KR20200130757A - Gas enclosure system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to several embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly and system sealed in a hermetically sealed manner, wherein the gas enclosure assembly and system can be easily moved and assembled, and provides maximum access to various devices and devices contained therein. It is provided to keep the inert gas volume to a minimum. Several embodiments of the hermetically sealed gas enclosure assembly and system of the present invention are constructed in a manner that minimizes the internal volume of the gas enclosure assembly, while at the same time providing a working space to accommodate the various footprints of various OLED printing systems. And a gas enclosure assembly configured to optimize. Several embodiments of such a configured gas enclosure assembly provide easy access to the interior for maintenance and to the interior of the gas enclosure assembly from the outside during the processing process while minimizing downtime.

Description

Gas enclosure system {GAS ENCLOSURE SYSTEM}

This patent application claims priority based on US Patent Application No. 61/579,233 filed on December 22, 2011. This patent application was filed on January 5, 2010 and claims priority based on US Patent Application No. 12/652,040 published on August 12, and this patent application was filed on June 13, 2008. Priority is claimed based on US Patent Application No. 12/139.391 published on December 18, and US Patent Application No. 61/142,575 filed on January 5, 2009. References listed herein are incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates to several embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly and system sealed in a hermetically sealed manner, wherein the gas enclosure assembly and system can be easily moved and assembled, and provides maximum access to various devices and devices contained therein. It is provided to keep the inert gas volume to a minimum.

The potential of OLED display technology is accelerated by OLED display technology characteristics, including the demonstration of display panels with high definition color, high illumination, ultra-thin film, quick-response, and energy efficiency. In addition, various substrate materials, such as flexible polymer materials, can be used in the manufacturing process of OLED display technology. Although display demonstrations in the field of small screens, such as primarily mobile phones, are used to highlight the potential of these technologies, there are still risks to manufacturing in larger forms. For example, a process of fabricating an OLED display on a substrate larger than a 5.5-generation substrate with a value of about 130 cm x 150 cm has not yet been demonstrated.

Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices can be fabricated by printing various organic thin film films, as well as other materials, onto a substrate using an OLED printing system. These organic materials can be easily damaged by oxidation and other chemical processes. Accommodating an OLED printing system that can be implemented in an inert, substantially, particle-free printing environment and that can be fabricated in a variety of substrate sizes can pose a variety of risk factors. Since equipment for printing large-format panel substrate printing processes requires substantially large space, maintaining large equipment in an inert environment to remove reactive atmospheric species, such as water vapor and oxygen, as well as organic solvent vapors. Processes that constantly require a gas purification process to do so contain significant engineering risks. For example, the process of hermetically sealing large equipment is engineeringly hazardous. In addition to that, supplying various cables, wires and tubes within the OLED printing system to operate the printing system and removing them from the OLED printing system specific the gas enclosure to the levels of atmospheric components, such as oxygen and water vapor. When it comes to delivering efficiently at a level, it can pose a number of risk factors, as these reactive species can create significant dead volumes that can be occluded. It is also desirable to keep these facilities in an inert environment in the treatment process so that they can be easily accessed for maintenance while minimizing downtime. In addition to being substantially free of reactive species, the printing environment for OLED devices requires a substantially low-particle environment. In this respect, providing and maintaining a substantially particle-free environment within the entire enclosure system provides an additional risk that does not appear by reducing particles to the processes that can be performed.

Therefore, while minimizing downtime, while allowing easy access to the inside for maintenance and easy access to the OLED printing system from the outside during the processing process, OLED panels are fabricated on various substrate sizes and substrate materials, and the OLED printing system There is a need for several embodiments of gas enclosures that can accommodate in an inert, substantially particle-free environment.

The present invention is integrally configured with gas circulation, filtration and purification components to form a gas enclosure assembly and system capable of maintaining an inert, substantially particle-free environment for processes requiring a particle-free environment. Several embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly that can be configured and sealably are described. These gas enclosure assembly and system embodiments include various reactive species, such as various reactive atmospheric gases, such as water vapor and oxygen, as well as organic solvent vapors, each having a level of 100 ppm or less, e.g. For example, it can be maintained at 10 ppm or less, 1.0 ppm or less, or 0.1 ppm or less. In addition, various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly can provide a low-particle environment that meets ISO 14644 Class 3 and Class 4 clean room standards.

One of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that embodiments of gas enclosure assemblies can be used in a variety of technical fields. A wide variety of different technical fields, such as chemistry, biotechnology, high-tech and pharmaceutical technical fields, may benefit from the present invention, where OLED printing is an example of the utility of several embodiments of gas enclosure assemblies and systems according to the present invention. It is used to lift. Several embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly system capable of accommodating an OLED printing system include, but are not limited to, various features, such as, but not limited to, a feature that provides a hermetically sealed enclosure through fabrication and dismantling cycles, the enclosure volume. It is possible to provide a feature that minimizes and allows easy access from the outside to the inside during processing and also during maintenance. As will be discussed later, these features of various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly provide, but are not limited to functionality, such as, for example, easy to maintain low levels of reactive species during processing, and stopping during maintenance cycles. Structural integrity can also be impacted, providing rapid enclosure-volume turnover that minimizes downtime. Accordingly, various features and functions that provide usefulness for OLED panel printing may provide benefits to various technical fields.

As mentioned earlier, the fabrication of an OLED display on a substrate larger than a 5.5 generation substrate with a dimension of about 130 cm x 150 cm has not yet been described. The generation of the mother glass substrate size has evolved into flat panel displays in addition to OLED printing since approximately the early 1990s. [ Branches have evolved to the size of a 3.5 generation mother glass substrate.

As the generation evolves, mother glass sizes for the 7.5 and 8.5 generations are being produced for use outside the OLED printing manufacturing process. The 7.5 generation mother glass measures approximately 195 cm x 225 cm and can be cut into 8 42" or 6 47" plates per substrate. The mother glass used in the 8.5 generation is nearly 220 x 250 cm and can be cut into 6 55" or 8 46" plates per substrate. OLED flat panel display quality is true color, high definition, thin film, flexibility, transparency, and energy efficiency are realized, while in practice OLED fabrication is limited to 3.5 generation and smaller size. Currently, OLED printing is said to be the optimal fabrication technology that breaks this constraint and enables OLED panels to be produced for the largest mother glass sizes, such as the 5.5th, 7.5th, and 8.5th generation, as well as the 3.5th and smaller mother glass sizes. I believe. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that as one of the features of OLED panel printing, various substrate materials, such as, but not limited to, various glass substrate materials, as well as various polymer substrate materials are used. In this respect, the size resulting from using a glass-based substrate can be provided for a substrate of any material suitable for use in OLED printing.

Regarding OLED printing, according to the present invention, there is provided an OLED flat panel display that meets the required lifetime specification, for interrelationships, reactive species, for example, but not limited to these, atmospheric components, such as , Oxygen and water vapor, as well as a method of keeping the levels of various organic solvent vapors used in OLED inks substantially low. The above required lifetime criterion is of considerable significance, especially for the use of OLED panel technology, which is directly correlated to the display production life, and production standards for all panel technologies, and is dangerous to the criteria that current OLED panel technology must meet. It is becoming an element. In order to provide a panel that meets the required lifetime criteria, using various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly system of the present invention, the level of each reactive species, such as water vapor, oxygen, as well as organic solvent vapor, is 100 ppm or less. , For example, 10 ppm or less, 1.0 ppm or less, or 0.1 ppm or less. Besides that, OLED printing requires a substantially particle-free environment. It is particularly important to maintain a substantially particle-free environment for OLED printing, as even very small particles can cause visible defects in the OLED panel. Currently, it is very difficult to meet very low defect levels for commercialization for OLED displays. Maintaining a substantially particle-free environment within the entire enclosure system is demonstrated by reducing particles for processes that can be performed under atmospheric conditions, e.g., open air high flow laminar flow filtration hoods. It provides additional risk factors that do not. Thus, maintaining the required standards for an inert, particle-free environment in large installations can pose a variety of other hazards.

The level of each of the reactive species, such as water vapor, oxygen, as well as organic solvent vapor, can be maintained at 100 ppm or less, such as 10 ppm or less, 1.0 ppm or less, or 0.1 ppm or less. The need to print OLED panels in a facility that is located can be illustrated by reviewing the information summarized in Table 1. By testing each test coupon comprising an organic thin film composition for each of red, green, and blue, made in a large-pixel spin-coated device format, the table The data summarized in 1 were obtained. These test coupons are practically easy to test and fabricate to quickly evaluate various compositions and processes. The test coupon test should not be confused with the life test of a printing panel, but it may point to the effect of various compositions and processes on the lifespan. The results shown in the table below show that only the spin-coating environment is changed for test coupons made in a nitrogen environment, and the reactive species are similarly in air instead of a nitrogen environment. It shows the change in the process step in the production of a test coupon that is less than 1 ppm compared to the produced test coupon.

Under different processing environments, especially in the red and blue cases, by examining the data in Table 1 for the produced test coupons, printing is performed in an environment in which the organic thin film composition effectively reduces exposure to reactive species. It is obvious that it can have a real impact on stability and thus its life.

Accordingly, there are risks when scaling OLED printing in generations 3.5 to 8.5 and above, and at the same time, it is possible to include OLED printing systems in an inert, substantially particle-free gas enclosure environment. Dangers exist in providing a robust enclosure system that is capable of According to the present invention, such gas enclosures, for example, but not limited to these, provide a working space optimized for OLED printing systems while providing a minimized inert gas volume, and maintenance while minimizing downtime. It is contemplated to have an attribute that includes a gas enclosure that can be easily scaled to provide easy access to the OLED printing system from the outside during processing operations while providing access to the interior.

According to various embodiments of the present invention, a gas enclosure assembly for various air-sensitive processes requiring an inert environment is provided, wherein the gas enclosure assembly may be sealed together. It may include a plurality of wall frame and ceiling frame member. In some embodiments, the plurality of wall frame and ceiling frame members may be secured together using reusable fasteners, such as bolts and threaded holes. For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly according to the present invention, a plurality of frame members may be configured to form a gas enclosure frame assembly, each frame member comprising a plurality of panel frame sections.

One gas enclosure assembly of the present invention can be configured to house a system, such as an OLED printing system, in a manner that can minimize the volume of the enclosure around the system. Various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly can be configured in a manner that minimizes the internal volume of the gas enclosure assembly while optimizing the workspace to accommodate multiple footprints of various OLED printing systems at the same time. Various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly thus constructed further provide accessibility that allows easy access to the interior of the gas enclosure assembly from the outside during the processing process and allows easy access to the interior for maintenance while minimizing downtime. to provide. In this respect, various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly according to the present invention can be contoured for different footprints of various OLED printing systems. According to various embodiments, once the contoured frame member is configured to form a gas enclosure assembly, various types of panels are sealed within a plurality of panel sections including the frame member to complete the installation operation of the gas enclosure assembly. Can be installed if possible. In various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly, a plurality of frame members, such as, for example, but not limited to, a plurality of wall frame members and one or more ceiling frame members, as well as a plurality for installation in a panel frame section. A panel of can be fabricated in one location or in several locations, and in another location. In addition, given the movable nature of the components used to form the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly may be repeatedly installed and removed through a fabrication and dismantling cycle.

In order to ensure that the gas enclosure can be hermetically sealed, several embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention are provided to join each frame member to provide a frame seal. The interior can be sufficiently sealed by tight-fitting intersections between various frame members including gaskets or other seals, e.g., to be sealed in a hermetic manner. I can. Once fully constructed, the sealed gas enclosure assembly may include inner and a plurality of inner corner edges, one or more inner corner edges provided at the intersection of each frame member with adjacent frame members. One or more frame members, such as, for example, at least half of the frame members, may comprise one or more compressible gaskets secured along one or more respective edges. One or more compressible gaskets may be configured to create a hermetically sealed gas enclosure assembly once a plurality of frame members are joined together and a gas-tight panel is installed. A sealed gas enclosure assembly may be formed with the corner edges of the frame member sealed by a plurality of compressible gaskets. For each frame member, for example, but not limited to these, the inner wall frame surface, the upper wall frame surface, the vertical wall frame surface, the floor wall frame surface, and combinations thereof, have one or more compressible gaskets. May be provided.

For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly, each frame member is a panel of any of a variety of panel types that may be sealably installed in each section to provide a gas-tight panel seal on each panel. It may include a plurality of sections made and configured to receive. In various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, each section frame, with selected fasteners, each panel installed within each section frame may provide a gas-tight seal for each panel. Accordingly, it is possible to have a section frame gasket that can provide a gas-tight seal for a fully formed gas enclosure. In various embodiments, a gas enclosure assembly may have one or more window panels or service windows within each wall panel, where each window panel or service window may have one or more gloveports. During assembly of the gas enclosure assembly, each gloveport may have an associated glove that can extend into the interior. According to various embodiments, each gloveport may have hardware for mounting a glove, wherein such hardware uses a gasket seal around each gloveport to prevent molecular diffusion or leakage through the gloveport. Provide a gas-tight seal to minimize For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, additionally, the hardware is configured to facilitate capping and uncapping of the gloveport to the end-user.

Various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly and system according to the present invention may include a gas enclosure assembly formed from a plurality of frame members and panel sections, as well as gas circulation, filtration and purification components. For various embodiments of gas enclosure assemblies and systems, piping may be installed during the assembly process. According to various embodiments of the present invention, the piping may be installed in a gas enclosure frame assembly constructed from a plurality of frame members. In various embodiments, piping may be installed over a plurality of frame members prior to being joined to form a gas enclosure frame assembly. The piping for various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system is that substantially all of the gas entering the piping from one or more piping inlets is of a gas circulation and filtration loop to remove particulate matter that is inside the gas enclosure assembly and system It can be configured to move through various embodiments. In addition, the piping of various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system may be configured to separate the inlet and outlet of the gas purification loop external to the gas enclosure assembly from the gas circulation and filtration loop internal to the gas enclosure assembly.

For example, a gas enclosure assembly and system may have a gas circulation and filtration system within the gas enclosure assembly. Such an internal filtration system may have a plurality of fan filter units therein and may be configured to provide a laminar flow of gas therein. The laminar flow may be from the top of the inside to the bottom of the inside, or any other direction. The gas flow generated by the circulation system need not be laminar, but a laminar flow of gas can be used to ensure thorough and complete turnover of the gas therein. Laminar flow of gases can be used to minimize turbulence, which is not desirable because it allows particles in the environment to be collected in these turbulent areas, thereby preventing the filtration system from removing these particles from the environment. In addition, in order to maintain the desired temperature therein, for example, operated with a fan or another gas circulation device, arranged adjacent to such fan or another gas circulation device or said fan or another gas circulation device A temperature control system may be provided using a plurality of heat exchangers used together with. A gas purification loop may be configured to circulate gas from within the interior of the gas enclosure assembly to the exterior of the enclosure through one or more gas purification components. In this respect, the circulation and filtration system inside the gas enclosure assembly together with the gas purification loop outside the gas enclosure assembly is a substantially low-particle inertness with a substantially low level of reactive species throughout the gas enclosure assembly. It can provide continuous circulation of gas. The gas purification system can be configured to maintain very low levels of undesirable components, such as, for example, organic solvents and organic solvent vapors, as well as water, water vapor, oxygen, and the like.

In addition to providing for gas circulation, filtration, and purification components, piping can be sized and shaped to house wires, wire bundles, as well as one or more of a variety of fluid-containing tubes inside, which When bundled with atmospheric components such as water, water vapor, oxygen, etc. can have a significant dead volume that can be trapped inside and difficult to remove by the purification system. In some embodiments, any combination of cables, wires and wire bundles, and fluid-containing tubes may be arranged substantially within the piping and each of the electrical, mechanical, fluidic and cooling systems arranged therein. It may be operatively connected with one or more. Since the gas circulation, filtration and purification components can be configured so that virtually all of the circulated inert gas is introduced through the piping, the atmospheric components trapped in the dead volume of the various bundle materials are It can be efficiently purged from a significant dead volume of the bundle materials.

Various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly and system according to the present invention include a variety of gas enclosure assemblies formed of a plurality of frame members and panel sections, as well as gas circulation, filtration and purification components, and additionally compressed inert gas recirculation systems. Examples may be included. Such compressed inert gas recirculation systems can be used during operation of OLED printing systems for various pneumatic-operated devices and appliances, which will be discussed in more detail below.

