Substrate holder with linear slide mechanism

Abstract

In industrial inkjet printers, there is a demand for good retention of the substrate. [Solution] A substrate holder for an inkjet printer is disclosed. The substrate holder includes a contact member having a contact surface and a carriage surface opposite the contact surface, and a carriage coupled to the carriage surface and having a direction of motion along a first direction. The carriage includes a base member and a linear slide mechanism coupling the base member to the contact member, the linear slide mechanism being arranged in a plane parallel to the contact surface such that a direction of linear displacement of the linear slide mechanism forms an acute angle with the direction of motion.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 260,669, filed August 27, 2021, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 260,905, filed September 3, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present application relates to a device and method for registering a substrate for a print process. [Background technology]

[0003] Industrial inkjet printers are used to apply materials to large substrates to create a variety of devices. The substrates can be rigid or flexible, thick or thin, and made from a variety of materials. The most common types of substrates used in this way include substrates made from various glasses, which are processed to produce electronic displays such as televisions and displays for smartphones.

[0004] When forming a layer on a substrate using an inkjet printer, the substrate is moved to a position where it will receive material ejected from a printing device that is part of the inkjet printer. Typically, the substrate is moved to a processing position using a manipulator. To ensure that material is deposited at an appropriate position, it is effective to move the substrate accurately. If the strength or rigidity of the substrate holding component is insufficient relative to the mass of the substrate, vibrations and shaking may occur when holding the substrate, and such vibrations and shaking may result in inaccurate positioning of the substrate. In an inkjet printer, it is required to hold the substrate well. Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to embodiments described herein, there is provided a substrate holder comprising a contact member having a contact surface and a carriage surface opposite the contact surface, and a carriage coupled to the carriage surface, the carriage having a direction of movement along a first direction, and a base member and a linear slide mechanism coupling the base member to the contact member, the linear slide mechanism being positioned within a plane parallel to the contact surface such that a linear displacement direction of the linear slide mechanism forms an acute angle with respect to the first direction.

[0006] According to other embodiments described herein, there is provided an inkjet printer comprising a substrate support having a flat support surface, a print substrate disposed across the support surface, a printhead coupled to the print substrate, and a substrate holder disposed to a side of the support surface, the substrate holder comprising a contact member having a contact surface and a carriage surface opposite the contact surface, and a carriage coupled to the carriage surface, the carriage comprising a base member having a longitudinal axis and a linear slide mechanism coupling the base member to the contact member, the linear slide mechanism being arranged in a plane parallel to the contact surface such that a linear displacement direction of the linear slide mechanism forms an acute angle with the longitudinal axis.

[0007] According to other embodiments described herein, there is provided a method of processing a substrate, comprising: vacuum-coupling the substrate to a contact surface of a contact member of a substrate holder of an inkjet printing system; and coupling a carriage surface of the contact member to a carriage of the substrate holder, the carriage having a direction of motion and comprising a base member and a linear slide mechanism coupling the base member to the contact member, the linear slide mechanism being positioned such that a linear displacement direction of the linear slide mechanism forms an acute angle with the direction of motion in a plane parallel to the contact surface. The method further comprises translating the substrate in the direction of motion by moving the carriage along a linear support, and operating the linear slide mechanism to hold constant a position of the substrate along an axis perpendicular to the direction of motion and to hold constant a rotational orientation of the substrate. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] Aspects of the subject matter described herein will be best understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: In accordance with standard industry practice, features are not drawn to scale. For illustrative purposes, dimensions of features may be arbitrarily increased or decreased.

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a top view of a printing system incorporating a substrate holder with a linear slide mechanism in accordance with an embodiment.

[0010] [Diagram 2] 1A-1C are schematic diagrams illustrating the mode of motion of a substrate manipulated by a substrate holder with a linear slide mechanism according to an embodiment.

[0011] [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is an exploded side view of a linear slide mechanism for a substrate holder according to one embodiment.

[0012] [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a top view of a linear slide mechanism according to an embodiment.

