Deposition apparatus based on programmable electrode array and method of patterning deposition

Abstract

The application discloses a deposition device based on a programmable electrode array and a patterning deposition method, which comprises the following steps: generating charged particles and / or mist droplets by a charged particle source; an insulating substrate comprises a front surface for receiving deposition and a back surface opposite to the front surface; a programmable electrode array is arranged on the back surface of the insulating substrate and used for guiding the deposition of the charged particles and / or the mist droplets; a voltage driving unit is used for providing independent voltage signals for the electrode unit, and the voltage signals are pulse signals or direct current signals; and a control unit is used for programming and controlling the output of the voltage driving unit according to a target pattern, so that the programmable electrode array forms a spatial electric field corresponding to the target pattern on the front surface of the insulating substrate. Through the deposition device based on the programmable electrode array and the patterning deposition method, any pattern can be generated and changed instantly through programming of an electric field, and a physical mask is replaced by an electric mask, so that the physical mask is not needed, and the flexibility is extremely high.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the fields of advanced micro-nano manufacturing, additive manufacturing and printed electronics technology, and particularly relates to a deposition apparatus and patterned deposition method based on a programmable electrode array. Background Technology

[0002] Patterned deposition of micro / nano-scale functional materials is one of the core processes for fabricating advanced electronic, optoelectronic, and flexible devices. Techniques such as electrospraying and aerosol jetting can generate micro / nano-scale charged particles or droplets, offering advantages such as wide material adaptability and good deposition uniformity, and show great promise for applications in functional thin film fabrication. However, these techniques have limited ability to precisely control the landing point of particles or droplets during deposition, typically only achieving the formation of large-area uniform films or randomly distributed point deposits, making it difficult to directly obtain complex micron or even submicron-scale fine patterned structures.

[0003] To achieve patterned deposition, existing technologies typically rely on mask-assisted methods (such as physical masks), pre-patterned substrates (such as those using hydrophilic or hydrophobic patterns), or scanning direct writing combined with a moving platform. Among these, the mask method requires high mask processing precision and is prone to introducing contamination; the pre-patterned substrate method has a complex process flow and poor versatility; and the scanning direct writing method is limited by point-by-point processing, resulting in low deposition efficiency. For example, Chinese patent CN113478809B and international patent application WO2025138152A1 disclose a method for patterned deposition using an electric field to guide aerosols through mask channels, which improves the patterning capability of deposition to some extent, but still requires the use of a perforated mask, and the mask is difficult to completely separate from the deposition material, potentially affecting deposition accuracy or causing contamination. Especially for novel optoelectronic materials such as perovskites and quantum dots that are sensitive to solvents and subsequent processing conditions, as well as device structures that need to be integrated into flexible substrates, existing patterning methods still face significant challenges in terms of process compatibility, pattern resolution, processing efficiency, and fabrication cost.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a patterned deposition method that does not require physical contact with the mask, has both high resolution and mild process characteristics, and is applicable to flexible substrates and sensitive material systems, in order to meet the current technical requirements for the fabrication of advanced functional devices. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the shortcomings and improvement needs of existing technologies, this invention provides a deposition apparatus and patterned deposition method based on a programmable electrode array. The purpose is to integrate an independently addressable electrode array on the back side of an insulating substrate, and to dynamically construct a spatial electric field matching the target pattern on the front side of the substrate by programming and controlling the voltage distribution of each unit of the array, thereby achieving the deposition of the target pattern.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, according to one aspect of the present invention, a deposition apparatus based on a programmable electrode array is provided, comprising: Charged particle source: used to generate charged particles and / or droplets; Insulating substrate: includes a front side for receiving deposition and a back side opposite to the front side; Programmable electrode array: disposed on the back side of an insulating substrate, including multiple electrode units for guiding the deposition of charged particles and / or droplets; Voltage drive unit: connected to the programmable electrode array, used to provide independent voltage signals to the electrode units, the voltage signals being pulse signals or DC signals; Control unit: Connected to the voltage drive unit, it is used to programmatically control the output of the voltage drive unit according to the target pattern, so that the programmable electrode array forms a spatial electric field corresponding to the target pattern on the front side of the insulating substrate.

