Roll-to-roll Deposition Area Controller for Thin Film Patterning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional roll-to-roll substrate deposition apparatuses cannot control the deposition area, resulting in the need for additional patterning processes like photolithography or laser processing to adjust the size of thin films on flexible substrates.
Innovation Solution
A roll-to-roll substrate deposition apparatus with a deposition area controller that adjusts the width and length of the deposition area by using blocking units to control where the deposition material is applied, eliminating the need for subsequent patterning processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If deposition material is supplied to the entire surface of the flexible substrate, then complete coverage is achieved, but the thin film size cannot be controlled and additional patterning processes are required
Solution Approach 1:
The deposition area is segmented into a controlled deposition region and a non-deposition region using blocking units. The blocking units divide the substrate surface into areas where deposition material is allowed to deposit and areas where it is blocked, enabling precise control of thin film dimensions without requiring the entire substrate surface to be processed.
Solution Approach 2:
Blocking units are introduced as intermediary elements between the deposition unit and the flexible substrate. These blocking units act as mediators that selectively prevent deposition material from reaching certain areas of the substrate, thereby controlling the deposition area and eliminating the need for subsequent patterning processes.
2Manufacturing precision
If deposition area is controlled using blocking units, then thin film size is precisely controlled, but the deposition unit structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking units are designed to be movable along the flexible substrate in the rolling direction, allowing dynamic adjustment of the deposition area. This dynamic capability enables precise control of thin film size while maintaining a relatively simple deposition unit structure, as the blocking units can be repositioned rather than requiring complex fixed patterning mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The blocking units serve multiple functions: they block deposition material from reaching unwanted areas, they define the deposition area boundaries, and they can be repositioned to control different thin film dimensions. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity.
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
Enables the formation of thin films with precise dimensions directly during the deposition process, simplifying the process and eliminating the need for additional patterning steps.
Implementation Method 1
a deposition unit supplied a deposition material to one surface of the flexible substrate moving through a transfer roller
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a roll-to-roll substrate deposition apparatus which may control the width and length of a deposition area so as to adjust the size of a thin film. The roll-to-roll substrate deposition apparatus includes a deposition area controller disposed between a flexible substrate supplied to the inside of a chamber and a deposition unit supplying a deposition material to the flexible substrate so as to adjust the width and length of a thin film formed of the deposition material on one surface of the flexible substrate.