[0013] [Diagram 5] 1 is a flow chart of a method of substrate manipulation according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] In this application, one or more embodiments and examples of the invention are described. The specific examples of components, values, operations, materials, arrangements, etc. described below are provided to facilitate the description of the present subject matter. Of course, these specific examples are merely illustrative and are not intended to be limiting. Other components, values, operations, materials, arrangements, etc. are also contemplated. For example, components shown in direct contact in the drawings herein may not be in direct contact in other embodiments not shown but contemplated within the scope of the subject matter. Vice versa. In addition, in the following description, reference numbers and / or reference characters may be repeated in each example. Such repetition is for the purpose of brevity and clarity, and does not dictate a specific relationship between the various embodiments and / or configurations described herein.

[0015] Additionally, for convenience of description, spatially relative terms such as "below," "under," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element or feature shown in each figure to another element or feature. These spatially relative terms are intended to encompass various orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted. The device may be in other orientations (rotated 90 degrees or otherwise) and the spatially relative descriptions used herein may be interpreted accordingly. No particular orientation of the device is intended to be implied by the use of such terms herein.

[0016] Displays and monitors for televisions, computers, and other electronic devices contain a regular array of material (pixels). The regular array can be printed onto a substrate to produce the image that is displayed on the display or monitor. Accurate positioning of the pixels requires accurate positioning of the substrate that receives the ejection of the printed material. As display resolution (expressed in pixels per inch) increases, it becomes more difficult to accurately place the printed material. If a pixel of a display device falls outside a threshold distance from its expected position, it may not meet specifications. If a pixel of a display device becomes inoperative, the pixel will remain stuck in an "on" or "off" state, rendering the device unusable.

[0017] In an embodiment, the printing process includes positioning a substrate to be printed using a substrate holder. The present disclosure relates to a substrate holder (i.e., a substrate holding system) configured to accurately and reliably position and align a substrate for a printing process (e.g., an inkjet printing process). The present disclosure also describes a position monitoring system that can be used to detect the position of a printing substrate and actively control and drive the position and orientation of the printing substrate. The substrate holding system described herein is advantageous compared to other types of substrate holding systems in that once the substrate is "gripped," the substrate can be dynamically placed in a new position without having to "grapple" and re-grapple the substrate. The use of a position monitoring system allows for closed-loop control of the position and orientation of the substrate during processing. The substrate holding system described herein can be used to minimize unwanted motion of the substrate when the substrate holder is operated to position the substrate.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a top view of a printing system 100 including a substrate holding system 110 with a linear slide mechanism 115 (schematically shown with a dashed line). The substrate holding system 110 has a longitudinal axis 117, which in this example is substantially parallel to a substrate transport direction in the printing system 100 during processing. The linear slide mechanism 115 is arranged such that a linear displacement direction of the linear slide mechanism 115 forms an acute angle with the longitudinal axis 117 in a plane parallel to a contact surface of the substrate holding system 110 with the substrate. In another example, the substrate holding system 110 may not have a longitudinal axis. In this case, the linear slide mechanism 115 is arranged such that a linear displacement direction of the linear slide mechanism 115 forms an acute angle with the substrate transport direction.

[0019] The printing system 100 includes a substrate support 108 and a print support 102 that extends over the substrate support 108 of the printing system. The substrate support 108 generally uses a low friction medium to support the substrate. The low friction medium is a low viscosity material that is dispensed onto the support surface of the substrate support 108. The low viscosity material may be a liquid or a gas. The substrate support 108 may include a gas cushion system. When a gas is used, friction is minimized, and therefore the energy required to move the substrate along the substrate support 108 is minimized. When a low viscosity liquid film is used to support the substrate, friction is generally increased, but vibrations due to misaligned moments of inertia can be reduced.

