KR20240036145A - Gas enclosure system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to various embodiments of hermetically sealed gas enclosure assemblies and systems that can be easily moved and assembled and provide maximum access to the various devices and appliances contained therein. Provided to keep inert gas volume to a minimum. Various embodiments of the hermetically sealed gas enclosure assemblies and systems of the present invention are configured in a way to minimize the internal volume of the gas enclosure assembly while simultaneously creating a work space to accommodate the diverse footprints of various OLED printing systems. and a gas enclosure assembly configured to optimize. Various embodiments of these configured gas enclosure assemblies provide easy access to the interior for maintenance and easy access to the interior of the gas enclosure assembly from the outside during processing processes, while minimizing downtime.

Description

Gas enclosure system {GAS ENCLOSURE SYSTEM}

This patent application claims priority based on U.S. Patent Application No. 61/579,233, filed on December 22, 2011. This patent application claims priority based on U.S. Patent Application No. 12/652,040, filed on January 5, 2010 and published on August 12, which was filed on June 13, 2008. Priority is claimed based on U.S. Patent Application No. 12/139,391, published on December 18, and U.S. Patent Application No. 61/142,575, filed on January 5, 2009. The references listed herein are incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates to various embodiments of hermetically sealed gas enclosure assemblies and systems that can be easily moved and assembled and provide maximum access to the various devices and appliances contained therein. Provided to keep 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 brightness, ultra-thin, fast-response, and energy efficiency. In addition, various substrate materials can be used in the fabrication process of OLED display technology, such as flexible polymer materials. Although demonstrations of displays in small screen applications, primarily mobile phones, have been used to highlight the potential of these technologies, there are still risks involved in producing them in larger formats. For example, the process for manufacturing OLED displays on substrates larger than the 5.5 generation substrates, which measure approximately 130 cm x 150 cm, has not yet been demonstrated.

Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices can be fabricated by printing various organic thin 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. Embracing an OLED printing system that can be implemented in an inert, substantially particle-free printing environment and fabricated on a variety of substrate sizes can pose a variety of risks. Because the equipment for printing large-format panel substrates requires a substantially large space, the large equipment is maintained in an inert environment to remove reactive atmospheric species such as water vapor and oxygen, as well as organic solvent vapors. Any process that requires continuous gas purification involves significant engineering risks. For example, the process of sealing large facilities in an airtight manner has many engineering risks. In addition, supplying and removing the various cables, wires and tubes within the OLED printing system to operate the printing system requires specific gas enclosures for levels of atmospheric constituents, such as oxygen and water vapor. Providing levels efficiently poses a number of risks, as these reactive species can create significant dead volume where they can be occluded. Additionally, it is desirable to maintain an inert environment for the treatment process so that such equipment can be easily accessed for maintenance with minimal downtime. In addition to being substantially free of reactive species, the printing environment for OLED devices requires a substantially low-particle environment. In this regard, providing and maintaining a substantially particle-free environment within the overall enclosure system presents an additional hazard to the processes that can be performed that is not present by particle reduction.

Therefore, OLED panels can be fabricated on a variety of substrate sizes and substrate materials while minimizing downtime, providing easy access to the interior for maintenance, and providing easy access to the OLED printing system from the outside during the processing process. A need exists for several embodiments of a gas enclosure that can contain an inert, substantially particle-free environment.

The present invention integrates 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 gas enclosure assemblies that can be configured to be sealed and sealable are described. These gas enclosure assemblies and system embodiments are capable of reducing the respective levels of various reactive species, such as various reactive atmospheric gases, such as water vapor and oxygen, as well as organic solvent vapors, to 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. Additionally, 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.

Those skilled in the art may recognize that embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly can be used in a variety of technical applications. A wide range of different technical fields can benefit from the present invention, such as chemistry, biotechnology, high technology and pharmaceutical technology, with OLED printing being an example of the usefulness of various embodiments of gas enclosure assemblies and systems according to the present invention. It is used to lift. Various embodiments of gas enclosure assembly systems capable of accommodating an OLED printing system include, but are not limited to, various features, including, but not limited to, providing an enclosure that is hermetically sealed throughout the build and teardown cycle, and an enclosure volume. Features that minimize, and may provide the ability to easily access from the outside to the inside during processing and also during maintenance. As discussed later, these features of various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly may provide functions such as, but not limited to, easily maintaining low levels of reactive species during processing, and shutting down during maintenance cycles. It may also affect structural integrity providing rapid enclosure-volume turnover minimizing downtime. Accordingly, various features and functions that provide utility for OLED panel printing will be able to provide benefits to various technical fields.

As previously mentioned, fabricating OLED displays on substrates larger than the 5.5 generation substrates, which have dimensions of approximately 130 cm x 150 cm, has not yet been described. Generations of mother glass substrate sizes have evolved for flat panel display applications in addition to OLED printing since approximately the early 1990s. The first generation of mother glass substrates, referred to as the first generation, was approximately 30cm The branch has evolved to the size of the 3.5 generation mother glass substrate.

As the generations evolve, mother glass sizes for Gen 7.5 and Gen 8.5 are in production for uses outside of the OLED printing fabrication process. The 7.5 generation mother glass measures approximately 195cm x 225cm and can be cut into eight 42" or six 47" plates per board. The mother glass used in the 8.5 generation measures approximately 220 x 250 cm and can be cut into six 55" or eight 46" plates per board. While OLED flat panel display qualities include true color, high definition, thin film, flexibility, transparency, and energy efficiency, OLED production is actually limited to Gen 3.5 and smaller sizes. Currently, OLED printing is the optimal fabrication technology to break these constraints and produce OLED panels for 3.5G and smaller mother glass sizes as well as the largest mother glass sizes, such as 5.5G, 7.5G, and 8.5G. I believe it. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one of the features of OLED panel printing is that a variety of substrate materials are used, such as, but not limited to, various glass substrate materials, as well as various polymer substrate materials. In this respect, the dimensions resulting from using a glass-based substrate can be afforded to a substrate of any material suitable for use in OLED printing.

With regard to OLED printing, according to the present invention, reactive species, such as, but not limited to, atmospheric components, such as A method has been discovered to maintain substantially low levels of oxygen and water vapor, as well as various organic solvent vapors used in OLED inks. The above required lifetime standards have significant implications, especially for the intended use of OLED panel technology, as they directly correlate to display production life, and production standards for all panel technologies, and are at risk to the standards that current OLED panel technologies must meet. It is becoming an element. To provide panels that meet required life criteria, various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly system of the present invention may be used to achieve levels of each of the reactive species, such as water vapor, oxygen, as well as organic solvent vapors, of 100 ppm or less. , for example, 10 ppm or less, 1.0 ppm or less, or 0.1 ppm or less. In addition, OLED printing requires a virtually particle-free environment. Maintaining a virtually particle-free environment for OLED printing is particularly important because even very small particles can cause visible defects in OLED panels. Currently, it is very difficult to meet very low defect levels for OLED displays for commercialization. Maintaining a substantially particle-free environment within the overall enclosure system is achieved by reducing particles for processes that can be performed under atmospheric conditions, e.g., under a high flow laminar flow filtration hood in open air. It provides additional risk factors that are not present. Accordingly, maintaining the required standards for an inert, particle-free environment within large facilities can pose a variety of additional hazards.

The levels 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, for example, 10 ppm or less, 1.0 ppm or less, or 0.1 ppm or less. The need for printing OLED panels in existing facilities can be illustrated by reviewing the information summarized in Table 1. By testing test coupons containing organic thin film compositions for each of red, green, and blue, fabricated in a large-pixel, spin-coated device format, Table Data summarized in 1 were obtained. These test coupons are substantially easy to test and manufacture for rapid evaluation of various compositions and processes. Test coupon testing should not be confused with lifetime testing of printed panels, but may refer to the impact of various compositions and processes on lifetime. 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 similar in air instead of the nitrogen environment. It shows changes in process steps in the production of test coupons that are less than 1 ppm compared to manufactured test coupons.

By examining the data in Table 1 for test coupons fabricated under different processing environments, especially in the red and blue cases, it is clear that printing in environments where organic thin film compositions effectively reduce exposure to reactive species can be achieved with a variety of ELs. It is clear that it can have a substantial impact on stability and thus lifespan.

Accordingly, risks exist when scaling OLED printing from Generation 3.5 to Generation 8.5 and beyond, while simultaneously containing the OLED printing system in an inert, substantially particle-free gas enclosure environment. There are risks involved in providing a robust enclosure system. According to the present invention, such gas enclosures can provide, for example, but not limited to, optimized work space for OLED printing systems while providing minimized inert gas volume, and maintenance with minimal downtime. It is contemplated to have an attribute that includes a gas enclosure that can be easily scaled to easily access the OLED printing system from the outside during processing operations while still providing access to the interior.

According to various embodiments of the present invention, a gas enclosure assembly is provided for a variety of air-sensitive processes requiring an inert environment, the gas enclosure assembly being capable of being sealed together. It may include a plurality of wall frames and ceiling frame members. In some embodiments, a plurality of wall framing and ceiling framing members may be secured together using reusable fasteners, such as bolts and threaded holes. For various embodiments of a 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 including a plurality of panel frame sections.

One gas enclosure assembly of the present invention can be configured to accommodate 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 way to minimize the internal volume of the gas enclosure assembly while simultaneously optimizing work space to accommodate the different footprints of various OLED printing systems. Various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly configured in this way provide additional accessibility to facilitate access to the interior of the gas enclosure assembly from the outside during the processing process and to facilitate access to the interior for maintenance while minimizing downtime. to provide. In this regard, various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly according to the present invention may be contoured for various footprints of various OLED printing systems. According to various embodiments, once the contoured frame members have been configured to form a gas enclosure assembly, various types of panels can be sealed within a plurality of panel sections comprising the frame members to complete the installation task of the gas enclosure assembly. Possibly can be installed. In various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly, a plurality of framing members, such as, but not limited to, a plurality of wall framing members and one or more ceiling framing members, as well as a plurality of framing members for installation within a panel framing section. of panels may be manufactured in one location or multiple locations and may also be manufactured in other locations. Additionally, given the portable 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 fabrication and disassembly cycles.

To ensure that the gas enclosure can be sealed in an airtight manner, various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention provide for joining individual frame members to provide a frame seal. The interior may be sufficiently sealed by tight-fitting the intersections between the various frame members including gaskets or other seals, for example, in an airtight manner. You can. Once fully constructed, the sealed gas enclosure assembly may include an interior and a plurality of interior corner edges, one or more interior 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 include 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 the plurality of frame members are joined together and the gas-tight panels are installed. A sealed gas enclosure assembly may be formed with the corner edges of the frame members sealed by a plurality of compressible gaskets. For each framing member, for example, but not limited to, an interior wall framing surface, a top wall framing surface, a vertical wall framing surface, a bottom wall framing surface, and combinations thereof, one or more compressible gaskets may be provided. may be provided.

For various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly, each framing member may be a panel of any of a variety of panel types that can be sealably installed in each section to provide a gastight panel seal for each panel. It may include a plurality of sections manufactured and configured to accommodate. In various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, each section frame can be configured such that, with selected fasteners, each panel installed within each section frame can provide a gastight seal for each panel. Accordingly, it is possible to have a section frame gasket that can provide a gastight 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 globeports. During gas enclosure assembly assembly, each gloveport may have an associated globe that may extend into the interior. According to various embodiments, each gloveport may have hardware for mounting the glove, wherein the hardware utilizes a gasket seal around each gloveport to prevent molecular diffusion or leakage through the gloveport. We provide gas-tight seals to minimize gas leakage. For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, the hardware is further configured to facilitate capping and uncapping of the gloveport to the end-user.

