Multipore Nozzle Organic Vapor Printing for OLED Film Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for depositing organic films in OLED manufacturing face challenges in achieving uniformity, purity, and thickness control, especially when scaling to large areas, and are inefficient and costly, with techniques like shadow masking and ink jet printing having limitations in material waste and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A multipore nozzle system that divides a carrier gas stream into micron-scale sub-streams, which are directed to a substrate with a secondary gas curtain to form a uniform and profiled film, preventing lateral contamination and allowing for precise control over film thickness and edge profiles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If shadow masking is used for thermal evaporation, then film uniformity and purity are improved, but material waste increases and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the deposition process by using multiple nozzles with micropores to create discrete vapor streams that are precisely directed at the substrate. This eliminates the need for shadow masks by delivering material only where needed through controlled vapor jet positioning, thereby reducing material waste while maintaining film uniformity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a carrier gas as an intermediary medium to transport the vaporized organic material from the nozzles to the substrate. This mediator enables precise delivery control and eliminates the need for shadow masks, reducing both material waste and device complexity
2Manufacturing precision
If shadow masking is used for thermal evaporation, then film uniformity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the shadow mask component from the deposition system by replacing it with a nozzle array that directly patterns the organic film through controlled vapor delivery. This removes the complex mask structure while maintaining film uniformity through precise vapor stream positioning
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical shadow mask system with a vapor-phase delivery system using nozzles and carrier gas. This substitution eliminates the need for physical masks and their associated complexity while achieving comparable or superior film uniformity through controlled vapor deposition
3Area of stationary object
If ink jet printing is used for solvent deposition, then large area patterning capability is improved, but film uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the deposition parameters by using vaporized material delivered through carrier gas instead of liquid solvent. This parameter change enables large area patterning while maintaining film uniformity, as the vapor phase deposition avoids the non-uniform drying and solvent evaporation issues inherent in ink jet printing
4Area of stationary object
If ink jet printing is used for solvent deposition, then large area patterning is improved, but material purity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material state from liquid solution to vapor phase, eliminating the need for solvents and ink formulations. This parameter change enables large area patterning while maintaining material purity, as the vapor deposition process avoids contamination from solvent residues and ink additives
5Manufacturing precision
If thermal evaporation is used for vacuum deposition, then film uniformity is improved, but scalability to large areas deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the deposition system into multiple nozzles with micropores that can be arranged in arrays. This segmentation enables coverage of large substrate areas while maintaining film uniformity through the controlled vapor streams from each nozzle, overcoming the area limitation of conventional single-source thermal evaporation
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
The solution enables cost-effective, high-quality, large-area deposition of organic films with uniform thickness and sharp edges, overcoming the inefficiencies and limitations of existing techniques by reducing material waste and complexity while maintaining high uniformity and purity.
Implementation Method 1
a substrate for receiving and condensing the plurality of overlapping sub-streams into a film
Implementation Method 2
a heater for heating at least one of the micropores; and a controller for modulating the heater to communicate the quantity of organic material through the micropores
Implementation Method 3
The vaporized material condenses on the substrate, within the targeted region, to form a substantially solid film or layer
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, the disclosure relates to providing a first gas stream carrying vaporized material and depositing the vaporized material onto a substrate by directing a plurality of gas streams containing the vaporized material to a substrate, forming an gas curtain around the streams to prevent its dissemination beyond a target print area, and allowing the vaporized material to condense on the target print area. In another embodiment, heat is used to regulate the flow of the material and the thickness of the deposited layer.