KR-20260062943-A - Photonic device for sintering and drying metal electrodes

KR20260062943AKR 20260062943 AKR20260062943 AKR 20260062943AKR-20260062943-A

Abstract

A system for photonic sintering of a metal electrode is provided. The system includes a display. The display includes a substrate comprising a first surface and a second surface, and the display includes a metal electrode extending from the first surface to the second surface. The system also includes a photonic device for sintering the metal electrode. The photonic device includes a lamp configured to generate photonic energy, and the photonic device includes a mask located between the metal electrode and the lamp. The mask defines a slot within, and the mask is configured so that a portion of the photonic energy from the lamp passes through the slot and is directed toward the metal electrode.

Inventors

아이작, 코린 엘리자베스
파스텔, 데이비드 앤드루
피터슨, 리처드 커우드
세벰, 매튜 앤드루스
장, 루

Assignees

코닝 인코포레이티드

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20240806
Priority Date: 20230830

Claims (20)

As a system for photonic sintering of metal electrodes, the system A display comprising a substrate including a first surface and a second surface, wherein the metal electrode extends from the first surface to the second surface; and As a photonic device for sintering the above metal electrode, the photonic device A system for photonic sintering of a metal electrode, comprising a photonic device including a lamp configured to generate photonic energy and a mask positioned between the metal electrode and the lamp, wherein the mask includes a slot and is configured such that a portion of the photonic energy from the lamp passes through the slot and is directed toward the metal electrode.
In paragraph 1, A system for photonic sintering of a metal electrode, wherein the display comprises a component having high optical density, and the mask is configured to prevent photonic energy from the lamp from extending toward the component.
In paragraph 2, The above components are a system for photonic sintering of metal electrodes, which is a thin-film transistor.
In any one of paragraphs 1 through 3, As a second photon device for sintering the metal electrode, the second photon device A second lamp configured to generate photon energy; and The second photon device further comprises a second mask including a second slot and configured such that a portion of the photon energy from the second lamp passes through the second slot, and A system for photonic sintering of a metal electrode, wherein the photonic device and the second photonic device target different locations on the metal electrode.
In paragraph 4, A system for photonic sintering of metal electrodes, wherein the photonic device and the second photonic device are positioned in different directions relative to the substrate.
In any one of paragraphs 1 through 5, A system for photonic sintering of a metal electrode, wherein the metal electrode extends from the first surface to the second surface by turning at least one edge.
In any one of paragraphs 1 through 6, A system for photonic sintering of a metal electrode, wherein the slot has a width approximately equal to the width of the metal electrode.
In any one of paragraphs 1 through 7, A system for photonic sintering of a metal electrode, wherein at least one of the metal electrode or the photonic device is configured to be repositioned relative to the other.
In any one of paragraphs 1 through 8, A system for photonic sintering of a metal electrode, wherein the photonic device further comprises at least one of an optical lens or a mirror, and the optical lens or the mirror is configured to be adjusted to change the characteristics of the photonic energy generated by the photonic device.
In any one of paragraphs 1 through 9, A system for photonic sintering of a metal electrode, wherein the temperature on the substrate is maintained at less than about 100°C when the above photonic device is activated.
In any one of paragraphs 1 through 10, The above photonic device is configured to photonically dry a target material within a shorter time than a thermal drying device, or A system for photonic sintering of metal electrodes, wherein the above photonic device is configured to photonically sinter a target material in a shorter time than a thermal sintering device.
In any one of paragraphs 1 through 11, A system for photonic sintering of a metal electrode, wherein the photonic device is configured to generate a first set of one or more photonic energy pulses toward the metal electrode and, after generating the first set of one or more pulses, generate a second set of one or more photonic energy pulses toward the metal electrode, wherein the second set of one or more photonic energy pulses has an increased intensity compared to the first set of one or more photonic energy pulses.
In Paragraph 12, The second set of the above one or more pulses is A second number of pulses different from the first number of pulses in the first set of one or more pulses; A second pulse frequency different from the first pulse frequency in the first set of one or more pulses; A second pulse duration different from the first pulse duration in the first set of one or more pulses; A second voltage level different from a first voltage level applied to a first set of one or more pulses; or A system for photonic sintering of a metal electrode having at least one of a second power level different from a first power level applied to a first set of one or more pulses.
As a sintering device for sintering a metal electrode, the sintering device A lamp configured to generate photon energy; and A sintering apparatus for sintering a metal electrode, comprising a mask including a slot, wherein the mask is configured such that a portion of photon energy from the lamp passes through the slot and is directed toward the metal electrode to sinter the metal electrode.
In Paragraph 14, A sintering apparatus for sintering a metal electrode, wherein the metal electrode is located on an assembly comprising the metal electrode and a substrate, and the substrate has a lower optical density than the metal electrode.
In paragraph 15, A sintering apparatus for sintering a metal electrode, wherein the mask is configured to block other components having an optical density higher than the optical density of the substrate from the photon energy.
In Paragraph 16, The above substrate is a sintering apparatus for sintering a metal electrode, which is exposed to a maximum temperature of less than about 100°C.
In Paragraph 17, A sintering apparatus for sintering a metal electrode, wherein the metal electrode is a wrap-around metal electrode extending from a first surface of the substrate to a second surface of the substrate.
In Paragraph 18, A sintering device for sintering a metal electrode, wherein the assembly includes a display, and the display is at least one of a borderless display, a bezel-free display, or a tiled display.
In any one of paragraphs 14 through 19, A sintering device for sintering metal electrodes, wherein the above slot includes a circular, elliptical, round, rectangular, triangular, polygonal, or asymmetrical shape.

