparticles because this reduces the energy required to dislodge the metal from the micro-pores. Metal deposited on a substrate utilizing the discharge apparatus has the advantage of efficiently utilizing material and employing a deposition technique that may not damage the material onto which the metal film is deposited, including both the underlying substrate and any other deposited layers.
In another embodiment, the discharge apparatus is used to deposit inorganic semiconductor or insulator material in substantially solid form on a substrate. The deposition material can include synthesis utilizing organic and inorganic precursor materials dissolved or suspended in a carrier liquid, or inorganic semiconductor or insulator dissolved or suspended in a carrier liquid. The inorganic semiconductor or insulator dissolved or suspended in a liquid may be comprised of all, or in part, nanoparticles, which can be coated with organic compounds. The inorganic semiconductor or insulator can be, for instance, group IV semiconductors (for instance, Carbon, Silicon, Germanium), group III-V compound semiconductors (for instance, Gallium Nitride, Indium Phosphide, Gallium Arsenide), II-VI compound semiconductors (for instance, Cadmium Selenide, Zinc Selenide, Cadmium Sulfide, Mercury Telluride), inorganic oxides (for instance, Indium Tin Oxide, Aluminum Oxide, Titanium Oxide, Silicon Oxide), and other chalcogenides. The inorganic semiconductor or insulator can be an alloy or mixture of multiple inorganic compounds. The semiconductor or insulator material can be useful in many applications, for instance, as transparent conductors for electrodes and electrical interconnections between electronic circuit elements, insulating and passivation layers, and as active layers in electronic and optoelectronic devices. When integrated together, these layers can be utilized in circuits containing organic electronic devices such as OLEDs, transistors, photodetectors, solar cells, and chemical sensors.
In another embodiment, precursor or inorganic semiconductor or insulator material can be delivered to the discharge nozzle, and upon activation of the discharge nozzle can be delivered to the substrate. A reaction converting the precursor material into the desired inorganic semiconductor or insulator material can be carried out prior to or during delivery of the liquid from the chamber to the discharge nozzle, during delivery from the discharge nozzle to the substrate, or following deposition on the substrate. When delivering inorganic semiconductor or insulator material from the discharge nozzle to the substrate, it can be advantageous to utilize nanoparticles for reducing energy required to dislodge the material from the micro-pores. Inorganic semiconductor or insulator material deposited on a substrate utilizing the discharge apparatus has the advantage of efficiently utilizing material and employing a deposition technique that may not damage the material onto which the film is deposited, including both the underlying substrate and any other deposited layers.
Next, and with reference to
In
In still another embodiment, an ink having dissolved or suspended particles in a carrier liquid (not shown) is delivered to discharge nozzle 825. Discharge nozzle 825 comprises micro-pores 840 for receiving the ink. After the carrier liquid is evaporated, heater 830 heats the particles deposited on pore walls of the micro-pores 840, where the particles are vaporized and mixed with ambient gaseous and/or liquid environment. In another embodiment the discharge apparatus can be employed as an efficient, spatially localized heating element, in which heat from heater 830 is used to activate the chemical syntheses process on a defined area of the substrate.
In another embodiment, the discharge apparatus can be used to create sub-pixels for displays such as Red, Green, or Blue sub-pixels. Each sub-pixel can have lateral dimensions from 20 .mu.m to 5 mm wide. Other dimensions are available without departing from the principles disclosed herein. The subpixels can include one or more films deposited using one or more of the apparatuses discussed in relation to
Chamber activator 1015 also includes a piezoelectric actuator 1015 coupled to chamber 1030 for providing pulsating energy to activate the ink dispensing mechanism and thereby meter a droplet of the liquid from chamber 1030 through orifice 1070 towards discharge nozzle 1080. The pulsating energy can be variable on a time scale of one minute or less. For instance, the piezoelectric actuator 1015 can be energized with square pulses having a variable duty cycle and a cycle frequency of 1 kHz. Chamber 1030 may contain material required for forming a film used in the fabrication of an OLED or a transistor. Orifice 1070 is configured such that surface tension of the liquid in chamber 1030 prevents discharge of the liquid prior to activation of the piezoelectric ink dispensing mechanism.
