CN117917196A - Substrate holder with linear sliding mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a substrate holder for an inkjet printer. The substrate holder has a contact member having a contact surface and a carriage surface opposite the contact surface, and a carriage coupled to the carriage surface, the carriage having a direction of motion extending in a first direction. The carriage has a base member and a linear slide mechanism coupling the base member to the contact member, the linear slide mechanism oriented in a plane parallel to the contact surface at an acute angle to the direction of movement.

Description

Substrate holder with linear sliding mechanism

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/260,669 filed on month 27 of 2021 and U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/260,905 filed on month 9 of 2021, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

The present application relates to an apparatus and method for aligning substrates during printing.

Background

Industrial inkjet printers are used to apply materials to large substrates to form a variety of devices. The substrate may be rigid or flexible, may be thick or thin, and may be made of a range of materials. The most common types of substrates used in this manner are made from various types of glass that are processed to make electronic displays such as television and smart phone displays.

To form a layer on a substrate using an inkjet printer, the substrate is moved into position to receive material from a printing device that is part of the inkjet printer. Typically, the substrate is moved to the processing position by a robot. The precision of the substrate movement helps to ensure that the material is deposited in the correct position. Insufficient strength or rigidity of the substrate holding member, compared to the substrate mass, may cause vibration and oscillation during the substrate holding process, which may cause inaccurate positioning of the substrate. Accordingly, there is a need for improved substrate retention in inkjet printers.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments described herein provide a substrate holder comprising: a contact member having a contact surface and a carriage surface opposite the contact surface; and a carriage coupled to the carriage surface; wherein the carriage has a direction of movement extending in a first direction and includes a base member, and a linear slide mechanism; the linear slide mechanism couples the base member to the contact member and is oriented in a plane parallel to the contact surface at a linear displacement direction that is at an acute angle to the direction of motion.

Other embodiments described herein provide an inkjet printer comprising: a substrate support having a planar support surface, a print support configured to span the support surface, a printhead coupled to the print support, and a substrate holder configured to one side of the support surface; wherein the substrate holder comprises: a contact member having a contact surface and a carriage surface opposite the contact surface, and a carriage coupled to the carriage surface; the carriage includes: a base member having a longitudinal axis, and a linear slide mechanism; the linear slide mechanism couples the base member to the contact member and is oriented in a plane parallel to the contact surface at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of linear displacement.

Other embodiments described herein provide a method of processing a substrate, comprising the steps of: vacuum coupling the substrate to a contact surface of a contact member of a substrate holder in an inkjet printing system; a carriage coupling a carriage surface of the contact member to the substrate holder, wherein the carriage has a direction of motion and comprises a base member, and a linear sliding mechanism coupling the base member to the contact member and oriented in a linear displacement direction at an acute angle to the direction of motion on a plane parallel to the contact surface; moving the carriage along a linear support to translate the substrate in the direction of motion; and operating the linear slide mechanism to maintain a constant position of the substrate along an axis perpendicular to the direction of motion and to maintain a constant direction of rotation of the substrate.

Drawings

A best understanding of the various aspects of the subject matter described in this patent application can be obtained from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is noted that, in accordance with industry standard practices, the features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased or decreased for clarity of discussion.

Fig. 1 is a top view of a printing system including a substrate holder with a linear slide mechanism according to some embodiments.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of a substrate motion pattern manipulated by a substrate holder having a linear slide mechanism, according to some embodiments.

Fig. 3 is an exploded side view of a linear slide mechanism for a substrate holder according to some embodiments.

Fig. 4 is a side view of a linear slide mechanism according to some embodiments.

Fig. 5 is a flow chart of a method of processing a substrate according to some embodiments.

Detailed Description

This patent application describes embodiments and examples of one or more inventions. For better explanation of the subject matter, specific examples of components, values, operations, materials, arrangements, etc. are described below. Of course, these are merely examples and are not limiting. Other components, values, operations, materials, arrangements, etc. are also contemplated. For example, components shown herein as being in direct contact may not be in direct contact in other embodiments not shown, but are still considered to be within the scope of the subject matter, and vice versa. Further, reference numerals and/or letters may be reused in the various embodiments described below. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a particular relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

In addition, the spatially relative terms, such as ", below", lower "," upper "," higher ", etc. may be used to simplify the description, to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element or feature as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass other orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The device may have other orientations (90 degrees or otherwise), and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. The term as used herein does not indicate any particular orientation of the device.