[0020] The printing system 100 includes a print head 104 movably coupled to a print support 102. The print head 104 is configured to move along the print support 102 during a printing process. A substrate holding system 110 is coupled to a substrate holder support 106. The substrate holder support 106 extends along and alongside the substrate support 108 in a substrate transport direction. During processing, the substrate is moved in the transport direction along a longitudinal axis of the substrate support 108 (in this example, substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis 117 of the substrate holding system 110) while the print head 104 is moved along the print support 102 in a direction transverse to the substrate transport direction. This allows the printing material ejected from the print head 104 to be deposited at any desired location on the substrate. The print support 102 and the substrate holder support 106 may be made of a high-mass material, such as granite. Such a material allows the transmission of vibrations to the print head 104 and / or the substrate holding system 110 to be minimized. The substrate holder support 106 is generally configured as a rail-like body that is as straight as possible. This allows the substrate holding system 110 to achieve a substantially linear motion while holding the substrate. However, the substrate holder support 106 and the substrate holding system 110 may have imperfections that cause deviations from linear motion. These imperfections may result in substrate positioning errors and printing errors.

[0021] The substrate holding system 110 includes a first part 111 of an optical positioning system 113. A second part 114 of the optical positioning system 113 is located at one end of the substrate holder support 106. The optical positioning system 113 uses a light beam source and a detector as a linear reference to correct the substrate movement and orientation to obtain accurate printing results. Here, the optical positioning system 113 is a laser-based system. The first part (e.g., first part 111) includes a reflector such as a mirror, and the second part (e.g., second part 114) includes a laser light source and a detector. In this example, the second part 114 is mounted at a relatively stationary reference position on the printing system 100. Here, the reference position is the tip of the substrate holder support 106. The position of the second part 114 including the laser light source is selected to ensure a sufficient optical path length between the first part 111 and the second part 114 to detect changes in position and rotation of the substrate holding system 110 (and the substrate held thereby) with the desired sensitivity.

[0022] In this example, misalignment of the first part 111 indicates that the substrate holding system 110 and the print substrate held thereby are moving non-linearly because misalignment of the first part 111 changes the reflection of the incident light beam. The change in reflection can be detected by a detector on the second part 114. The misalignment can occur due to a positional or rotational error of the substrate holding system 110. The placement of the first part 111 on the substrate holding system 110 is set to reflect the positional and rotational errors in a desired manner. In this way, the position and orientation of the substrate held by the substrate holding system 110 is generally represented by the first part 111, and misalignment of the first part 111 indicates a change in the position or orientation of the substrate. This change can be detected by a detector. Based on the change in the position of the first part 111, corrective action can be taken to adjust the position or orientation of the substrate for accurate printing.

[0023] The first part 111 may include a curved mirror having a curvature configured to change the angle of reflection of an incident light beam (e.g., an incident light beam from a laser light source in the second part 114) as the first part 111 is laterally displaced in a direction transverse to the substrate transport direction. As the lateral displacement of the substrate holding system 110 and first part 111 changes, the angle at which the light beam from the second part 114 reflects off the curved mirror changes, and a change in position of the reflected light beam is detected at a detector. In this manner, by detecting the lateral displacement of the substrate holding system 110 with a detector, steps can be taken to correct the position of the substrate holding system 110.

[0024] The optical positioning system 113 may comprise a camera that records and registers the position of a mark relative to a reference point on the substrate holder support 106. The mark tracked by the camera reflects the position of the substrate holding system 110.

[0025] In another example, the optical positioning system 113 may include two laser sources and two detectors, or a combination of a laser source, a laser detector, a mirror, and a camera system, to monitor the alignment and position of the carriage (and thus the substrate gripped by the carriage) during the printing process. By using multiple independent measurements, linear and rotational motions of the substrate holding system 110 can be clearly distinguished. In one example, the optical positioning system 113 includes a laser source, two laser detectors, and a beam splitter. The two laser detectors are spaced apart, and a portion of the beam from the laser source is directed by the beam splitter to each laser detector. For example, when two spaced apart laser detectors are coupled to the substrate holding system 110, linear and rotational displacements of the substrate holding system 110 can be registered together, allowing steps to be taken to independently correct these displacements.