In accordance with the present invention, several engineering hazards have been posed to provide for various embodiments of compressed inert gas recirculation systems in gas enclosure assemblies and systems. First, under normal operation of the gas enclosure assembly and system without a compressed inert gas recirculation system, the gas enclosure is used to prevent external gas or air from entering the interior and any leaks within the gas enclosure assembly and system from developing. The assembly can be held at a slight positive internal pressure relative to the external pressure. For example, under normal operation, for various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system of the present invention, the interior of the gas enclosure assembly is at a pressure to the ambient atmosphere outside of the enclosure system, e.g., at least 2 mbarg. , For example, it can be maintained at a pressure of 4 mbarg or more, a pressure of 6 mbarg or more, a pressure of 8 mbarg or more, or a higher pressure. Maintaining a compressed inert gas recirculation system within a gas enclosure assembly system can be dangerous, which can cause a constant flow of compressed gas into the gas enclosure assembly, while at the same time reducing the internal pressure of the gas enclosure assembly to a slightly positive value. This is because it involves a dynamic and ongoing balancing act on maintaining. In addition, the varying demands on various devices and appliances can create irregular pressure profiles for the various gas enclosure assemblies and systems of the present invention. Under these conditions, keeping the dynamic pressure balance for the gas enclosure assembly fixed at a slight positive pressure relative to the external environment may provide the integrity of the ongoing OLED printing process.

For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system, the compressed inert gas recirculation system according to the present invention includes a number of compressed inert gas loops that may use one or more of a compressor, accumulator, and blower, and combinations thereof. Examples may be included. Several embodiments of the compressed inert gas recirculation system, including several embodiments of the compressed inert gas loop, are specially designed to provide a stable and predetermined value of the internal pressure of the inert gas in the gas enclosure assembly and system of the present invention. It can have a pressure-regulated bypass loop. In various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system, the compressed inert gas recirculation system is through a pressure-regulated bypass loop when the pressure of the inert gas in the accumulator of the compressed inert gas loop exceeds a predetermined critical pressure. It can be configured to recycle the compressed inert gas. The critical pressure is, for example, in a range between about 25 psig and about 200 psig, or more specifically in a range between about 75 psig and about 125 psig, or more specifically in a range between about 90 psig and about 95 psig. In this case, the gas enclosure assembly and system of the present invention having a compressed inert gas recirculation system with several embodiments of a specially designed pressure-controlled bypass loop provides a compressed inert gas recirculation system within a gas enclosure sealed in a hermetically sealed manner. You can keep your balance.

According to the present invention, various devices and devices can be arranged inside and compressed inert gas with various compressed inert gas loops that can use one or more of a variety of compressed gas sources, such as compressors, blowers, and combinations thereof. It can be in fluid communication with various embodiments of the gas. For various embodiments of the gas enclosure and system of the present invention, the use of various pneumatic-operated devices and devices can provide low-particle generating performance as well as low maintenance. . Representative devices and devices that may be arranged inside of gas enclosure assemblies and systems and are capable of fluid communication with various compressed inert gas loops are, for example, but not limited to, pneumatic robots, substrate floatation tables, Air bearings, air bushings, compressed gas tools, pneumatic actuators, and combinations thereof. The substrate floatation table, as well as air bearings, can be used for various types of operating OLED printing systems according to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention. For example, a substrate floatation table using air bearing technology can be used to transfer the substrate to a location within the print head chamber as well as to support the substrate during the OLED printing process.

Features and advantages of the present invention may be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings for illustrating the present invention without limiting it.
1 is a schematic diagram of a gas enclosure assembly and system in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.
2 is a left front perspective view of a gas enclosure assembly and system in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.
3 is a right front perspective view of a gas enclosure assembly according to various embodiments of the present invention.
4 is an exploded view of a gas enclosure assembly according to various embodiments of the present invention.
5 is an exploded front perspective view of a frame member assembly showing various panel frame sections and section panels according to various embodiments of the present invention.
6A is a rear perspective view of the gloveport cap, and FIG. 6B is an enlarged view of the shoulder screw of the gloveport cap according to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention.
7A is an enlarged perspective view of the bayonet latch of the gloveport capping assembly, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the gloveport capping assembly showing the head of the shoulder screw engaged with a recess in the bayonet latch.
8A-8C are top views schematically illustrating various embodiments of a gasket seal for forming a joint.
9A and 9B are various perspective views illustrating sealing of a frame member according to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention.
10A-10B are various views of sealing a section panel to receive an easily removable service window in accordance with various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention.
11A-11B are enlarged perspective views of sealing a section panel to receive an inset panel or window panel in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.
12A is a base including a plurality of spacer blocks and fans suspended thereon according to various embodiments of the present invention. 12B is an enlarged perspective view of the spacer block as shown in FIG. 12A.
13 is an exploded view illustrating a correlation between a wall frame member, a ceiling member, and a fan according to various embodiments of the present invention.
14A is a perspective view of a manufacturing step of a gas enclosure assembly in an elevated position of a lifter assembly according to various embodiments of the present invention. 14B is an exploded view of the lifter assembly as shown in FIG. 14A.
15 is a virtual front perspective view of a gas enclosure assembly showing piping installed inside the gas enclosure assembly according to various embodiments of the present invention.
16 is a virtual top perspective view of the gas enclosure assembly showing piping installed inside the gas enclosure assembly according to various embodiments of the present invention.
17 is a virtual bottom perspective view of the gas enclosure assembly showing piping installed inside the gas enclosure assembly according to various embodiments of the present invention.
18A is a schematic view showing bundles of cables, wires and tubes. 18B shows gas sweeping past the bundle supplied through various embodiments of piping according to the present invention.
Figure 19 shows how the reactive species (A) blocked in the dead-space of bundles such as cables, wires, and tubes from the inert gas (B) swept through the duct through which the bundle is moved. It is a diagram schematically showing whether it is actively purged.
20A is a virtual perspective view of tubes and cables moving through ducts in accordance with various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system of the present invention. Fig. 20B is an enlarged view of the opening shown in Fig. 20A, showing details of a cover for sealing over the opening according to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention.
21 is a view of a ceiling including a lighting system for a gas enclosure assembly and system according to various embodiments of the present invention.
22 is a graph showing an LED light spectrum of a lighting system for a gas enclosure assembly and system component according to various embodiments of the present invention.
23 is a front perspective view of a gas enclosure assembly according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 24 is an exploded view of various embodiments of components of a gas enclosure assembly and associated system as shown in FIG. 23 in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.
25 is a schematic illustration of various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and related system components of the present invention.
26 is a diagram schematically illustrating a gas enclosure assembly and system showing one embodiment of gas circulation through a gas enclosure assembly according to various embodiments of the present invention.
27 is a diagram schematically illustrating a gas enclosure assembly and system showing one embodiment of gas circulation through a gas enclosure assembly according to various embodiments of the present invention.
28 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a gas enclosure assembly according to various embodiments of the present invention.
29 is a schematic diagram of a gas enclosure assembly and system in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.
30 is a schematic diagram of a gas enclosure assembly and system in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 31 is a table showing valve positions for various modes of operation of a gas enclosure assembly and system that may utilize an external gas loop in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.

As discussed above, various embodiments of a substrate floatation table, as well as an air bearing, may be useful for the operation of various embodiments of an OLED printing system housed within a gas enclosure assembly according to the present invention. As schematically shown in FIG. 1 for the gas enclosure assembly and system 2000, a substrate floatation table utilizing air bearing technology can be used to transfer the substrate to a location within the print head chamber as well as the substrate during the OLED printing process. It can also be used to support. In FIG. 1, the gas enclosure assembly 1500 moves the substrate from the inlet chamber 1510 to the gas enclosure assembly 1500 for printing and the inlet chamber 1510 for receiving a substrate through a first inlet gate 1512. It may be a load-fixed system that may have a gate 1514 to allow it. Various gates in accordance with the present invention can be used to separate the chamber from each other and from the external environment. In accordance with the present invention, various gates can be selected from a physical gate and a gas curtain.

During the substrate-receiving process, gate 1514 may be in a closed position while gate 1512 may be in an open position to prevent atmospheric gases from entering the gas enclosure assembly 1500. Once the substrate is received in the inlet chamber 1510, both gates 1512 and 1514 can be closed, and the inlet chamber 1510 has a reactive atmospheric gas at a low level of 100 ppm or less, for example 10 ppm. Or less, 1.0 ppm or less, or 0.1 ppm or less, and may be purged with an inert gas, such as nitrogen, any noble gas, and any combination thereof. After the atmospheric gas has reached a sufficiently low level, the gate 1514 can be opened and the gate 1512 remains closed so that the substrate 1550 is gassed from the inlet chamber 1510 as shown in FIG. The enclosure assembly can be moved to the chamber 1500. The movement of the substrate from the inlet chamber 1510 to the gas enclosure assembly chamber 1500 may be implemented, for example, but not limited to these, through floating tables provided within the chambers 1500 and 1510. The movement of the substrate from the inlet chamber 1510 to the gas enclosure assembly chamber 1500 may be, for example, but not limited to, placing the substrate 1550 on a floating table provided within the chamber 1500. It may be implemented through a substrate transfer robot. The substrate 1550 may be maintained while being supported on the substrate floating table during the printing process.

Various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system 2000 may have an outlet chamber 1520 in fluid communication with the gas enclosure assembly 1500 through a gate 1524. According to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system 2000, after the printing process is finished, the substrate 1550 is moved from the gas enclosure assembly 1500 to the outlet chamber 1520 through the gate 1524. I can. The movement of the substrate from the gas enclosure assembly chamber 1500 to the outlet chamber 1520 may be implemented, for example, but not limited to these, through floating tables provided within the chambers 1500 and 1520. The movement of the substrate from the gas enclosure assembly chamber 1500 to the outlet chamber 1520 is, for example, but not limited to, by lifting the substrate 1550 from a floating table provided in the chamber 1500 to the chamber. It may be implemented through a substrate transfer robot that can be moved into (1520). For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system 2000, the substrate 1550 is provided with the gate 1524 when it is in the closed position to prevent reactive atmospheric gases from entering the gas enclosure assembly 1500. It can be retrieved from the outlet chamber 1520 via 1522.

In addition to a load-fixed system including an inlet chamber 1510 and an outlet chamber 1520 in fluid communication with the gas enclosure assembly 1500 through gates 1514 and 1524, respectively, the gas enclosure assembly and system 2000 A controller 1600 may be included. The system controller 1600 may include one or more processor circuits (not shown) in communication with one or more memory circuits (not shown). In addition, the system controller 1600 can communicate with the load-fixed system including the inlet chamber 1510 and the outlet chamber 1520 and ultimately with the print nozzles of the OLED printing system. In this way, the system controller 1600 can coordinate the opening and closing of the gates 1512, 1514, 1522 and 1524. The system controller 1600 may control ink jetted to the print nozzle of the OLED printing system. Substrate 1550 may be moved through several embodiments of the load-locked system of the present invention including an inlet chamber 1510 and an outlet chamber 1520, each of which is through gates 1514 and 1524, such as , For example, but not limited to these, in fluid communication with the gas enclosure assembly 1500 through a substrate floatation table using air-bearing technology or a combination of a floatation table and substrate transfer robot using air-bearing technology. .

Several embodiments of the load-locked system of FIG. 1 may include a pneumatic control system 1700, which may include a vacuum source and nitrogen, any noble gas, and any combination thereof. It may include a gas source. The gas enclosure assembly and substrate flotation system housed within the system 2000 may include a number of vacuum ports and gas bearing ports, which are typically arranged on a flat surface. The substrate 1550 may rise and fall from the hard surface by the pressure of an inert gas, such as nitrogen, any noble gas, and any combination thereof. The bearing volume flows out by a number of vacuum ports. The floating height of the substrate 1550 on the substrate floating table is usually dependent on the gas pressure and gas flow. The pressure and volume of the pneumatic control system 1700 can be used to support the substrate 1550 during handling, such as during printing, within the gas enclosure assembly 1500 in the load-locked system of FIG. 1. have. In addition, the control system 1700 may be used to support the substrate 1550 while being transported through the load-fixed system of FIG. 1 including the inlet chamber 1510 and the outlet chamber 1520, each of which In fluid communication with the gas enclosure assembly 1500 via 1514 and 1524. To control the transfer of the substrate 1550 through the gas enclosure assembly and system 2000, the system controller 1600 communicates with the inert gas source 1710 and vacuum 1720 through valves 1712 and 1722, respectively. do. Additional vacuum and inert gas supply lines and valves (not shown, as exemplified by the load-fixed system shown in Fig. 1) to further provide the various gas and vacuum facilities required to regulate the enclosure environment. ) Can be provided.

In order to provide specific figures for various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly and system according to the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a left front perspective view of various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly and system 2000. 2 shows a load-fixed system including a gas enclosure assembly 1500, an inlet chamber 1510, and a first gate 1512. The gas enclosure assembly and system 2000 of FIG. 2 provides a gas enclosure assembly 1500 with substantially low levels of reactive atmospheres, such as water vapor and oxygen, as well as an inert gas with organic solvent vapors from the OLED printing process And a gas purification system 2130 for processing. In addition, the gas enclosure assembly and system 2000 of FIG. 2 has a controller system 1600 for system control functions, as discussed above.

3 is a right front perspective view of a fully-configured gas enclosure assembly 100 in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. The gas enclosure assembly 100 may contain one or more gases to maintain an inert environment within the gas enclosure assembly. The gas enclosure assembly and system of the present invention may be useful for maintaining an inert gas environment therein. The inert gas may be any gas that has not undergone a chemical reaction under a set of conditions. Some examples of commonly used inert gases may include nitrogen, any noble gas, and any combination thereof. The gas enclosure assembly 100 is configured to include and protect an air-sensitive process, such as printing an organic light emitting diode (OLED) ink using an industrial printing system. Examples of atmospheric gases that react to OLED inks include water vapor and oxygen. As discussed above, the gas enclosure assembly 100 can be configured to prevent contamination, oxidation, and damage to reactive materials and substrates while maintaining an enclosed atmosphere and allowing components or printing systems to operate efficiently .

As shown in Figure 3, various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly include a front or first wall panel 210', a left or second wall panel (not shown), a right or third wall panel 230', Component parts including a rear or fourth wall panel (not shown), and a ceiling panel 250', wherein the gas enclosure assembly is attached to a fan 204 suspended above a base (not shown). Can be. As discussed in more detail below, various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly 100 of FIG. 1 include a front or first wall frame 210, a left or second wall frame (not shown), a right or third wall. It may be composed of a frame 230, a rear or fourth wall panel (not shown), and a ceiling frame 250. Various embodiments of the ceiling frame 250 may include a fan filter unit cover 103, as well as a first ceiling frame duct 105, and a first ceiling frame duct 107. According to embodiments of the present invention, various types of section panels may be installed in any of a plurality of panel sections including a frame member. In various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly 100 of FIG. 1, during frame fabrication, sheet metal panel sections 109 may be welded into the frame member. For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly 100, the type of section panels that can be repeatedly installed and removed through the manufacturing and dismantling cycles of the gas enclosure assembly is an inset panel used for the wall panel 210' ( 110), as well as an easily removable service window 130 and a window panel 120 used for wall panel 230'.

While the easily removable service window 130 provides easy access to the interior of the enclosure 100, any removable panel may be used to provide access to the interior of the gas enclosure assembly and system for maintenance and routine service. I can. This approach for routine servicing or maintenance is distinct from the access provided by panels, such as window panels 120 and easily removable service windows 130, the interior of the gas enclosure assembly from the outside of the gas enclosure assembly during use. Can provide end-user glove access to. For example, any glove, such as glove 142 attached to gloveport 140 for panel 230, as shown in Figure 3, provides end-user access while using the gas enclosure assembly. can do.

4 shows an exploded view of several embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly as shown in FIG. 3. Various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly include a plurality of wall panels, such as an exterior perspective view of the front wall panel 210', an exterior perspective view of the left wall panel 220', an interior perspective view of the right wall panel 230', and the rear wall. It may have an inner perspective view of the panel 240 ′ and a top perspective view of the ceiling panel 250 ′, and may be connected to a fan 204 suspended on the base 202 as shown in FIG. 3. An OLED printing system can be mounted on top of the fan 204, which printing process is known to be sensitive to atmospheric conditions. According to the present invention, one gas enclosure assembly is provided with a frame member, e.g., of the wall frame 210 of the wall panel 210', the wall frame 220 of the wall panel 220', the wall panel 230'. The wall frame 230, the wall frame 240 of the wall panel 240', and the ceiling frame 250 of the ceiling panel 250' may be configured, and a plurality of section panels may be installed therein. In this case, it may be desirable to streamline the design of a section panel that can be repeatedly installed and removed through the fabrication and dismantling cycles of the various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention. In addition, the contours of the gas enclosure assembly 100 can be formed to accommodate the footprint of various embodiments of the OLED printing system to minimize the volume of inert gas required within the gas enclosure assembly as well as provide easy access to end-users. It can be implemented both during use of the gas enclosure assembly, as well as during maintenance.