Displays and monitors for televisions, computers and other electronic devices include a regular array of materials (pixels) that can be printed on a substrate and form an image that is displayed on the display or monitor. Accurate positioning of pixels includes accurate positioning of the substrate for receiving the printing material. The precise placement of the printed material becomes more difficult as the display resolution (in pixels per inch) increases. In a display device, pixels that fall outside a threshold distance from the intended location of the pixel may not meet specifications. A defective pixel in a display device may cause the pixel to be stuck in an "on" or "off" state, rendering the device unusable.

In some embodiments, the printing process includes positioning a substrate for printing using a substrate holder. The present disclosure relates to a substrate holder or substrate holding system configured to accurately and securely position and align a substrate for use in a printing process, such as an inkjet printing process. The present disclosure also describes a position monitoring system that can be used to detect the position of a print substrate and actively drive control of the position and orientation of the substrate. An advantage of the substrate holding system described herein relative to some other types of substrate holding systems is that the substrate holding system can be configured to: once the substrate is "clamped" to the holding system, the substrate is dynamically repositioned without having to unclamp and reestablish the "clamping" of the substrate by the substrate holding system. Closed loop control of substrate position and orientation during processing may be achieved using the position monitoring system, and the substrate holding system described herein minimizes unnecessary substrate movement during movement of the substrate holder to position the substrate.

Fig. 1 is a top view of a printing system 100 including a substrate holding system 110 with a linear slide mechanism 115 (shown schematically in phantom). The substrate holding system 110 has a longitudinal axis 117, which in this case is generally parallel to the transport direction of the substrates in the printing system 100 during processing. The linear slide mechanism 115 is oriented in a linear displacement direction at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis 117 on a plane parallel to a contact surface of the substrate holding system 110 with a substrate. In some cases, the substrate holding system 110 may not have a longitudinal axis. In such a case, the linear slide mechanism 115 is oriented in a linear displacement direction at an acute angle to the conveyance direction of the substrate.

The printing system 100 includes a substrate support 108 and a print support 102 extending across the substrate support 108 of the printing system. The substrate support 108 typically uses a low friction medium to support the substrate. The low friction medium is a low viscosity material provided on the support surface of the substrate support 108. The low viscosity material may be a liquid or a gas, and thus the substrate support 108 may comprise an air cushion system. The use of gas minimizes friction and thus minimizes the energy required to move the substrate along the substrate support 108. The use of a low viscosity liquid film to support the substrate typically results in greater friction, but may also attenuate vibrations caused by non-aligned moments of inertia.

The printing system 100 includes a printhead 104 movably coupled to the print support 102. The printhead 104 is configured to move along the print carriage 102 during the printing process. The substrate holding system 110 is coupled to a substrate holder support 106 that extends along the substrate support 108 alongside the substrate support 108 in the transport direction of the substrate. During processing, the substrate is moved in a transport direction along a longitudinal axis of the substrate support 108 (which is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis 117 of the substrate holding system 110 in this case), while the printhead 104 is moved along the print support 102 in a direction perpendicular to the substrate transport direction to deposit printing material from the printhead 104 at all desired locations on the substrate. The print carriage 102 and the substrate holder carriage 106 may be made of a high mass material, such as granite, that minimizes vibration transmission to the printhead 104 and/or the substrate holding system 110. The substrate holder bracket 106 is generally configured as a rail that is as straight as possible to provide for substantially linear movement of the substrate holding system 110 when a substrate is attached. However, the substrate holder carriage 106 and the substrate holding system 110 may have defects that can cause deviations from linear motion, resulting in substrate positioning errors and printing errors.

The substrate holding system 110 includes a first component 111 of an optical positioning system 113. The second component 114 of the optical positioning system 113 is located at one end of the substrate holder support 106. The optical positioning system 113 uses the light beam source and detector as a linear reference to correct the movement and orientation of the substrate to obtain accurate printing results. Here, the optical positioning system 113 comprises a laser-based system, wherein the first component (e.g., the first component 111) comprises a reflector, such as a mirror, and the second component (e.g., the second component 114) comprises a laser source and a detector. In this case, the second component 114 is attached to a relatively stationary reference position in the printing system 100. Here, this location is at the distal end of the substrate holder support 106. The position of the second assembly 114, including the laser source, is selected to provide a sufficient optical path length between the first assembly 111 and the second assembly 114 to have a desired sensitivity in detecting positional and rotational variations of the substrate holding system 110 and the substrate held thereby.

