OLED Manufacturing Line for Maskless Patterning and Inert Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing manufacturing processes for high-resolution light-emitting devices face challenges such as low alignment accuracy with metal masks, increased power consumption, and the need for multiple equipment lines, which hinder the development of small-size displays with narrow bezels and high pixel density.
Innovation Solution
The manufacturing equipment includes a load chamber, etching apparatuses, plasma treatment apparatus, deposition apparatus, and transfer chamber, allowing for successive processing without air exposure, using a dry etching process and inert gas plasma treatment to form island-shaped organic compound layers without a metal mask.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a metal mask is used for depositing light-emitting materials, then the alignment accuracy is improved, but the area occupied by light-emitting devices in a pixel increases, resulting in decreased aperture ratio
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the metal mask from the manufacturing process entirely. Instead of using a metal mask for material deposition, the invention employs a lithography process to directly form light-emitting device patterns on the substrate, extracting the masking function and replacing it with direct patterning techniques that do not consume pixel area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical metal mask system with a lithography-based patterning system. This substitution eliminates the need for physical masks and their associated alignment mechanisms, allowing for more precise and flexible pattern formation that does not increase the area occupied by light-emitting devices.
2Area of moving object
If a lithography process is used to increase the area of light-emitting devices, then the aperture ratio is improved, but the reliability of materials is lowered due to impurity entry, necessitating multiple processes in a controlled atmosphere
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an inert gas atmosphere (such as nitrogen or rare gas) throughout the lithography and deposition processes. This inert environment prevents water, oxygen, and other impurities from entering the light-emitting device materials during manufacturing, thereby maintaining material reliability while allowing for larger light-emitting device areas through lithography processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the manufacturing process into distinct stages, each performed in a controlled inert atmosphere environment. By segmenting the process into lithography, deposition, and sealing stages all conducted under inert conditions, the patent ensures material reliability is maintained while achieving the desired aperture ratio.
3Productivity
If multiple manufacturing equipment lines are prepared for mass production, then the productivity is improved, but the initial investment for introducing manufacturing equipment significantly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a universal manufacturing equipment line that can perform multiple functions: lithography for pattern formation, deposition for material layer creation, and sealing for device completion. This multi-functional equipment eliminates the need for separate specialized equipment lines, reducing initial investment while maintaining mass production capability through continuous processing in a controlled inert atmosphere.
4Manufacturing precision
If a vacuum evaporation method using a metal mask is used, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the need for regular mask cleaning and multiple equipment lines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the metal mask component from the manufacturing system. By replacing mask-based deposition with lithography-based patterning, the invention eliminates the complexity associated with mask cleaning, alignment, and replacement, while maintaining manufacturing precision through direct optical patterning methods performed in a controlled inert atmosphere.
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-throughput manufacturing of reliable, high-luminance light-emitting devices suitable for AR and VR applications, with improved pixel density and reduced exposure to impurities, thus enhancing device reliability and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
plasma treatment apparatus... using a dry etching process and inert gas plasma treatment
Implementation Method 2
using a dry etching process and inert gas plasma treatment to form island-shaped organic compound layers
Implementation Method 3
processes from processing to sealing of an organic compound film can be successively performed without exposure to the air
Data Source
AI summary
Manufacturing equipment in which processes from processing to sealing of an organic compound film can be successively performed is provided. A patterning process of a light-emitting device and a sealing process that is performed to prevent the surface and side surface of an organic layer from being exposed to the air can be performed successively, whereby a minute light-emitting device with high luminance and high reliability can be formed. Moreover, the manufacturing equipment can be incorporated in in-line manufacturing equipment where apparatuses are arranged in the order of processes for a light-emitting device, resulting in high throughput manufacturing.