Representatively using the front wall panel 210' and the left wall panel 220', various embodiments of the frame member can have sheet metal panel sections 109 welded within the frame member during frame member formation. The inset panel 110, the window panel 120 and the easily removable service window 130 may be installed in each wall frame member, and repeatedly through the manufacturing and dismantling cycle of the gas enclosure assembly 100 of FIG. Can be installed and removed. As shown, in the example of wall panel 210 ′ and wall panel 220 ′, the wall panel may have a window panel 120 positioned adjacent to an easily removable service window 130. Similarly, as shown in the example of the rear wall panel 240', the wall panel may have a window panel, such as a window panel 125 with two adjacent glove ports 140. For various embodiments of the wall frame member according to the present invention, as can be seen for the gas enclosure assembly 100 of FIG. 3, if the globes are arranged as above, the configuration within the enclosure system from the outside of the gas enclosure. The element parts are easily accessible. Accordingly, various embodiments of the gas enclosure may provide two or more glove ports, so that the end-user can extend the left and right glove inside the interior without disturbing the composition of the gas atmosphere therein. And can manipulate one or more items inside. For example, any window panel 120 and service window 130 may be positioned to provide easy access to adjustable components within the interior of the gas enclosure assembly. According to various embodiments of a window panel, e.g., window panel 120 and service window 130, when end-user access is not provided through the gloveport glove, such windows include gloveport and gloveport assembly. You may not.

Various embodiments of the wall and ceiling panel may have a plurality of inset panels 110, as shown in FIG. 4. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the inset panel may have various shapes and aspect ratios. In addition to the inset panel, the ceiling panel 250 ′ includes the fan filter unit cover 103 as well as the first ceiling frame duct 105, and mounted, bolted, screwed, fixed, or otherwise the ceiling frame It may have a second ceiling frame duct 107 fastened to (250). As discussed in more detail below, piping in fluid communication with the duct 107 of the ceiling panel 250' may be installed within the interior of the gas enclosure assembly. In accordance with the present invention, such piping is located inside the gas enclosure assembly, as well as to separate the flow stream exiting the gas enclosure assembly for circulation through one or more gas purification components external to the gas enclosure assembly. It may be part of a providing gas circulation system.

5 is an exploded front perspective view of the frame member assembly 200, where the wall frame 220 may be configured to include a complete complement of the panel. Although not limited to the illustrated design, the frame member assembly 200 using the wall frame 220 may be used as a representative example for various embodiments of the frame member assembly of the present invention. Various embodiments of the frame member assembly may consist of various frame members and section panels installed within various frame panel sections of various frame members according to the invention.

According to various embodiments of various frame member assemblies of the present invention, the frame member assembly 200 may be composed of a frame member, such as a wall frame 220. For various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly, e.g., gas enclosure assembly 100 of FIG. 3, a process capable of using the device contained within such a gas enclosure assembly requires a hermetically sealed enclosure that provides an inert environment. In addition, it may require an enclosure that provides an environment that is substantially free of particulate matter. In view of this, the frame member according to the present invention may use a metal tube material whose numerical value is determined in various ways to construct various embodiments of the frame. These metal tube materials are not limited to the desired material properties, such as, but are not limited to, when forming particulate matter, not only do not degrade the quality, but also form a frame member having an optimum weight while having high-strength, various frames It has a high-integrity material that can be easily transferred, constructed, and disassembled from one location to another in a gas enclosure assembly, including member and panel sections. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that any materials that meet these requirements can be used to form the various frame members according to the present invention.

For example, various embodiments of a frame member according to the present invention, for example, the frame member assembly 200 may be constructed from an extruded metal tube. According to various embodiments of the frame member, aluminum, steel, and various metal composites may be used to construct the frame member. In various embodiments, 2"wx 2"h, 4"wx 2"h and 4"wx 4"h and 1/8" to 1/ with certain numerical values, for example, but not limited to these. Metal tubes with a 4" wall thickness can be used to construct various embodiments of the frame member according to the present invention. In addition, various tubes or other forms of various reinforcing fiber polymer composites are also available, such as, but not limited to, material properties, such as, but not limited to, high-strength as well as quality when forming particulate matter. It has a high-integrity material that can form a frame member with optimum weight while having an optimum weight and can be easily transferred, constructed and disassembled from one place to another.

In forming various frame members from various numerically determined metal tube materials, a method of welding various embodiments of a frame weldment may be considered. In addition, a method of forming various frame members from various numerically determined building materials can also be implemented using suitable industrial adhesives. The method of forming the various frame members must be implemented in a manner that does not essentially create a leak path through the frame members. In this respect, the method of forming the various frame members may be implemented using any approach that does not essentially create a leak path through the frame member for various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly. Additionally, several embodiments of a frame member according to the present invention, such as wall frame 220 of FIG. 4, may be painted or coated. For various embodiments of the frame member made of a metal tube material, to prevent the formation of particulate matter, for example, oxidation, painting or coating, in which the material formed on the surface can produce particulate matter, or Other surface treatments, such as anodizing, may be used.

A frame member assembly, such as the frame member assembly 200 of FIG. 5, may have a frame member, such as a wall frame 220. The wall frame 220 may have an upper portion 226 to which the upper wall frame spacer plate 227 can be fixed, as well as a bottom 228 to which the bottom wall frame spacer plate 229 can be fixed. As discussed in more detail below, the spacer plates mounted on the surface of the frame member are part of the gasket sealing system, and are combined with the gasket seal of the panel mounted within the frame member sections, to provide various types of gas enclosure assemblies according to the present invention. The hermetic sealing of the embodiments is provided. The frame member, such as the wall frame 220 of the frame member assembly 200 of FIG. 5, may have several panel frame sections, each of which may have various types of panels, such as, but not limited to, insets. It can be configured to accommodate a panel 110, a window panel 120, and an easily removable service window 130. Various types of panel sections can be formed when constructing the frame member. The type of panel section may be, for example, but not limited to these, an inset panel section 10 for accommodating an inset panel 110, a window panel section 20 for accommodating a window panel 120 , And a service window panel section 30 for receiving an easily removable service window 130.

Each panel section type may have a panel section frame for receiving a panel, each panel being sealably secured within each panel section according to the invention to constitute a gas enclosure assembly sealed in a hermetically sealed manner. have. For example, in FIG. 5 showing a frame assembly according to the invention, the inset panel section 10 is shown to have a frame 12, and the window panel section 20 is shown to have a frame 22 The service window panel section 30 is shown to have a frame 32. For various embodiments of the wall frame assembly of the present invention, the various panel section frames may be metal sheet material welded into the panel section with continuous weld-beads to provide a hermetic sealing. For various embodiments of the wall frame assembly, the various panel section frames can be made of a building material selected from a variety of sheet materials, such as reinforced fiber polymer composites that can be mounted within the panel section using suitable industrial adhesives. As discussed in more detail with regard to sealing below, each panel section frame may have a compressible gasket arranged on top so that a gas-tight seal can be formed for each panel fixed and installed within each panel section. have. In addition to the panel section frame, each frame member section may have hardware associated with arranging the panel as well as stably fixing the panel within the panel section.

Various embodiments of the panel frame 122 and inset panel 110 for the window panel 120 may be constructed from sheet metal materials, such as, but not limited to, various alloys of aluminum, aluminum and stainless steel. . The properties of the panel material may be the same as those of the constituent materials constituting the various embodiments of the frame members. In this respect, materials with the properties of various panel members are, for example, not limited to these, but not only do not deteriorate in quality when forming particulate matter, but also have high-strength and optimal weight It has a high-integrity material that can form and easily transport, organize and disassemble from one place to another. In various embodiments, such as, for example, the honeycomb core sheet material may have the necessary properties for use as a panel material to construct the panel frame 122 and inset panel 110 of the window panel 120. The honeycomb core sheet material can be made of a variety of materials, such as both metals, as well as metal composites and polymers, as well as polymer composite honeycomb core sheet materials. When made of a metallic material, various embodiments of the removable panel may have a ground connection included within the panel to ensure that the entire configuration is grounded when the gas enclosure assembly is constructed.

Given the transportable nature of the gas enclosure assembly components used to construct the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, any of the various embodiments of the section panel of the present invention to provide access to the interior of the gas enclosure assembly The gas enclosure assembly and system can be installed and removed repeatedly during use.

For example, a panel section 30 for receiving an easily removable service window panel 130 may have four sets of spacers, one of which is shown as a window guide spacer 34. In addition, a panel section 30 configured to accommodate an easily removable service window panel 130 may have a set of four clamping cleats 36, the service window for each easily removable service window 130. A set of four counter-acting toggle clamps 136 mounted over frame 132 may be used to clamp the service window 130 within the service window panel section 30. In addition, two of each window handle 138 may be mounted over an easily removable service window frame 132 to allow end-users to easily install and remove the service window 130. The number, type and arrangement of removable service window handles can be changed. In addition, the service window panel section 30 for receiving the easily removable service window panel 130 may have at least two window clamps 35 selectively installed within each service window panel section 30. Although shown at the top and bottom of each service window panel section 30, two or more window clamps may be installed in any manner that acts to secure the service window 130 within the panel section frame 32. A tool may be used to remove and install the window clamp 35 so that the service window 130 can be removed and reinstalled.

The counter-acting toggle clamp 136 of the service window 130, as well as the hardware installed within the panel section 30, such as clamping cleats 36, window guide spacers 34, and window clamps 35 are optional. Of suitable materials, as well as combinations of these materials. For example, one or more of these elements may include one or more metals, one or more ceramics, one or more plastics, and combinations thereof. Removable service window handle 138 may also be constructed from any suitable material, as well as combinations of these materials. For example, one or more of these elements may include one or more metals, one or more ceramics, one or more plastics, one or more rubbers, and combinations thereof. The enclosure window, such as the window 124 of the window panel 120, or the window 134 of the service window 130, may comprise any suitable material as well as combinations of these materials. According to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, the enclosure window may comprise transparent and translucent materials. In various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly, the enclosure window may comprise a silica-based material, such as, for example, but not limited to, glass and quartz, as well as various types of polymer-based materials. , For example, but not limited to these, may include, for example, various groups of polycarbonates, acrylics, and vinyls. One skilled in the art can understand that various composites of representative window materials and combinations thereof can also be used as transparent and translucent materials according to the present invention.

As can be seen in FIG. 5 for the frame member assembly 200, the easily removable service window panel 130 may have a glove port with a cap 150. While FIG. 3 is shown with all gloveports with the glove extending outward, as shown in FIG. 5, the gloveport is whether the end-user needs remote access to the interior of the gas enclosure assembly. It can be capped according to. 6A-7B, various embodiments of the capping assembly are provided to securely latch the cap over the glove when the glove is not in use by the end-user, while at the same time, the end -It is provided for easy access when users want to use the globe.

In FIG. 6A, a cap 150 is shown that may have an inner surface 151, an outer surface 153 and a side 152 that may be contoured for gripping. Three shoulder screws 156 extend from the rim 154 of the cap 150. 6B, each shoulder screw is set within the rim 154, so that the shank 155 extends a series of distances from the rim 154 so that the head 157 does not contact the rim 154. . In Figures 7A-7B, the gloveport hardware assembly 160 can be modified to provide a capping assembly that includes a locking mechanism for capping the gloveport when the enclosure is compressed to have a positive pressure against the exterior of the enclosure.

For various embodiments of the gloveport hardware assembly 160 of FIG. 6A, bayonet clamping provides a sealing of the cap 150 over the gloveport hardware assembly 160, while at the same time, the end-user It is possible to provide a quick-coupled design for easy access to the glove. In the enlarged top view of the gloveport hardware assembly 160 shown in FIG. 7A, the gloveport assembly 160 has a rear plate 161, having a threaded screw head 162 for mounting the glove and flange 164. , And may include a front plate 163. Above the flange 164 is shown a bayonet latch 166 with a slot 165 for receiving the shoulder screw head 157 of the shoulder screw 156 (FIG. 6B ). Each shoulder screw 156 may be engaged with and aligned side by side with a respective bayonet latch 166 of the gloveport hardware assembly 160. The slot 168 of the bayonet latch 166 has an opening 165 at one end and a locking recess 167 at the other end of the slot 168. After each shoulder screw head 157 is inserted into each opening 165, the cap 150 is opened until the shoulder screw head abuts at the end of the slot 168 located close to the locking recess 167. Can be rotated. The cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 7B shows a locking feature for capping the glove when the gas enclosure assembly system is in use. During use, the internal gas pressure of the inert gas within the enclosure is greater by a set size than the pressure outside the gas enclosure assembly. Positive pressure can fill the glove (Fig. 3), and when the glove is compressed under the cap 150 while using the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, the shoulder screw head 157 moves into the locking recess 167, so that the glove The port window will be reliably capped. However, the end-user can grip the cap 150 by the profiled side 152 for gripping and can easily disengage the cap secured within the bayonet latch when not in use. 7B further shows the rear plate 161 over the inner surface 131 of the window 134, as well as the front plate 163 over the outer surface of the window 134, both plates being O-rings. It has a seal 169.

As discussed in FIGS. 8A-9B below, the wall and ceiling frame member seals combined with gas-tight section panel frame seals provide a hermetically sealed gas enclosure assembly for air-sensitive processes that require an inert environment. It is provided together for several embodiments. Gas enclosure assemblies and components of the system that provide a substantially low concentration of reactive species as well as a substantially low particle environment are, for example, but not limited to, gas enclosure assemblies that are hermetically sealed, as well as high efficiency gases. Circulation and particle filtration systems, such as piping, may be included. Providing an efficient hermetic sealing for the gas enclosure assembly can present a risk, especially when the three frame members together form a three-sided joint. In this case, the three-sided joint seal poses a particularly difficult risk for providing an easily installable hermetic seal for a gas enclosure assembly that can be assembled and disassembled through a fabrication and dismantling cycle.

In this respect, several embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly according to the present invention provide a hermetic sealing of the fully-configured gas enclosure assembly and system through efficient gasket sealing of the joint, as well as around load bearing building components. To provide efficient gasket sealing. Unlike conventional joint sealing, the joint sealing according to the invention is: 1) uniform parallelism of the gasket segments abutted from the gasket length arranged in the vertical direction at the upper and bottom terminal frame joint joints to which the three frame members are joined. Including alignment, thereby preventing angular seam alignment and sealing; 2) provided to form a tangent length over the entire width of the joint, thereby increasing the sealing contact area at the three-sided joint joint; 3) Consists of a spacer plate that provides uniform compression across all vertical, and horizontal, as well as top and bottom three-sided joint gasket seals. In addition, the choice of gasket material can affect the efficiency of providing a hermetic seal, which will be discussed below.

8A-8C are top views schematically showing a comparison between a conventional three-sided joint sealing and a three-sided joint sealing according to the present invention. According to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, for example, but not limited to these, four or more wall frame members, ceiling frame members and fans are provided, which can be combined to form a gas enclosure assembly. And creates a three-sided joint requiring multiple vertical, horizontal, and hermetic sealing. 8A is a schematic top view of a conventional three-sided gasket seal formed from a first gasket I arranged vertically with respect to gasket II in the X-Y plane. As shown in FIG. 8A, a seam formed by being arranged in a vertical direction in the X-Y plane has a contact length W1 between two segments formed by the width of the gasket. In addition, the terminal end portions of gasket III, which are gaskets arranged at right angles to each other in a direction perpendicular to gasket I and gasket II, may abut against gasket I and gasket II, which are indicated by hatching. Figure 8b is a schematic top view of a conventional three-sided joint gasket seal formed from a first gasket length I having a shim perpendicular to the second gasket length II and joining the two length faces at 45°. It has a contact length (W2) between two segments greater than the width. Similar to the shape of Fig. 8A, the end portions of the gasket III perpendicular to the gasket I and the gasket II in the vertical direction may abut the gasket I and the gasket II, which are also indicated by hatching. Assuming that the gasket widths in Figs. 8A and 8B are the same, the contact length W2 in Fig. 8B is longer than the contact length W1 in Fig. 8A.