In this case, misalignment of the first component 111 indicates non-linear movement of the substrate holding system 110 and the print substrate held by the substrate holding system 110, because misalignment of the first component 111 may alter the reflection of the incident light beam, which may be detected by the detector of the second component 114. The misalignment may be caused by a positional error or rotational error of the substrate holding system 110, and the first component 111 may be disposed on the substrate holding system 110 at a position selected to respond to the positional error and rotational error in a desired manner. Thus, the first component 111 generally represents the position and orientation of the substrate attached to the substrate holding system 110, and misalignment of the first component 111 indicates a change in the position or orientation of the substrate that can be detected by the detector. Based on the change in position of the first component 111, corrective measures can be taken to adjust the position or orientation of the substrate for accurate printing.

The first component 111 may comprise a curved mirror, wherein the curvature of the mirror is configured to reflect an incident beam, such as an incident beam from a laser source of the second component 114, at an angle that varies with a lateral displacement of the first component 111 perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate. When the lateral displacement of the substrate holding system 110 and the first component 111 changes, the beam from the second component 114 is reflected at a different angle than the curved mirror, resulting in a change in the position of the reflected beam at the detector. Thus, lateral displacement of the substrate holding system 110 may be detected by the detector in order to take measures to correct the position of the substrate holding system 110.

The optical positioning system 113 may include a camera that records and displays the position of the markers relative to the reference points on the substrate holder support 106 such that the markers tracked by the camera are illuminating the position of the substrate holding system 110.

In some cases, the optical positioning system 113 may have two laser sources and two detectors, or a combination of laser sources, laser detectors, mirrors, and camera systems, to monitor the alignment and position of the carriage (and, broadly, the substrate held thereby) during printing. The use of multiple independent measurements may better distinguish between linear and rotational movement of the substrate holding system 110. In one example, the optical positioning system 113 includes a laser source, two laser detectors, and a beam splitter. The laser detectors are spaced apart and a portion of the beam from the laser source is directed to each laser detector using the beam splitter. Using two spaced apart laser detectors, such as coupled to the substrate holding system 110, linear and rotational displacements of the substrate holding system 110 may be displayed so that independent measures are taken to correct the displacement.

The substrate holding system 110 includes a contact member having a contact surface removably attached to a substrate and a carriage surface opposite the contact surface. The substrate holding system 110 also has a carriage coupled to the carriage surface, the carriage having a direction of motion extending in a first direction, the first direction generally being in a transport direction of the substrate, and a base member having a longitudinal axis aligned with the first direction. The substrate holding system 110 also has a linear slide mechanism coupling the base member to the contact member, the linear slide mechanism oriented in a plane parallel to the contact surface at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of linear displacement. The linear slide mechanism is shown in phantom in fig. 1 as element 115. The linear slide mechanism is configured such that displacement of the linear slide mechanism causes linear displacement of the contact member in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and/or rotation of the contact member. As described above, the optical positioning system 113 may be used to detect a positional or rotational change of the substrate holding system 110, and information collected from the optical positioning system 113 may be used to drive the operation of the linear slide mechanism to correct or adjust the orientation or position of the printed substrate during printing.

In one case, the carriage is held in a first orientation while printing is performed on a print substrate, and position and orientation information about the carriage and/or a linear slide mechanism thereon is recorded during printing. The position and orientation of the substrate is dynamically detected and corrected during the printing process using the apparatus and methods described herein to maximize printing accuracy. Correction may be made while dispensing material or while the printing process is paused. For example, at some point during the printing process, when a kerf or space between print regions on the print substrate is located directly below the printheads, the printing process may be paused and the position and/or orientation of the print substrate corrected to compensate for positional errors or misalignment of the print substrate. Such alignment correction may also be performed during positioning of the printhead when printing is not performed.