Various embodiments of gas enclosure assemblies and systems 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, piping may be installed within 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 before being joined to form a gas enclosure frame assembly. The piping for various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system is such that substantially all of the gas entering the piping from one or more piping inlets is provided in a gas circulation and filtration loop to remove particulate matter from the interior of the gas enclosure assembly and system. It can be configured to move through several embodiments. Additionally, 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 can have a gas circulation and filtration system within the gas enclosure assembly. Such internal filtration systems may have a plurality of fan filter units within the interior and may be configured to provide a laminar flow of gas within the interior. Laminar flow may be from the top of the interior to the bottom of the interior, or any other direction. The gas flow produced by the circulation system need not be laminar, but a laminar flow of gas may be used to ensure thorough and complete turnover of the gas therein. Laminar flow of gas can be used to minimize turbulence, which is undesirable because it causes particles within the environment to become collected in these turbulent areas and prevent the filtration system from removing these particles from the environment. It may also be operated, for example, by a fan or another gas circulation device, arranged adjacent to such a fan or another gas circulation device, or arranged adjacent to said fan or another gas circulation device, for example, to maintain the desired temperature therein. A temperature control system using a plurality of heat exchangers used in conjunction with may be provided. A gas purification loop can be configured to circulate gas from within the interior of the gas enclosure assembly through one or more gas purification components and out of the enclosure. In this regard, the circulation and filtration system internal to the gas enclosure assembly together with the gas purification loop external to the gas enclosure assembly is substantially low-particle inert with substantially low levels of reactive species throughout the gas enclosure assembly. It can provide continuous circulation of gas. Gas purification systems can be configured to maintain very low levels of undesirable components such as organic solvents and organic solvent vapors, as well as water, water vapor, oxygen, etc.

In addition to providing for gas circulation, filtration and purification components, the tubing may be sized and shaped to receive therein one or more of a variety of fluid-containing tubes, as well as wires, wire bundles, which may be bundled together. When bundled, atmospheric components such as water, water vapor, oxygen, etc. are trapped inside and can have significant dead volume that can be difficult to remove by purification systems. 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. Can be operably connected to one or more. Because the gas circulation, filtration and purification components can be configured such that substantially all of the circulated inert gas flows through the piping, atmospheric components trapped within the dead volume of various bundle materials are reduced by having the bundle materials contained within the piping. The bundle materials can be efficiently purged from significant dead volume.

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

In accordance with the present invention, several engineering hazards have been addressed 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 to prevent external gas or air from entering the interior and developing any leaks within the gas enclosure assembly and system. The assembly may be maintained at a slightly positive internal pressure relative to the external pressure. For example, under normal operation, for various embodiments of the gas enclosure assemblies and systems of the present invention, the interior of the gas enclosure assembly is subject to a pressure relative to the surrounding atmosphere outside the enclosure system, e.g., greater than 2 mbarg. It may be maintained at a pressure, for example, a pressure of 4 mbarg or higher, a pressure of 6 mbarg or higher, a pressure of 8 mbarg or higher. Maintaining a compressed inert gas recirculation system within a gas enclosure assembly system can be hazardous, as compressed gas is continuously flowing into the gas enclosure assembly while at the same time maintaining the internal pressure of the gas enclosure assembly to a slightly positive value. This is because it involves a dynamic and ongoing balancing act to maintain. Additionally, the variable demands of various devices and appliances can result in irregular pressure profiles for various gas enclosure assemblies and systems of the present invention. Under these conditions, maintaining a dynamic pressure balance for the gas enclosure assembly fixed at a slightly positive pressure relative to the external environment may provide integrity to the ongoing OLED printing process.

For various embodiments of gas enclosure assemblies and systems, compressed inert gas recirculation systems according to the present invention may include a variety of compressed inert gas loops that may utilize one or more of compressors, accumulators, and blowers, and combinations thereof. Examples may be included. Various embodiments of a compressed inert gas recirculation system, including various embodiments of a compressed inert gas loop, may be described in detail in the gas enclosure assembly and system of the present invention. It may have a pressure-controlled bypass loop. In various embodiments of gas enclosure assemblies and systems, a compressed inert gas recirculation system is configured to recycle the compressed inert gas through a pressure-regulated bypass loop when the pressure of the inert gas within the accumulator of the compressed inert gas loop exceeds a predetermined threshold pressure. It may be configured to recirculate the compressed inert gas. The critical pressure is, for example, in the range between about 25 psig and about 200 psig, or more specifically in the range between about 75 psig and about 125 psig, or more specifically in the range between about 90 psig and about 95 psig. . In this case, the gas enclosure assemblies and systems of the present invention with a compressed inert gas recirculation system with various embodiments of a specially designed pressure-controlled bypass loop provide a compressed inert gas recirculation system within a hermetically sealed gas enclosure. You can maintain your balance.

According to the present invention, a compressed inert gas loop having various compressed inert gas loops within which various devices and appliances can be arranged and which can utilize one or more of various compressed gas sources such as compressors, blowers, and combinations thereof. Capable of fluid communication with various embodiments of gas. For various embodiments of the gas enclosures and systems of the present invention, the use of a variety of pneumatically-actuated devices and devices can provide low-particle generating performance as well as low maintenance. do. Representative devices and appliances that can be arranged within gas enclosure assemblies and systems and in fluid communication with various compressed inert gas loops include, but are not limited to, pneumatic robots, substrate flotation tables, It may include one or more of air bearings, air bushings, compressed gas tools, pneumatic actuators, and combinations thereof. Substrate floatation tables, 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 transport the substrate to a position within the print head chamber as well as support the substrate during the OLED printing process.

The features and advantages of the present invention may be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, which are intended to illustrate rather than limit the present invention.
1 is a schematic diagram of a gas enclosure assembly and system according to various embodiments of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a left front perspective view of a gas enclosure assembly and system in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a right front perspective view of a gas enclosure assembly according to various embodiments of the present invention.
Figure 4 is an exploded view of a gas enclosure assembly according to various embodiments of the present invention.
Figure 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.
Figure 6A is a rear perspective view of a gloveport cap, and Figure 6B is an enlarged view of the shoulder screw of a gloveport cap according to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention.
Figure 7A is an enlarged perspective view of the bayonet latch of a gloveport capping assembly, and Figure 7B is a cross-sectional view of the gloveport capping assembly showing the head of a shoulder screw engaging a recess in the bayonet latch.
Figures 8A-8C are schematic top views of various embodiments of gasket seals for forming joints.
9A and 9B are various perspective views showing sealing frame members according to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention.
10A-10B are various views of sealing section panels to accommodate easily removable service windows according to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention.
Figures 11A-11B are enlarged perspective views of sealing a section panel to receive an inset panel or window panel according to various embodiments of the present invention.
12A is a base including a plurality of spacer blocks and a fan suspended at the top according to various embodiments of the present invention. Figure 12b is an enlarged perspective view of a spacer block as shown in Figure 12a.
Figure 13 is an exploded view showing the relationship between a wall frame member, a ceiling member, and a fan according to various embodiments of the present invention.
Figure 14A is a perspective view of steps in manufacturing a gas enclosure assembly with the lifter assembly in a raised position according to various embodiments of the present invention. Figure 14B is an exploded view of a lifter assembly as shown in Figure 14A.
Figure 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.
Figure 16 is a virtual top perspective view of a gas enclosure assembly showing piping installed inside the gas enclosure assembly according to various embodiments of the present invention.
Figure 17 is a virtual floor perspective view of a gas enclosure assembly showing pipes installed inside the gas enclosure assembly according to various embodiments of the present invention.
Figure 18a is a diagram schematically showing a bundle of cables, wires, tubes, etc. Figure 18b shows gas sweeping past the bundle fed through various embodiments of piping according to the invention.
Figure 19 shows how reactive species (A), blocked in the dead-space of bundles of cables, wires, tubes, etc., are released from the inert gas (B) that is swept through the ducts through which the bundles are moved. This is a diagram schematically showing active purging.
FIG. 20A is a virtual perspective view of tubes and cables traveling through ducts according to various embodiments of gas enclosure assemblies and systems 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.
Figure 21 is a view of a ceiling containing a lighting system for a gas enclosure assembly and system in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.
Figure 22 is a graph showing the LED light spectrum of a lighting system for gas enclosure assemblies and system components according to various embodiments of the present invention.
Figure 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 several embodiments of components of a gas enclosure assembly and related system such as that shown in FIG. 23 in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.
Figure 25 is a schematic diagram of several embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly and related system components of the present invention.
Figure 26 is a schematic diagram of 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.
Figure 27 is a schematic diagram of 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.
Figure 28 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a gas enclosure assembly according to various embodiments of the present invention.
Figure 29 is a diagram schematically showing a gas enclosure assembly and system according to various embodiments of the present invention.
Figure 30 is a diagram schematically showing a gas enclosure assembly and system according to various embodiments of the present invention.
Figure 31 is a table showing valve positions for various operating modes of a gas enclosure assembly and system capable of utilizing 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 air bearings, may be useful for 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 gas enclosure assembly and system 2000, a substrate floatation table utilizing air bearing technology can be used to transport a substrate to a location within the print head chamber as well as to hold the substrate during the OLED printing process. It can also be used for support. 1, gas enclosure assembly 1500 has an entrance chamber 1510 for receiving a substrate through a first entrance gate 1512 and moving the substrate from entrance chamber 1510 to gas enclosure assembly 1500 for printing. It may be a load-secured system that may have a gate 1514 to Various gates according to the present invention can be used to isolate chambers from each other and from the external environment. According to the invention, various gates may be selected from physical gates and gas curtains.

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 gas enclosure assembly 1500. Once the substrate is received within the inlet chamber 1510, both gates 1512 and 1514 may be closed, with the inlet chamber 1510 containing reactive atmospheric gases at a low level of 100 ppm or less, for example, 10 ppm. or lower, may be purged with an inert gas, such as nitrogen, any noble gas, and any combination thereof, to 1.0 ppm or lower, or to 0.1 ppm or lower. After the atmospheric gases have reached a sufficiently low level, gate 1514 can be opened and gate 1512 remains closed to allow substrate 1550 to release gas from inlet chamber 1510, as shown in FIG. It can be moved to the enclosure assembly chamber 1500. The transfer of the substrate from the inlet chamber 1510 to the gas enclosure assembly chamber 1500 may be accomplished, for example, but not limited to, via flotation tables provided within chambers 1500 and 1510. Moving the substrate from the entrance chamber 1510 to the gas enclosure assembly chamber 1500 may include, but is not limited to, placing the substrate 1550 on a floatation table provided within the chamber 1500. It can also be implemented through a substrate transfer robot. The substrate 1550 may remain supported on a substrate floating table during the printing process.