[0026] The substrate holding system 110 includes a contact member having a contact surface on which the substrate is removably held and a carriage surface opposite the contact surface. The substrate holding system 110 further includes a carriage and a base member. The carriage is coupled to the carriage surface and has a direction of motion along a first direction (approximately the substrate transport direction). The base member has a longitudinal axis parallel to the first direction. The substrate holding system 110 further includes a linear slide mechanism coupling the base member to the contact member. The linear slide mechanism is arranged such that a linear displacement direction of the linear slide mechanism is at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis in a plane parallel to the contact surface. The linear slide mechanism is shown in dashed lines in FIG. 1 as element 115. The linear slide mechanism is configured such that displacement of the linear slide mechanism causes linear displacement of the contact member transverse to the longitudinal axis and / or rotation of the contact member. As described above, the optical positioning system 113 can be used to detect changes in position or rotation of the substrate holding system 110. Additionally, information obtained from the optical positioning system 113 can be used to operate the linear slide mechanism to correct or adjust the orientation or position of the print substrate during the printing process.

[0027] In one example, a printing process is performed on the print substrate while the carriage is held in a first orientation. During the printing process, information regarding the position and orientation of the carriage and / or the linear slide mechanism thereon is recorded. During the printing process, the apparatus and methods described herein are used to detect and dynamically correct the position and orientation of the substrate to maximize printing accuracy. Corrections can be performed during material dispensing or while the printing process is paused. For example, during the printing process, the printing process can be paused when a gap or space between printed areas on the print substrate is directly under the print head, and the position and / or orientation of the print substrate can be corrected to correct position errors or misalignment of the print substrate. Such alignment corrections can also be performed during a print head positioning process when no printing is occurring.

[0028] The linear slide mechanism of the carriage is configured such that a direction of motion of a movable part of the linear slide mechanism is offset by an acute angle with respect to a first direction, the first direction being parallel to a direction of motion of the carriage along the substrate holder support and perpendicular to a second direction, the direction of motion of the movable part of the linear slide mechanism being in an xy plane defined by the first direction and the second direction.

[0029] The linear slide mechanism is configured to translate a printing substrate held on a contact surface of a contact member of a substrate holding system. The contact surface of the substrate holding system is a surface that directly abuts the top or bottom surface of the substrate. The substrate is held on the contact surface by applying a holding force (e.g., suction) to the substrate on the contact surface of the contact member. The contact surface may be provided with openings or a porous surface to facilitate application of suction to the contact surface. For embodiments using suction, gripping the substrate includes applying suction through the openings in the contact surface. Releasing (i.e., releasing) the substrate includes stopping suction through the openings. In some cases, applying a position pressure may be included to prevent the substrate from "sticking" to the contact surface.

[0030] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a mode of motion of a substrate 202 manipulated by a substrate holder 200 with a linear slide mechanism according to an embodiment. The substrate holder 200 may be the substrate holding system 110 of FIG. 1. The substrate holder 200 includes a contact member 204 rotatably coupled to a first linear slide mechanism 206 and a second linear slide mechanism 208. The first linear slide mechanism 206 and the second linear slide mechanism 208 are disposed on opposite sides of the center of the contact member 204 and are spaced apart along a first direction 298 parallel to the longitudinal axis of the contact member 204. If the contact member 204 does not have a longitudinal axis, the first direction 298 is parallel to the substrate transport direction. The first linear slide mechanism 206 and the second linear slide mechanism 208 may be adjacent to both ends of the contact member 204. As described above in relation to FIG. 1, the first direction 298 corresponds to the direction of motion of the substrate holder 200 along the substrate holder support. The contact member 204 is coupled to the first linear slide mechanism 206 and the second linear slide mechanism 208 so as to be rotatable relative to each of these linear slide mechanisms.