[0007] In summary, the above-described technical solutions conceived in this invention can achieve the following beneficial effects: (1) Maskless and non-contact patterning: This invention realizes the dynamic construction and control of the deposition electric field through software programming, and can generate and switch any pattern in real time. By using "electrical mask" to replace the traditional physical mask, it realizes completely maskless and non-contact patterned deposition, which significantly improves the flexibility and convenience of the process.

[0008] (2) High resolution and high controllability: By applying electrode voltage, a very strong local electric field gradient can be generated in the deposition area, enabling precise guidance and focusing of submicron charged particles or droplets. The resulting pattern feature size can be smaller than the geometric size of the back electrode. In addition, by adjusting the electrode width, spacing and driving voltage amplitude, the deposition linewidth can be effectively controlled, further improving the flexibility of the process and the pattern accuracy.

[0009] (3) The electrodes are reusable and have significant cost advantages: The deposition process only occurs on the front side of the substrate. The electrode array on the back side is well protected throughout the process and is not easily damaged or contaminated. Therefore, it has excellent reusability and can meet the needs of multiple deposition cycles. It is especially suitable for the R&D stage and small-batch production scenarios, which greatly reduces the process cost.

[0010] (4) Wide compatibility with materials and substrates: The process conditions of this invention are mild and suitable for functional materials that are sensitive to solvents and subsequent processes, such as perovskites and quantum dots. At the same time, it has good compatibility with substrate types and can achieve high-quality patterned deposition on a variety of rigid and flexible insulating substrates such as glass, PET, and PDMS. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of a deposition apparatus based on a programmable electrode array according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 2 The diagram shows a programmable electrode array placed on the back side of a substrate in a deposition apparatus based on a programmable electrode array according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 3 The diagram shown is a simulation of the electric field line distribution formed above the front side of the substrate when alternating positive and negative voltages are applied to the electrodes in the programmable electrode array of the deposition apparatus based on the programmable electrode array according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 4 The diagram shown is a schematic flow chart of a patterned deposition method based on a programmable electrode array according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] 1: Charged particle source; 2: Insulating substrate; 3: Programmable electrode array; 4: Voltage drive unit; 5: Control unit. Detailed Implementation

[0016] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of this invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0017] In this invention, the terms "first," "second," etc. (if present) in the invention and the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0018] Example 1: This invention discloses a deposition apparatus based on a programmable electrode array, such as... Figure 1 The diagram shows a schematic of a deposition apparatus based on a programmable electrode array. As can be seen from the figure, the deposition apparatus includes: Charged particle source: used to generate charged particles and / or droplets; specifically, the charged particle source is an electrospray device or an aerosol generator that can generate charged particles or droplets; Insulating substrate: includes a front side for receiving deposition and a back side opposite to the front side; Programmable electrode array: disposed on the back side of an insulating substrate, used to guide the deposition of charged particles and / or droplets; specifically, the programmable electrode array includes multiple electrode units, and a modulated spatial electric field is formed by applying independent potentials to the electrodes of the electrode units, the spatial electric field being used to guide the deposition of charged particles and / or droplets; in an optional embodiment, the programmable electrode array includes: an interdigitated electrode array, a circular interdigitated electrode array, and a lattice electrode array, such as... Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2 (a) and (b) are interdigitated electrode arrays, differing only in density; (c) is a circular interdigitated electrode array; and (d) is a lattice electrode array. Furthermore, the conductive materials constituting the interdigitated electrode array, the circular interdigitated electrode array, and the lattice electrode array include indium tin oxide, Al, Cu, or Au. Voltage drive unit: connected to the programmable electrode array, used to provide independent voltage signals to the electrode units. The voltage signal can be a pulse signal or a DC signal, where the DC signal refers to a constant DC signal. Control unit: Connected to the voltage drive unit, it is used to programmatically control the output of the voltage drive unit according to the target pattern, so that the programmable electrode array forms a spatial electric field corresponding to the target pattern on the front side of the insulating substrate. Specifically, the control unit achieves local electric field distribution control by setting the polarity combination of the electrode units and the voltage amplitude, such as... Figure 3 The diagram shown illustrates an electric field distribution achieved by the control unit through polarity combinations and voltage amplitude.