Various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system 2000 can 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 completed, the substrate 1550 may be moved from the gas enclosure assembly 1500 through the gate 1524 to the exit chamber 1520. You can. The movement of the substrate from the gas enclosure assembly chamber 1500 to the outlet chamber 1520 may be accomplished, for example, but not limited to, via a flotation table provided within chambers 1500 and 1520. A substrate may be moved from the gas enclosure assembly chamber 1500 to the exit chamber 1520, for example, but not limited to, by lifting the substrate 1550 from a floatation table provided within the chamber 1500. (1520) It can also be implemented through a substrate transfer robot that can move inside. For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system 2000, the substrate 1550 is gated when gate 1524 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 the load-secured 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 comprises: It may include a controller 1600. System controller 1600 may include one or more processor circuits (not shown) in communication with one or more memory circuits (not shown). Additionally, system controller 1600 may communicate with a load-secured system including inlet chamber 1510 and outlet chamber 1520 and ultimately with print nozzles of the OLED printing system. In this way, system controller 1600 can coordinate the opening and closing of gates 1512, 1514, 1522, and 1524. The system controller 1600 may control the ink sprayed into the print nozzle of the OLED printing system. Substrate 1550 may be moved through various embodiments of the load-secured system of the present invention, including an inlet chamber 1510 and an outlet chamber 1520, through gates 1514 and 1524, respectively, such as is in fluid communication with the gas enclosure assembly 1500, for example, but not limited to, a substrate floatation table using air-bearing technology or a combination of a floatation table using air-bearing technology and a substrate transfer robot. .

Various embodiments of the load-secured system of FIG. 1 may include a pneumatic control system 1700, which may include a vacuum source and an inert gas, which may include nitrogen, any noble gas, and any combination thereof. May include a gas source. A substrate flotation system housed within gas enclosure assembly and system 2000 may include a plurality of vacuum ports and gas bearing ports, which are typically arranged on a flat surface. The substrate 1550 can be lifted and separated 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 means of a number of vacuum ports. The floating height of the substrate 1550 on the substrate floating table typically depends on gas pressure and gas flow. The pressure and volume of the pneumatic control system 1700 may be used to support the substrate 1550 during handling, such as during printing, within the gas enclosure assembly 1500 within the load-secured system of FIG. 1. there is. Control system 1700 may also be used to support substrate 1550 while being transported through the load-secured system of FIG. 1, which includes an inlet chamber 1510 and an outlet chamber 1520, each of which has a gate ( is in fluid communication with the gas enclosure assembly 1500 via 1514 and 1524). To regulate the transport of substrate 1550 through gas enclosure assembly and system 2000, system controller 1600 communicates with an inert gas source 1710 and vacuum 1720 through valves 1712 and 1722, respectively. do. To further provide the various gas and vacuum facilities needed to control the enclosure environment, additional vacuum and inert gas supply lines and valves (not shown), as illustrated by the load-secured system shown in Figure 1, are installed. ) can be provided.

To provide specific figures for various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system according to the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a left front perspective view of various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system 2000. 2 shows a load-secured 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 the gas enclosure assembly 1500 with an inert gas having substantially low levels of reactive atmospheric species, such as water vapor and oxygen, as well as organic solvent vapors from the OLED printing process. It may include a gas purification system 2130 to do this. Gas enclosure assembly and system 2000 of FIG. 2 also has a controller system 1600 for system control functions, as discussed above.

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

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

Although 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. You can. This access for routine service or repair is distinct from the access provided by panels, such as window panels 120 and easily removable service windows 130, which provide access from the outside of the gas enclosure assembly to the inside of the gas enclosure assembly during use. Can provide end-user globe access to. For example, any globe, such as globe 142 coupled to glove port 140 for panel 230, as shown in FIG. 3, may provide end-user access during use of the gas enclosure assembly. can do.

Figure 4 shows an exploded view of several embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly as shown in Figure 3. Various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly may include a plurality of wall panels, such as an exterior perspective view of a front wall panel 210', an exterior perspective view of a left wall panel 220', an interior perspective view of a right wall panel 230', and a rear wall. There may be an interior perspective view of panel 240', and a top perspective view of ceiling panel 250', which may be attached to a fan 204 suspended above base 202 as shown in FIG. An OLED printing system may be mounted on top of fan 204, as this printing process is known to be sensitive to atmospheric conditions. In accordance with the present invention, a gas enclosure assembly may comprise a frame member, e.g., a wall frame 210 of a wall panel 210', a wall frame 220 of a wall panel 220', a wall panel 230'. It may be composed of a wall frame 230, a wall frame 240 of the wall panel 240', and a ceiling frame 250 of the ceiling panel 250', and a plurality of section panels may be installed therein. In this case, it may be desirable to streamline the design of section panels that can be repeatedly installed and removed through the fabrication and disassembly cycle of various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention. Additionally, the contour of the gas enclosure assembly 100 may be shaped to accommodate the footprints 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 the end-user. Both of these are implemented during use of the gas enclosure assembly as well as during maintenance.

Various embodiments of the frame member, using front wall panel 210' and left wall panel 220' as representative, may have sheet metal panel sections 109 welded into the frame member during frame member formation. The inset panel 110, window panel 120, and easily removable service window 130 may be installed within each wall framing member and may be repeatedly installed through the fabrication and disassembly cycle of the gas enclosure assembly 100 of FIG. 4. Can be installed and uninstalled. As shown, in the example of wall panel 210' and wall panel 220', the wall panel may have a window panel 120 positioned adjacent a service window 130 that is easily removable. Similarly, as shown in the example of rear wall panel 240', the wall panel may have a window panel, such as a window panel 125 with two adjacent gloveports 140. For various embodiments of wall framing members according to the present invention, as can be seen for the gas enclosure assembly 100 of FIG. 3, arranging the globes as above allows the configuration to be within the enclosure system from outside the gas enclosure. Element parts can be easily accessed. 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 globes into the interior without disturbing the composition of the gas atmosphere within the interior. and can manipulate one or more items inside. For example, optional window panels 120 and service windows 130 may be positioned to provide easy access to adjustable components within the interior of the gas enclosure assembly. According to various embodiments of the window panel, such as window panel 120 and service window 130, when end-user access is not provided through a gloveport globe, these windows include a globeport and globeport assembly. You may not.

Various embodiments of wall and ceiling panels may have multiple inset panels 110, as shown in FIG. 4. As can be seen in Figure 4, the inset panel can have various shapes and aspect ratios. In addition to the inset panel, the ceiling panel 250' may include a fan filter unit cover 103 as well as a first ceiling frame duct 105 and a first ceiling frame duct 105 that may be mounted, bolted, screwed, secured, or otherwise attached to 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 duct 107 of ceiling panel 250' may be installed within the interior of the gas enclosure assembly. According to the present invention, such piping is located internal to 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 gas circulation system that provides

Figure 5 is an exploded front perspective view of the frame member assembly 200, wherein the wall frame 220 can be constructed to include a complete complement of panels. Although not limited to the design shown, frame member assembly 200 using 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 a frame member assembly may be comprised of various frame members and section panels installed within various frame panel sections of the various frame members according to the present invention.

According to various embodiments of the various frame member assemblies of the present invention, frame member assembly 200 may be comprised of a frame member, such as a wall frame 220. For various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly, such as gas enclosure assembly 100 of FIG. 3, processes that may utilize devices housed within such gas enclosure assembly require an enclosure that is sealed in a hermetically sealed manner to provide an inert environment. In addition, an enclosure may be required that provides an environment substantially free of particulate matter. In this regard, the frame member according to the present invention may use metal tube materials of various sizes to construct various embodiments of the frame. These metal tube materials have desired material properties such as, but not limited to, forming frame members with optimal weight while having high strength as well as no deterioration in forming particulate materials, and various frame elements. The gas enclosure assembly, including members and panel sections, has high-integrity materials that can be easily transported, constructed, and disassembled from one location to another. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that any material that meets these requirements may be used to form the various frame members according to the present invention.

For example, various embodiments of frame members according to the present invention, such as frame member assembly 200, may be constructed of extruded metal tubing. 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, with specific values, such as, but not limited to, 2"w x 2"h, 4"w x 2"h and 4"w x 4"h and 1/8" to 1/8" 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, which provide material properties such as, but not limited to, high-strength properties as well as no deterioration when forming particulate materials. It forms frame members with optimal weight while having high-integrity materials that can be easily transported, constructed and disassembled from one place to another.

In forming various frame members from various dimensioned metal tube materials, several methods of welding various embodiments of the frame weldment may be considered. In addition, a method of forming various frame members from various dimensioned 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 inherently create a leak path through the frame members. In this regard, the method of forming the various frame members may be implemented using any approach that does not inherently create a leak path through the frame members for various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly. Additionally, various embodiments of framing members according to the present invention, such as wall frame 220 of FIG. 4, may be painted or coated. Various embodiments of frame members made of metal tubular material may be used to prevent the formation of particulate matter, for example by oxidizing, painting or coating the material formed on the surface, which may produce particulate matter, or Other surface treatments, such as anodizing, may be used.

A frame member assembly, such as frame member assembly 200 of FIG. 5 , can have a frame member, such as a wall frame 220 . The wall frame 220 may have a top 226 to which a top wall frame spacer plate 227 may be secured, as well as a bottom 228 to which a bottom wall frame spacer plate 229 may be secured. As discussed in more detail below, spacer plates mounted on the surface of the frame member are part of a gasket seal system that engages the gasket seal of the panel mounted within the frame member sections to form several of the gas enclosure assemblies according to the present invention. Embodiments provide hermetic sealing. A 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 be a panel of various types, such as, but not limited to, the inset It may be configured to accommodate panel 110, window panel 120 and easily removable service window 130. Various types of panel sections can be formed when constructing a frame member. Types of panel sections may include, but are not limited to, an inset panel section 10 for receiving an inset panel 110, a window panel section 20 for receiving a window panel 120, etc. , and a service window panel section 30 to accommodate an easily removable service window 130.

Each panel section type can have a panel section frame for receiving the panels, and each panel can be sealably secured within each panel section according to the present invention to construct a hermetically sealed gas enclosure assembly. there is. For example, in Figure 5, which shows a frame assembly according to the present invention, the inset panel section 10 is shown with a frame 12 and the window panel section 20 is shown with a frame 22. , the service window panel section 30 is shown with a frame 32 . For various embodiments of the wall framing assembly of the present invention, the various panel section frames may be metal sheet materials welded into the panel sections with continuous weld-beads to provide a hermetic seal. For various embodiments of the wall frame assembly, the various panel section frames can be fabricated from building materials selected from a variety of sheet materials, such as reinforced fiber polymer composites that can be mounted within the panel sections using a suitable industrial adhesive. As discussed in more detail regarding sealing below, each panel section frame can have a compressible gasket arranged on top so that it is secured within each panel section and forms a gastight seal for each panel installed. there is. In addition to the panel section frame, each frame member section may have hardware associated with arranging the panels as well as stably securing the panels 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, aluminum, aluminum, and various alloys of stainless steel. . The properties of the panel material may be the same as those of the constituent materials that make up the various embodiments of the framing members. In this respect, materials with the properties of various panel elements can be used, such as, but not limited to, panels with optimal weight while having high strength as well as not deteriorating when forming particulate materials. It has high-integrity materials that can be easily transported, constructed, and decomposed from one place to another. In various embodiments, such as, for example, a 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. Honeycomb core sheet materials can be made of a variety of materials, including both metals, as well as metal composites and polymers, as well as polymer composite honeycomb core sheet materials. When fabricated from metallic materials, various embodiments of the removable panel may have a ground connection incorporated within the panel to ensure that the entire construction 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 several embodiments of the section panel of the present invention may be used to provide access to the interior of the gas enclosure assembly. Gas enclosure assemblies and systems may be repeatedly installed and removed during use.