[0031] The contact member 204 is also rotatably coupled to a pivot member 210. The pivot member 210 is disposed between the first linear slide mechanism 206 and the second linear slide mechanism 208. The pivot member 210 includes a post (not shown in FIG. 2 ) that passes through a slot formed in the contact member 204. The slot extends in a second direction 299 perpendicular to the first direction 298. The first direction 298 and the second direction 299 are each parallel to a contact surface of the contact member 204 and define a plane parallel to the contact surface. The pivot member 210 allows the contact member 204 to rotate and move in the second direction 299, while substantially prohibiting the contact member 204 from moving in the first direction 298 relative to the pivot member 210.

[0032] The substrate 202 is releasably held on the contact surface of the contact member 204 using a plurality of openings 230 along one side of the contact member 204. Suction is applied to the planar surface of the substrate 202 through the plurality of openings 230 before and during a printing process performed on the substrate 202.

[0033] When the substrate 202 is in the first mode of motion M1, the substrate 202 translates along a second direction 299. In the following description, arrows indicate the direction and mode of motion of the components of the substrate 202. Each arrow corresponds to the direction of motion of the components of the substrate adjacent to it. The pattern on each arrow indicates commonality with other arrows corresponding to the same mode of motion. The magnitude of motion in the indicated direction is generally indicated by the size of the arrow. However, the arrows are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent precise dimensions or directions of motion. Translation of the substrate along the second direction 299 may also include a component of motion along the first direction 298. The component of motion along the first direction 298 may be compensated for by moving the carriage along the first direction 298.

[0034] The first motion mode M1 is realized by moving the movable parts of the first linear slide mechanism 206 and the second linear slide mechanism 208 in the same way. The movable part of the first linear slide mechanism 206 moves along a first vector 220, and the movable part of the second linear slide mechanism 208 moves along a second vector 222. The first and second vectors are equal in magnitude and direction. The directions of the first and second vectors are substantially parallel to the first direction 298, i.e., substantially parallel to the conveying direction of the substrate 202. The movable part is a linear actuator arranged to be linearly displaced in the first direction 298, or a part moved by an actuator. The slide member 232 is slidably coupled to the movable part at an acute angle to the movable part in a plane parallel to the plane of the contact surface of the contact member 204. Here, the movable part of each slide mechanism 206, 208 has a guide part. Each guide part is located below the slide member 232, and therefore is not shown in FIG. 2. In this example, each slide member 232 is a sleeve-like member, and each guide portion has a block-like member that fits into the sleeve-like slide member 232. As a result, each guide portion can slide along the slide member 232 in a direction that forms an acute angle with the substrate conveying direction and / or the first direction 298. When the movable portion moves, the slide member 232 slides along the movable portion. Since the slide member 232 is disposed in an inclined orientation, when the movable portion moves, this movement is converted into a vertical movement of the slide member 232 by cooperation with the pivot member 210. As a result, the slide member 232 is restricted to moving only in the second direction 299. If both linear slide mechanisms 206, 208 were operated in the same way, the contact member 204 would move according to the first motion mode M1.

[0035] The second motion mode M2 ​​is realized by moving the movable part of the first linear slide mechanism 206 along the first vector 220 and moving the movable part of the second linear slide mechanism 208 along the third vector 224 to bring these movable parts closer to each other. This movement causes a rotational movement about an axis located between the first linear slide mechanism 206 and the second linear slide mechanism 208. In FIG. 2, the second motion mode M2 ​​corresponds to a rotational movement about the center of the pivot member 210 as an axis.

[0036] The third motion mode M3 is realized by moving the movable part of the first linear slide mechanism 206 along the first vector 220 and keeping the second linear slide mechanism 208 stationary while the first linear slide mechanism 206 moves. Thus, in the third motion mode M3, the contact member 204 rotates around a center point located in the second linear slide mechanism 208 (the stationary linear slide mechanism). A similar motion mode can be realized by moving the movable part of the second linear slide mechanism 208 along the second vector 222 or the third vector 224 while keeping the first linear slide mechanism 206 stationary. In this case, the contact member 204 rotates around a center point located in the first linear slide mechanism 206. The rotation of the substrate can also be achieved by various modifications of the second motion mode M2 ​​and the third motion mode M3.