[0019] It should be noted that the insulating substrate is made of quartz glass, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), or polyimide (PI); the width of each electrode in the programmable electrode array is 1~500μm, and the spacing is 1~500μm, fabricated using photolithography or laser etching. The voltage driving unit is used to apply DC voltage or pulse voltage to each electrode unit in each electrode array, with a voltage amplitude range of -1000V to +1000V, but not limited to this.

[0020] In one alternative embodiment, a potential difference is generated between adjacent electrode units in the electrode array, creating a lateral electric field component parallel to the substrate surface above a corresponding region on the front side of the insulating substrate. This corresponding region is related to the target pattern; in other words, once the target pattern is determined, the electric field distribution is achieved through the potential difference. This electric field distribution allows charged particles to be deposited according to the target pattern. Advantageously, this lateral electric field effectively constrains the lateral diffusion of charged particles or droplets, allowing the feature size of the final deposited pattern to be smaller than the physical size of the back electrode units, achieving high-resolution patterning.

[0021] In an embodiment of the present invention, in order to obtain the modulated spatial electric field, the width of the electrode unit in the programmable electrode array and the spacing between the electrode units are designed, and the voltage applied to the electrode unit are combined to modulate the spatial field. The spatial electric field formed is used to achieve control of the deposition linewidth, which refers to the width of the deposited charged particles and / or droplets.

[0022] Furthermore, in embodiments of the present invention, the programmable electrode array is reusable, that is, different target patterns can be achieved by electric field distribution according to different target patterns. Since deposition only occurs on the front side of the substrate, the electrode array on the back side is well protected. Deposition can continue after the insulating substrate is replaced, which significantly reduces the cost of consumables.

[0023] Example 2: This invention discloses a patterned deposition method based on a deposition apparatus with a programmable electrode array, such as... Figure 4 As shown, it includes: S1: The control unit sets a voltage signal that meets the requirements of the target pattern in the corresponding electrode unit according to the target pattern driving voltage driving unit. S2: The voltage signal causes the programmable electrode array to generate a voltage distribution, thereby forming a modulated spatial electric field above the front side of the insulating substrate; S3: Charged particle source generates charged particles and / or droplets; S4: Charged particles and / or droplets are selectively focused and deposited on a predetermined area on the front side of the substrate under the action of a spatial electric field to form a patterned thin film.

[0024] Furthermore, forming a modulated spatial electric field also includes designing the width of the electrode units in the programmable electrode array, the spacing between the electrode units, and combining the voltage applied to the electrode units to jointly modulate the spatial electric field. The formed spatial electric field is used to control the deposition linewidth, which refers to the width of the deposited charged particles and / or droplets. In addition, the materials of the charged particle source include: perovskite precursor solution, quantum dot dispersion, silver paste, or conductive dispersion system containing metal nanoparticles.

[0025] The patterned deposition method in this embodiment is implemented by the deposition apparatus based on the programmable electrode array in Embodiment 1. Therefore, the specific implementation of the patterned deposition method can be found in the embodiment section of the deposition apparatus based on the programmable electrode array mentioned above. The specific implementation can be referred to the description of the corresponding embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0026] Experimental verification: To better verify the process of the apparatus and patterned deposition method disclosed in this invention, specific embodiments will be used as examples below.