8C is a schematic top view of a three-sided joint gasket seal according to the present invention. The first gasket length I may have a gasket segment I'formed perpendicular to the direction of the gasket length I, and the gasket segment I'has a length that may be approximately the same as the value of the width of the component to be joined, for example, 4"wx 2"h or 4"wx 4"h metal tubes are used to form the various wall frame members of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention. Gasket II has a gasket segment II' with a length that overlaps with a gasket segment I'that is perpendicular to the gasket I in the X-Y plane and approximately equal to the width of the components being joined. The width of the gasket segments I'and II' is the width of the compressible gasket material selected. Gasket III is arranged vertically to gasket I and gasket II in a vertical direction. The gasket segment III' is the end portion of the gasket III. The gasket segment III' is formed from the vertical alignment direction of the gasket segment III' with respect to the vertical length of the gasket III. The gasket segment III' can be formed to have a length that is approximately the same as the gasket segments I'and II', and a width that is the thickness of the compressible gasket material selected. In this respect, the contact length W3 for the three aligned segments shown in FIG. 8C is more than the conventional three-corner joint seal shown in FIG. 8A or 8B with contact lengths W1 and W2, respectively. Bigger.

In this respect, the sealing of the three-sided joint gasket according to the invention is a uniformity of the gasket segment at the terminal joint joint from the gasket vertically aligned, as shown in the case of Figs. Create a parallel alignment. This uniform parallel alignment of the three-sided joint gasket sealing segment is provided to form a three-sided joint seal at the top and bottom corners of the joint formed from the wall frame member. In addition, each segment of the evenly aligned gasket segment for each three-sided joint seal is selected to be approximately equal to the width of the components being joined, providing the maximum contact length of the evenly aligned segment. In addition, the joint seal according to the invention consists of a spacer plate that provides a uniform compression force across all vertical, and horizontal, and three-sided gasket seals of the building joint. It may be refuted the fact that the width of the gasket material selected for a conventional three-sided seal given for the examples of FIGS. 8A and 8B may be at least equal to the width of the components being joined.

The enlarged perspective view of Fig. 9A shows the sealing assembly 300 according to the invention before all frame members are joined, with the gaskets shown in an uncompressed state. In Fig. 9A, a plurality of wall frame members, such as wall frame 310, wall frame 350, as well as ceiling frame 370, are from various components of the gas enclosure assembly at a first stage of construction of the gas enclosure. It can be sealedly coupled The sealing of the frame member according to the present invention is a substantial part of providing a sealing that, once fully constructed, not only the gas enclosure assembly is hermetically sealed, but also can be implemented through cycles of manufacturing and dismantling the gas enclosure assembly. Although the example provided below for FIGS. 9A-9B is for sealing a portion of a gas enclosure assembly, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that these apply to any of the gas enclosure assemblies of the present invention.

The first wall frame 310 shown in FIG. 9A includes an inner surface 311 on which a spacer plate 312 is mounted, a vertical surface 314, and an upper surface 315 on which the spacer plate 316 is mounted. Can have The first wall frame 310 may have a first gasket 320 connected to a space formed from the spacer plate 312 and arranged in the space. The gap 302 left after the first gasket 320 is connected to the space formed from the spacer plate 312 and arranged in the space may be formed by the vertical length of the first gasket 320 as shown in FIG. 9A. have. As shown in Figure 9a, the compliant gasket 320 is attached to the space formed from the spacer plate 312 and can be arranged in the space, and the vertical gasket length 321, the curved gasket length 323, and the wall frame It may have a gasket length 325 formed at 90° in a plane with respect to the vertical gasket length 321 on the inner frame member 311 and terminated at the vertical surface 314 of 310. In FIG. 9A, the first wall frame 310 may have an upper surface 315 on which the spacer plate 316 is mounted, and the second gasket 340 is attached to the inner edge 317 of the wall frame 310. Closely connected and arranged surfaces 315 form a space. The gap 304 left after the second gasket 340 is connected to the space formed from the spacer plate 316 and arranged in the space may be formed by the horizontal length of the second gasket 340 as shown in FIG. 9A. have. Additionally, as indicated by the hatched line, the length 345 of the gasket 340 is aligned and is uniformly parallel adjacent the length 325 of the gasket 320.

The second wall frame 350 shown in FIG. 9A may have an outer frame side 353, a vertical surface 354, and an upper surface 355 on which a spacer plate 356 is mounted. The second wall frame 350 may have a first gasket 360 connected to a first gasket space formed from the plate 356 and arranged in the space. The gap 306 left after the first gasket 360 is connected to the space formed from the spacer plate 356 and is arranged in the space may be formed by the horizontal length of the first gasket 360 as shown in FIG. 9A. have. 9A, the compliant gasket 360 ends at a horizontal length 361, a curved length 363, and an outer frame member 353 and formed at 90° in a plane above the upper surface 355. It may have a length 365.

As shown in the enlarged perspective view of FIG. 9A, the inner frame member 311 of the wall frame 310 may be coupled to the vertical surface 354 of the wall frame 350 to form one building joint of the gas enclosure assembly. . Regarding the sealing of the building joint thus formed, in various embodiments of the gasket sealing at the terminal joint joint of the wall frame member according to the present invention as shown in Fig. 9A, the length 325 of the gasket 320, the gasket ( The length 365 of 360) and the length 345 of the gasket 340 are both adjacent and uniformly aligned side by side. In addition, as will be discussed in more detail below, various embodiments of the spacer plate of the present invention are from about 20% to about 20% of the compressible gasket material used to hermetically seal various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention. It can provide for uniform compression between 40% deflection.

Fig. 9b shows the sealing assembly 300 according to the invention after all frame members have been joined, with the gasket shown in a compressed state. Figure 9b shows in detail the corner seal of the three-sided joint formed in the upper terminal joint joint between the first wall frame 310, the second wall frame 350 and the ceiling frame 370, which is shown as a virtual do. As shown in FIG. 9B, the gasket space formed by the spacer plate is vertical, horizontal, and 3 when the wall frame 310, the wall frame 350, and the ceiling frame 370 are combined, which are shown virtually. -A width that allows all surfaces sealed at the joints of the wall frame members to provide a hermetic seal due to uniform compression between about 20% to about 40% deflection of the compressible gasket material to form a face gasket seal. It can be determined to be. In addition, the gasket gaps 302, 304, and 306 (not shown), at optimal compression between about 20% to about 40% deflection of the compressible gasket material, each gasket is the gasket 340 in FIG. 9B and the gasket. Values are set to fill the gasket gap as shown for 360. Accordingly, in addition to providing uniform compression by forming a space in which each gasket is attached and arranged, several embodiments of a spacer plate configured to provide a gap, each compressed gasket is corrugated or bulging. ) Or otherwise, it can be matched within the space formed by the spacer plate, without being irregularly formed in a compressed state in a way that can form a leak path.

According to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, various types of section panels can be sealed using compressible gasket material arranged on each panel section frame. With frame member gasket sealing, the material and location of the compressible gasket used to form seals between the various section panels and panel section frames can provide a hermetically sealed gas enclosure assembly with little or no gas leakage. . In addition, the sealing design for all types of panels, such as inset panel 110, window panel 120, and easily removable service window 130 of FIG. 5, is durable after repeatedly removing and installing these panels. It may provide for panel sealing, which may be necessary, for example, to access the interior of the gas enclosure assembly for maintenance.

For example, FIG. 10A is an enlarged view showing a service window panel section 30 and an easily removable service window 130. As discussed above, the service window panel section 30 can be fabricated to accommodate an easily removable service window 130. For various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly, a panel section, such as a removable service panel section 30, will have a panel section frame 32, as well as a compressible gasket 38 arranged over the panel section frame 32. I can. In various embodiments, the hardware relating to securing the easily removable service window 130 to the removable service window panel section 30 can be easily installed and reinstalled by the end-user, while at the same time, the easily removable service window. It can be ensured that a gas-tight seal is maintained when 130 is installed and reinstalled in the panel section 30 as required by the end-user who needs direct access to the interior of the gas enclosure assembly. Easily removable service window 130 may be constructed from a metal tube material such as, for example, but not limited to, a metal tube material as described to constitute any of the frame members of the present invention. It may include a window frame 132. The service window 130 is provided with quick-acting fastening hardware, such as, but not limited to, counter-acting toggle clamp 136 to provide an end-user to easily remove and reinstall the service window 130. ) Can be used. As showing the three bayonet latches 166, the gloveport hardware assembly 160 of FIGS. 7A-7B mentioned above is shown in FIG. 10A.

As shown in the front view of the removable service window panel section 30 of FIG. 10A, the easily removable service window 130 may have a set of four toggle clamps 136 secured to the window frame 132. . The service window 130 may be positioned within the panel section frame 30 at a predetermined distance to apply a suitable compressive force against the gasket 38. Using a set of four window guide spacers 34, it can be installed in each corner of the panel section 30 to position the service window 130 within the panel section 30, as shown in FIG. 10B. . Each set of clamping cleats 36 may be provided to receive a counter-acting toggle clamp 136 of an easily removable service window 136. According to various embodiments for hermetic sealing of the service window 130 through an installation and removal cycle, a predetermined amount of the service window 130 provided by a set of window guide spacers 34 against the compressible gasket 38 The combination of the mechanical strength of the service window frame 132, along with the location, allows the service window 130 to, for example, but is not limited to these, a fixed counter-acting toggle to accommodate the clamping cleats 36 Once secured instead of using clamps 136, the service window frame 132 is subjected to an even force on the panel section frame 32 with a predetermined compression as set by a set of window guide spacers 34. Can provide. The set of window guide spacers 34 may be positioned on the gasket 38 such that the compressive force of the window 130 deflects the compressible gasket 38 between about 20% and about 40%. In this respect, the construction of the service window 130 as well as the fabrication of the panel section 30 provides a gas-tight seal of the service window 130 within the panel section 30. As discussed above, the window clamp 35 can be installed in the panel section 30 after the service window 130 is fixed in the panel section 30, and can be removed when the service window 130 needs to be removed. It could be.

The counter-acting toggle clamp 136 can be secured to the easily removable service window frame 132 using any suitable means, as well as a combination of these means. Examples of suitable fastening means that may be used are one or more adhesives, for example, but not limited to, epoxy, or cement, one or more bolts, one or more screws, one or more other fasteners, one or more slots, one or more tracks. , One or more welding, and combinations thereof. The counter-acting toggle clamp 136 may be connected directly to the removable service window frame 132 or may be connected indirectly through an adapter plate. The counter-acting toggle clamp 136, clamping cleat 36, window guide spacer 34, and window clamp 35 may be constructed from any suitable material, as well as combinations of these materials. For example, one or more of these elements may include one or more metals, one or more ceramics, one or more plastics, and combinations thereof.

In addition to sealing easily removable service windows, a gas-tight seal may be provided for the inset panels and window panels. Other types of section panels that can be repeatedly installed and removed within the panel section include, for example, but not limited to, the inset panel 110 and window panel 120 as shown in FIG. 5. Includes. As can be seen in FIG. 5, the panel frame 122 of the window panel 120 is configured similar to the inset panel 110. Accordingly, according to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly, the process of manufacturing the panel sections for accommodating the window panel and the inset panel is the same. In this respect, sealing of inset panels and window panels can be implemented using the same principle.

11A and 11B, in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, any of the panels of a gas enclosure, such as the gas enclosure assembly 100 of FIG. 1, includes one or more inset panel sections 10. The inset panel section may have a frame 12 configured to accommodate each inset panel 110. 11A is a perspective view showing an enlarged portion of FIG. 11B. In FIG. 11A, the inset panel 110 is arranged in a position relative to the inset frame 12. As can be seen in FIG. 11B, the inset panel 110 is attached to the frame 12, where the frame 12 is made of, for example, metal. In some embodiments, the metal may include aluminum, steel, copper, stainless steel, chromium, alloys, and combinations thereof. A plurality of blind tapping holes 14 may be formed in the inset panel section frame 12. The panel section frame 12 is configured to include a gasket 16 between the inset panel 110 and the frame 12, and a compressible gasket 18 may be arranged therein. The blind tapping hole 14 may be configured with an M5 variant. The screw 15 can be received by the blind tapping hole 14 and compresses the gasket 16 between the inset panel 110 and the frame 12. Once secured in place against the gasket 16, the inset panel 110 forms a gas-tight seal within the inset panel section 10. As discussed above, such panel sealing may be implemented for various section panels, such as, but not limited to, the inset panel 110 and window panel 120 as shown in FIG. 5.

According to various embodiments of the compressible gasket of the present invention, the compressible gasket material for panel sealing and frame member sealing is a variety of compressible polymer materials, such as, but not limited to, expanded rubber materials in the art. Or it may be selected from any material in the group of closed-cell polymeric materials referred to as expanded polymeric materials. In summary, closed-cell polymers are prepared in such a way that gases are contained within discrete cells, where each discrete cell is contained by a polymer material. The properties of compressible hermetically sealed polymer gasket materials that are preferred for use in gas-tight sealing of frame and panel components are, for example, but not limited to, robust against chemical attack across a wide range of species, and excellent moisture. Includes properties that possess barrier properties, are elastic over a wide temperature range, and are resistant to permanent compression sets. In general, compared to open-cell-constituent polymer materials, the closed-cell polymer material has a greater numerical stability, a low water absorption coefficient, and a high strength. Various types of polymeric materials from which the closed-cell polymeric material can be formed include, for example, but are not limited to, silicone, neoprene, ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPT); Ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer (EPDM), vinyl nitrile, styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), and polymers and composites formed using various copolymers and mixtures thereof.

The desirable material properties of the closed-cell polymer are maintained only if the cells comprising the bulk material remain intact during use. In this respect, the use of such materials in a manner that may exceed the set of material properties for a closed-cell polymer, for example, properties for use within a predetermined temperature or compression range. Doing so can cause the gasket seal to deteriorate. In various embodiments of the hermetically-celled polymer gasket used to seal the section panel and frame member in the frame panel section, the compression of this material should not exceed between about 50% to about 70% deflection, and optimal performance. For example, it may be a deflection between about 20% and about 40%.

In addition to the closed-cell compressible gasket material, another example of a group of compressible gasket materials having desirable properties for use in constructing embodiments according to the present invention includes a group of hollow-extrusion compressible gasket materials. As a group of materials, hollow-extrusion gasket materials have desirable properties, such as, but not limited to, robust against chemical attack across a wide range of species, possess good moisture-barrier properties, and exhibit elasticity over a wide temperature range. It has the property of being resistant to permanent compression sets. Such hollow-extrusion compressible gasket materials are available in a wide range of various form factors, such as, for example, but not limited to, U-cells, D-cells, square-cells, rectangular-cells, as well as It may include any of a variety of custom form factor hollow-extrusion gasket materials. A variety of hollow-extrusion gasket materials can be made of polymeric materials used to make closed-cell compressible gaskets. For example, but not limited to these, several embodiments of hollow-extrusion gaskets include silicone, neoprene, ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPT); Ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer (EPDM), vinyl nitrile, styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), and polymers and composites formed using various copolymers and mixtures thereof. The compression of these hollow cell gasket materials should not exceed about 50% deflection to maintain the desired properties.

A group of closed-cell compressible gasket materials and a group of hollow-extrusion compressible gasket materials have been given by way of example, but those skilled in the art are able to seal various components, such as various wall and ceiling framing members, as well as by the present invention. As provided, it will be readily appreciated that any compressible gasket material with desired properties can be used to seal the various panels within the panel section frame.

From a plurality of frame members, configuring a gas enclosure assembly, such as the gas enclosure assembly 100 of FIGS. 3 and 4, or, as discussed later, the gas enclosure assembly 1000 of FIGS. 23 and 24 System components, such as, for example, but not limited to these, may be implemented to minimize the risk of damaging gasket seals, frame members, piping, and section panels. For example, a gasket seal is a component prone to breakage during construction of a gas enclosure from a plurality of frame members. According to various embodiments of the present invention, materials and methods are provided for minimizing or eliminating the risk of destroying various components of a gas enclosure assembly during construction of a gas enclosure according to the present invention.

