Heating Substrate Pattern Transfer for OLED Maskless Patterning
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in manufacturing large organic light emitting devices is the sagging of substrates due to gravity, which complicates the precision of pattern formation during the deposition of organic light emitting materials, especially on large substrates.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing a heating substrate with electric resistance heat generation, where the pattern forming material is transferred onto a patterning substrate by selectively applying electric current to control heat distribution, allowing for precise pattern formation without a mask and enabling re-use of remaining material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a mask is used to deposit organic light emitting material on a large substrate, then the pattern can be formed, but the substrate sags due to gravity causing low pattern precision
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the mask from the deposition system, eliminating the mask-substrate alignment problem that causes pattern precision degradation on large substrates. The direct deposition method deposits material directly onto the substrate without requiring a mask, thereby solving the sagging-induced precision loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a patterned heater as an intermediary component between the deposition source and the substrate. The heater selectively heats specific regions to control material deposition patterns, enabling precise pattern formation on large substrates without mask-induced alignment errors.
2Ease of manufacture
If a mask is used for patterning, then material can be deposited, but the mask and substrate alignment becomes difficult on large substrates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the mask entirely from the deposition process, eliminating the complex alignment procedures required between mask and substrate. This extraction simplifies the manufacturing process and makes it scalable to large substrate sizes without proportionally increasing alignment difficulty.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical mask-substrate alignment system with a thermal field control system. Instead of mechanically positioning a mask relative to the substrate, the system uses electrically controlled heating zones to define deposition patterns, substituting mechanical precision requirements with electrical control.
3Manufacturing precision
If electric current is selectively applied to generate heat, then pattern forming material can be transferred precisely, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies electric current only to specific localized regions of the heater corresponding to the desired pattern areas, rather than heating the entire substrate uniformly. This localized heating approach achieves precise pattern transfer while minimizing overall energy consumption by activating only the necessary heating zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs periodic or sequential activation of different heater zones to deposit different portions of the pattern. By activating heating elements in a controlled sequence rather than simultaneously, the system reduces peak energy consumption while maintaining precise pattern formation capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables high-precision pattern formation on large substrates, eliminating the mask sagging phenomenon and allowing for efficient reuse of pattern forming material, thereby improving the manufacturing process for organic light emitting devices.
Implementation Method 1
providing a heating substrate that selectively controls positions where heat is generated by controlling locations where electric current flows
Data Source
AI summary
A method of forming a pattern includes: providing a heating substrate that selectively controls positions where heat is generated by controlling locations where electric current flows; forming a pattern forming material on a surface of the heating substrate; aligning a patterning substrate, on which a pattern may be formed, to face a surface of the heating substrate; and selectively applying electric current to the heating substrate to transfer some of the pattern forming material onto the patterning substrate. According to the method of forming the pattern and a method of fabricating an OLED, the pattern is transferred by heating the pattern forming material formed on the heating substrate, and thus, the pattern may be formed with high accuracy without using a mask, and the pattern forming material remaining on the heating substrate may be re-used.