[0037] The above mentioned motion modes are reversed by reversing the direction of motion of each linear slide mechanism applied when the substrate 202 is initially translated or rotated. Thus, rotation is possible in both +θ and −θ directions. Similarly, lateral translation is possible in +y and −y directions.

[0038] FIG. 3 is an exploded side view of a linear slide mechanism 300 according to an embodiment. The linear slide mechanism 300 may be used as the first linear slide mechanism 206 and the second linear slide mechanism 208 of FIG. 2, or may be used as the linear slide mechanism 115 of FIG. 1. The linear slide mechanism 300 has a base member 302. A track 304 is attached to the base member 302 to limit the movement of a movable part that moves linearly along the longitudinal axis of the base member 302. The longitudinal axis of the base member 302 may be parallel to the track or may be disposed in another direction. The track 304 may be attached to both ends with restricting portions 306A and 306B to inhibit unwanted movement of the linear slide mechanism 300. The base member 302 may be a carriage or part of a carriage for a substrate holding system, such as the substrate holding system 110.

[0039] A slide member 309 is slidably coupled to the track 304. The slide member 309 moves along the track 304. The slide member 309 has a first coupling member 308 and a second coupling member 312. The first coupling member 308 is coupled to the track 304 and slides along the track 304. The second coupling member 312 is attached to the first coupling member 308 and moves with the first coupling member 308 as it moves along the track 304. The second coupling member 312 is oriented at an angle α with the first coupling member 308 to define an acute angle of the linear slide mechanism 300.

[0040] A second slide member 314 is slidably coupled to the second coupling member 312. The second slide member 314 is coupled to the first coupling member 308 by the second coupling member 312. The second slide member 314 is generally sleeve-shaped, and the second coupling member 312 is generally block-shaped or rod-shaped. The second slide member 314 partially surrounds the second coupling member 312 that fits therein and slides along the second coupling member 312. The second slide member 314 is attached to a contact member of the substrate holder (e.g., the contact member 204 of the substrate holder 200) by a fastener 322. As described above in connection with FIG. 2, the contact member 204 is restricted in movement by the pivot member 210 and can only move laterally (i.e., perpendicular to the extension direction of the track 304) and in a rotational direction. Thus, when the first slide member 309 moves in the first direction 398, the second coupling member 312 slides along the second slide member 314. Because the second coupling member 312 is angled, when the first slide member 309 moves in the first direction 398, this longitudinal movement is translated into vertical movement of the second slide member 314 and the contact member in a second direction 396 that is perpendicular to the first direction 398. This translation occurs because the second slide member 314 is fastened to the contact member (e.g., 204) and the longitudinal movement of the contact member is prohibited by the pivot member. The magnitude of the angle α becomes the distance divisor that relates the distance traveled in the second direction 396 to the distance traveled in the first direction 398.

[0041] FIG. 4 is a top view of a linear slide mechanism 400 according to an embodiment. The linear slide mechanism 400 has the same basic features as the linear slide mechanisms 300, 206, 208, 115, but with some differences. The linear slide mechanism 400 has an inclined slide member 414. The inclined slide member 414 is slidably coupled to a base slide member 412. The base slide member 412 is slidably coupled to a track 404 along the longitudinal axis of the base member 402. It is noted that the base member may not have a longitudinal axis (i.e., a longitudinal axis parallel to the track 404). For example, the base member 402 may be circular. The inclined slide member 414 is oriented at an acute angle α with respect to a longitudinal direction (i.e., a track direction) indicated by direction 498. The angle α defines the length of travel in the lateral direction 499 relative to the length of travel in the longitudinal direction 498.

