Photo-Curing Droplet Spread Control for Defect-Free Film Formation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing film forming technologies require a long time to optimize the arrangement of droplets for achieving desired cured film quality, leading to inefficiencies in the film formation process.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that control the spread of droplets by generating control information for light irradiation conditions to shape changes of adjacent droplets, using a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) to modulate light and control the spread of droplets to meet target conditions, thereby forming a cured film with desired quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional droplet arrangement optimization is used, then cured film quality can be achieved, but the process requires a long time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-calculates and stores optimal light irradiation patterns in a lookup table before actual droplet formation. When droplets are arranged on the substrate, the system directly retrieves the corresponding pre-computed light pattern from the lookup table based on the droplet arrangement, eliminating the need for real-time optimization calculations and significantly reducing processing time while maintaining cured film quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a digital model (lookup table) that copies and stores the results of complex optimization calculations for various droplet arrangements. This digital copy allows the system to quickly reference and apply optimal light irradiation patterns without repeating the computationally intensive optimization process, thereby achieving fast retrieval of quality-cured film parameters
2Manufacturing precision
If light irradiation is applied to control droplet spread, then droplet shape control is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a lookup table as an intermediary between the droplet arrangement detection and the light irradiation control. The lookup table stores pre-computed optimal light patterns for various droplet configurations, serving as a mediator that translates droplet arrangement information into appropriate light irradiation parameters without requiring complex real-time calculations, thus simplifying the control system while maintaining precise droplet shape control
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex real-time mechanical optimization systems with a computational lookup table approach. Instead of using sophisticated algorithms to calculate optimal light patterns during droplet formation, the system substitutes this with a pre-computed database of optimal patterns, reducing the complexity of the control mechanism while achieving the same or better droplet shape control precision
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 allows for faster and more precise control of droplet spread, reducing defects and improving throughput by preventing bubble confinement in the liquid film, resulting in higher quality cured films.
Implementation Method 1
using a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) to modulate light and control the spread of droplets
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of droplets of photo-curing composition arranged between a substrate and a mold
Data Source
AI summary
An information processing method for generating control information for controlling spread of a plurality of droplets of a photo-curing composition arranged between a substrate and a mold, includes generating, as a part of the control information, control data that controls an irradiation condition of light to be irradiated to each of the plurality of droplets such that a shape change of each of the plurality of droplets before droplets adjacent to each other among the plurality of droplets are connected to each other satisfies a target condition.