For example, a panel section 30 for receiving an easily removable service window panel 130 may have a set of four spacers, one of which is shown as window guide spacer 34. In addition, the panel section 30 configured to receive the easily removable service window panels 130 may have a set of four clamping cleats 36, for each easily removable service window 130. A set of four opposing toggle clamps 136 mounted on frame 132 may be used to clamp service window 130 within service window panel section 30. Additionally, two of each window handle 138 may be mounted on 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 sections 30 for receiving easily removable service window panels 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 window clamps 35 so that service window 130 can be removed and reinstalled.

The counter-acting toggle clamp 136 of the service window 130, as well as hardware installed within the panel section 30, such as clamping cleats 36, window guide spacers 34, and window clamps 35, may be optional. It can be made 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 of 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 window 124 of window panel 120 or window 134 of service window 130, may include 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 include transparent and translucent materials. In various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly, the enclosure window may include silica-based materials such as, but not limited to, glass and quartz, as well as various types of polymer-based materials. , including, but not limited to, various groups of polycarbonates, acrylics, and vinyl. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various composites of representative window materials and combinations thereof may 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 gloveport with a cap 150 . Although FIG. 3 shows all gloveports with the globe extending outwardly, as shown in FIG. 5 , the gloveports can be adjusted to determine whether the end-user needs remote access to the interior of the gas enclosure assembly. It may be capped according to. As shown in FIGS. 6A-7B, various embodiments of a capping assembly provide for securely latching a cap onto a glove when the glove is not in use by an end-user, while simultaneously capping the end user. -It is provided for easy access when users want to use Globe.

In Figure 6A, a cap 150 is shown, which may have an inner surface 151, an outer surface 153 and a side surface 152 that can be contoured for gripping. Three shoulder screws 156 extend from the rim 154 of the cap 150. As shown in Figure 6B, each shoulder screw is set within the rim 154 such that the shank 155 extends a series of distances from the rim 154 such that the head 157 does not contact the rim 154. . 7A-7B, gloveport hardware assembly 160 may be modified to provide a capping assembly that includes a locking mechanism to cap 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 sealing of the cap 150 over the gloveport hardware assembly 160 while simultaneously providing protection to the end-user. A quick-attach design can be provided for easy access to the globe. In the top enlarged view of the gloveport hardware assembly 160 shown in FIG. 7A, the gloveport assembly 160 has a rear plate 161 with a threaded screw head 162 for mounting the glove and flange 164. , and may include a front plate 163. Above the flange 164, a bayonet latch 166 is shown 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 and aligned 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. Once each shoulder screw head 157 is inserted into each opening 165, the cap 150 is positioned until the shoulder screw head abuts the end of the slot 168 located proximate the locking recess 167. can be rotated The cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 7B shows locking features for capping the globe when the gas enclosure assembly system is in use. During use, the internal gas pressure of the inert gas within the enclosure is one set of orders of magnitude greater than the pressure outside the gas enclosure assembly. Positive pressure can fill the globe (FIG. 3), and when the globe is compressed under the cap 150 during use of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, the shoulder screw head 157 is moved into the locking recess 167, thereby compressing the glove. The port window will be capped reliably. However, an end-user can grip the cap 150 by the sides 152 that are contoured for gripping and easily disengage the cap secured within the bayonet latch when not in use. Figure 7b further shows a rear plate 161 on the inner surface 131 of the window 134, as well as a front plate 163 on the outer surface of the window 134, both of which have O-rings. It has a seal (169).

As discussed below in FIGS. 8A-9B, wall and ceiling framing member seals combined with gas-tight section panel framing seals are a method of sealing gas enclosure assemblies in a hermetic manner for air-sensitive processes requiring an inert environment. They are provided together for several embodiments. Components of gas enclosure assemblies and systems that provide a substantially low particle environment as well as substantially low concentrations of reactive species include, but are not limited to, hermetically sealed gas enclosure assemblies, as well as high efficiency gas enclosures. Circulation and particle filtration systems, such as piping, may be included. Providing an effective hermetic seal for a gas enclosure assembly can be hazardous, especially when three framing members come together to form a three-sided joint. In this case, three-sided joint seals pose a particularly difficult risk factor for providing an easily installed hermetic seal for a gas enclosure assembly that can be assembled and disassembled through fabrication and disassembly cycles.

In this regard, various embodiments of gas enclosure assemblies according to the present invention provide hermetic sealing of fully-constructed gas enclosure assemblies and systems through efficient gasket sealing of joints, as well as around load-bearing building components. Provides efficient gasket sealing. Unlike conventional joint sealing, joint sealing according to the present invention: 1) uniform parallelism of gasket segments abutted from vertically oriented gasket lengths at the top and bottom terminal frame joint joints where the three frame members are joined; including alignment, thereby preventing angular seam alignment and sealing; 2) provided to form a contact length across the entire width of the joint, thereby increasing the sealing contact area in the three-sided joint joint; 3) Consists of spacer plates that provide uniform compressive forces across all vertical, and horizontal, as well as top and bottom three-sided joint gasket seals. Additionally, the choice of gasket material can affect its effectiveness in providing an airtight seal, as will be discussed below.

8A-8C are schematic top views comparing a conventional three-sided joint seal and a three-sided joint seal according to the present invention. According to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, for example, but not limited to, four or more wall framing members, ceiling framing members and a fan may be provided and combined to form a gas enclosure assembly. and creates a three-plane joint requiring multiple vertical, horizontal, and hermetic seals. Figure 8A is a schematic top view of a conventional three-sided gasket seal formed from a first gasket I aligned perpendicular to gasket II in the X-Y plane. As shown in FIG. 8A, a seam formed in a vertical direction in the X-Y plane has a contact length W1 between two segments formed as 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. FIG. 8B is a schematic top view of a conventional three-sided joint gasket seal formed from a first gasket length I with a shim perpendicular to a second gasket length II and joining the sides of the two lengths at 45°, wherein the shim is made of gasket material. It has a contact length (W2) between the two segments that is greater than the width. Similar to the shape of Figure 8a, the end portions of gasket III perpendicular to gasket I and gasket II in the vertical direction may contact gasket I and gasket II, which are also indicated by hatching. Assuming that the gasket width is the same in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the contact length W2 in FIG. 8B is longer than the contact length W1 in FIG. 8A.

Figure 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, wherein the gasket segment I' has a length that may be approximately equal to the width of the component being joined, such as: 4"w x 2"h or 4"w x 4"h metal tubing is used to form the various wall framing members of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention. Gasket II is perpendicular to gasket I in the The width of gasket segments I' and II' is the width of the compressive gasket material selected. Gasket III is arranged perpendicularly to gasket I and gasket II in a vertical direction. Gasket segment III' is the end portion of gasket III. Gasket segment III' is formed from a vertical arrangement direction of gasket segment III' with respect to the vertical length of gasket III. Gasket segment III' can be formed to have a length approximately equal to gasket segments I' and II' and a width that is the thickness of the compressive gasket material selected. In this respect, the contact length W3 for the three aligned segments shown in Figure 8c is longer than the conventional three-corner joint seal shown in Figures 8a or 8b with contact lengths W1 and W2, respectively. It's bigger.

In this respect, the three-sided joint gasket seal according to the invention provides uniform separation of gasket segments at terminal joint seams from otherwise vertically aligned gaskets, as shown in the case of FIGS. 8a and 9b. Creates a parallel alignment. This uniform parallel alignment of the three-sided joint gasket seal segments provides for forming a three-sided joint seal at the top and bottom corners of the joint formed from the wall framing member. Additionally, for each three-sided joint seal, each segment of the uniformly aligned gasket segments is selected to be approximately equal to the width of the components being joined, providing the maximum contact length of the uniformly aligned segments. Furthermore, the joint seal according to the invention consists of a spacer plate that provides a uniform compressive force across all vertical, horizontal and three-sided gasket seals of the building joint. It may be objected that the width of the gasket material selected for a conventional three-sided seal given 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 Figure 9a shows the seal assembly 300 according to the present invention before all frame members are joined, with the gaskets shown in the uncompressed state. 9A , a plurality of wall framing members, such as wall frame 310, wall frame 350, as well as ceiling frame 370, are formed in a first stage of construction of a gas enclosure from various components of the gas enclosure assembly. Can be combined in a sealable manner. The frame member seal according to the present invention is a substantial part of ensuring that the gas enclosure assembly is sealed in an airtight manner once fully constructed, as well as providing a seal that can be implemented throughout the construction and disassembly cycle of the gas enclosure assembly. Although the examples provided below for FIGS. 9A-9B are for sealing one portion of a gas enclosure assembly, those skilled in the art will understand that they apply to any and all of the gas enclosure assemblies of the present invention.

The first wall frame 310 shown in FIG. 9A has an inner surface 311 on which a spacer plate 312 is mounted, a vertical surface 314, and an upper surface 315 on which a spacer plate 316 is mounted. You can have The first wall frame 310 may have a first gasket 320 attached to and arranged within the space formed from the spacer plate 312 . The gap 302 left after the first gasket 320 is attached to the space formed from the spacer plate 312 and arranged within the space may be formed as the vertical length of the first gasket 320, as shown in FIG. 9A. there is. As shown in FIG. 9A , a compliant gasket 320 may be attached to and arranged within the space formed from the spacer plate 312 and may include a vertical gasket length 321, a curved gasket length 323, and a wall frame. It may have a gasket length 325 terminating in a vertical plane 314 of 310 and formed at 90° in plane with respect to the vertical gasket length 321 above the inner frame member 311 . 9A , first wall frame 310 may have an upper surface 315 on top of which a spacer plate 316 is mounted and a second gasket 340 is attached to an inner edge 317 of wall frame 310. They form a space on surfaces 315 that are closely coupled and arranged. The gap 304 left after the second gasket 340 is attached to the space formed from the spacer plate 316 and arranged within the space may be formed as the horizontal length of the second gasket 340, as shown in FIG. 9A. there is. Additionally, as indicated by the hatched lines, the length 345 of the gasket 340 is aligned adjacent and parallel with the length 325 of the gasket 320 and is uniformly parallel.

The second wall frame 350 shown in FIG. 9A can 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 attached to and arranged in a first gasket space formed from the plate 356. The gap 306 left after the first gasket 360 is attached to the space formed from the spacer plate 356 and arranged within the space may be formed as the horizontal length of the first gasket 360, as shown in FIG. 9A. there is. As shown in FIG. 9A , compliant gasket 360 has a horizontal length 361, a curved length 363, and a curved length 363 that terminates at an outer frame member 353 and is formed at 90° in a plane above top surface 355. It can have a length of 365.

As shown in the enlarged perspective view of Figure 9A, the internal frame members 311 of the wall frame 310 may be joined to the vertical surfaces 354 of the wall frame 350 to form a building joint of the gas enclosure assembly. . Regarding the sealing of the building joint thus formed, in various embodiments of gasket sealing in the terminal joint joint of the wall frame member according to the invention, as shown in Figure 9a, the length 325 of the gasket 320, the gasket ( The length 365 of the gasket 360 and the length 345 of the gasket 340 are both adjacent and evenly aligned. Additionally, as discussed in more detail below, various embodiments of the spacer plate of the present invention may contain 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. Can be provided for uniform compression between 40% deflection.