The linear sliding mechanism of the carriage is configured such that a direction of movement of a movable member of the linear sliding mechanism is offset at an acute angle relative to a first direction aligned with and perpendicular to a second direction along a direction of movement of the carriage of the substrate holding support. The direction of movement of the movable part of the linear slide mechanism is in an x-y plane defined by the first direction and the second direction.

The linear slide mechanism is configured to translate a print substrate held against a contact surface of a contact member of the substrate holding system. The contact member of the substrate holding system is a surface facing the top or bottom surface of the substrate. A retaining force (e.g., suction force) is applied to the substrate at the contact surface of the contact member to hold the substrate against the contact surface. The contact surface may have an open or porous surface to facilitate the application of suction to the contact surface. In an embodiment of the suction force, clamping the substrate comprises applying suction force through the opening in the contact surface. Loosening or releasing the substrate includes stopping suction through the opening, and may include applying positional pressure to avoid any "sticking" of the substrate on the contact surface.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a motion pattern for manipulating a substrate 202 by a substrate holder 200 having a linear slide mechanism, according to some embodiments. The substrate holder 200 can be the substrate holding system 110 shown in fig. 1. The substrate holder 200 includes a contact member 204 rotatably coupled to a first linear slide mechanism 206 and a second linear slide mechanism 208. The first and second linear slide mechanisms 206, 208 are located on opposite sides of the center of the contact member 204 and are spaced apart along a first direction 298 aligned with the longitudinal axis of the contact member 204. In the case where the contact member 204 does not have a longitudinal axis, the first direction 298 is aligned with the conveyance direction of the substrate. The first linear slide mechanism 206 and the second linear slide mechanism 208 may be adjacent opposite ends of the contact member 204. The first direction 298 corresponds to the direction of movement of the substrate holder 200 along the substrate holder support described above in connection with fig. 1. The contact member 204 is coupled to each of the first linear slide mechanism 206 and the second linear slide mechanism 208 in a manner that allows the contact member 204 to rotate relative to each linear slide mechanism.

The contact member 204 is also rotatably connected to a pivot member 210. A pivot member 210 is positioned between the first linear slide 206 and the second linear slide 208. The pivot member 210 includes a post (not shown in fig. 2) configured to pass through a slot formed in the contact member 204, the contact member 204 extending in a second direction 299 perpendicular to the first direction 298. The first direction 298 and the second direction 299 are parallel to the contact surface of the contact member 204, respectively, and define a plane parallel to the contact surface. The pivot member 210 allows the contact member to rotate and move in the second direction 299 while substantially preventing movement of the contact member 204 relative to the pivot member 210 in the first direction 298.

The substrate 202 is releasably held on the contact surface of the contact member 204 by a plurality of openings 230 extending along one side of the contact member 204. Suction is applied to the plane of the substrate 202 through the plurality of openings 230 before and during the printing process on the substrate 202.

A first movement pattern M1 of translation along said second direction 299 is performed on the substrate 202. In the discussion that follows, arrows indicate the direction and pattern of movement of the substrate 202 portion. Each arrow corresponding to the direction of motion of a portion of the substrate nearest to the arrow has a pattern to indicate that other arrows corresponding to the same motion pattern have commonality. The magnitude of the movement in the indicated direction is roughly indicated by the size of the arrow. The arrows are for ease of illustration and do not represent the exact movement size or direction. Translation of the substrate in the second direction 299 may also include a component of motion in the first direction 298. The motion component in the first direction 298 may be compensated for by carriage motion in the first direction 298.

The first movement pattern M1 is achieved by moving the movable portions of the first linear slide mechanism 206 and the second linear slide mechanism 208 in the same manner. Moving the movable portion of the linear slide 206 along a first vector 220 and moving the movable portion of the linear slide to be generated along a second vector 222, wherein: the first and second vectors have the same magnitude and the same direction generally parallel to the first direction 298, the first direction 298 being generally parallel to the conveyance direction of the substrate 202. The movable portion is or is moved by an actuator, which is a linear actuator oriented by linear displacement in the first direction 298. A sliding member 232 is slidably coupled to the movable portion at an acute angle in a plane parallel to the contact surface of the contact member 204. Here, the movable portion of each slide mechanism 206 and 208 has a guide portion that is located below the respective slide member 232 and is therefore not visible in fig. 2. In this case, each sliding member 232 is a sleeve-shaped member, and each guide portion has a block-shaped member that can telescope with the sleeve-shaped sliding member 232 to slide along the sliding member 232 in a direction at an acute angle to the conveyance direction of the substrate and/or the first direction 298. When the movable portion moves, the sliding member 232 slides along the movable portion, and the angular orientation of the sliding member 232 translates movement of the movable portion into vertical movement of the sliding member 232 through cooperation with the pivot member 210, thereby restricting the sliding member 232 from moving only in the second direction 299. The linear slide mechanisms 206 and 208 are operated in the same manner, thereby causing the contact member 204 to move in accordance with the first mode M1.