Discharge nozzle 1080 may include rigid portions (interchangeably, partitions) 1065 separated by micro-pores 1060. The micro-pores region can be composed of a variety of materials, such as micro-porous alumina or solid membranes of silicon or silicon carbide and having micro-fabricated pores. In one embodiment, micro-pores 1060 receive the material dissolved or suspended in the liquid and prevent the material from being released again from discharge nozzle 1080 until the medium is appropriately activated. Discharge nozzle 1080 may also comprise a rough surface (not shown) for receiving the material dissolved or suspended in the carrier liquid and delivered from chamber orifice 1070. The surface can similarly contain the material until the discharge nozzle is properly actuated. Alternatively, discharge nozzle 1080 may comprise a smooth surface (not shown) for receiving the material dissolved or suspended in the liquid and delivered from chamber orifice 1070. The smooth surface can be adapted to contain the material until the discharge nozzle is properly actuated. Such adaptations can comprise modification of the surface chemistry or proper selection of the discharge nozzle material with respect to the choice of liquid.
In the exemplary device of
Depending on the desired application, micro-pores 1060 can provide containers having a maximum cross-sectional distance W of a few nanometers to hundreds of microns. The micro-porous region comprising discharge nozzle 1080 will take a different shape and cover a different area depending on the desired application, with a typical dimension D ranging from a few hundred nanometers to tens of millimeters. If discharge nozzle 1080 is adapted so that the micro-porous region is replaced by a roughened surface region or a smooth surface region (not shown), the discharge nozzle 1080 behaves in substantially the same manner, whereby the material delivered in a liquid from the chamber 1030 to discharged nozzle 1080 is retained on the surface (by surface tension through proper control of surface and material properties) until activation of discharge nozzle 1080. The evaporation of the liquid in the ink may be accelerated by heating the discharge nozzle. Again, the evaporated liquid can be removed from the chamber and subsequently collected (not shown) by flowing gas over one or more of the discharge nozzle faces.
In the exemplary apparatus of
Also, in the exemplary embodiment of
Referring to
In
Chamber activator 1110 optionally defines a heater coupled to chamber 1130 for providing pulsating energy which activates the ink dispensing mechanism to meter a droplet of the liquid from within chamber 1130 through orifice 1170 towards discharge nozzle 1180. As stated, pulsating energy can be variable on a time scale of one minute or less. For example, the actuator 1110 can be energized with square pulses having a variable duty cycle and a cycle frequency of 1 kHz. Chamber 1130 may contain material required for forming a film used in the fabrication of an OLED or transistor. Orifice 1170 can be configured such that surface tension of the liquid in chamber 1130 would prevent liquid discharge prior to activation of the ink dispensing mechanism.
Discharge nozzle 1180 may includes rigid portions (interchangeable, partitions) 1165 separated by micro-pores (or conduits) 1160. The micro-porous region can be composed of a variety of materials, such as micro-porous alumina or solid membranes of silicon or silicon carbide and having micro-fabricated pores. Micro-pores 1160 receive ink and prevent the material from being released again from discharge nozzle 1180 until the medium is appropriately activated. Discharge nozzle 1180 may also include a rough surface for receiving the material dissolved or suspended in the liquid and delivered from chamber orifice 1170. Such surfaces can retain the material until the discharge nozzle is properly actuated. Alternatively, discharge nozzle 1180 may also contain a smooth surface for receiving the material dissolved or suspended in the liquid and delivered from chamber orifice 1170. Such surfaces can retain the material until the discharge nozzle is properly actuated. It should be noted that such adaptations may require modifying the surface chemistry or selecting appropriate discharge nozzles configuration given the surface chemistry of the liquid.
