Very large area patterning system for flexible substrates
US6018383A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 20, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jan 25, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 20, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG03F7/70791
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
In the manufacturing of flexible, large-area electronic modules such as flat-panel displays (FPDs), the high cost and low yields of currently available patterning equipment represent a significant barrier to cost-effective production. This invention provides a projection imaging system that can pattern very large, flexible substrates at very high exposure speeds with almost any desired image resolution. The master pattern to be imprinted on the substrate is contained on a mask which, similar to the substrate, is made of a flexible material The mask and substrate are scanned by rollers through the object and the image field, respectively, of a 1:1 projection lens. All of the rollers are driven by identical drive systems linked to a common motor; therefore, the scanning of the mask and substrate is perfectly synchronized. Both the mask and the substrate, along with their rollers, are mounted on a linear translation stage. The translation stage scans continuously at a velocity which is chosen such that, for every complete rotation of the mask and substrate, the linear stage will move by the effective scan width. The entire substrate is patterned using one continuous helical scan. Suit…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.