Description

Photonic device for sintering and drying metal electrodes Cross-reference regarding related applications This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/535373 filed on August 30, 2023, under 35 U.S.C. § 119, based on the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The embodiments generally relate to an approach for photonically sintering or drying, printing or repairing metal electrodes for displays. Top-emitting Micro LED (Micro LED) displays require a method to electrically interconnect the LEDs on the top surface of the substrate with the driver controller board located on the bottom surface. Typically, this is achieved using flexible connectors attached to the edges of the substrate. For borderless, bezel-free, or tiled displays, using flexible connectors attached to the top surface of the substrate is undesirable. This is because the flexible connectors would be visible to the viewer and must be obscured by the bezel, or they would occupy too much space between tiles, hindering seamless tiling. In both cases, standard flexible connectors are too large to meet the requirements. Wrap-around metal electrodes provide a solution for electrically connecting components on the upper surface of a display substrate with electrical components on the lower surface of the display substrate. Wrap-around metal electrodes are fabricated to surround the edges of the display substrate to connect electrical components located on different sides of the display substrate. Wrap-around metal electrodes have been proven in borderless, bezel-less, and tiled displays. These metal electrodes include various materials (gold, silver, copper, titanium, indium tin oxide, molybdenum, aluminum, etc.) and have been fabricated using manufacturing methods including printing, vacuum deposition, patterning, pad printing, and electroplating. Historically, a batch processing method has been performed in which all metal electrodes on a single micro-LED tile are deposited at once. While this method offers some advantages in terms of manufacturing processes, if the yield during the deposition process is not 100% or if some metal electrodes are damaged downstream due to handling or other processing steps, this batch processing method cannot be easily implemented to repair individual metal electrodes located on the edges or front of the tile. Methods for improving the electrical performance of wrap-around metal electrodes are subject to strict processing limitations due to the sensitive nature of microelectronic devices (e.g., thin-film transistors) and other display components present on the substrate. These limitations include restrictions regarding temperature exposure over time and material exposure. As methods for depositing wrap-around metal electrodes have evolved, the processing limitations of micro-LED tiles have also evolved, resulting in a restricted process window for further improvements. Metal electrode printing is performed by depositing metal ink onto a tile-shaped substrate in a predetermined pattern. Metal inks include particle-based inks, reactive inks, mixtures of particle-based and reactive inks, and multilayer inks. In metal electrode printing, metal inks have historically been sintered at high temperatures ranging from 100°C to 250°C to sinter metal particles and form electrically conductive paths. Due to the high thickness and three-dimensional patterning required for wrap-around metal electrodes, metal electrode printing provides a low-cost three-dimensional solution compared to conventional sputtering technology. In an exemplary printing process, ink is delivered to a nozzle that directs the ink onto a substrate. The deposited ink is then dried and consolidated at a temperature between approximately 100°C and approximately 250°C. The substrate is then coated with a protective polymer coating that provides mechanical protection for the metal electrode and optical properties that enable an invisible tiled edge. The electrical resistivity of the metal electrode can be as low as 2.5 times that of the bulk material resistivity, and electrical resistivity may vary depending on the size of the nanoparticles used, the consolidation conditions, and the organic composition of the ink. Generally, the longer or hotter the sintering conditions, the better the electrical line resistivities achieved. To obtain a silver wrap-around electrode with desirable line resistivity through thermal sintering, the electrode must typically be thermally sintered at a temperature higher than 150°C. However, this may be problematic if the assembly contains other sensitive components that may be damaged at such high temperatures, or if the properties of other components, such as the substrate, may be affected by high temperatures. The various embodiments described herein generally relate to wrap-around metal electrodes for displays and other applications, such as micro LED displays,