[0027] Experiment 1: The perovskite light-emitting microwires are patterned and deposited on a flexible PDMS substrate. The specific process is as follows: ITO electrode preparation: The substrate was sequentially immersed in glass cleaner, acetone, isopropanol, anhydrous ethanol, and deionized water for ultrasonic cleaning for 8 minutes. The cleaned substrate was dried in nitrogen. The treated substrate was then spin-coated with a layer of AZ5214 photoresist in multiple steps using a spin coater (e.g., 200 rpm, 3 s, acceleration 500 rpm / s; 500 rpm, 2 s, acceleration 500 rpm / s; 3000 rpm, 30 s, acceleration 1000 rpm / s; 4000 rpm, 5 s, acceleration 800 rpm / s). The substrate was then heated on a hot plate at 95°C for 60 seconds. The treated substrate was then exposed in a photolithography machine for 6.5 seconds. After exposure, the substrate was placed in a developer solution. Once the photoresist in the exposed portion of the substrate was removed by the developer solution (resulting in a layer of pink solution floating on the substrate), the substrate was immediately rinsed with deionized water to remove excess developer solution. Finally, an ITO layer was deposited on the developed substrate using a magnetron sputtering device. After sputtering, the substrate is placed in an acetone solution to remove any remaining photoresist, leaving only the pre-designed conductive pattern on the substrate. In a preferred embodiment, the ITO electrode thickness is 150 nm, the width of a single ITO interdigitated electrode is 20 μm, and the electrode spacing is 10 μm.

[0028] PDMS flexible substrate preparation: A PDMS thin film was spin-coated onto the surface of the ITO interdigitated electrode array (500 rpm, 60 s, acceleration 200 rpm / s) and cured on a hot plate at 95 ℃ for 600 s.

[0029] Solution preparation: Prepare a MAPbBr3 perovskite precursor solution with a concentration of 0.8 mol / L (solvent is DMSO).

[0030] Deposition Process: The PDMS substrate (front side up) was fixed on the sample stage. The perovskite solution was loaded into a glass capillary electrospray nozzle (30 μm outer diameter). The nozzle was positioned 20 mm from the front side of the substrate, and a +3 kV high voltage was applied to create a stable cone-jet pattern. Through the control system, a voltage was applied to the ITO electrode array on the back side of the PDMS: the electrode below the target deposition line was set to -40V, and the other electrodes were set to +40V. Under this voltage configuration, a strong lateral focusing electric field was generated above the target area on the front side of the substrate. Charged perovskite precursor droplets, guided by the electric field, were precisely deposited in the area directly opposite the electrode where the negative pressure was applied.

[0031] After deposition, continuous and uniform perovskite luminescent microwires were obtained, with a linewidth of approximately 5 μm, smaller than the width of the back electrode (20 μm). After removing the PDMS substrate, the resistance of the back ITO electrode did not change significantly, and it can be reused for deposition.

[0032] Experiment 2: The high-resolution deposition of quantum dot linear arrays on a transparent PI substrate is achieved through the following process: Fabrication of ITO electrodes: The ITO electrode pattern is drawn and imported into laser cutting software. The cutting speed is set to 1000 mm / s, the frequency to 300 Hz, and the laser power to 20%. A commercial ITO glass sheet is fixed on the processing stage, and the ITO area is etched by a picosecond laser to obtain a patterned ITO electrode. In a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the ITO electrode is 150 nm, the width of the ITO electrode interdigitated pattern is 200 μm, and the spacing is 100 μm.

[0033] Solution preparation: Prepare a cyclohexylbenzene dispersion of CdSe / ZnS core-shell structured green quantum dots.

[0034] Fabrication of transparent PI flexible substrate: A transparent PI film is spin-coated on the surface of the ITO interdigitated electrode array (500 rpm, 60 s, acceleration 200 rpm / s).