Figure 9b shows the seal assembly 300 according to the present invention after all frame members have been joined, with the gasket shown in compressed state. 9B shows in detail the corner seal of a three-sided joint formed at the upper terminal joint joint between the first wall frame 310, the second wall frame 350 and the ceiling frame 370, which is shown virtually. do. As shown in FIG. 9B, the gasket space formed by the spacer plate is vertical, horizontal, and -a width such that all surfaces sealed at the joint of the wall framing member provide an airtight seal due to uniform compression of between about 20% and about 40% deflection of the compressible gasket material to form a face gasket seal. It can be decided that it will happen. Additionally, the gasket gaps 302, 304, and 306 (not shown) are such that, at optimal compression between about 20% and about 40% deflection of the compressible gasket material, each gasket (gasket 340 in FIG. 9B) and gasket The dimensions 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 compressed gasket is attached and arranged, various embodiments of spacer plates configured to provide a gap may prevent each compressed gasket from wrinkling or bulging. ) or otherwise conform within the space formed by the spacer plate without forming irregularly in compression in a way that could 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. The material and location of compressible gaskets used to form a seal between the various section panels and panel section frames, along with frame member gasket seals, can provide a hermetically sealed gas enclosure assembly with little or no gas leakage. . Additionally, 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, provides durable protection after repeated removal and installation of these panels. It may provide for panel sealing, which may be necessary to access the interior of the gas enclosure assembly, for example for maintenance.

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

As shown in the front view of the removable service window panel section 30 in FIG. 10A, the easily removable service window 130 may have a set of four toggle clamps 136 secured to the window frame 132. . Service window 130 may be positioned within panel section frame 30 at a predetermined distance to apply an appropriate compressive force against gasket 38. Using a set of four window guide spacers 34, they can be installed within 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 accommodate an easily removable counter-acting toggle clamp 136 of the service window 136. According to various embodiments for hermetically sealing the service window 130 through installation and removal cycles, a predetermined position of the service window 130 provided by a set of window guide spacers 34 relative to the compressible gasket 38 is provided. The combination of the mechanical strength of the service window frame 132, together with the position, allows the service window 130 to be, for example, but not limited to, an opposite-acting toggle fixed to receive the clamping cleat 36. Once secured instead of using clamps 136, the service window frame 132 is even forced onto the panel section frame 32 at a predetermined compression as set by a set of window guide spacers 34. can be provided. A set of window guide spacers 34 may be positioned such that the compressive force of window 130 on gasket 38 deflects compressible gasket 38 between about 20% and about 40%. In this regard, 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, window clamps 35 can be installed within panel section 30 after service window 130 has been secured within panel section 30 and removed when service window 130 needs to be removed. It could be.

The counter-acting toggle clamp 136 may be secured to the easily removable service window frame 132 using any suitable means, as well as a combination of such means. Examples of suitable fastening means that can be used include, but are not limited to, one or more adhesives, such as, 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 welds, and combinations thereof. The counter-acting toggle clamp 136 may be connected directly to the removable service window frame 132 or 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 of 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, gas-tight seals can be provided for inset panels and window panels. Other types of section panels that can be repeatedly installed and removed within a panel section include, but are not limited to, inset panels 110 and window panels 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 similarly to the inset panel 110. Accordingly, according to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly, the process for manufacturing the panel sections for receiving the window panel and the inset panel is the same. In this respect, the sealing of the inset panel and the window panel can be implemented using the same principle.

11A and 11B, according to various embodiments of the present invention, any of the panels of a gas enclosure, such as the gas enclosure assembly 100 of FIG. 1, may include one or more inset panel sections 10. It may include, wherein the inset panel section may have a frame 12 configured to receive each inset panel 110. FIG. 11A is a perspective view showing an enlarged portion shown in FIG. 11B. In Figure 11a, inset panel 110 is arranged in position relative to inset frame 12. As can be seen in Figure 11B, inset panel 110 is attached to frame 12, where frame 12 is comprised, for example, of 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 within 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, in which a compressible gasket 18 can be arranged. The blind tapping hole 14 can be configured in the M5 variety. Screws 15 may be received by blind tapping holes 14 and compress gasket 16 between inset panel 110 and 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, including, but not limited to, 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 framing member sealing may be a variety of compressible polymer materials, such as, but not limited to, expanded rubber materials known in the art. or any material in the group of closed-cell polymer materials referred to as expanded polymer materials. In summary, closed-cell polymers are prepared in such a way that the gas is contained within discrete cells, where each discrete cell is contained by a polymer material. Properties of compressible closed-cell polymer gasket materials desirable for use in gastight sealing of frame and panel components include, but are not limited to, robustness against chemical attack over a wide range of chemical species, excellent moisture resistance, -possesses barrier properties, is elastic over a wide temperature range, and contains the properties of being resistant to permanent compression set. In general, compared to open-cell-structured polymeric materials, closed-cell polymeric materials have greater dimensional stability, lower moisture absorption coefficient, and higher strength. Various types of polymer materials from which closed-cell polymer materials can be formed include, but are not limited to, silicone, neoprene, ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPT); Includes polymers and composites formed using ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer (EPDM), vinyl nitrile, styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), and various copolymers and mixtures thereof.

The desirable material properties of closed-cell polymers are maintained only if the cells comprising the bulk material remain intact during use. In this respect, using these materials in a way that may exceed the set of material properties for closed-cell polymers, for example, those for use within predetermined temperature or compression ranges Doing so may cause the gasket seal to deteriorate. In various embodiments of closed-cell polymer gaskets used to seal section panels and framing members in frame panel sections, compression of such materials should not exceed between about 50% and about 70% deflection to achieve optimal performance. For this, the bias may be between about 20% and about 40%.

In addition to closed-cell compressible gasket materials, another example of a group of compressible gasket materials with desirable properties for use in constructing embodiments according to the present invention includes the group of hollow-extruded compressible gasket materials. Hollow-extruded gasket materials, as a family of materials, possess desirable properties such as, but not limited to, being robust against chemical attack over a wide range of chemical species, possessing excellent moisture-barrier properties, and being resilient over a wide temperature range. It has the property of being resistant to permanent compression set. These hollow-extruded compressible gasket materials can be found in a wide range of different form factors, such as, but not limited to, U-cell, D-cell, square-cell, rectangular-cell, as well as It can include any of a variety of custom form factor hollow-extruded gasket materials. A variety of hollow-extruded gasket materials can be made from the polymer materials used to make closed-cell compressible gaskets. For example, but not limited to these, various embodiments of hollow-extruded gaskets include silicone, neoprene, ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPT); Can be made from polymers and composites formed using ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer (EPDM), vinyl nitrile, styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), and various copolymers and mixtures thereof. Compression of these hollow cell gasket materials should not exceed about 50% deflection to maintain the desired properties.

While the group of closed-cell compressible gasket materials and the group of hollow-extruded compressible gasket materials are given as examples, those skilled in the art will be able to use the present invention to seal various components, such as various wall and ceiling framing members, as well as As provided, it will be readily appreciated that any compressible gasket material having the desired properties may be used to seal the various panels within the panel section frame.

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

FIG. 12A is a perspective view illustrating the initial stages of construction of a gas enclosure assembly, such as 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, those skilled in the art will understand that these principles apply to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly as well. 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 is supported by a base 202. The spacer blocks may be thicker than the compressible gasket material arranged on the various wall framing members mounted above the fan 204. The various wall framing members of the gas enclosure assembly may be positioned over a series of spacer blocks and positioned over the peripheral edge of the fan 204 in positions that are arranged in close proximity to the fan 204 during assembly without contacting the fan 204. Spacer blocks may be arranged. It is desirable to assemble the various wall framing members over the fan 204 in a manner that provides protection against any damage to the compressible gasket material arranged over the various wall framing members for sealing with the fan 204. Accordingly, using spacer blocks the various wall panel components can be positioned in initial positions over the pan 204, with compressible gaskets arranged over the various wall framing members to form an airtight seal with the fan 204. Such damage to the material is prevented. For example, but not limited to these, as shown in Figure 12A, the front peripheral edge 201 may have spacers 93, 95, and 97 against which the front wall framing member may rest, with the right peripheral edge 201 Edge 205 may have spacers 89 and 91 against which the right wall framing member may rest and rear peripheral edge 207 may have two spacers against which the rear wall framing spacer may rest, of which: A spacer 87 is shown. Any number, type, and combination of spacer blocks may be used. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a spacer block may be placed on a fan 204 according to the present invention, although a unique spacer block is not illustrated in each of FIGS. 12A-14B.

A representative spacer block according to various embodiments of the invention for assembly of a gas enclosure from component frame members is shown in Figure 12b, which is a perspective view of the third spacer block 91 shown in the circle in Figure 9a. A representative spacer block 91 may include a spacer block strap 90 coupled to a transverse surface 92 of the spacer block. The spacer block may be fabricated from any suitable material, as well as combinations of these materials. For example, each spacer block may include ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. Spacer block straps 90 may be fabricated from any suitable material, as well as combinations of these materials. In some embodiments, spacer block strap 90 includes nylon material, polyachilene material, etc. Spacer block 91 has a top surface 94 and a bottom surface 96. 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 arranged in a stable manner 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 Figure 13, the frame members 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. The upper frame 250 may be attached to a fan 204 suspended on the base 202. OLED printing system 50 may be mounted on top of fan 204.

OLED printing system 50 according to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system of the present invention may include, for example, a granite base, a movable bridge capable of supporting the OLED printing device, and a compressed inert gas recirculation system. One or more devices and devices arranged from various embodiments of, e.g., a substrate floatation table, air bearings, tracks, rails, an inkjet printer system for depositing OLED film-forming material onto a substrate, e.g., an OLED ink supply sub. It may include a system, an inkjet printhead, one or more robots, etc. Considering 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 enable stable arrangement of ink droplets at specific locations on a substrate. These devices and instruments may include, but are not limited to, print head assemblies, ink delivery systems, motion systems, substrate loading and unloading systems, and print head maintenance systems. A print head assembly consists of one or more inkjet heads where one or more orifices are capable of ejecting ink droplets at a controlled speed, velocity, 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 configuration. In another embodiment, the print station can be fixed and the substrate can move relative to the print head in the X and Y axes, with Z axis motion provided to the substrate or print head. As the print head moves relative to the substrate, ink droplets are ejected at the precise times they should be deposited at the desired location on the substrate. Substrates are inserted into and removed from the printer using a substrate loading and unloading system. Depending on the printer configuration, this can be implemented using a mechanical conveyor, a substrate floating table, or a robot with an end effector. A printhead maintenance system may consist of several subsystems that enable it to perform these maintenance tasks, such as measuring ink drop volume, cleaning the inkjet nozzle surface, and priming to drain the ink into a waste basin. You can.