12A is a perspective view showing the initial construction steps of a gas enclosure assembly, such as the gas enclosure assembly 100 of FIG. 3. Although a gas enclosure assembly, such as gas enclosure assembly 100, is used to represent the configuration of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that this principle also applies to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly. As shown in FIG. 12A, during the initial construction phase of the gas enclosure assembly, the gas enclosure assembly, a plurality of spacer blocks, is first arranged over a fan 204, which fan 204 is supported by a base 202. The spacer block may be thicker than the compressible gasket material arranged on various wall frame members mounted over the fan 204. The various wall frame members of the gas enclosure assembly can be positioned over a series of spacer blocks and are arranged over the peripheral edge of the fan 204 in a position arranged in a position close to the fan 204 during assembly without contacting the fan 204. Spacer blocks can be arranged. It is desirable to assemble the various wall frame members over the fan 204 in a manner that protects against any damage to the compressible gasket material arranged over the various wall frame members for sealing with the fan 204. Accordingly, the use of a spacer block in which various wall panel components can be placed in the initial position above the fan 204 allows compressible gaskets arranged over the various wall frame members to form a hermetic seal with the fan 204. This breakage in the material is prevented. For example, but not limited to these, as shown in Fig. 12A, the front peripheral edge 201 may have spacers 93, 95 and 97 on which the front wall frame member can stop, and the right peripheral The edge 205 can have spacers 89 and 91 on which the right wall frame member can stop and the rear peripheral edge 207 can have two spacers on which the rear wall frame spacer can stop, of which Spacers 87 are shown. Any number, type, and combination of spacer blocks may be used. One skilled in the art will appreciate that a unique spacer block is not illustrated in each of FIGS. 12A-14B, but a spacer block may be positioned above the fan 204 according to the present invention.

A representative spacer block according to various embodiments of the present invention for assembly of a gas enclosure from a component frame member is shown in FIG. 12B, which is a perspective view of the third spacer block 91 shown in the circled portion of FIG. 9A. A typical spacer block 91 may include a spacer block strap 90 connected to the horizontal surface 92 of the spacer block. The spacer block can be made of any suitable material, as well as a combination of these materials. For example, each spacer block may comprise ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. The spacer block strap 90 can be made of any suitable material, as well as combinations of these materials. In some embodiments, the spacer block strap 90 comprises a nylon material, a polyalkylene material, or the like. The spacer block 91 has a top surface 94 and a bottom surface 96. The spacer blocks 87, 89, 93, 95, 97, and any other spacer blocks used may be constructed with the same or similar physical properties and may include the same or similar materials. The spacer blocks can be stationary, clamped, or otherwise allowed to be stably arranged, but can be easily arranged in such a way that they can be easily removed with the peripheral upper edge of the fan 204.

In the exploded perspective view of FIG. 13, the frame member may include a front wall frame 210, a left wall frame 220, a right wall frame 230, a rear wall frame 240, and a ceiling or upper frame 250. There, the upper frame 250 may be connected to the fan 204 stopped on the base 202. An OLED printing system 50 may be mounted on top of the fan 204.

The OLED printing system 50 according to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system of the present invention includes, for example, a granite base, a movable bridge capable of supporting an OLED printing device, a compressed inert gas recirculation system. One or more devices and devices arranged from various embodiments of, such as substrate floatation table, air bearing, track, rail, inkjet printer system for depositing OLED film-forming material onto a substrate, such as OLED ink supply Systems and inkjet printheads, one or more robots, and the like. Given the various components that may include OLED printing system 50, various embodiments of OLED printing system 50 may have various footprints and form factors.

An OLED inkjet printing system can consist of several devices and devices that allow stably arranging ink droplets at specific locations on a substrate. Such devices and devices may include, for example, but not limited to, print head assemblies, ink delivery systems, motion systems, substrate loading and unloading systems, and print head maintenance systems. The print head assembly consists of one or more inkjet heads in which one or more orifices are capable of ejecting ink droplets at a controlled speed, speed, and size. The inkjet head is supplied by an ink supply system that provides ink to the inkjet head. Printing requires relative motion between the print head assembly and the substrate. This is implemented as a motion system, typically a gantry or split axis XYZ system. Both the print head assembly can be moved on a stationary substrate (gantry style), or both the print head and substrate can be moved in the case of a split axis shape. In another embodiment, the print station may be stationary and the substrate may move relative to the print head in the X and Y axes, and Z axis motion is provided to the substrate or print head. As the print head moves relative to the substrate, the ink droplets are ejected at the exact time they must be deposited at the desired location on the substrate. The substrate is inserted into and removed from the printer using a substrate loading and unloading system. Depending on the shape of the printer, this can be implemented using a mechanical conveyor, a substrate floating table, or a robot with an end effector. The printhead maintenance system consists of several subsystems that enable this maintenance task to be performed, such as ink drop volume measurement, ink jet nozzle surface cleaning, and priming to drain ink into a waste basin. I can.

According to various embodiments of the present invention for a gas enclosure assembly, as shown in Fig. 13, the front or first wall frame 210, the left or second wall frame 220, the right or third wall frame ( 230), the rear or fourth wall frame 250, and the ceiling frame 250 may be configured together in a systematic order, and may be connected to the fan 204 mounted on the base 202. Several embodiments of the frame member may be positioned above the spacer block, using a gantry crane, as discussed above, to avoid breaking the compressible gasket material. For example, using a gantry crane, the front wall frame 210 may be placed on three or more spacer blocks, e.g., spacer blocks 93, 95 over the peripheral upper edge 201 of the fan 204 as shown in Fig. And 97) can be stopped. After arranging the front wall frame 210 on the spacer block, the wall frame 220 and the wall frame 230 may be sequentially or sequentially arranged in any order, respectively, on the spacer block, the fan 204 It may be located above the peripheral edge 203 and the peripheral edge 205 of. According to various embodiments of the present invention for a gas enclosure assembly from a component frame member, the front wall frame 210 may be arranged above the spacer block, followed by the left wall frame 220 and the right wall above the spacer block. Frames 230 may be arranged, which may be bolted in place or otherwise fixed to the front wall frame 210. In various embodiments, the rear wall frame 240 may be arranged over a spacer block, which may be bolted in place or may be fixed to the left wall frame 220 and the right wall frame 230. For various embodiments, once the once wall frame members are secured together to form an adjacent wall frame enclosure assembly, the upper ceiling frame 250 can be secured to such a wall frame enclosure assembly to form a complete gas enclosure frame assembly. have. With respect to the construction of the gas enclosure assembly, in various embodiments of the present invention, in the assembly step the complete gas enclosure frame assembly is suspended over a plurality of spacer blocks to protect the integrity of the various frame member gaskets.

14A, for various embodiments of the present invention in the construction of a gas enclosure assembly, the gas enclosure frame assembly 400 is used to couple the gas enclosure frame assembly 400 to the fan 204. It can be positioned so that the spacer can be removed during preparation. 14A shows the lifter assembly 402, the lifter assembly 404, and the gas enclosure frame assembly 400 raised from the spacer block to an elevated position using the lifter assembly 406. In various embodiments of the present invention, lifter assemblies 402, 404, and 406 may be coupled around the periphery of gas enclosure frame assembly 400. After the lifter assembly is attached, the fully-configured gas enclosure frame assembly can raise the spacer block by operating each lifter assembly to raise or extend each lifter assembly to raise the gas enclosure frame assembly 400. As shown in Fig. 14A, the gas enclosure frame assembly 400 is shown raised above a plurality of previously stationary spacer blocks. The plurality of spacer blocks can then be removed from the rest position above the fan 204 and the frame can be lowered over the fan 204 and attached to the fan 204.

14B is an exploded view of a lifter assembly 402 in accordance with various embodiments of the lifter assembly of the present invention as shown in FIG. 11A. As shown, the lifter assembly 402 includes a scuff pad 408, a mount plate 410, a first clamp mount 412, and a second clamp mount 413. A first clamp 414 and a second clamp 415 are shown in line with each of the clamp mounts 412 and 413. The jack crank 416 is attached to the top of the jack shaft 418. The trailer jack 520 is shown vertically attached to the jack shaft 418. Jack base 422 is shown as part of the lower end of jack shaft 418. Below the jack base 422 is a foot mount 424 that can be connected to the lower end of the jack shaft 418 and is configured to receive the lower end. Leveling feet 426 are also shown and are configured to be received by foot mounts 424. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the spacer block can be removed and any suitable means for the lifting process to lift the gas enclosure frame assembly from the spacer block so that the gas enclosure assembly in contact with it can be lowered over the fan can be used. . For example, instead of one or more lifter assemblies, such as the assemblies 402, 404, and 406 described above, hydraulic, pneumatic or electric lifters may be used.

In the construction of a gas enclosure assembly, according to various embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of fasteners may be provided to configure a plurality of frame members to be secured together and to secure a gas enclosure frame assembly to a fan. The plurality of fasteners may include one or more fastener portions arranged along each edge of each frame member at a location configured to intersect each frame member with an adjacent frame member of the plurality of frame members. A plurality of fasteners and compressible gaskets have a compressible gasket arranged close to the inside and the hardware is arranged so that the hardware does not provide a plurality of leak paths for the gas-tight enclosure assembly of the present invention when the frame members are joined together. It can be configured to be arranged close to the outside.

The plurality of fasteners may include a plurality of bolts along the edges of one or more frame members, and may include a plurality of threaded holes along the edges of one or more different frame members of the plurality of frame members. The plurality of fasteners may include a plurality of capturing bolts. The bolts may include bolt heads extending away from the outer surface of each panel. The bolt may sunken in a recess in the frame member. Clamps, screws, rivets, adhesives, and other fasteners can be used to hold the frame members together. Bolts or other fasteners may extend through the outer walls of one or more frame members into threaded holes or other complementary fastener features in the side walls or top walls of one or more adjacent frame members.

As shown in Figs. 15-17, for various embodiments of the method for the construction of a gas enclosure, the piping may be installed in an inner portion formed by joining the wall frame and ceiling frame member. For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly, piping may be installed during the construction process. According to various embodiments of the present invention, the pipe may be installed in a gas enclosure frame assembly constructed from a plurality of frame members. In various embodiments, piping may be installed over a plurality of frame members prior to being joined to form a gas enclosure frame assembly. The piping for various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system includes various embodiments of gas circulation and filtration loops in order to remove the particulate matter within the gas enclosure assembly by substantially all of the gas flowing into the piping from one or more piping inlets. It can be configured to move through. In addition, the piping of various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system separates the inlet and outlet of the gas purification loop external to the gas enclosure assembly from the gas circulation and filtration loop to remove particulate matter from the interior of the gas enclosure assembly. It can be configured to let. Several embodiments of piping according to the present invention may be made of metal sheets, such as, for example, but not limited to, aluminum sheets having a thickness of about 80 mils.

15 is a right front virtual perspective view of the piping assembly 500 of the gas enclosure assembly 100. The enclosure piping assembly 500 can have a front wall panel piping assembly 510. As shown, the front wall panel piping assembly 510 may have a front wall panel inlet duct 512, a first front wall panel riser 514 and a second front wall panel riser 516, both of which In fluid communication with the front wall panel inlet duct 512. The first front wall panel riser 514 is shown with an outlet 515 sealably coupled with the ceiling duct 505 of the fan filter unit cover 103. In a similar manner, the second front wall panel riser 516 is shown with an outlet 517 sealably coupled with the ceiling duct 507 of the fan filter unit cover 103. In this respect, with the gas enclosure assembly, the front wall panel inlet duct 512 is used to circulate the inert gas from the floor through each of the front wall panel risers 514 and 516 and provide the outlets 505 and 507 A front wall panel piping assembly 510 is provided to deliver air through and allow this air to be filtered, for example by a fan filter unit 752. As discussed in more detail below, the number, size, and shape of the fan filter units may be selected depending on the physical location of the substrate within the printing system during the processing process. The proximal fan filter unit 752 is a heat exchanger 742 capable of maintaining the inert gas circulating through the gas enclosure assembly 100 at a desired temperature as part of a temperature control system.

The right wall panel piping assembly 530 may have a right wall panel inlet duct 532, which is through the right wall panel first riser 534 and the right wall panel second riser 536 to the right wall panel upper duct ( 538). The right wall panel upper duct 538 may have a first duct inlet end 535 and a second duct outlet end 537, with the second duct outlet end 537 being the rear wall of the rear wall piping assembly 540. In fluid communication with the panel upper duct 536. The left wall panel piping assembly 520 may have the same components as described above for the right wall panel assembly 530, including a first left wall panel riser 524 and a first left wall panel riser 524. A left wall panel inlet duct 522 in fluid communication with the left wall panel upper duct (not shown) through is shown in FIG. 15. The rear wall panel piping assembly 540 can have a rear wall panel inlet duct 542 in fluid communication with the left wall panel assembly 520 and the right wall panel assembly 530. In addition, the rear wall panel piping assembly 540 may have a rear wall panel bottom duct 544, the duct 544 being a rear wall panel first inlet 541 and a rear wall panel second inlet 543 Can have The rear wall panel bottom duct 544 may be in fluid communication with the rear wall panel upper duct 536 through the first bulkhead 547 and the second bulkhead 549, and the bulkhead structure may be, for example, For example, but not limited to these, bundles of various cables, wires, and tubes may be used to supply bundles such as from the outside of the gas enclosure assembly 100 into the inside. A duct opening 533 is provided to move bundles of cables, wires, and tubes from the rear wall panel upper duct 536, the duct 536 passing the upper duct 536 through the bulkhead 549. Can pass. Bulkhead 547 and bulkhead 549 can be hermetically sealed on the outside using a removable inset panel, as previously described. The rear wall panel upper duct is in fluid communication with the fan filter unit 754 via a vent 545, for example, but not limited to one corner shown in FIG. 15. In this respect, the left wall panel piping assembly 520, the right wall panel piping assembly 530, and the rear wall panel piping assembly 540 use wall panel inlet ducts 522, 532, and 542, respectively. , As well as, as previously described, the rear panel in fluid communication with the vent 545 through various risers, ducts, bulkhead passages, etc. so that air can be filtered by, for example, the fan filter unit 754 A lower duct 544 is provided to circulate the inert gas within the gas enclosure assembly from the bottom. The proximal fan filter unit 754 is a heat exchanger 744 capable of maintaining the inert gas circulating through the gas enclosure assembly 100 at a desired temperature as part of a temperature control system.

In Fig. 15, a cable feed through opening 533 is shown. As discussed in more detail below, various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention are provided to bring bundles of cables, wires, and tubes, etc. through piping. To eliminate leak paths formed around such bundles, various approaches may be used to seal differently sized cables, wires, and tubes into bundles using a conforming material. Conduit I and conduit II are shown in FIG. 15 to surround the piping assembly 500, which are shown as part of the fan filter unit cover 103. Conduit I provides an outlet of the inert gas to the external gas purification system, and conduit II allows the purified inert gas to return to the gas circulation and particle filtration loops within the gas enclosure assembly 100.

In FIG. 16, a top virtual perspective view of the enclosure piping assembly 500 is shown. The symmetric nature of the left wall panel piping assembly 520 and the right wall panel piping assembly 530 can be seen. For the right wall panel piping assembly 530, the right wall panel inlet duct 532 is connected to the right wall panel upper duct 538 through the right wall panel first riser 534 and the right wall panel second riser 536. Fluid communication. The right wall panel upper duct 538 may have a first duct inlet end 535 and a second duct outlet end 537, and the second duct outlet end 537 is the rear wall of the rear wall piping assembly 540. In fluid communication with the panel upper duct 536. Similarly, the left wall panel piping assembly 520 is a left wall panel inlet duct in fluid communication with the left wall panel upper duct 528 through the left wall panel first riser 524 and the left wall panel second riser 526. You can have 522. The left wall panel upper duct 528 may have a first duct inlet end 525 and a second duct outlet end 527, and the second duct outlet end 527 is a rear wall of the rear wall piping assembly 540. In fluid communication with the panel upper duct 536. In addition, the rear wall panel piping assembly may have a rear wall panel inlet duct 542 in fluid communication with the left wall panel assembly 520 and the right wall panel assembly 530. In addition, the rear wall panel piping assembly 540 can have a rear wall panel bottom duct 544 that can have a rear wall panel first inlet 541 and a rear wall panel second inlet 543. The rear wall panel bottom duct 544 may be in fluid communication with the rear wall panel upper duct 536 through the first bulkhead 547 and the second bulkhead 549. 15 and 16, the piping assembly 500 can provide efficient circulation of inert gas from the front wall panel piping assembly 510, through the front wall panel outlets 515 and 517, respectively, Inert gas is circulated from the front wall panel inlet duct 512 to the ceiling panel ducts 505 and 507 as well as from the left wall panel assembly 520, the right wall panel assembly 530 and the rear wall panel piping assembly 540. Circulates and circulates air from the inlet ducts 522, 532, and 542 to the vent 545, respectively. After the inert gas is discharged into the enclosure area under the fan filter unit cover 103 of the enclosure 100 through the ceiling panel ducts 505 and 507 and the vent 545, the discharged inert gas is discharged into the fan filter unit 752 And 754). In addition, the circulated inert gas can be maintained at a desired temperature by heat exchangers 742 and 744 as part of the temperature control system.

