Gas enclosure assembly and system
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a gas enclosure system that can maintain an inert, substantially particle-free environment for OLED printing systems, while also being scalable to accommodate various substrate sizes and providing ready access for maintenance with minimal downtime.
Innovation Solution
A gas enclosure assembly with a sealed construction integrated with gas circulation, filtration, and purification components, which minimizes inert gas volume, allows for easy access during processing, and facilitates maintenance with a pressurized inert gas recirculation system to maintain low levels of reactive species and particles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a large facility is hermetically sealed to maintain inert atmosphere, then the OLED printing system can be protected from reactive species, but the engineering challenges and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The gas enclosure is divided into multiple modular panels that can be assembled together to form a hermetically sealed environment. Each panel can be independently manufactured and tested, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining the protective function.
Solution Approach 2:
Glove ports are introduced as intermediary access points that allow operators to manipulate materials inside the sealed enclosure without breaking the hermetic seal. This mediator enables maintenance and operation while preserving the protective environment.
2Reliability
If the gas enclosure is kept hermetically sealed, then reactive species are excluded, but access for maintenance and operation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Glove ports serve as intermediaries that extend operators' hands into the sealed environment, allowing direct manipulation of equipment and materials without compromising the hermetic seal. This enables maintenance and operation while maintaining protection from reactive species.
Solution Approach 2:
The glove ports are designed to be flexible and adaptable, allowing operators to adjust their position and reach different areas of the enclosure as needed. This dynamic access capability maintains ease of operation while preserving the sealed environment.
3Ease of operation
If cabling and tubing are fed into the gas enclosure, then the system can operate, but dead volume increases where reactive species can be occluded
Solution Approach 1:
Mechanical feedthroughs for cabling and tubing are replaced with wireless communication and inductive coupling systems where possible. This eliminates the physical pathways that create dead volume, maintaining system operation while reducing reactive species occlusion.
Solution Approach 2:
When physical connections are necessary, sealed feedthroughs with minimal internal volume are used as intermediaries. These specialized connectors maintain the hermetic seal while minimizing dead volume where reactive species could be trapped.
4Loss of time
If the gas enclosure is designed for easy access, then maintenance downtime is reduced, but the hermetic seal integrity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The enclosure is segmented into modular sections that can be independently accessed and maintained. This allows localized maintenance without requiring access to the entire enclosure, reducing downtime while maintaining seal integrity in other sections.
Solution Approach 2:
Glove ports provide intermediary access points that allow maintenance activities to be performed through the existing sealed structure. This eliminates the need to open or compromise the hermetic seal while enabling necessary maintenance and adjustments.
Data Source
AI summary
The present teachings relate to various embodiments of a hermetically-sealed gas enclosure assembly and system that can be readily transportable and assemblable and provide for maintaining a minimum inert gas volume and maximal access to various devices and apparatuses enclosed therein. Various embodiments of a hermetically-sealed gas enclosure assembly and system of the present teachings can have a gas enclosure assembly constructed in a fashion that minimizes the internal volume of a gas enclosure assembly, and at the same time optimizes the working space to accommodate a variety of footprints of various OLED printing systems. Various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly so constructed additionally provide ready access to the interior of a gas enclosure assembly from the exterior during processing and readily access to the interior for maintenance, while minimizing downtime.