According to various embodiments of the present invention for a gas enclosure assembly, a front or first wall frame 210, a left or second wall frame 220, a right or third wall frame (as shown in FIG. 13) 230), rear or fourth wall frame 250, and ceiling frame 250 may be configured together in a systematic order and may be attached to a fan 204 mounted on base 202. Various embodiments of the frame members may be positioned over the spacer blocks, using a gantry crane, as discussed above, to prevent breaking the compressible gasket material. For example, using a gantry crane, the front wall frame 210 may have three or more spacer blocks, such as spacer blocks 93, 95, on the peripheral upper edge 201 of the fan 204, as shown in Figure 12A. and 97). After arranging the front wall frame 210 on the spacer block, the wall frame 220 and wall frame 230 can be arranged sequentially or sequentially in any order, with the fan 204, respectively, on the spacer block. It can be located on the peripheral edge 203 and the peripheral edge 205 of . According to various embodiments of the invention for a gas enclosure assembly from component frame members, the front wall frame 210 may be arranged over the spacer block, followed by the left wall frame 220 and the right wall over the spacer blocks. The frames 230 may be arranged and they may be bolted in place or otherwise secured to the front wall frame 210 . In various embodiments, rear wall frame 240 may be arranged on spacer blocks, which may be bolted in place or secured to left wall frame 220 and right wall frame 230. For various embodiments, once the wall framing members have been secured together to form adjacent wall frame enclosure assemblies, the upper ceiling frame 250 may be secured to this wall frame enclosure assembly to form a complete gas enclosure frame assembly. . In various embodiments of the invention regarding the construction of a gas enclosure assembly, during 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.

As shown in FIG. 14A , for various embodiments of the invention in the construction of a gas enclosure assembly, the gas enclosure frame assembly 400 is configured to attach the gas enclosure frame assembly 400 to the fan 204. It can be positioned so that the spacer can be removed during preparation. FIG. 14A shows the gas enclosure frame assembly 400 raised from the spacer blocks to a raised position using lifter assemblies 402 , lifter assemblies 404 , and lifter assemblies 406 . In various embodiments of the invention, lifter assemblies 402, 404, and 406 may be attached around the perimeter of gas enclosure frame assembly 400. After the lifter assemblies are attached, the fully-constructed gas enclosure frame assembly can raise the spacer blocks by actuating each lifter assembly to raise or extend each lifter assembly to raise the gas enclosure frame assembly 400. As shown in Figure 14A, the gas enclosure frame assembly 400 is shown raised above a plurality of spacer blocks previously resting on top. The plurality of spacer blocks can then be removed from their resting positions over the fan 204 and the frame can be lowered over the fan 204 and attached to the fan 204 .

FIG. 14B is an exploded view of a lifter assembly 402 according to various embodiments of the lifter assembly of the present invention as shown in FIG. 11A. As shown, lifter assembly 402 includes a scuff pad 408, a mount plate 410, a first clamp mount 412, and a second clamp mount 413. First clamp 414 and second clamp 415 are shown in line with respective clamp mounts 412 and 413. A jack crank 416 is attached to the top of the jack shaft 418. Trailer jack 520 is shown vertically attached to jack shaft 418. Jack base 422 is shown as a portion of the lower end of jack shaft 418. Located beneath the jack base 422 is a foot mount 424 connectable to the lower end of the jack shaft 418 and configured to receive the lower end. A leveling foot 426 is also shown and configured to be received by the foot mount 424. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that any suitable means may be used for a lifting process to raise the gas enclosure frame assembly from the spacer block such that the spacer block can be removed and the gas enclosure assembly in contact with it can be lowered over the pan. . For example, in place of one or more lifter assemblies, such as assemblies 402, 404, and 406 described above, hydraulic, pneumatic or electric lifters may be used.

According to various embodiments of the present invention in the construction of a gas enclosure assembly, a plurality of fasteners may be provided to secure a plurality of frame members together and to secure the gas enclosure frame assembly to the fan. The plurality of fasteners may include one or more fastener portions arranged along a respective edge of each frame member at a location configured such that each frame member intersects an adjacent frame member of the plurality of frame members. The plurality of fasteners and compressible gaskets are arranged in close proximity therein so that when the frame members are joined together, the hardware does not provide a plurality of leak paths for the gastight enclosure assembly of the present invention. It may be configured to be arranged close to the outside.

The plurality of fasteners may include a plurality of bolts along an edge of one or more frame members and a plurality of threaded holes along an edge of one or more different frame members of the plurality of frame members. The plurality of fasteners may include a plurality of captured bolts. The bolts may include bolt heads that extend away from the outer surface of each panel. Bolts may sunken into recesses within framing members. Clamps, screws, rivets, adhesives, and other fasteners may be used to secure the framing members together. A bolt or other fastener may extend through the outer wall of one or more framing members into a threaded hole or other complementary fastener feature in a side or top wall of one or more adjacent framing members.

15-17, for various embodiments of the method for constructing a gas enclosure, piping may be installed within an interior portion formed by joining wall framing and ceiling framing members. For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly, piping may be installed during the construction process. According to various embodiments of the present invention, piping may be installed within 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 before being joined to form a gas enclosure frame assembly. The piping for various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system may include a gas circulation and filtration loop to remove particulate matter within the gas enclosure assembly, such that substantially all of the gas entering the piping from one or more piping inlets is removed. It can be configured to move through them. Additionally, 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 internal to the gas enclosure assembly. It can be configured to do so. Various embodiments of piping according to the present invention may be fabricated from metal sheet, such as, but not limited to, aluminum sheet having a thickness of about 80 mils.

15 is a front right virtual perspective view of the piping assembly 500 of the gas enclosure assembly 100. Enclosure piping assembly 500 may have a front wall panel piping assembly 510 . As shown, front wall panel piping assembly 510 can 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 It is in fluid communication with a front wall panel inlet duct 512. The first front wall panel riser 514 is shown with an outlet 515 sealably engaged 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 engaged with the ceiling duct 507 of the fan filter unit cover 103. In this regard, in conjunction with the gas enclosure assembly, front wall panel inlet duct 512 is used to circulate inert gas from the floor through each front wall panel riser 514 and 516 and outlets 505 and 507. A front wall panel piping assembly 510 is provided to convey 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 type of fan filter units may be selected depending on the physical location of the substrate within the printing system during the processing process. Proximal fan filter unit 752 is a heat exchanger 742 that can maintain the inert gas circulating through gas enclosure assembly 100 at a desired temperature as part of the temperature control system.

Right wall panel piping assembly 530 may have a right wall panel inlet duct 532 that extends through right wall panel first riser 534 and right wall panel second riser 536 to right wall panel upper duct ( 538) is in fluid communication with. Right wall panel upper duct 538 may have a first duct inlet end 535 and a second duct outlet end 537, wherein the second duct outlet end 537 is connected to the rear wall of the rear wall piping assembly 540. It is in fluid communication with the panel top duct 536. Left wall panel piping assembly 520 may have the same components as described above for 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 is shown in FIG. 15 in fluid communication with a left wall panel upper duct (not shown) via. The rear wall panel plumbing 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. Additionally, rear wall panel piping assembly 540 may have a rear wall panel floor duct 544, which includes a rear wall panel first inlet 541 and a rear wall panel second inlet 543. You can have The rear wall panel bottom duct 544 may be in fluid communication with the rear wall panel upper duct 536 via a first bulkhead 547 and a second bulkhead 549, wherein the bulkhead structure can be configured, e.g. For example, but not limited to these, bundles of various cables, wires, and tubes, etc. may be used to feed the gas enclosure assembly 100 from the exterior to the interior. A duct opening 533 is provided for moving bundles of cables, wires, tubes, etc., from the rear wall panel upper duct 536, which duct 536 extends through the bulkhead 549 to the upper duct 536. You can pass. Bulkheads 547 and 549 may be hermetically sealed on the outside using removable inset panels, as previously described. The rear wall panel upper duct is in fluid communication with the fan filter unit 754 via, for example, but not limited to, vent 545, one corner of which is shown in FIG. 15. In this regard, the left wall panel piping assembly 520, the right wall panel piping assembly 530, and the rear wall panel piping assembly 540 utilize wall panel inlet ducts 522, 532, and 542, respectively. , as well as a rear panel in fluid communication with vents 545 through various risers, ducts, bulkhead passages, etc., such that air may be filtered by, for example, fan filter unit 754, as previously described. A lower duct 544 is provided for circulating inert gas within the gas enclosure assembly from the bottom. Proximal fan filter unit 754 is a heat exchanger 744 that can maintain the inert gas circulating through gas enclosure assembly 100 at a desired temperature as part of the temperature control system.

In Figure 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 provide for bringing bundles of cables, wires, tubes, etc. through piping. To eliminate leak paths formed around such bundles, various approaches can be used to seal differently sized cables, wires, and tubes within a bundle using conforming materials. Conduit I and conduit II are shown in FIG. 15 to surround piping assembly 500, which are shown as part of fan filter unit cover 103. Conduit I provides an outlet for the inert gas to the external gas purification system, and conduit II returns the purified inert gas to the gas circulation and particle filtration loop internal to the gas enclosure assembly 100.

16, a top virtual perspective view of enclosure piping assembly 500 is shown. The symmetrical 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, right wall panel inlet duct 532 connects right wall panel upper duct 538 through right wall panel first riser 534 and right wall panel second riser 536. There is fluid communication. Right wall panel upper duct 538 can have a first duct inlet end 535 and a second duct outlet end 537, wherein the second duct outlet end 537 is connected to the rear wall of the rear wall piping assembly 540. It is in fluid communication with the panel top duct 536. Similarly, left wall panel piping assembly 520 has a left wall panel inlet duct in fluid communication with left wall panel upper duct 528 via left wall panel first riser 524 and left wall panel second riser 526. You can have (522). Left wall panel upper duct 528 can have a first duct inlet end 525 and a second duct outlet end 527, wherein the second duct outlet end 527 is connected to the rear wall of the rear wall piping assembly 540. It is in fluid communication with the panel top duct 536. Additionally, the rear wall panel plumbing 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. Additionally, rear wall panel piping assembly 540 may have a rear wall panel floor duct 544 that may 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 top duct 536 via first bulkhead 547 and second bulkhead 549. 15 and 16, piping assembly 500 can provide efficient circulation of inert gas from front wall panel piping assembly 510, through front wall panel outlets 515 and 517, respectively; Circulate inert gas from front wall panel inlet duct 512 to ceiling panel ducts 505 and 507 as well as from left wall panel assembly 520, right wall panel assembly 530, and rear wall panel piping assembly 540. Circulating, air is circulated from the inlet ducts 522, 532, and 542, respectively, to the vent 545. Once the inert gas is discharged into the enclosure area beneath the fan filter unit cover 103 of enclosure 100 through the ceiling panel ducts 505 and 507 and vent 545, the inert gas thus discharged is discharged into the fan filter unit 752. and 754). Additionally, the circulated inert gas can be maintained at the desired temperature by heat exchangers 742 and 744 as part of the temperature control system.

17 is a virtual bottom 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 are fluidly connected to each other. communicated. For each inlet duct included within the inlet piping assembly 502, openings are provided uniformly distributed throughout the bottom of each duct, this set of openings comprising: openings 511 of the front wall panel inlet duct 512; The opening 521 of the left wall panel inlet duct 522, the opening 531 of the right wall panel inlet duct 532, and the opening 541 of the right wall panel inlet duct 542 are particularly suitable for the present invention. It is emphasized. These openings, as clearly shown across the bottom of each inlet duct, are provided to efficiently uptake the inert gas within the enclosure 100 for continuous circulation and filtration. Various 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. Various embodiments of gas enclosure assembly systems can maintain ISO 14644 Class 4 for particulate matter. Various embodiments of gas enclosure assembly systems can maintain ISO 14644 Class 3 properties for processes that are particularly sensitive to particle contamination. As discussed above, conduit I provides an outlet for the inert gas to an external gas purification system, and conduit II allows purified inert gas to be returned to a filtration and circulation loop internal to the gas enclosure assembly 100.