[0042] A coupling member 418 is slidably coupled to the inclined slide member 414. When the base slide member 412 moves a distance x in the longitudinal direction 498, the coupling member 418 moves along with the inclined slide member 414. This translates the movement of the base slide member 412 by a distance x into a vertical movement of the coupling member 418 by a distance x sin(α) along the lateral direction 499. This translation occurs because the coupling member 418 is fastened to a contact member (e.g., 204) whose movement in the longitudinal direction 498 is limited by the pivot member 210 (FIG. 2). In this example, the inclined slide member 414 snaps into the coupling member 418 to perform a sliding motion similar to that of members 312 and 314 in FIG. 3.

[0043] It should be noted that the lateral movement caused by the movement of the movable part of the linear slide mechanism described herein may be perpendicular to the movement of the movable part, or may be a transverse direction other than perpendicular. Such a direction is determined according to the orientation of the slot provided in the contact member for projecting the pivot member. Referring again to FIG. 2, the slot shown by the dashed line 260 extends perpendicular to the substrate conveying direction (approximately parallel to the first direction 298). The movement of the contact member 204 is limited by the direction of the slot. When the movable part of the linear slide mechanism 206, 208 moves, the contact member 204 will move in the direction of the slot, regardless of the direction of the slot as long as the slot is linear.

[0044] The linear slide mechanism 115, 206, 208, 300, 400 increases the stiffness of the substrate holding system 110 (FIG. 1). The smaller the angle α, the greater the stiffness of the substrate holding system 110. The increased stiffness reduces unwanted vibrational movement and recoil of the substrate holding system 110 when a substrate is held. A larger angle α allows for a greater range of motion in both the lateral and rotational directions, but reduces stiffness and may result in unwanted movement of the system with the substrate moving. The angle α is generally about 1 degree to about 30 degrees, such as about 2 degrees to about 15 degrees. An angle α of about 3 degrees to about 10 degrees, such as about 5 degrees, 7 degrees, or 9 degrees, often provides a suitable combination of stiffness and range of motion. The amount of stiffness required may depend on the mass and shape of the substrate being processed.

[0045] FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a method 500 of substrate manipulation according to one embodiment.

[0046] The method 500 according to one embodiment includes steps associated with manipulating a print substrate during a printing process.

[0047] In step 502 of method 500, a print substrate is received on a printing system and the print substrate is positioned proximate a carriage (more specifically, proximate a contact surface of a contact member of the carriage).

[0048] In step 504 of method 500, suction force is applied to the print substrate through openings in a contact surface of a contact member of the carriage.

[0049] In step 506 of method 500, after removing the print substrate, the alignment of the print substrate is determined. The alignment of the print substrate is determined relative to a reference in the printing system. In one embodiment, the alignment is determined using the optical positioning system described above with respect to FIG.

[0050] In step 508 of method 500, a translation of at least one linear slide mechanism (or a portion thereof) is calculated to align the print substrate with respect to a datum of the printing system.

[0051] In step 510 of method 500, the print substrate is aligned by translating at least one moveable part of a linear slide mechanism.

[0052] In step 512 of method 500, the printing system determines whether the corrected registration of the print substrate is within the print substrate position tolerance with respect to a reference on the printing system. If it is determined that the print substrate is within the print substrate position tolerance, the method proceeds to step 514. If it is determined that the print substrate is outside the print substrate position tolerance, the method proceeds to step 508.

[0053] In step 514 of the method 500, carriage translation begins for the printing process.

[0054] The features of some embodiments have been outlined above to allow those skilled in the art to better understand aspects of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that using this disclosure as a basis, it is easy to design or modify other processes and structures to achieve the same purpose and / or achieve the same advantages as the embodiments described herein. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that such equivalent structures do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and that various changes, substitutions, and modifications can be made to the present specification without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A substrate holder, the substrate holder comprising: a contact member having a contact surface and a carriage surface opposite the contact surface; a carriage coupled to the carriage surface, the carriage having a direction of motion along a first direction; A base member; a linear slide mechanism that couples the base member to the contact member, the linear slide mechanism being positioned within a plane parallel to the contact surface such that a linear displacement direction of the linear slide mechanism forms an acute angle with the first direction.