17 is a bottom imaginary view of the enclosure piping assembly 500. The inlet piping assembly 502 includes a front wall panel inlet duct 512, a left wall panel inlet duct 522, a right wall panel inlet duct 532, and a rear wall panel inlet duct 542, which Communicated. For each inlet duct included in the inlet piping assembly 502, an opening uniformly distributed across the bottom of each duct is provided, the set of openings comprising: an opening 511 of the front wall panel inlet duct 512, Specially for the present invention, such as the opening 521 in the left wall panel inlet duct 522, the opening 531 in the right wall panel inlet duct 532, and the opening 541 in the right wall panel inlet duct 542. It is emphasized. These openings are provided to efficiently uptake the inert gas within the enclosure 100 for continuous circulation and filtration, as clearly shown across the bottom of each inlet duct. Several embodiments of continuous circulation and filtration of an inert gas in a gas enclosure assembly are provided to maintain a substantially particle-free environment within various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly system. Several embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly system can be maintained to ISO 14644 Class 4 for particulate matter. Several embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly system can be maintained to ISO 14644 Class 3 properties for processes that are particularly sensitive to particle contamination. As discussed above, conduit I provides an outlet of the inert gas to the external gas purification system, and conduit II allows the purified inert gas to be recovered to the filtration and circulation loop inside the gas enclosure assembly 100.

In various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system according to the present invention, a bundle of cables, wires, and tubes, etc., is a cooling system arranged inside the gas enclosure assembly and system, for example, for operation of an OLED printing system. And electrical systems, mechanical systems, and fluidic systems. These bundles may be supplied through ducts to purge reactive atmospheric gases such as water vapor and oxygen that are blocked in the dead space of bundles such as cables, wires, and tubes. Dead spaces formed in bundles of cables, wires, and tubes were found, and according to the present invention, a blocked reaction that can significantly increase the time that can be taken to provide a gas enclosure assembly to the properties for performing an air-sensitive process. It creates a species reservoir. For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system of the present invention usable for printing OLED devices, various reactive species, such as various reactive atmospheric gases such as water vapor and oxygen, as well as each species of organic solvent vapor, 100 ppm or less, for example 10 ppm or less, 1.0 ppm or less, or 0.1 ppm or less.

To understand how a cable supplied through a duct can reduce the time it takes to purge the blocked reactive usually gas from dead volumes in bundles of cables, wires, and tubes, see FIGS. 18A-19. . FIG. 18A shows an enlarged view of Bundle I, the bundle of which may include a tube, eg, tubing A for delivering various inks, solvents, etc. to a printing system, eg, printing system 50 of FIG. Can be Bundle I of FIG. 18A may further comprise electrical wires, such as wires B or cables, such as coaxial cables C. These tubes, wires and cables can be bundled together and arranged from outside to inside that must be connected to a variety of devices and devices, including OLED printing systems. As can be seen in the shaded area of FIG. 18A, these bundles can create a clear dead space (D). In the schematic perspective view of Fig. 18B, the cable, wire, and tube bundle I is supplied through the duct II, and the inert gas III can be continuously swept past the bundle. The enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 19 shows how inert gas continuously sweeping through bundle tubes, wires and cables can increase the rate of removal of the blocked reactive species from dead volumes formed in such bundles. The diffusion rate of reactive species (A) from the dead volume indicated in FIG. 19 by the collective area occupied by the reactive species (A) is shown in FIG. 19 by the covered area occupied by the inert gas species (B). It is inversely proportional to the concentration of the reactive species outside the indicated dead volume. This means that if the concentration of the reactive species is high in the volume just outside the dead volume, the diffusion rate is reduced. When the concentration of reactive species in this region is continuously reduced from the volume immediately outside the dead volume space by the flow of inert gas, the rate at which reactive species diffuse from the dead volume is increased by mass action. In addition, by the same principle, inert gas can diffuse into the dead volume when blocked reactive species are efficiently removed from this space.

FIG. 20A is a perspective view of a rear corner of various embodiments of gas enclosure assembly 600, with return duct 605 being a imaginary view into the interior of gas enclosure assembly 600. For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly 600, the rear wall panel 640 may have an inset panel 610 configured to provide access to the electrical bulkhead, for example. Bundles of cables, wires, and tubes may be supplied through the bulkhead into a cable routing duct, such as a duct 632 shown in the right wall panel 630, wherein the first cable, wire, and tube bundle duct entry A removable inset panel has been removed to show the bundles routed within 636. From there, the bundle can be fed into the interior of the gas enclosure assembly 600 and is shown in a virtual diagram through a return duct 605 within the interior of the gas enclosure assembly 600. Several embodiments of gas enclosure assemblies for cable, wire, and tube bundle light include one or more cable, wire, and tube bundle inlets, such as for still another bundle, a first bundle duct inlet 634 and a second bundle. It may have the one shown in FIG. 20A showing the duct inlet 636. 20B is an enlarged view of a bundle duct inlet 634 for a cable, wire, and tube bundle. Bundle duct inlet 634 can have an opening 631 configured to form a seal with a sliding cover 633. In various embodiments, the opening 631 may use a flexible sealing module, a module provided by Roxtec Company for a cable entry seal, and can accommodate cables, wires, and tubes of various diameters within a bundle. have. Alternatively, the upper portion 637 of the opening 631 and the top 635 of the sliding cover 633 may have a matching material arranged over each surface, the matching material being an inlet, such as a bundle duct inlet 634 A seal can be formed around cables, wires, and tubes of various sizes in the bundle supplied through ).

FIG. 21 is a bottom view of several embodiments of a ceiling panel of the present invention, such as, for example, the ceiling panel 250' of the gas enclosure assembly and system 100 of FIG. 3. According to various embodiments of the present invention for a gas enclosure assembly, lighting may be installed on the inner upper surface of a ceiling panel, such as the ceiling panel 250 ′ of the gas enclosure assembly and system 100 of FIG. 3. I can. As shown in FIG. 21, the ceiling frame 250 having the inner portion 251 may have light installed on the inner portions of various frame members. For example, the ceiling frame 250 may have two ceiling frame sections 40, both of which have two ceiling frame beams 42 and 44 in common. Each ceiling frame section 40 may have a first surface 41 located toward the inside of the ceiling frame 250 and a second surface 43 located toward the outside of the ceiling frame 250. For various embodiments according to the invention providing light for a gas enclosure, pairs of light elements 46 may be installed. Each pair of light elements 46 has a first light element 45 positioned proximal to the first side 41 and a first light element 45 positioned proximal to the second side 43 of the ceiling frame section 40. It may have two light elements 47. The number, locations, and groups of optical elements shown in FIG. 21 are representative. The number and grouping of light elements can be varied in any desired manner or in any suitable manner. In various embodiments, the light element may be mounted flat, and in other embodiments, it may be mounted to be movable in various positions and angles. The location of the light elements is not limited only to the top panel ceiling 433, but in addition or alternatively, any other inner surface, outer surface, and various surfaces of the gas enclosure assembly and system 100 shown in FIG. Can be placed on a combination of them.

The various light elements may comprise any number or type of light, such as halogen light, white light, incandescent light, arc lamp, or light emitting diodes or devices (LEDs), or combinations thereof. For example, each light element may comprise from 1 LED to about 100 LEDs, from about 10 LEDs to about 50 LEDs, or larger than 100 LEDs. LEDs or other optical devices may emit any color or combination of colors within the color spectrum, outside the color spectrum, or a combination thereof. According to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly used for inkjet printing of OLED materials, the wavelength of light for the optical device installed in the gas enclosure assembly decreases during the processing process because some materials are sensitive to some wavelengths of light. It can be specially selected to prevent it. For example, a 4X white LED can be used as can be used with a 4X orange LED or any combination thereof. An example of a 4X white LED is the LF1 B-D4S-2THWW4, available from IDEC Corporation of Sunnyvale, CA, USA. One example of a 4X orange LED that can be used is the LF1 B-D4S-2SHY6, also available from IDEC Corporation. The LED or other light element may be located at or hanging from any location on the inner portion 251 of the ceiling frame 250 or another surface of the gas enclosure assembly. The light elements are not limited to LEDs only. Any suitable light element or combination of these light elements may be used. 22 is a graph of the IDEC LED light spectrum, showing the x-axis corresponding to the intensity when the peak intensity is 100% and the y-axis corresponding to the wavelength expressed in nanometers. Spectra are shown for LF1 B orange type, orange fluorescent lamp, LF1 B white type LED, LF1 B white type LED, and LF1 B red type LED. Other light spectra and combinations of these light spectra may be used according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Again, consider that various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly are configured to minimize the internal volume of the gas enclosure assembly and at the same time optimize the workspace to accommodate the varying footprints of various OLED printing systems. Several embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly thus constructed further provide easy access to the interior of the gas enclosure assembly from the outside during the processing process and easy access to the interior for maintenance while minimizing downtime. In this respect, various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly according to the present invention can be contoured for various footprints of various OLED printing systems.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be applied to gas enclosure assemblies of various sizes and designs for frame member configurations, panel configurations, frame and panel sealing, as well as configurations of gas enclosure assemblies, such as gas enclosure assembly 100 of FIG. You can understand. For example, but not limited to these, various embodiments of the contoured gas enclosure assembly of the present invention dealing with substrate sizes from generations 3.5 to 10 may have an interior volume between about 6 m ³ and about 95 m ³ and , Which has a relative total value and can result in volume savings of about 30% to about 70% for an uncontoured enclosure. Several embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly accommodate an OLED printing system for function, while at the same time optimizing the working space to minimize inert gas volume, and allowing easy access to the OLED printing system from outside during the processing process. For this purpose, it is possible to have a variety of frame members configured to provide an outline for the gas enclosure assembly. In this respect, the various gas enclosure assemblies of the present invention can be varied in contoured topology and volume.

23 provides an example of a gas enclosure assembly according to the present invention. The gas enclosure assembly 1000 may include a front frame assembly 1100, a central frame assembly 1200, and a rear frame assembly 1300. The front frame assembly 1100 may include a front frame base 1120, a front wall frame 1140 having an opening 1142 for receiving a substrate, and a front ceiling frame 1160. The central frame assembly 1200 may include a central frame base 1220, a right end wall frame 1240, a central wall frame 1260, and a left end wall frame 1280. The rear frame assembly 1300 may include a rear frame base 1320, a rear wall frame 1340, and a rear ceiling frame 1360. The shaded areas depict the usable working volume of the gas enclosure assembly 100, which working volume is usable to accommodate the OLED printing system. Several embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly 1000 can minimize the volume of recycled inert gas required to operate an air-sensitive process, such as an OLED printing process, while at the same time being directly accessible through an easily removable panel. Alternatively, it is contoured to allow easy access to the OLED printing system remotely during operation. Several embodiments are gas enclosure volume between 3.5G to about 6m to the various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention to deal with the substrate size of 10 generation ³ to about 95m ³ of the gas enclosure assembly of the contour formed in accordance with the present invention For example, but not limited to these, may be configured between about 15 m ³ to about 30 m ³ , and may be useful, for example, for OLED printing of 5.5 generation to 8.5 generation substrate size.

Gas enclosure assembly 1000 may have all of the features described herein for an exemplary gas enclosure assembly 100. For example, but not limited to these, the gas enclosure assembly 1000 may provide a hermetically sealed enclosure through a fabrication and dismantling cycle using the seal according to the present invention. Various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly according to the gas enclosure assembly 1000 have a level of 100 ppm or more for each species of various reactive species, such as various reactive atmospheric gases such as water vapor and oxygen, as well as organic solvent vapor Below, for example, it may have a gas purification system that can be maintained at 10 ppm or less, 1.0 ppm or less, or 0.1 ppm or less.

Additionally, several embodiments of gas enclosure assembly systems according to gas enclosure assembly 1000 may have circulation and filtration systems capable of providing a particle-free environment meeting ISO 14644 Class 3 and Class 4 clean room standards. . In addition, as will be discussed in more detail below, gas enclosure assembly systems, such as gas enclosure assembly 100 and gas enclosure assembly 1000 according to the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, may be implemented in several implementations of compressed inert gas recirculation systems. Examples may be given, and this recirculation system may be, for example, but not limited to, one of a pneumatic robot, a substrate floating table, an air bearing, an air bushing, a compressed gas tool, a pneumatic actuator, and combinations thereof, or It can be used to do more than that. For various embodiments of the gas enclosure and system of the present invention, the use of a variety of pneumatic-operated devices and devices may not only provide low-particle generation performance, but also lower maintenance costs.

24 is an enlarged view of a gas enclosure assembly 1000 showing various frame members that may be configured to provide for a gas enclosure sealed in a hermetic manner in accordance with the present invention. For the various embodiments of the gas enclosure 100 of FIGS. 3 and 13, as discussed above, the OLED inkjet printing system 50 includes a substrate, e.g., a substrate shown in a proximal position to a substrate floatation table 54. 60) It may consist of several devices and devices that allow stably arranging the ink droplets in a specific location above. Given the various components that may include OLED printing system 50, various embodiments of OLED printing system 50 may include various footprints and form factors. According to various embodiments of the OLED inkjet printing system, a variety of substrate materials, such as, for example, but not limited to, for the substrate 60, various glass substrate materials, as well as various polymer substrate materials may be used. .

According to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, as previously described for the gas enclosure assembly 100, the gas enclosure assembly minimizes the volume of the gas enclosure assembly as well as provides easy access to the interior. Can be configured around the entire OLED printing system. In FIG. 24, an example of contouring may be provided in consideration of the OLED printing system 50.

As shown in FIG. 24, six isolators may be provided over the OLED printing system 50, two of which may be shown as a first isolator 51 and a second isolator 53, and Supports the substrate floatation table 54 of the OLED printing system 50. In addition to that, as two additional isolators opposite the first isolator 51 and the second isolator 53, respectively, two isolators supporting the OLED printing system base 52 are provided. The front enclosure base 1120 may have a first front enclosure isolator mount 1121 supporting the first front enclosure isolator wall frame 1123. The second front enclosure isolator wall frame 1127 is supported by a second front enclosure isolator mount (not shown). Similarly, the central enclosure base 1220 may have a first central enclosure isolator mount 1221 that supports the first central enclosure isolator wall frame 1223. The second central enclosure isolator wall frame 1127 is supported by a second central enclosure isolator mount (not shown). Finally, the rear enclosure base 1320 may have a first rear enclosure isolator mount 1321 that supports the rear central enclosure isolator wall frame 1323. The second rear enclosure isolator wall frame 1127 is supported by a second rear enclosure isolator mount (not shown). Several embodiments of the isolator wall frame member are contoured around each isolator to minimize the volume around each isolator support member. In addition, the shaded panel sections shown for each isolator wall frame for bases 1120, 1220, and 1320 are removable panels that can be removed, for example, to provide an isolator. The front enclosure assembly base 1120 may have a fan 1122, the central enclosure assembly base 1220 may have a fan 1222, and the rear enclosure assembly base 1320 may have a fan 1322. . When the bases are fully-configured to form an adjacent base, the OLED printing system can be mounted on the adjacent fan formed accordingly, and in a similar manner, the OLED printing system 50 is mounted on the fan 204 of FIG. Can be. As previously described, wall and ceiling frame members, such as the wall frame 1140 of the front frame assembly 1100, the ceiling frame 1160, and the wall frames 1240, 1260 and 1280 of the central frame assembly 1200. , As well as the wall frame 1340 and ceiling frame 1360 of the rear frame assembly 1300 may be joined around the OLED printing system 50. Accordingly, various embodiments of the outlined wall frame member sealed in a hermetic manner of the present invention efficiently reduce the volume of inert gas in the gas enclosure assembly 1000, and at the same time, various devices and devices of the OLED printing system Provide easy access to

A gas enclosure assembly and system according to the present invention may have a gas circulation and filtration system within the gas enclosure assembly. Such an internal filtration system may have a plurality of fan filter units therein and may be configured to provide a laminar flow of gas therein. The laminar flow may be from the top of the inside to the bottom of the inside, or any other direction. Although the gas flow produced by the circulation system need not be laminar, a laminar flow of gas can be used to ensure thorough and complete turnover of the gas inside. Laminar flow of gases can be used to minimize turbulence, which is not desirable because it allows particles in the environment to be collected in these turbulent areas, thereby preventing the filtration system from removing these particles from the environment. In addition, in order to maintain the desired temperature therein, for example, operated with a fan or another gas circulation device, arranged adjacent to such fan or another gas circulation device or said fan or another gas circulation device A temperature control system may be provided using a plurality of heat exchangers used together with. A gas purification loop may be configured to circulate gas from within the interior of the gas enclosure assembly to the exterior of the enclosure through one or more gas purification components. In this respect, the circulation and filtration system inside the gas enclosure assembly together with the gas purification loop outside the gas enclosure assembly is a substantially low-particle inertness with a substantially low level of reactive species throughout the gas enclosure assembly. It can provide continuous circulation of gas. The gas purification system can be configured to maintain very low levels of undesirable components, such as, for example, organic solvents and organic solvent vapors, as well as water, water vapor, oxygen, and the like.