In various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system according to the present invention, bundles of cables, wires, tubes, etc. may be configured to, for example, a cooling system arranged within the gas enclosure assembly and system for operation of an OLED printing system. and electrical systems, mechanical systems, and fluidic systems. These bundles can be fed through ducts to purge reactive atmospheric gases, such as water vapor and oxygen, that become trapped in the dead space of the bundles of cables, wires, and tubes. Dead spaces are found to form within bundles of cables, wires, and tubes and, according to the present invention, blocked reactions that can significantly increase the time it can take to provide a gas enclosure assembly with the properties for performing air-sensitive processes. Create a species reservoir. For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assemblies and systems of the present invention usable for printing OLED devices, each species of various reactive species, such as various reactive atmospheric gases, such as water vapor and oxygen, as well as organic solvent vapors may be selected from the group consisting of It can be maintained at 100 ppm or less, for example, 10 ppm or less, 1.0 ppm or less, or 0.1 ppm or less.

To understand how duct-fed cables can reduce the time it takes to purge the blocked reactive gases from dead volumes within bundles of cables, wires, tubes, etc., see Figures 18A-19. . FIG. 18A shows an enlarged view of Bundle I, which may include a tube, such as tubing A, for conveying various inks, solvents, etc. to a printing system, such as printing system 50 of FIG. 13. It can be. Bundle I of FIG. 18A may further include electrical wires, such as wire B or cables, such as coaxial cable C. These tubes, wires and cables can be bundled together and arranged from the outside to the inside to be connected to various devices and devices, including OLED printing systems. As can be seen in the shaded area of Figure 18A, these bundles can create clear dead space (D). In the schematic perspective view of Figure 18b, cable, wire, and tube bundle I is fed through duct II, and inert gas III can be continuously swept past the bundle. The enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 19 illustrates how an inert gas continuously swept past bundled tubes, wires and cables can effectively increase the rate of removal of the blocked reactive species from the dead volume formed within such a bundle. The diffusion rate of the reactive species (A) from the dead volume shown in Figure 19 by the collective area occupied by the reactive species (A) is shown in Figure 19 by the collective area occupied by the inert gas species (B). It is inversely proportional to the concentration of reactive species outside the indicated dead volume. This means that if the concentration of reactive species is high in the volume just outside the dead volume, the rate of diffusion is reduced. As the concentration of reactive species in this region continues to decrease from the volume just outside the dead volume space by the flow of inert gas, the rate at which the reactive species diffuse from the dead volume increases by mass action. Additionally, by the same principle, inert gases can diffuse into the dead volume when blocked reactive species are efficiently removed from this space.

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

Figure 21 is a bottom view of several embodiments of a ceiling panel of the present invention, such as ceiling panel 250' of the gas enclosure assembly and system 100 of Figure 3. According to various embodiments of the present invention for a gas enclosure assembly, lighting may be installed on a ceiling panel, such as the interior upper surface of the ceiling panel 250' of the gas enclosure assembly and system 100 of FIG. You can. As shown in FIG. 21 , a ceiling frame 250 with an interior portion 251 may have lights installed over the interior portions of various frame members. For example, ceiling frame 250 may have two ceiling frame sections 40, which both have two ceiling frame beams 42 and 44 in common. Each ceiling frame section 40 may have a first side 41 positioned toward the inside of the ceiling frame 250 and a second side 43 positioned 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 proximally with respect to the first side 41 and a second light element 45 positioned proximally with respect to the second side 43 of the ceiling frame section 40. It may have 2 light elements (47). The numbers, positions, and groups of light elements shown in Figure 21 are representative. The number and grouping of light elements may be varied in any desired or suitable manner. In some embodiments, the light element may be mounted flat, and in other embodiments it may be mounted so that it can be moved to various positions and angles. The location of light elements is not limited to the top panel ceiling 433, but may also or alternatively be located on any other interior surface, exterior surface, and other surfaces of the gas enclosure assembly and system 100 shown in FIG. It can be placed on a combination of these.

The various light elements may include any number or type of light, such as, for example, halogen light, white light, incandescent light, arc lamps, or light emitting diodes or devices (LEDs), or combinations thereof. For example, each light element may include from 1 LED to about 100 LEDs, from about 10 LEDs to about 50 LEDs, or greater than 100 LEDs. An LED or other light device can emit any color or combination of colors within the color spectrum, outside the color spectrum, or a combination thereof. According to various embodiments of gas enclosure assemblies used for inkjet printing of OLED materials, since some materials are sensitive to some wavelengths of light, the wavelengths of light for the optical devices installed within the gas enclosure assembly may cause material degradation during the processing process. may be specifically selected to prevent this from occurring. For example, 4X white LEDs can be used, as can 4X orange LEDs, or any combination thereof. An example of a 4X white LED is the LF1 B-D4S-2THWW4, available from IDEC Corporation, Sunnyvale, California. One example of a 4X Orange LED that can be used is the LF1 B-D4S-2SHY6, also available from IDEC Corporation. LEDs or other lighting elements may be positioned or hung from any location on the interior portion 251 of the ceiling frame 250 or another surface of the gas enclosure assembly. The light elements are not limited to LEDs. Any suitable light element or combination of such light elements may be used. Figure 22 is a graph of the IDEC LED light spectrum with the x-axis corresponding to the intensity at 100% peak intensity and the y-axis corresponding to the wavelength 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 how various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly are configured to minimize the internal volume of the gas enclosure assembly while optimizing the work space to accommodate the various footprints of various OLED printing systems. Various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly so configured further provide easy access to the interior of the gas enclosure assembly from the outside during processing processes and easy access to the interior for maintenance while minimizing downtime. In this regard, 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 recognize that the present invention can be applied to gas enclosure assemblies of various sizes and designs, including frame member construction, panel construction, frame and panel sealing, as well as gas enclosure assemblies, such as gas enclosure assembly 100 of FIG. 3. You will be able to understand it. For example, but not by way of limitation, various embodiments of the contoured gas enclosure assemblies of the present invention covering substrate sizes from Gen 3.5 to Gen 10 may have an internal volume between about 6 m ³ and about 95 m ³ ; , this has a relative gross figure and can result in volume savings of about 30% to about 70% for non-contoured enclosures. Various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly are designed to accommodate the OLED printing system for functionality while optimizing work space to minimize inert gas volume and provide easy access to the OLED printing system from the outside during the processing process. To this end, it may have a variety of frame members configured to provide a contour for the gas enclosure assembly. In this regard, the various gas enclosure assemblies of the present invention may vary in contoured topology and volume.

Figure 23 provides an example of a gas enclosure assembly according to the present invention. Gas enclosure assembly 1000 may include a front frame assembly 1100, a center frame assembly 1200, and a rear frame assembly 1300. Front frame assembly 1100 may include a front frame base 1120, a front wall frame 1140 with an opening 1142 to receive a substrate, and a front ceiling frame 1160. 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. Rear frame assembly 1300 may include a rear frame base 1320, a rear wall frame 1340, and a rear ceiling frame 1360. The hatched areas illustrate the available working volume of gas enclosure assembly 100, which working volume is available to accommodate an OLED printing system. Various embodiments of 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 simultaneously providing direct access through easily removable panels. Alternatively, the OLED printing system can be easily accessed remotely during operation. Various embodiments of gas enclosure assemblies profiled in accordance with the present invention may have gas enclosure volumes between about 6 m ³ and about 95 m ³ for various embodiments of gas enclosure assemblies of the present invention covering substrate sizes from 3.5 to 10 generations. It may have, for example, but is not limited to, between about 15 m ³ and about 30 m ³ and may be useful for OLED printing of, for example, 5.5 generation to 8.5 generation substrate sizes.

Gas enclosure assembly 1000 may have all the features described herein for a representative gas enclosure assembly 100. For example, but not by way of limitation, gas enclosure assembly 1000 may use seals according to the present invention to provide an enclosure that is hermetically sealed through a build and tear down cycle. Various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly according to gas enclosure assembly 1000 provide levels for each of the various reactive species, such as various reactive atmospheric gases, such as water vapor and oxygen, as well as organic solvent vapors, at levels of 100 ppm or greater. Hereafter, one may have a gas purification system capable of maintaining the gas concentration at, for example, 10 ppm or lower, 1.0 ppm or lower, or 0.1 ppm or lower.

Additionally, various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly system according to gas enclosure assembly 1000 may have circulation and filtration systems capable of providing a particle-free environment that meets ISO 14644 Class 3 and Class 4 clean room standards. . Additionally, as discussed in more detail below, gas enclosure assembly systems according to the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, such as gas enclosure assembly 100 and gas enclosure assembly 1000, can be used in various embodiments of a compressed inert gas recirculation system. Examples may include, but are not limited to, this recirculating system including, but not limited to, one or more of pneumatic robots, substrate floatation tables, air bearings, air bushings, compressed gas tools, pneumatic actuators, and combinations thereof. It can be used to do much more. For various embodiments of the gas enclosures and systems of the present invention, the use of a variety of pneumatically-actuated devices and devices can provide low-particle generation performance as well as lower maintenance costs.

24 is an enlarged view of a gas enclosure assembly 1000, illustrating various frame members that may be configured to provide for a hermetically sealed gas enclosure in accordance with the present invention. For various embodiments of gas enclosure 100 of FIGS. 3 and 13 , as discussed above, OLED inkjet printing system 50 may print a substrate, such as a substrate (shown in a proximal position on substrate floatation table 54). 60) It can be composed of several devices and devices that allow ink droplets to be stably arranged in the above specific positions. Considering 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, various substrate materials may be used for the substrate 60, including, but not limited to, various glass substrate materials, as well as various polymer substrate materials. .

According to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, as previously described with respect to the gas enclosure assembly 100, the gas enclosure assembly not only minimizes the volume of the gas enclosure assembly but also provides easy access to the interior. It can be configured around an entire OLED printing system. 24, an example of contouring may be provided considering the OLED printing system 50.

As shown in Figure 24, six isolators may be provided on the OLED printing system 50, two of which may be shown as first isolator 51 and second isolator 53; Supports the substrate floating table 54 of the OLED printing system 50. In addition, two additional isolators, opposite the first isolator 51 and the second isolator 53 respectively, are provided to support the OLED printing system base 52. Front enclosure base 1120 can have a first front enclosure isolator mount 1121 that supports a 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, central enclosure base 1220 may have a first central enclosure isolator mount 1221 that supports a 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, rear enclosure base 1320 can have a first rear enclosure isolator mount 1321 that supports a 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). Various embodiments of the isolator wall framing members are contoured around each isolator to minimize the volume around each isolator support member. Additionally, the hatched panel sections shown for each isolator wall frame for bases 1120, 1220, and 1320 are removable panels that can be removed to provide an isolator, for example. Front enclosure assembly base 1120 can have a fan 1122, central enclosure assembly base 1220 can have a fan 1222, and rear enclosure assembly base 1320 can have a fan 1322. . When the bases are fully-constructed to form adjacent bases, the OLED printing system can be mounted on the adjacent fans thus formed, with the OLED printing system 50 mounted on the fans 204 of FIG. 13 in a similar manner. It can be. As previously described, wall and ceiling framing members, such as wall frame 1140, ceiling frame 1160 of front frame assembly 1100, and wall frames 1240, 1260, and 1280 of central frame assembly 1200. , as well as wall frame 1340 and ceiling frame 1360 of rear frame assembly 1300 may be coupled around OLED printing system 50 . Accordingly, various embodiments of the hermetically sealed contoured wall frame members of the present invention effectively reduce the volume of inert gas within the gas enclosure assembly 1000, while simultaneously reducing the volume of inert gas in the various devices and devices of the OLED printing system. Provides easy access to.