2. the base member includes a track; The substrate holder of claim 1 , wherein the linear slide mechanism comprises a slide member coupled to the track.

3. The tracks are arranged parallel to the first direction, The substrate holder of claim 2 , wherein the slide member forms the acute angle with respect to the first direction.

4. the slide member is a first slide member, The substrate holder of claim 3 , wherein the linear slide mechanism further comprises a second slide member slidably coupled to the first slide member and the carriage surface.

5. the base member is a first base member; the linear slide mechanism is a first linear slide mechanism, the acute angle is a first acute angle, The carriage includes: A second base member; 5. The substrate holder of claim 4, further comprising a second linear slide mechanism that couples the second base member to the contact member, the second linear slide mechanism being arranged within the plane parallel to the contact surface such that a linear displacement direction of the second linear slide mechanism forms a second acute angle with respect to the first direction.

6. The substrate holder of claim 5 , wherein the second acute angle is approximately equal to the first acute angle.

7. The substrate holder of claim 5 , wherein the second acute angle is different from the first acute angle.

8. The substrate holder of claim 6 , wherein the first linear slide mechanism and the second linear slide mechanism are independently operable.

9. a first actuator coupled to the first linear slide mechanism; a second actuator coupled to the second linear slide mechanism; The substrate holder of claim 8 further comprising:

10. The substrate holder of claim 9 , wherein each of the first actuator and the second actuator is a chain actuator.

11. 1. An inkjet printer, comprising: a substrate support having a flat support surface; a print substrate disposed across the support surface; and a printhead coupled to the print substrate; a substrate holder disposed on a side of the support surface; Equipped with The substrate holder comprises: a contact member having a contact surface and a carriage surface opposite the contact surface; a carriage coupled to the carriage surface, the carriage comprising: a base member having a longitudinal axis; a linear slide mechanism that couples the base member to the contact member, the linear slide mechanism being positioned within a plane parallel to the contact surface such that a linear displacement direction of the linear slide mechanism forms an acute angle with respect to the longitudinal axis.

12. The inkjet printer of claim 11 , wherein the carriage comprises a gas flotation system.

13. a rail disposed on the side of the support surface; The inkjet printer of claim 12 , wherein the gas flotation system of the carriage is capable of moving the substrate holder along the rails.

14. the substrate holder is operable to move a substrate along the support surface in a direction parallel to the side of the support surface; The inkjet printer of claim 11 , wherein the linear slide mechanism is capable of moving the substrate in a direction perpendicular to the side of the support surface.

15. The inkjet printer of claim 14 , wherein the linear slide mechanism is capable of rotating the substrate.

16. The inkjet printer of claim 15, wherein the linear slide mechanism is capable of rotating the substrate about an axis at the center of the carriage.

17. 16. The inkjet printer of claim 15, wherein the linear slide mechanism is capable of rotating the substrate substantially about a center point on the linear slide mechanism.

18. The inkjet printer of claim 15, wherein the linear slide mechanism is configured to simultaneously perform rotational and translational movement of the substrate.

19. 1. A method of treating a substrate, the method comprising: vacuum-coupling a substrate to a contact surface of a contact member of a substrate holder of an inkjet printing system; coupling a carriage surface of the contact member to a carriage of the substrate holder; Including, The carriage has a direction of motion and A base member; a linear slide mechanism for coupling the base member to the contact member, the linear slide mechanism being disposed in a plane parallel to the contact surface such that a linear displacement direction of the linear slide mechanism forms an acute angle with the direction of motion; The method further comprises: translating the substrate in the direction of motion by moving the carriage along a linear support; operating the linear slide mechanism to hold constant a position of the substrate along an axis perpendicular to the direction of motion and to hold constant a rotational orientation of the substrate; A method comprising:

20. 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising aligning the substrate by operating the linear slide mechanism to adjust an orientation of the substrate relative to a reference position along the linear support.

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