The second motion pattern M2 is achieved by moving the movable portion of the first linear slide mechanism 206 along a first vector 220 and the movable portion of the second linear slide mechanism 208 along a third vector 224, so the first and second movable portions move toward each other. This movement causes rotational movement about an axis between the first linear slide 206 and the second linear slide 208. In fig. 2, the second movement pattern M2 corresponds to a rotational movement about the center of the pivot member 210.

The third movement pattern M3 is achieved by moving the movable portion of the first linear slide mechanism 206 along the first vector 220 and holding the second linear slide mechanism 208 stationary during movement of the first linear slide mechanism 206. Thus, the third movement pattern M3 causes the contact member 204 to perform a rotational movement about a center point located within the second linear slide mechanism 208 (i.e., the stationary linear slide mechanism). A similar pattern of motion may be achieved by moving the movable portion of the second linear slide 208 along the second vector 222 or the third vector 224 and holding the first linear slide 206 stationary, in which case the contact member 204 will rotate about a center point within the first linear slide 206. Either variant of the second and third movement patterns M2, M3 causes rotation of the substrate.

The above described movement pattern is reversed by reversing the direction of movement of each linear slide mechanism applied during the initial translation or rotation of the substrate 202. Thus, rotation may occur in both +θ and- θ directions. Also, lateral movement may occur in the +y and-y directions.

Fig. 3 is an exploded side view of a linear slide mechanism 300 according to some embodiments. The linear slide mechanism 300 may be used as the first linear slide mechanism 206 and the second linear slide mechanism 208 in fig. 2, and may also be used as the linear slide mechanism 115 in fig. 1. The linear slide mechanism 300 has a base member 302. A track 304 is attached to the base member 302 to limit movement of the linearly movable member along the longitudinal axis of the base member 302. The base member 302 may have a longitudinal axis aligned with the track, or be oriented in another direction. Limiters 306A and 306B may be attached at opposite ends of the track 304 to prevent unwanted movement of the linear slide mechanism 300. The base member 302 may be used with or may be part of a carriage of a substrate holding system, such as the substrate holding system 110.

A slide member 309 is slidably coupled to the track 304 such that the slide member 309 moves along the track 304. The slide member 309 has a first coupling member 308 and a second coupling member 312. The first coupling member 308 is coupled to the rail 304 and slides along the rail 304. The second coupling member 312 is attached to the first coupling member 308 and moves with the first coupling member 308 along the track 304. The second coupling member 312 is oriented at an angle α relative to the first coupling member 308, thereby defining the acute angle of the linear slide mechanism 300.

A second slide member 314 is slidably coupled to the second coupling member 312. The second coupling member 312 couples the second slide member 314 with the first coupling member 308. The second sliding member 314 is substantially sleeve-shaped, and the second coupling member 312 is substantially block-shaped or rod-shaped. The second slide member 314 partially surrounds the second coupling member 312, and the second coupling member 312 telescopes with the second slide member 314 and slides along the second coupling member 312. Fasteners 322 attach the second slide member 314 to a contact member of a substrate holder, such as the contact member 204 of the substrate holder 200. As described in connection with fig. 2, the contact member 204 is limited to only lateral movement (i.e., perpendicular to the direction of extension of the track 304) and rotation by the pivot member 210, such that movement of the first slide member 309 in the first direction 398 slides the second coupling member 312 along the second slide member 314. Since the second slide member 314 is fixed to the contact member (e.g., 204) and the pivot member resists movement of the contact member in the longitudinal direction, the angle of the second coupling member 312 translates the longitudinal movement of the first slide member 309 in the first direction 398 into a perpendicular movement of the second slide member 314 and the contact member in a second direction 396 perpendicular to the first direction 398. The magnitude of the angle α produces a distance factor that relates the distance of movement in the second direction 396 to the sliding distance in the first direction 398.

