Thermal Chamber for OLED Mask and Substrate Preheating
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Solution Overview
Problem
The integration of components for processing large area substrates in OLED manufacturing is time-consuming and difficult, and substrate queue times often require temporary storage, necessitating an efficient solution for thermal management and storage.
Innovation Solution
A thermal chamber with a chamber body, a slidably coupled lid member, heating members, and a temperature measurement apparatus, allowing for controlled heating and cooling of masks and substrates, along with a platform for efficient transfer and alignment, enabling the storage and processing of substrates in a thermally controlled environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If large area substrates are processed in OLED manufacturing, then display size and production capacity are improved, but system integration complexity and difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into multiple independent modules including a processing chamber, a buffer chamber, and a lid assembly that can operate independently. The buffer chamber is segmented as a separate volume within the processing chamber, allowing substrates to be staged without interfering with the main processing operations. This modular segmentation reduces integration complexity while maintaining large substrate processing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
A buffer chamber acts as an intermediary between substrate storage and the main processing chamber. This intermediate space allows substrates to be temporarily held and prepared before entering the processing zone, decoupling the timing and operational requirements of different system components. The intermediary buffer chamber simplifies the overall system integration by providing a transition zone that manages substrate flow independently.
2Reliability
If substrates are temporarily stored to synchronize queue times, then processing synchronization is improved, but substrate storage time and system idle time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer chamber enables preliminary actions such as substrate staging, temperature pre-conditioning, and alignment preparation before substrates enter the main processing chamber. By performing these actions in advance in the buffer zone, substrates are ready for immediate processing when the main chamber is available, reducing idle time and improving synchronization without requiring extended storage periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer chamber maintains continuous useful action by allowing substrate preparation and staging activities to proceed concurrently with main chamber processing operations. Rather than idle waiting time, the buffer chamber actively engages in preparatory tasks that will directly lead to processing, ensuring that when substrates are transferred to the main chamber, processing can begin immediately without interruption or delay.
3Manufacturing precision
If thermal management is implemented for masks and substrates, then processing precision is improved, but energy consumption and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
Heating elements are strategically positioned to provide localized thermal management only where and when needed - specifically in the buffer chamber for substrate pre-heating and in the lid assembly for mask heating. This localized approach maintains processing precision by ensuring components are at appropriate temperatures while minimizing energy consumption by avoiding unnecessary heating of entire chambers or components that do not require thermal control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial thermal action by heating only the specific components (masks and substrates) that require temperature control, rather than heating entire chambers. The heating elements are configured to provide just enough thermal energy to achieve the required processing precision, avoiding excessive energy consumption while maintaining the necessary temperature conditions for accurate processing.
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 thermal chamber efficiently heats and cools masks and substrates, reducing processing time and improving throughput by allowing for seamless integration of components and synchronized substrate processing, while also providing temporary storage for substrates within the manufacturing system.
Implementation Method 1
A heating member and a temperature measurement apparatus may be coupled to the chamber body. The heating member may be disposed within the volume
Implementation Method 2
A reflective heating member may be coupled to the chamber body within the volume
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments described herein relate to a thermal chamber utilized in the processing of display substrates. The thermal chamber may be part of a larger processing system configured to manufacture OLED devices. The thermal chamber may be configured to heat and cool masks and/or substrates utilized in deposition processes in the processing system. The thermal chamber may include a chamber body defining a volume sized to receive one or more cassettes containing a plurality of masks and/or substrates. Heaters coupled to the chamber body within the volume may be configured to controllably heat masks and/or substrates prior to deposition processes and cool the masks and/or substrates after deposition processes.