[0035] Deposition Process: The PI substrate (front side up) was fixed on the sample stage. The quantum dot solution was loaded into a glass capillary electrospray nozzle (25 μm outer diameter). The nozzle was positioned 20 mm from the front side of the substrate, and a +3 kV high voltage was applied to create a stable cone-jet pattern. Through the control system, a voltage was applied to the ITO electrode array on the back side of the PI substrate: the electrode below the target deposition line was set to -500V, and the other electrodes were set to +500V. Under this voltage configuration, a strong lateral focusing electric field was generated above the target area on the front side of the substrate. Guided by the electric field, charged quantum dot droplets were precisely deposited in the area directly opposite the negatively pressured electrode.

[0036] In summary, the deposition apparatus and patterned deposition method based on programmable electrode array disclosed in this invention enable dynamic construction and control of the deposition electric field through software programming, allowing for the real-time generation and switching of arbitrary patterns. By using an "electrical mask" to replace the traditional physical mask, completely maskless and non-contact patterned deposition is achieved, significantly improving the flexibility and convenience of the process.

[0037] Those skilled in the art will readily understand that the above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A deposition apparatus based on a programmable electrode array, characterized in that, include: Charged particle source: used to generate charged particles and / or droplets; Insulating substrate: includes a front side for receiving deposition and a back side opposite to the front side; Programmable electrode array: disposed on the back side of an insulating substrate, including multiple electrode units for guiding the deposition of charged particles and / or droplets; Voltage drive unit: connected to the programmable electrode array, used to provide independent voltage signals to the electrode units, including pulse signals or DC signals; Control unit: Connected to the voltage drive unit, it is used to programmatically control the output of the voltage drive unit according to the target pattern, so that the programmable electrode array forms a spatial electric field corresponding to the target pattern on the front side of the insulating substrate.

2. The deposition apparatus based on a programmable electrode array according to claim 1, characterized in that, A modulated spatial electric field is formed by applying independent potentials to the electrodes of the electrode units in a programmable electrode array. This spatial electric field is used to guide the deposition of charged particles.

3. The deposition apparatus based on a programmable electrode array according to claim 2, characterized in that, Programmable electrode arrays include: interdigitated electrode arrays, circular interdigitated electrode arrays, and dot matrix electrode arrays.

4. The deposition apparatus based on a programmable electrode array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The charged particle source is an electrospray device or an aerosol generator that produces charged particles and / or droplets.

5. The deposition apparatus based on a programmable electrode array according to claim 3, characterized in that, The conductive materials constituting the interdigitated electrode array, circular interdigitated electrode array, and lattice electrode array include indium tin oxide, Al, Cu, or Au.

6. The deposition apparatus based on a programmable electrode array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The insulating substrate can be a rigid transparent substrate or a flexible transparent substrate, and the materials of the insulating substrate include quartz glass, polyethylene terephthalate, polydimethylsiloxane or polyimide.

7. The deposition apparatus based on a programmable electrode array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The voltage drive unit provides a single-channel output voltage range of -1000V to +1000V.

8. A patterned deposition method based on a deposition apparatus using a programmable electrode array according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, include: S1: The control unit sets a voltage signal that meets the requirements of the target pattern in the corresponding electrode unit according to the target pattern driving voltage driving unit. S2: The voltage signal causes the programmable electrode array to generate a voltage distribution, thereby forming a modulated spatial electric field above the front side of the insulating substrate. S3: Charged particle source generates charged particles and / or droplets; S4: Charged particles and / or droplets are selectively focused and deposited on a predetermined area on the front side of an insulating substrate under the action of a spatial electric field, forming a patterned thin film.

9. The patterned deposition method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The formation of the modulated spatial electric field in step S2 also includes designing the width of the electrode units in the programmable electrode array and the spacing between the electrode units. The formed spatial electric field is used to control the deposition linewidth, which refers to the width of the deposited charged particles and / or droplets.

10. The patterned deposition method according to claim 8, characterized in that, Materials used for charged particle sources include: perovskite precursor solutions, quantum dot dispersions, silver pastes, or conductive dispersion systems containing metal nanoparticles.

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