Fig. 4 is a top view of a linear slide mechanism 400 according to some embodiments. The linear slide mechanism 400 has the same basic features as the linear slide mechanisms 300, 206, 208, and 115, but with some minor differences. The linear slide mechanism 400 has an angled slide member 414 slidably coupled to a base slide member 412, the base slide member 412 in turn being slidably coupled to a track 404 oriented along the longitudinal axis of the base member 402. It should be noted that a base member having a longitudinal axis or a base member having a longitudinal axis aligned with the track 404 may alternatively be used. For example, the base member 402 may be circular. The angled slide member 414 is oriented at an acute angle α relative to the longitudinal direction (or the track direction), indicated as direction 498. The angle α defines the ratio of the length of movement in the transverse direction 499 to the length of movement in the longitudinal direction 498.

The coupling member 418 is slidably coupled to the angled slide member 414. When the base slide member 412 moves a distance x in the longitudinal direction 498, movement of the coupling member 418 along the angled slide member 414 translates the distance x of movement of the base slide member 412 into a vertical distance xsin (α) of movement of the coupling member 418 along the transverse direction 499 because the coupling member 418 is fixed to the contact member (e.g., 204) and the contact member is restrained from movement in the longitudinal direction 498 by the pivot member 210 (FIG. 2). In this case, the angled slide member 414 telescopes with the coupling member 418 to perform a sliding motion as in members 312 and 314 of FIG. 3.

It should be noted that the lateral movement resulting from the movement of the movable member of the linear slide mechanism described herein may be perpendicular to the movement of the movable member or may be lateral but not perpendicular, depending on the orientation of the slot formed on the contact member from which the pivot member extends. Referring again to fig. 2, the slot is represented by a dashed line 260, the dashed line 260 extending in the transport direction perpendicular to the substrate, substantially parallel to the first direction 298. The direction of the slot limits the movement of the contact member 204, and therefore, whenever the slot is linear, movement of the movable portions of the linear slide mechanisms 206 and 208 causes the contact member 204 to move in the direction of the slot.

The linear slide mechanisms 115, 206, 208, 300, and 400 increase the stiffness of the substrate holding system 110 (fig. 1). The smaller the angle α, the stiffer the substrate holding system 110. The greater rigidity of the substrate holding system 110 suppresses unwanted vibration oscillations and reactions when attached to the substrate. A larger angle a provides a greater range of motion, both in the lateral direction and in rotation, but also reduces stiffness and may result in unnecessary movement of the system in response to movement of the substrate. The angle α is generally between about 1 degree and about 30 degrees, such as between about 2 degrees and about 15 degrees. In most cases, an angle α of between about 3 degrees and about 10 degrees, such as about 5 degrees, 7 degrees, or 9 degrees, can provide a suitable combination of range of motion and stiffness. The amount of stiffness required depends on the mass and geometry of the substrate to be processed.

Fig. 5 is a flow chart of a method 500 of processing a substrate according to some embodiments.

The method 500 includes operations related to the method 500 of processing a printed substrate during printing according to some embodiments.

The method 500 includes an operation 502 in which a print substrate is received at a printing system and placed proximate to the carriage, or more precisely, proximate to a contact surface of a contact member of the carriage.

Method 500 includes an operation 504 in which suction is applied to the print substrate through an opening on a contact surface of the contact member of the carriage.

Method 500 includes operation 506, wherein alignment of the print substrate is determined after gridding the print substrate. An alignment of the print substrate is determined relative to a reference of the printing system. According to some embodiments, the alignment is determined using an optical positioning system as described in the discussion of fig. 1 above.

Method 500a includes operation 508, wherein, to align the print substrate relative to a reference of the printing system, a translation of at least one linear slide mechanism or a portion of the linear slide mechanism is calculated.

Method 500 includes operation 510, wherein the print substrate is aligned by translating at least one movable portion of a linear slide mechanism.

Method 500 includes operation 512, wherein the printing system determines whether the corrected alignment of the print substrate is within a tolerance of the print substrate position relative to a reference of the printing system. Once it is determined that the print substrate is within the tolerance of the print substrate position, operation 514 of the method proceeds. Once it is determined that the print substrate is outside of the tolerance for the print substrate position, operation 508 of the method proceeds.