25 is a diagram schematically illustrating a gas enclosure assembly and system 2100. Various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly and system 2100 include a gas enclosure assembly 1500 according to the present invention, a gas purification loop 2130 in fluid communication with the gas enclosure assembly 1500, and one or more temperature control systems 2140. It may include. In addition, various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system may have a compressed inert gas recirculation system 2169 capable of supplying an inert gas to operate a variety of devices, such as a substrate floatation table for an OLED printing system. Several embodiments of compressed inert gas recirculation system 2169, as discussed in more detail below, as a source for various embodiments of inert gas recirculation system 2169, a compressor, a blower, and a combination of the two You can use In addition, gas enclosure assembly and system 2100 may have a filtration and circulation system internal to gas enclosure assembly and system 2100 (not shown).

As shown in Fig. 25, for various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly according to the present invention, the design of the duct is internally continuously filtered and circulated for gas purification from inert gas. The inert gas circulated through the loop 2130 may be separated. The gas purification loop 2130 includes an outlet line 2131 leading from the gas enclosure assembly 1500 to the solvent removal component 2132 and then to the gas purification system 2134. Thereafter, the inert gas-purified solvent and other reactive gas species such as oxygen and water vapor are recovered to the gas enclosure assembly 1500 through the inlet line 2133. In addition, gas purification loop 2130 may include suitable conduits and connections, and sensors, such as, for example, oxygen, water vapor and solvent vapor sensors. A gas circulation unit, such as a fan, a blower or a motor, etc., may be provided independently or be integrally configured to circulate gas through the gas purification loop 2130, for example within the gas purification system 2134. I can. According to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly, solvent removal system 2132 and gas purification system 2134 are shown as independent units schematically shown in FIG. 25, but solvent removal system 2132 and gas purification system 2134 ) May be accommodated together as a single purification unit. The temperature control system 2140 includes one or more chillers 2141 that may have a fluid outlet line 2143 for circulating coolant into the gas enclosure assembly, and a fluid inlet line 2145 for returning coolant to the chiller. I can.

The gas purification loop 2130 of FIG. 25 may have a solvent removal system 2132 located upstream of the gas purification system 2134, and the inert gas circulating from the gas enclosure assembly 1500 passes through the outlet line 2131. Through the solvent removal system 2132. According to various embodiments, the solvent removal system 2132 may be a solvent trapping system for absorbing solvent vapor from an inert gas passing through the solvent removal system 2132 of FIG. 25. A bed or a plurality of beds of an adsorbent, for example, but not limited to these, for example, activated carbon, molecular sieve, etc., can efficiently remove various organic solvent vapors. For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly, cold trap technology may be used to remove solvent vapors within the solvent removal system 2132. As mentioned earlier, for various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly according to the present invention, these species are removed from a gas enclosure assembly system, such as an inert gas continuously circulating through the gas enclosure assembly system 2100 of FIG. To monitor the efficient removal, sensors such as oxygen, water vapor and solvent vapor sensors can be used. Several embodiments of the solvent removal system may indicate when the adsorbent, such as activated carbon, molecular sieve, etc., reaches capacity, so that a bed or a plurality of beds of adsorbent is regenerated. ) Or can be replaced. Regeneration of the molecular sieve may include heating the molecular sieve, contacting the molecular sieve with a forming gas, a combination thereof, and the like. Molecular sieves configured to capture various species, such as oxygen, water vapor, and solvent, can be regenerated by exposure to or heating a forming gas comprising hydrogen, e.g., a forming gas comprising about 96% nitrogen and 4% hydrogen. And the percentage is volume% or weight %. Physical regeneration of activated carbon can be carried out using a similar heating procedure under an inert environment.

Any suitable gas purification system may be used for gas purification system 2134 of gas purification loop 2130 of FIG. 25. For example, MBRAUN Inc. of Statam, New Hampshire. Alternatively, a gas purification system commercially available from Innovative Technology of Amesbury, Massachusetts, can be used to incorporate various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly according to the present invention. The gas purification system 2134 may be used to purify one or more inert gases within the gas enclosure assembly and system 2100, for example, to purify the entire gaseous environment within the gas enclosure assembly. As mentioned above, in order to circulate gas through the gas purification loop 2130, the gas purification system 2134 may have a gas circulation unit, such as a fan, a blower or a motor, or the like. In this respect, the gas purification system can be selected according to the volume of the enclosure capable of forming a volumetric flow rate to move the inert gas through the gas purification system. For various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly and system including a gas enclosure assembly having a volume of up to about 4 m ³ , a gas purification system capable of moving at about 84 m ³ /h may be used. For various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly and system including a gas enclosure assembly having a volume of up to about 10 m ³ , a gas purification system capable of moving at about 155 m ³ /h may be used. For various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly having a volume between about 52-114 m ³ , more than one gas purification system may be used.

Any suitable gas filter or purification device may be included in the gas purification system 2134 of the present invention. In some embodiments, the gas purification system may include two parallel purification units, one of which can be removed for maintenance and the other can be used to continue system operation without interruption. . In some embodiments, for example, a gas purification system may include one or more molecular sieves. In some embodiments, the gas purification system may comprise at least a first molecular sieve and a second molecular sieve, and when one of the molecular sieves is saturated with impurities or otherwise fails to operate sufficiently efficiently, the The system can be changed to another molecular sieve, regenerating saturated or inefficient molecular sieves. A control unit can be provided for determining the operating efficiency of each molecular sieve, changing the operation between different molecular sieves, regenerating one or more molecular sieves, or a combination thereof. As mentioned earlier, molecular sieves can also be recycled and reused.

Referring to the temperature control system 2140 of FIG. 25, one or more fluid chillers 2141 may be provided to cool the gaseous environment within the gas enclosure assembly and system 2100. For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, a fluid chiller 2141 delivers the cooled fluid to a heat exchanger within the enclosure, where the inert gas passes over the filtration system inside the enclosure. In addition, one or more fluid chillers may be provided with a gas enclosure assembly and system 2100 to cool heat exhausted from a device contained within the gas enclosure 2100. For example, but not limited to these, one or more fluid chillers may be provided with a gas enclosure assembly and system 2100 to cool the heat exiting the OLED printing system. The temperature control system 2140 may include a heat exchange or Peltier device and may have various cooling performances. For example, for various embodiments of gas enclosure assemblies and systems, the chiller can provide a cooling capacity between about 2 kW and about 20 kW. The fluid chillers 1136 and 1138 may cool one or more fluids. In some embodiments, the fluid chiller incorporates a number of fluids as cooling water, such as, but not limited to, water, anti-freeze, refrigerant, and combinations thereof as heat exchange fluid. Can be used. In connecting conduits with system components, any suitable leak-free locking connection can be used.

As shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, one or more fan filter units may be configured to provide a substantially laminar flow of gas through the interior. According to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, one or more fan units are arranged adjacent to the first inner surface of the gas atmosphere enclosure and adjacent to the second inner surface of the gas atmosphere enclosure opposite. do. For example, a gas atmosphere enclosure may include an inner ceiling and an inner periphery of a floor, and one or more fan units may be arranged adjacent to the inner ceiling, and one or more piping inlets shown in FIGS. As such, it may include a plurality of inlet openings arranged adjacently around the interior of the floor that is part of the piping system.

26 is a cross-sectional view taken along the length of a gas enclosure assembly and system 2200 in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. The gas enclosure assembly and system 2200 of FIG. 26 includes a gas enclosure 1500 capable of receiving an OLED printing system 50, as well as a gas purification system 2130 (see FIG. 25), a temperature control system 2140, and Filtration and circulation system 2150 and piping system 2170 may be included. The temperature control system 2140 may include a fluid chiller 2141, which is in fluid communication with the chiller outlet line 2143 and the chiller inlet line 2145. The cooled fluid can be discharged from the fluid chiller 2141, flow through the chiller outlet line 2143, and delivered to a heat exchanger, which is shown in FIG. 26 for various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system. As previously described, a plurality of fan filter units may be positioned in close proximity to each other. The fluid may be recovered to the chiller 2141 through the chiller inlet line 2145 from a heat exchanger close to the fan filter unit so that the fluid can be kept constant at a desired temperature. As previously mentioned, the chiller outlet line 2141 and the chiller inlet line 2143 are formed of a plurality of heat exchangers, such as a first heat exchanger 2142, a second heat exchanger 2144, and a third heat exchanger 2146. ) And in fluid communication. According to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and city as shown in FIG. 26, the first heat exchanger 2142, the second heat exchanger 2144, and the third heat exchanger 2146 are each a filtration system. In thermal communication with the first fan filter unit 2152, the second fan filter unit 2154, and the third fan filter unit 2156 of 2150.

In FIG. 26, a number of arrows indicate flows entering and exiting the various fan filter units, and also, as schematically shown in FIG. 26, a first pipe conduit 2173 and a second pipe conduit. It shows the flow flowing within the piping system 2170 including 2174. The first piping conduit 2173 may receive gas through the first duct inlet 2171 and this gas may be discharged through the first duct outlet 2175. Similarly, the second piping conduit 2174 can receive gas through the second duct inlet 2172 and this gas can be discharged through the second duct outlet 2176. In addition, as shown in Figure 26, the piping system 2170, by efficiently forming a space 2180 in fluid communication with the gas purification system 2130 through the gas purification outlet line 2131, the filtration system ( 2150) to separate the internally recycled inert gas. Several embodiments of such a circulation system, e.g., a piping system as described with respect to FIGS. 15-17, provide substantially laminar flow, minimize turbulence, and allow circulation, turnover, and It is provided to facilitate filtration and circulate through a gas purification system external to the gas enclosure assembly.

27 is a cross-sectional view taken along the length of a gas enclosure assembly and system 2300 in accordance with various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention. Similar to the gas enclosure assembly 2200 of FIG. 26, the gas enclosure assembly system 2300 of FIG. 27 is a gas enclosure 1500 capable of receiving an OLED printing system 50, as well as a gas purification system 2130 (Fig. 25), a temperature control system 2140, a filtration and circulation system 2150, and a piping system 2170. For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly 2300, the temperature control system 2140, which may include a chiller outlet line 2143 and a fluid chiller 2141 in fluid communication with the chiller inlet line 2145, comprises a plurality of The heat exchanger, as shown in FIG. 27, may be in fluid communication with, for example, the first heat exchanger 2142 and the second heat exchanger 2144. According to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system as shown in FIG. 27, various heat exchangers, such as the first heat exchanger 2142 and the second heat exchanger 2144, are provided with a duct outlet, such as a piping system ( By being located close to the first duct outlet 2175 and the second duct outlet 2176 of 2170, it may be in thermal communication with the circulating inert gas. In this respect, the inert gas recovered from the duct inlet for filtration, such as the duct inlet, such as the first duct inlet 2171 and the second duct inlet 2172 of the piping system 2170, is, for example, , Before being circulated through each of the first fan filter unit 2152, the second fan filter unit 2154, and the third fan filter unit 2156 of the filtration system 2150 of FIG. 27.

As can be seen from the arrows showing the direction of circulation of the inert gas through the enclosure in FIGS. 26 and 27, the fan filter unit is configured to provide a laminar flow in a substantially downward direction from the top of the enclosure towards the bottom. For example, fan filter units commercially available from Flanders Corporation of Washington, North Carolina, or Envirco Corporation of Sanford, North Carolina, may be used to be incorporated into various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention. Several embodiments of fan filter units may exchange between about 350 cubic feet per minute (CFM) to about 700 CFM of inert gas passing through each unit. As shown in Figs. 26 and 27, the fan filter units are arranged in parallel rather than in a series arrangement, and the amount of inert gas that can be exchanged in a system including a plurality of fan filter units is proportional to the number of units used. Near the bottom of the enclosure, gas flow is directed towards a plurality of piping inlets, such as first duct inlet 2171 and second duct inlet 2172 shown schematically in FIGS. 26 and 27. As discussed above for Figs. The connected gas purification system allows the entire gas atmosphere to be easily moved and turned over completely. Using the filtration and circulation system 2150, the gas atmosphere is completely turned over in the enclosure, promotes laminar flow, and circulates the gas atmosphere through the pipe, and the pipe is an inert gas for circulation through the gas purification loop 2130. By separating the flow, the level of each reactive species, such as water and oxygen, as well as each solvent, in various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly, is 100 ppm or less, such as 1 ppm or less, For example, it can be kept at 0.1 ppm or less.

According to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly system used for the OLED printing system, the number of fan filter units may be selected depending on the physical location of the substrate within the printing system during the processing process. Accordingly, although three fan filter units are shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, the number of fan filter units may be changed. For example, FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view taken along the length of a gas enclosure assembly and system 2400, which is a gas enclosure assembly system similar to that shown in FIGS. 23 and 24. The gas enclosure assembly and system 2400 can include a gas enclosure assembly 1500 that houses an OLED printing system 50 supported on a base 52. The substrate floatation table 54 of the OLED printing system forms a moving area through which the substrate can be moved through the system 2400 during OLED printing of the substrate. Accordingly, the gas enclosure assembly and the filtration system 2150 of the system 2400 have an appropriate number of fan filter units, in which the fan filter corresponding to the physical movement zone through the OLED printing system 50 during the processing process. It is shown as units 2151-2155. In addition, the cross-sectional view schematically shown in FIG. 28 shows the contouring of various embodiments of the gas enclosure, which can efficiently reduce the volume of inert gas required during the OLED printing process, and at the same time, for example, various gloves. A glove installed in the port provides easy access to the interior of the gas enclosure 1500 during remote processing, or, in the case of a maintenance process, directly by various removable panels.

Various embodiments of gas enclosures and systems may utilize compressed inert gas recirculation systems for operation of various pneumatic-operated devices and appliances. In addition, as discussed above, embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly system of the present invention may be maintained at a slightly positive pressure relative to the external environment, such as, but not limited to, between about 2 mbarg and about 8 mbarg. It represents the dynamic and ongoing balancing act of maintaining the internal pressure of the gas enclosure assembly and system at a slightly positive pressure, while at the same time, compressed gas is continuously flowing into the gas enclosure assembly and system. Maintaining a compressed inert gas recirculation system within a gas enclosure assembly system is risky. In addition, the varying needs of various devices and appliances can create irregular pressure profiles for the various gas enclosure assemblies and systems of the present invention. Maintaining the dynamic pressure balance of the gas enclosure assembly at a slightly positive pressure relative to the external environment under these conditions can provide the integrity of the ongoing OLED printing process.

As shown in FIG. 29, several embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly and system 3000 include a clean dry air (CDA) source 2512 and an inert gas for use in various modes of operation of the gas enclosure assembly and system 3000. It may have an outer gas loop 2500 for integrating and regulating the source 2509. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the gas enclosure assembly and system 3000 may include various embodiments of an internal particle filtration and gas enclosure assembly, as well as various embodiments of an external gas purification system as described above. In addition to the outer loop 2500 for integrating and regulating the inert gas source 2509 and CDA source 2512, the gas enclosure assembly and system 3000 can be arranged within the interior of the gas enclosure assembly and system 3000. It may have a compressor loop 2160 capable of supplying an inert gas to operate devices and devices.

The compressor loop 2160 of FIG. 29 may include a compressor 2162, a first accumulator 2164 and a second accumulator 2168 configured to be in fluid communication. Compressor 2162 may be configured to compress inert gas withdrawn from gas enclosure assembly 1500. The inlet side of the compressor loop 2160 is in fluid communication with the gas enclosure assembly 1500 by the gas enclosure assembly outlet 2501 through a line 2503 with a valve 2505 and a check valve 2507. I can. Compressor loop 2160 may be in fluid communication with gas enclosure assembly 1500 on the outlet side of compressor loop 2160 through outer gas loop 2500. The accumulator 2164 may be arranged between the compressor 2162 and a junction of the compressor loop 2160 with the outer gas loop 2500 and may be configured to generate a pressure of 5 psig or more. The second accumulator 2168 may be in the compressor loop 2160 to provide dampening fluctuations at about 60 Hz due to the compressor piston cycle. For various embodiments of the compressor loop 2160, the first accumulator 2164 may have a capacity between about 80 gallons and about 160 gallons, and the second accumulator can have a capacity between about 30 gallons and about 60 gallons. Can have. According to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system 3000, the compressor 2162 may be a zero ingress compressor. Various types of zero ingress compressors can operate without leakage of atmospheric gases within various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system of the present invention. Several embodiments of the zero ingress compressor can be performed continuously, for example, during the OLED printing process, using various apparatus and equipment requiring compressed inert gas.

