Adjustable Fly Height Nozzle for OVJP Flow Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional Organic Vapor Jet Printing (OVJP) systems face challenges in rapidly shutting off or starting the flow of organic material, leading to issues with hermetic sealing and overspray in manufacturing displays, as they cannot precisely control the deposition of organic materials.
Innovation Solution
A nozzle system is developed with an actuator that adjusts the fly height separation between the nozzle aperture and the deposition target, allowing for precise control over the deposition of organic material, minimizing cross-talk and overspray, and enabling rapid start and stop operations by balancing delivery and exhaust gas flows.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional OVJP systems maintain a fixed nozzle-to-substrate distance, then the system structure is simple, but the system cannot rapidly shut off or start the flow of organic material, leading to overspray and poor hermetic sealing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the nozzle-to-substrate distance adjustable rather than fixed. The actuator dynamically changes the fly height separation between the nozzle aperture and substrate, enabling rapid start and stop of material deposition. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by providing operational flexibility without permanently increasing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses pneumatic principles by introducing gas flows (delivery gas, exhaust gas, and confinement gas) to control the deposition process. The actuator adjusts the fly height to balance gas flows, using pneumatic pressure differential to achieve rapid start/stop control and minimize overspray, thereby improving ease of operation.
2Manufacturing precision
If the nozzle-to-substrate distance is reduced to improve deposition precision, then manufacturing precision improves, but overspray and cross-talk between adjacent features increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces confinement gas as an intermediary substance between the delivery gas and the environment. This confinement gas creates a barrier that prevents overspray and cross-talk while allowing the nozzle to operate at optimal distances for precision deposition, thus resolving the contradiction between precision and harmful effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating a localized confinement gas flow field around the deposition zone. This localized approach allows precise control of material deposition at the target location while preventing spread to adjacent areas, enabling high manufacturing precision without increasing overspray.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the fly height separation is increased to stop deposition, then overspray is minimized, but the system cannot achieve rapid start and stop operations
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator enables dynamic adjustment of the fly height separation, allowing the system to rapidly transition between deposition and non-deposition states. By dynamically changing the distance rather than using fixed positions, the system achieves both overspray reduction and rapid start/stop capability, resolving the productivity contradiction.
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 solution enables the production of displays with precise feature sizes, reduced overspray, and improved control over the deposition process, enhancing the manufacturing efficiency and quality of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs).
Implementation Method 1
ejecting a vapor entrained in delivery gas from a nozzle onto a substrate upon which the vapor condenses
Implementation Method 2
an actuator to adjust a fly height separation between a deposition nozzle aperture of the nozzle and a deposition target
Data Source
AI summary
Methods of modulating flow during vapor jet deposition of organic materials are provided. A method may include ejecting a vapor entrained in a delivery gas from a nozzle onto a substrate upon which the vapor condenses. A confinement gas may be provided that has a flow direction opposing a flow direction of the delivery gas ejected from the nozzle. A vacuum source may be provided that is adjacent to a delivery gas aperture of the nozzle. The method may include adjusting, by an actuator, a fly height separation between a deposition nozzle aperture of the nozzle and a deposition target.