OLED Encapsulation via Inkjet Printing and Gas Cushion Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current OLED manufacturing techniques face challenges such as complexity, material wastage, and scalability issues due to vacuum deposition methods, and are prone to degradation from ambient materials like oxygen and water, leading to non-uniform coatings and defects.
Innovation Solution
A system using inkjet printing and controlled environments with minimal reactive gases to deposit patterned organic layers, combined with gas cushion support for uniform substrate handling, reduces material waste and minimizes exposure to contaminants, thereby enhancing coating uniformity and preventing defects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If vacuum deposition is used to deposit organic films, then the films can be deposited in a controlled environment, but material waste increases and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces vacuum deposition with inkjet printing in an inert atmosphere (nitrogen or other non-reactive gas). This allows organic films to be deposited without vacuum requirements, reducing material waste from deposition on chamber walls and fixtures while maintaining controlled environment benefits for film quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical vacuum deposition system with an inkjet printing system that operates at atmospheric pressure in an inert atmosphere. This replacement eliminates the need for complex vacuum chambers and pumping subsystems while achieving precise film deposition through digital printing control
2Manufacturing precision
If shadowmask is used for patterning during vacuum deposition, then direct patterning is achieved, but device complexity and material waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical shadowmask system with digital inkjet printing that deposits material only where needed. This eliminates shadowmasks entirely, reducing device complexity while maintaining patterning accuracy through software-controlled droplet placement
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the shadowmask component from the deposition system by using selective inkjet printing. Material is deposited only in required patterns without requiring physical masks, eliminating the complexity of mask handling, alignment, and cleaning mechanisms
3Manufacturing precision
If photolithography is used for patterning, then desired patterns are achieved, but organic films are damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes photolithography with direct inkjet printing patterning. This eliminates the need for photolithographic chemicals and UV exposure steps that can damage organic films, while achieving equivalent or superior patterning precision through digital deposition control
Solution Approach 2:
The patent avoids the harmful effects of photolithography by using inkjet printing that deposits material in final patterns without requiring subsequent chemical processing. The selective deposition process inherently creates patterns without exposing organic films to damaging chemicals or intense UV radiation
4Ease of operation
If substrate is handled in ambient environment, then handling is simple, but coating uniformity decreases due to contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an inert atmosphere (nitrogen or other non-reactive gas) in the printing system to prevent contamination of organic materials during deposition. This maintains coating uniformity by preventing reactions with oxygen and water vapor while keeping the system open to atmospheric pressure for easy substrate handling
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an inert gas atmosphere as an intermediary between the ambient environment and the organic material deposition process. This intermediary layer prevents harmful interactions between ambient contaminants and organic materials while allowing simple atmospheric pressure handling
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 system achieves efficient, scalable, and defect-free deposition of organic layers, improving the quality and reliability of OLED devices by minimizing material wastage and ambient contamination.
Implementation Method 1
An inkjet printing system is used to deposit a patterned organic layer on a substrate, the patterned organic layer coating at least a portion of a light-emitting device fabricated upon the substrate
Implementation Method 2
The enclosed curing module can be configured to uniformly support the substrate in the ultraviolet treatment region using a gas cushion provided to a second side of the substrate opposite the first side
Implementation Method 3
an enclosed curing module including an ultraviolet treatment region configured to accommodate a substrate and configured to provide an ultraviolet treatment to the patterned organic layer
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and techniques for use in manufacturing a light emitting device, such as an organic light emitting diode (OLED) device can include using one or more modules having a controlled environment. The controlled environment can be maintained at a pressure at about atmospheric pressure or above atmospheric pressure. The modules can be arranged to provide various processing regions and to facilitate printing or otherwise depositing one or more patterned organic layers of an OLED device, such as an organic encapsulation layer (OEL) of an OLED device. In an example, uniform support for a substrate can be provided at least in part using a gas cushion, such as during one or more of a printing, holding, or curing operation comprising an OEL fabrication process. In another example, uniform support for the substrate can be provided using a distributed vacuum region, such as provided by a porous medium.