The accumulator 2164 may be configured to receive and collect compressed inert gas from the compressor 2162. The accumulator 2164 may supply compressed inert gas as required within the gas enclosure assembly 1500. For example, accumulator 2164 may be a variety of components of gas enclosure assembly 1500, such as, but not limited to, a pneumatic robot, a substrate floating table, an air bearing, an air bushing, a compressed gas tool, a pneumatic actuator, And a gas to maintain pressure for one or more of these combinations. As shown in FIG. 29 for gas enclosure assembly and system 3000, gas enclosure assembly 1500 may have an OLED printing system 50 contained therein. As shown in Figure 24, the OLED printing system 50 can be supported by the granite stage 52 and not only transfer the substrate to a location within the print head chamber, but also float the substrate to support the substrate during the OLED printing process. A table 54 may be included. In addition, an air bearing 58 supported on the bridge 56 may be used instead of, for example, a linear mechanical bearing. For various embodiments of the gas enclosure and system of the present invention, using a variety of high-pressure-operated devices and devices can provide low-particle generation performance as well as low maintenance costs. The compressor loop 2160 may be configured to continuously supply compressed inert gas to various devices and devices of the gas enclosure device 3000. In addition to supplying the compressed inert gas, the substrate floatation table 54 of the OLED printing system 50 using air bearing technology is provided via a gas enclosure assembly (2552) when the valve 2554 is in the open position. 1500) and a vacuum system 2550 is used.

The compressed inert gas recirculation system according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 29, compensates for the need for a variable compressed gas during use, thus allowing for various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system of the present invention. It can have a pressure-regulated bypass loop 2165 that acts to provide a dynamic balance against. For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system according to the present invention, the bypass loop can keep the pressure in accumulator 2164 constant without altering or disturbing the pressure in enclosure 1500. The bypass loop 2165 may have a first bypass inlet valve 2161 on an inlet surface of the bypass loop 2165 that is closed unless the bypass loop 2165 is used. Further, the bypass loop 2165 may have a back pressure regulator that can be used when the second valve 2163 is closed. The bypass loop 2165 may have a second accumulator 2168 arranged on the exit side of the bypass loop 2165. For embodiments of the compressor loop 2160 using a zero ingress compressor, the bypass loop 2165 provides for small pressure excursions that may occur over time while using the gas enclosure assembly and system. It can be offset. The bypass loop 2165 may be in fluid communication with the compressor loop 2160 over the inlet face of the bypass loop 2165 when the bypass inlet valve 2161 is in the open position. When the bypass inlet valve 2161 is open, the inert gas shunted through the bypass loop 2165 does not require the inert gas from the compressor loop 2160 inside the gas enclosure assembly 1500. In case it can be recycled to the compressor. The compressor loop 2160 is configured to classify the inert gas through the bypass loop 2165 when the pressure of the inert gas in the accumulator 2164 exceeds a predetermined threshold pressure. The predetermined critical pressure for accumulator 2164 is between about 25 psig and about 200 psig at a flow rate of at least about cubic feet per minute (CFM), or about 50 psig at a flow rate of at least about cubic feet per minute (CFM). To about 150 psig, or between about 75 psig and about 125 psig at a flow rate of at least about cubic feet per minute (CFM), or between about 90 psig and about 95 psig at a flow rate of at least about cubic feet per minute (CFM). have.

Various embodiments of the compressor loop 2160 may be adjusted to be in a variety of compressors other than a zero ingress compressor, such as a variable-speed compressor or on-state or off-state. You can use a compressor. As discussed above, the zero ingress compressor must be free of atmospheric reactive species that could enter the gas enclosure assembly and system. Accordingly, any compressor shape that prevents atmospheric reactive species from entering the gas enclosure assembly and system can be used for the compressor loop 2160. According to various embodiments, the compressor 2162 of the gas enclosure assembly and system 3000 may be, for example, but not limited to, be housed in a hermetically sealed housing. The interior of the housing may be configured to be in fluid communication with a source of inert gas forming an inert gas environment for the gas enclosure assembly 1500. For various embodiments of the compressor loop 2160, the compressor 2162 may be regulated at a constant speed to maintain a constant pressure. In other embodiments of the compressor loop 2160 that does not use a zero ingress compressor, the compressor 2162 can be turned off when the maximum critical pressure is reached and turned on when the minimum critical pressure is reached. have.

In FIG. 30 for a gas enclosure assembly and system 3100, a blower loop 2170 and a blower vacuum to operate the substrate floatation table 54 of the OLED printing system 50 housed within the gas enclosure assembly 1500. Loop 2550 is shown. As discussed above for the compressor loop 2160, the blower loop 2170 may be configured to continuously supply compressed inert gas to the substrate floating table 54.

Various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly and system that may use a compressed inert gas recirculation system may have various loops using one or more of a variety of compressed gas sources, such as compressors, blowers, and combinations thereof. In Figure 30 for the gas enclosure assembly and system 3100, the compressor loop 2160 is an external, which can be used to supply inert gas for the high-consumption manifold 2525 as well as the low-consumption manifold 2513. It may be in fluid communication with the gas loop 2500. For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 29 for the gas enclosure assembly and system 3000, the high-consumption manifold 2525 may contain an inert gas in various devices and devices For example, but not limited to these, it may be used to supply one or more of a substrate floating table, a pneumatic robot, an air bearing, an air bushing, and a compressed gas tool, and combinations thereof. For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system according to the present invention, the low-consumption manifold 2513 may contain an inert gas in a variety of devices and devices, such as, but not limited to, isolators, and pneumatic actuators, and It can be used to supply one or more of these combinations.

For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system 3100, the blower loop 2170 may be used to supply compressed inert gas to the various embodiments of the substrate floatation table 54, and the outer gas loop ( The compressor loop 2160 in fluid communication with the 2500) contains compressed inert gas, such as, but not limited to, one of pneumatic robots, air bearings, air bushings, and compressed gas tools, and combinations thereof. Or it can be used to supply more. In addition to supplying the compressed inert gas, the substrate floatation table 54 of the OLED printing system 50 using air bearing technology is provided via the gas enclosure assembly 1500 via line 2552 when the valve 2554 is in the open position. ) And a blower vacuum system 2550 in fluid communication. The housing 2172 of the blower roof 2170 is attached to the first blower 2174 serving as a supply source for supplying the compressed inert gas to the substrate floating table 54, and the substrate floating table 54 in an inert gas environment. It is possible to maintain the second blower 2550 acting as a vacuum source for the. For various embodiments of the substrate floatation table, according to the properties that can make the blower suitable for use as a source of compressed inert gas or vacuum, for example, but not limited to these, maintenance costs are reduced. It has high stability making it inexpensive, has variable speed control, and has a wide range of flow volumes, and various embodiments can provide volume flow rates between about 100 m ³ /h and about 2,500 m ³ /h. Several embodiments of the blower loop 2170 include a first isolation valve 2173 at the inlet end of the compressor loop 2170, as well as a second isolation valve 2177 and a check valve at the outlet end of the compressor loop 2170. 2175). Several embodiments of the blower loop 2170 may have an adjustable valve 2176, such as, for example, but not limited to, a gate, butterfly, needle or ball valve, as well as It may be a heat exchanger 2178 for maintaining an inert gas from the blower assembly 2170 to the substrate floating system 54 at a predetermined temperature.

FIG. 30 is shown for use in various modes of operation of the gas enclosure assembly and system 3100 of FIG. 30 and the gas enclosure assembly and system 3000 of FIG. 29, as shown in FIG. 29. The outer gas loop 2500 of FIGS. 29 and 30 may include four or more mechanical valves. Such valves include a first mechanical valve 2502, a second mechanical valve 2504, a third mechanical valve 2506, and a fourth mechanical valve 2508. These various valves can be used to control inert gases, such as nitrogen, any noble gas, and any combination thereof, and various flow lines that allow the control of both air sources, such as clean dry air (CDA). It is located at the (flow line) position. From a house inert gas source 2509, a house inert gas line 2510 extends. House inert gas line 2510 continues to extend linearly, such as low-consumption manifold line 2512 in fluid communication with low-consumption manifold 2513. Cross-line first section 2514 is located at the intersection of house inert gas line 2510, low-consumption manifold line 2512, and cross-line first section 2514 It extends from the first flow joint (2516). The cross-line first section 2514 extends to the second flow joint 2518. The compressor inert gas line 2520 extends from the accumulator 2164 of the compressor loop 2160 and ends at the second flow joint 2518. CDA line 2522 extends from CDA source 2512 and continues to extend, such as high-consumption manifold line 2524 in fluid communication with high-consumption manifold 2525. A third flow joint 2526 is located at the intersection of the cross-line second section 2528, clean dry air line 2522, and high-consumption manifold line 2524. A cross-line second section 2528 extends from the second flow joint 2518 to the third flow joint 2526.

Referring to Figure 31, which shows the description of the outer gas loop 2500 and a table of valve positions for the various modes of operation of the gas enclosure assembly and system, several different modes of operation are schematically summarized as follows.

According to the table of Fig. 31, the valve state indicates the process mode for generating the inert gas compressor operating mode. In a process mode as indicated for the valve state of FIG. 31 and shown in FIG. 30, the first mechanical valve 2502 and the third mechanical valve 2506 are in a closed configuration. The second mechanical valve 2504 and the fourth mechanical valve 2508 are in an open configuration. This particular valve shape allows compressed inert gas to flow in both the low-consumption manifold 2513 and the high-consumption manifold 2525. Under normal operation, inert gas from the house inert gas source and clean dry air from the CDA source are prevented from flowing into one of the low-consumption manifold 2513 and the high-consumption manifold 2525.

As shown in Fig. 31, and referring to Fig. 30, a series of valve states are provided for maintenance and recovery. Various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system of the present invention often require a maintenance mode, as well as, in addition, a recovery mode from system failure. In this particular mode, the second mechanical valve 2504 and the fourth mechanical valve 2508 are in a closed configuration. The first mechanical valve 2502 and the third mechanical valve 2506 are in an open configuration. House inert gas source and CDA source have a small consumption rate of inert gas that can be supplied by the low-consumption manifold 2513 and have a dead volume that can be difficult to efficiently purge during restoration. Provides to the components. Examples of such components include pneumatic actuators. Conversely, these components can be supplied to the CDA during maintenance by a high-consumption manifold 2525. Separating the compressor using valves 2504, 2508, 2530 prevents reactive species, such as oxygen and water vapor, from contaminating inert gases in the compressor and accumulator.

After the maintenance or restoration mode has been completed, the gas enclosure assembly will have various reactive atmospheres, such as oxygen and water, at a sufficiently low level for each species, such as 100 ppm or less, for example. For example, it can be purged through several cycles until it reaches 10 ppm or less, 1.0 ppm or less, or 0.1 ppm or less. As shown in Fig. 31, and referring to Fig. 30, during the purge mode, the third mechanical valve 2506 is in a closed configuration and the fifth mechanical valve 2530 is also in a closed configuration. The first mechanical valve 2502, the second mechanical valve 2504, and the fourth mechanical valve 2508 are in an open configuration. Due to this particular valve shape, only the house inert gas can flow, allowing it to flow in both the low-consumption manifold 2513 and the high-consumption manifold 2525.

As shown in Fig. 31, and referring to Fig. 30, both the "no flow" mode and the leak test mode are modes used as needed. The "no flow" mode has a valve state shape in which the first mechanical valve 2502, the second mechanical valve 2504, the third mechanical valve 2506, and the fourth mechanical valve 2508 are all in a closed configuration. to be. This sealed configuration puts the system in a "no flow" mode, allowing any gas from any one of the inert gas, CDA, or compressor sources to enter the low-consumption manifold 2513 or high-consumption manifold 2525 It becomes impossible to reach. This "no flow" mode can be useful when the system is not in use and can remain idle for extended periods of time. The leak test mode can be used to detect if there is a leak in the system. The leak test mode uses only the compressed inert gas, and the high-noise manifold 2525 of FIG. The system from In this leak test mode, the first mechanical valve 2502, the third mechanical valve 2506, and the fourth mechanical valve 2508 are all in a closed configuration. Only the second mechanical valve is in the open configuration. As a result, compressed nitrogen gas can flow from the compressor inert gas source 2519 to the low-consumption manifold 2513, and no gas flows to the high-consumption manifold 2525.

All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in this specification are incorporated herein by reference so that these documents, patents, and patent applications are each specifically and individually constituted by reference.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, those skilled in the art will understand that these embodiments are provided by way of example only. Now, various modifications, improvements, and alternatives will be provided without departing from the scope of the present invention. It should be understood that in certain embodiments, various alternatives to the embodiments described herein may be used. The following claims are intended to define the scope of the invention and to ensure that the methods and configurations of the invention are within the scope of the claims and equivalents covered in this specification.

Claims (18)

In the on-substrate printing system,
A gas enclosure configured to maintain a controlled environment inside the gas enclosure;
Including a printing system inside the gas enclosure;
The printing system,
Printhead assembly
A substrate support device inside the gas enclosure;
Including a gas circulation system,
The gas circulation system,
A conduit defining a flow path fluidly connected to an inlet and an outlet to the gas enclosure;
A compressor disposed in the flow path; And
And an accumulator disposed in the flow path between the compressor and the outlet. The printing system of claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary enclosure fluidly connected to the gas enclosure. 3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a source of inert gas fluidly connected to the substrate support device. The printing system according to claim 1, further comprising a pressure control bypass fluidly connected to the conduit at a first location in a fluid path between the compressor and the accumulator and a second path between the inlet and the compressor. 5. The printing system of claim 4, wherein the bypass comprises a back pressure regulator. The printing system of claim 1, further comprising an inert gas source fluidly connected to the conduit at a location of a flow path between the compressor and the outlet. The method of claim 1, wherein the conduit is a first conduit, the flow path is a first flow path and the outlet is a first outlet, and further comprising a second conduit coupled between the first conduit and the gas enclosure, And forming a second flow path between the first conduit and the gas enclosure having a second outlet to the gas enclosure and a source of air fluidly connected to the second conduit. The printing system of claim 1, wherein the outlet is fluidly connected to a printhead assembly and a substrate support device. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the outlet is fluidly connected to the printhead and the substrate support device. The printing system of claim 1, further comprising an internal gas circulation system within the gas enclosure. The printing system of claim 1, further comprising a gas filtration system fluidly connected to the gas circulation system. 12. The printing system of claim 11, further comprising a solvent removal system fluidly connected to the gas circulation system. In the on-substrate printing system,
A gas enclosure configured to maintain a controlled environment therein;
A gas circulation system inside the gas enclosure;
Including a printing system inside the gas enclosure,
The printing system,
Printing head assembly;
A substrate support device inside the gas enclosure;
Including an external gas circulation system,
The external gas circulation system:
A conduit defining a flow path fluidly connected to an inlet and an outlet to the gas enclosure;
A compressor disposed in the flow path; And
And an accumulator disposed in the flow path between the compressor and the outlet. 14. The printing system of claim 13, wherein the outlet is fluidly connected to a printhead assembly and a substrate support device. 15. The printing system of claim 14, further comprising a gas filtration system fluidly connected to the external gas circulation system. 16. The printing system of claim 15, further comprising a solvent removal system fluidly connected to the external gas circulation system. 14. The printing system of claim 13, wherein the internal gas circulation system includes a duct fluidly connected to the print head assembly and a housing to receive a service bundle connected to the print head assembly. In the on-substrate printing system,
A gas enclosure configured to maintain a controlled environment therein;
Including a printing system inside the gas enclosure,
The printing system,
Printhead assembly;
A substrate support device inside the gas enclosure;
Including a gas circulation system,
The gas circulation system,
A conduit forming a flow path fluidly connected to the inside of the gas enclosure through an inlet and an outlet;
A compressor disposed in the flow path;
A first accumulator disposed in a flow path between the compressor and the outlet;
A second accumulator disposed in the flow path between the compressor and the inlet; And
And a pressure control bypass fluidly connected to a conduit and a second accumulator at a first location in the flow path between the compressor and the first accumulator.

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