In
Depending on the desired application, micro-pores 1160 can provide containers having a maximum cross-sectional distance W of a few nanometers to hundreds of microns. The micro-porous region comprising discharge nozzle 1180 will take a different shape and cover a different area depending on the desired application, with a typical dimension D ranging from a few hundred nanometers to tens of millimeters. If discharge nozzle 1180 is adapted so that the micro-porous region is replaced by a roughened surface region or a smooth surface region (not shown), the discharge nozzle 1180 behaves in substantially the same manner, whereby the material delivered in a liquid from the chamber 1130 to discharged nozzle 1180 is retained on the surface (by surface tension through proper control of surface and material properties) until activation of discharge nozzle 1180. The liquid may evaporate prior to activation of discharge nozzle 1180, leaving behind a substantially solid coating of the suspended or dissolved material on the discharge nozzle surface. The evaporation process may be accelerated by heating the discharge nozzle. Again, the evaporated liquid can be removed from the chamber and subsequently collected (not shown) by flowing gas over one or more of the discharge nozzle faces.
The relative orientation of the chamber nozzle orifice 1170 and the surface of discharge nozzle 1180 are such that the liquid in chamber 1130 can be delivered directly from the chamber orifice 1170 (for instance, by firing a droplet at a controlled velocity and trajectory through chamber orifice 1170) onto the discharge nozzle surface. Discharge nozzle 1180 can be integrated in 1142 so that it can be rotated relative to side walls 1140 through 1141. The rotation is used to reorient the surface of discharge nozzle 1180 so that when activated, the material delivered to the discharge nozzle surface can flow directly, or at an angle, towards the substrate.
In
In
Prior to activating discharge nozzle 1180, the discharge nozzle is rotated 180 degrees relative to sidewalls 1140. As discussed in relation to
In one embodiment, the evaporation step is implemented as soon as the metered quantity of ink leaves the chamber. In another embodiment, evaporation commences once the liquid ink has reached the discharge nozzle. In still another embodiment, the evaporation step continues until substantially all of the carrier liquid has evaporated. In step 1240, the substantially-solid ink particles are dispensed from the discharge nozzle and deposited on the substrate in step 1250.
Controller 1395 comprises processor 1397 and memory 1398. Memory 1398 can contain instructions for directing the processor to activate dispenser 1310 in order to meter an exact quantity of liquid ink from chamber 1330. For example, memory 1398 can comprises a program to pulsatingly activate dispenser 1310 in order to dispense a desired quantity of ink onto discharge nozzle 1380. Controller 1395 may also activate chamber 1330 in order to dispense a desired quantity of ink onto discharge nozzle 1380.
Discharge nozzle 1380 receives the metered quantity of liquid ink from chamber 1330. Heaters 1348 and 1349 are positioned proximal to the discharge nozzle 1380 and configured to heat the metered quantity of ink to thereby evaporate substantially all of the carrier liquid 1391, leaving behind substantially solid ink particles. Heaters 1348 and 1349 can further heat the substantially solid ink particles and thereby boil or sublime the material, so that discharge nozzle 1380 can dispense ink particles 1396 towards substrate 1390. As particles 1396 land on substrate 1390 and condense they form a substantially solid film. Heaters 1348, 1349 are positioned about discharge nozzle 1380 to help evaporate liquid carrier 1391 and dispense solid particles 1396.
In the embodiment of
While the schematic representation of
While the principles of the disclosure have been illustrated in relation to the exemplary embodiments shown herein, the principles of the disclosure are not limited thereto and include any modification, variation or permutation thereof.
This invention was made with government support under grant number DMR0213282 awarded by the National Science Foundation. The government has certain rights in this invention. The instant application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/080,626, filed Apr. 5, 2011, abandoned which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/139,404, filed Jun. 13, 2008, abandoned which claims priority to Provisional Application No. 60/944,000, filed Jun. 14, 2007; the instant application is a CIP of application Ser. No. 13/095,619, filed Apr. 27, 2011, which is a DIV of application Ser. No. 11/282,472, filed Nov. 21, 2005 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,128,753) which claimed priority to Provisional Application No. 60/629,312, Filed Nov. 19, 2004. The specification of all recited applications are incorporated herein in their entirety.
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| 20140063094 A1 | Mar 2014 | US |
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