Method 500 includes operation 514, wherein translation of the carriage is initiated for the printing process.

The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that those skilled in the art may better understand the aspects of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other processes and structures may be devised or modified at any time based on the present disclosure to achieve the same purposes and/or advantages as the embodiments described herein. Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and that they may make various changes, substitutions, and alterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims (20)

1. A substrate holder, comprising:

A contact member having a contact surface and a carriage surface opposite the contact surface; and

A carriage coupled to the carriage surface, wherein the carriage has a direction of motion extending in a first direction, and comprises:

a base member; and

A linear slide mechanism coupling the base member to the contact member and oriented in a plane parallel to the contact surface at an acute angle to the direction of movement.

2. The substrate holder of claim 1, wherein the base member comprises a rail and the linear slide mechanism comprises a slide member coupled to the rail.

3. The substrate holder of claim 2, wherein the track is oriented parallel to the first direction and the sliding member defines the acute angle relative to the first direction.

4. A substrate holder according to claim 3, wherein the sliding member is a first sliding member and the linear sliding mechanism further comprises a second sliding member slidably coupled to the first sliding member and the carriage surface.

5. The substrate holder of claim 4, wherein the base member is a first base member, the linear slide mechanism is a first linear slide mechanism, the acute angle is a first acute angle, and the carriage further comprises:

a second base member; and

A second linear slide mechanism coupling the second base member to the contact member, the second linear slide mechanism oriented in a plane parallel to the contact surface at a second acute angle to the first direction of linear displacement.

6. The substrate holder of claim 5, wherein the second acute angle is substantially equal to the first acute angle.

7. The substrate holder of claim 5, wherein the second acute angle is offset from the first acute angle.

8. The substrate holder of claim 6, wherein the first and second linear slide mechanisms are independently movable.

9. The substrate holder of claim 8, further comprising a first actuator coupled to the first linear slide mechanism and a second actuator coupled to the second linear slide mechanism.

10. The substrate holder of claim 9, wherein each of the first and second actuators is a chain actuator.

11. An inkjet printer, comprising:

A substrate support having a planar support surface;

a print carriage configured to span across a surface of the carriage;

a printhead coupled to the print carriage; and

A substrate holder disposed on one side of the support surface, wherein the substrate holder comprises

A contact member having a contact surface and a carriage surface opposite the contact surface; and

A carriage coupled to the carriage surface, the carriage comprising

A base member having a longitudinal axis; and

A linear slide mechanism coupling the base member to the contact member, and oriented in a plane parallel to the contact surface at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of linear displacement.

12. The inkjet printer of claim 11, wherein the carriage comprises a gas float system.

13. The inkjet printer of claim 12, further comprising a rail disposed laterally of the carriage surface, wherein the gas float system of the carriage is movable along the rail to the substrate holder.

14. The inkjet printer according to claim 11, wherein the substrate holder is movable along the carriage surface in a direction parallel to the carriage surface side, and the linear slide mechanism is movable along a direction perpendicular to the carriage surface side.

15. The inkjet printer of claim 14, wherein the linear slide mechanism is capable of rotating the substrate.

16. The inkjet printer of claim 15, wherein the linear slide mechanism is capable of rotating the substrate about a center of the carriage.

17. The inkjet printer of claim 15, wherein the linear slide is capable of rotating the substrate about a center point that is generally above the linear slide.

18. The inkjet printer of claim 15, wherein the linear slide mechanism is configured to simultaneously perform rotational and translational movements of the substrate.

19. A method of processing a substrate, comprising:

vacuum coupling a substrate to a contact surface of a contact member of a substrate holder in an inkjet printing system;

coupling a carriage surface of the contact member to a carriage of the substrate holder, wherein the carriage has a direction of motion and comprises:

A base member, and

A linear slide mechanism coupling the base member to the contact member, the linear slide mechanism oriented in a plane parallel to the contact surface at an acute angle to the direction of movement;

Moving the carriage along a linear support to translate the substrate in the direction of motion; and

The linear slide mechanism is operated to maintain a constant position of the substrate along an axis perpendicular to the direction of motion and to maintain a constant direction of rotation of the substrate.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising aligning the substrate by operating the linear slide mechanism to orient the substrate relative to a reference position along the linear carriage.