Gas enclosure assemblies and systems according to the present invention can have a gas circulation and filtration system within the gas enclosure assembly. Such internal filtration systems may have a plurality of fan filter units within the interior and may be configured to provide a laminar flow of gas within the interior. Laminar flow may be from the top of the interior to the bottom of the interior, or any other direction. The gas flow produced by the circulation system need not be laminar, but a laminar flow of gas may be used to ensure thorough and complete turnover of the gas therein. Laminar flow of gas can be used to minimize turbulence, which is undesirable because it causes particles within the environment to become collected in these turbulent areas and prevent the filtration system from removing these particles from the environment. It may also be operated, for example, by a fan or another gas circulation device, arranged adjacent to such a fan or another gas circulation device, or arranged adjacent to said fan or another gas circulation device, for example, to maintain the desired temperature therein. A temperature control system using a plurality of heat exchangers used in conjunction with may be provided. A gas purification loop can be configured to circulate gas from within the interior of the gas enclosure assembly through one or more gas purification components and out of the enclosure. In this regard, the circulation and filtration system internal to the gas enclosure assembly together with the gas purification loop external to the gas enclosure assembly is substantially low-particle inert with substantially low levels of reactive species throughout the gas enclosure assembly. It can provide continuous circulation of gas. Gas purification systems can be configured to maintain very low levels of undesirable components such as organic solvents and organic solvent vapors, as well as water, water vapor, oxygen, etc.

25 is a schematic diagram of a gas enclosure assembly and system 2100. Various embodiments of the 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. may include. Additionally, various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system may have a compressed inert gas recirculation system 2169 that can supply inert gas to operate various devices, such as a substrate flotation table for an OLED printing system. Various embodiments of the compressed inert gas recirculation system 2169 may include compressors, blowers, and combinations of the two, as a source for various embodiments of the inert gas recirculation system 2169, as discussed in more detail below. can be used. Additionally, gas enclosure assembly and system 2100 may have filtration and circulation systems 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 designed to purify the gas from the inert gas that is continuously filtered and circulated internally to the various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly. The inert gas circulating through the loop 2130 can be separated. Gas purification loop 2130 includes an outlet line 2131 leading from gas enclosure assembly 1500 to solvent removal component 2132 and then to gas purification system 2134. The inert gas purified solvent and other reactive gas species, such as oxygen and water vapor, are then returned to the gas enclosure assembly 1500 through inlet line 2133. Gas purification loop 2130 may also 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, blower or motor, may be provided independently or integrally configured, for example, within the gas purification system 2134, to circulate gas through the gas purification loop 2130. You can. According to various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly, solvent removal system 2132 and gas purification system 2134 are shown as independent units schematically depicted in FIG. 25 , but solvent removal system 2132 and gas purification system 2134 ) may be housed together as a single purification unit. Temperature control system 2140 may include 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. You can.

Gas purification loop 2130 of FIG. 25 can have a solvent removal system 2132 located upstream of gas purification system 2134, wherein inert gas circulating from gas enclosure assembly 1500 flows through outlet line 2131. Passes through solvent removal system 2132. According to various embodiments, solvent removal system 2132 may be a solvent capture system that absorbs solvent vapor from an inert gas passing through solvent removal system 2132 of FIG. 25 . A bed or a plurality of beds of sorbent, such as, but not limited to, 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 solvent removal system 2132. As previously mentioned, for various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly according to the present invention, these species can be removed from an inert gas continuously circulating through a gas enclosure assembly system, such as gas enclosure assembly system 2100 of FIG. To monitor efficient removal, sensors such as oxygen, water vapor and solvent vapor sensors can be used. Various embodiments of the solvent removal system can indicate when an adsorbent, such as activated carbon, molecular sieve, etc., has reached capacity, thereby allowing a bed or plurality of beds of adsorbent to regenerate. ) or can be replaced. Regeneration of molecular sieves may include heating the molecular sieve, contacting the molecular sieve with a forming gas, or combinations thereof. Molecular sieves configured to capture various species, such as oxygen, water vapor, and solvents, can be regenerated by heating or exposure to a forming gas containing hydrogen, for example, a forming gas containing about 96% nitrogen and 4% hydrogen. and the percentage is volume % or weight %. Physical regeneration of activated carbon can be accomplished 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 Statham, New Hampshire. Alternatively, a gas purification system commercially available from Innovative Technology of Amesbury, Mass., may be used to incorporate various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly according to the present invention. Gas purification system 2134 may be used to purify one or more inert gases within gas enclosure assembly and system 2100, for example, to purify the overall gas environment within the gas enclosure assembly. As previously mentioned, gas purification system 2134 may have a gas circulation unit, such as a fan, blower, or motor, to circulate gas through gas purification loop 2130. In this regard, a gas purification system may be selected depending on 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 gas enclosure assemblies and systems, including gas enclosure assemblies with 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 gas enclosure assemblies and systems, including gas enclosure assemblies with 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 gas enclosure assemblies with volumes 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, a gas purification system may include two parallel purification units, one of which may be removed from the line for maintenance and the other unit may 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, a gas purification system may include at least a first molecular sieve and a second molecular sieve when one of the molecular sieves becomes saturated with impurities or otherwise fails to operate sufficiently efficiently. The system can be converted to a different molecular sieve to regenerate saturated or ineffective molecular sieves. A control unit may be provided to determine the operating efficiency of each molecular sieve, change the operation between different molecular sieves, regenerate one or more molecular sieves, or a combination thereof. As previously mentioned, 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 gas environment within the gas enclosure assembly and system 2100. For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, fluid chiller 2141 delivers cooled fluid to a heat exchanger within the enclosure, where the inert gas passes over a filtration system within the enclosure. Additionally, one or more fluid chillers may be provided with a gas enclosure assembly and system 2100 to cool heat escaping from devices contained within the gas enclosure 2100. For example, but not by way of limitation, one or more fluid chillers may be provided with a gas enclosure assembly and system 2100 to cool heat exhausting from the OLED printing system. The temperature control system 2140 may include a heat exchanger or Peltier device and may have various cooling capabilities. For example, for various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system, the chiller may provide a cooling capacity of between about 2 kW and about 20 kW. Fluid chillers 1136 and 1138 may cool one or more fluids. In some embodiments, a fluid chiller may utilize multiple fluids as a coolant, such as, but not limited to, water, anti-freeze, refrigerant, and combinations thereof as a heat exchange fluid. You can use it. For connecting system components and conduits, suitable leak-free locking connections may be used.

As shown in Figures 26 and 27, one or more fan filter units may be configured to provide a substantially laminar flow of gas therethrough. According to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention, one or more fan units are arranged adjacent a first interior surface of the gas atmosphere enclosure and adjacent a second interior surface of an opposing gas atmosphere enclosure. do. For example, a gas atmosphere enclosure may include an interior ceiling and a floor interior perimeter, one or more fan units may be arranged adjacent to the interior ceiling, and one or more piping inlets may be as shown in FIGS. 15-17. Likewise, it may include a plurality of inlet openings arranged adjacently around the interior of a floor that is part of a piping system.

Figure 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 housing an OLED printing system 50, as well as a gas purification system 2130 (see FIG. 25), a temperature control system 2140, It may include a filtration and circulation system 2150 and a piping system 2170. Temperature control system 2140 may include a fluid chiller 2141 , which is in fluid communication with a chiller outlet line 2143 and a chiller inlet line 2145 . Cooled fluid may exit fluid chiller 2141, flow through chiller outlet line 2143, and be delivered to a heat exchanger, as shown in FIG. 26 for various embodiments of gas enclosure assemblies and systems. As described above, it may be located adjacent to each of a plurality of fan filter units. Fluid may be returned to chiller 2141 via chiller inlet line 2145 from a heat exchanger proximate to the fan filter unit so that it can be maintained consistently at the desired temperature. As previously mentioned, chiller outlet line 2141 and chiller inlet line 2143 are connected to a plurality of heat exchangers, such as first heat exchanger 2142, second heat exchanger 2144, and third heat exchanger 2146. ) is in fluid communication with. According to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and poem as shown in FIG. 26, the first heat exchanger 2142, the second heat exchanger 2144, and the third heat exchanger 2146 each have a filtration system ( It is 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.

26, multiple arrows indicate flow into and out of the various fan filter units, as well as first piping conduit 2173 and second piping conduit 2173, as schematically shown in FIG. 26. It represents the flow within the piping system 2170 including 2174. First plumbing conduit 2173 can receive gas through a first duct inlet 2171 and the gas can exit through a first duct outlet 2175. Similarly, second plumbing conduit 2174 can receive gas through a second duct inlet 2172 and the gas can exit through a second duct outlet 2176. In addition, as shown in FIG. 26, the piping system 2170 effectively forms a space 2180 in fluid communication with the gas purification system 2130 through the gas purification outlet line 2131, thereby forming a filtration system ( 2150) to separate the internally recycled inert gas. Various embodiments of such circulation systems, such as piping systems such as those described with reference to FIGS. 15-17, provide substantially laminar flow, minimize turbulence, and promote circulation, turnover, and circulation of particulate matter in the gaseous atmosphere within the interior of the enclosure. It facilitates filtration and is provided for circulation through a gas purification system external to the gas enclosure assembly.

Figure 27 is a cross-sectional view taken along the length of a gas enclosure assembly and system 2300 according to various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention. Similar to gas enclosure assembly 2200 of FIG. 26, gas enclosure assembly system 2300 of FIG. 27 includes a gas enclosure 1500 capable of housing 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 fluid chiller 2141 in fluid communication with a chiller outlet line 2143 and a chiller inlet line 2145, may include a plurality of Heat exchangers, such as those shown in FIG. 27, may be in fluid communication with, for example, first heat exchanger 2142 and 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 first heat exchanger 2142 and second heat exchanger 2144, may be connected to 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 can be in heat communication with the circulating inert gas. In this regard, the inert gas recovered from the duct inlet, e.g., the first duct inlet 2171 and the second duct inlet 2172 of the piping system 2170 for filtration may be, for example, , may be thermally conditioned before being circulated through each of first fan filter unit 2152, second fan filter unit 2154, and third fan filter unit 2156 of filtration system 2150 of FIG. 27.

As can be seen from the arrows in FIGS. 26 and 27 showing the direction of circulation of the inert gas through the enclosure, 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, Washington, North Carolina, or Envirco Corporation, Sanford, North Carolina, can be used to be incorporated into various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly of the present invention. Various embodiments of the fan filter units can exchange between about 350 cubic feet per minute (CFM) and 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 series, 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, the gas flow is directed toward 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 with respect to FIGS. 15-17, locating the duct inlet substantially at the bottom of the enclosure allows the gas flow to move from the top of the fan filter unit downwards, resulting in excellent turnover of the gas atmosphere within the enclosure and the enclosure. The gas purification system used in conjunction allows the entire gas atmosphere to be easily transferred and completely turned over. A filtration and circulation system (2150) is used to completely turn over the gas atmosphere within the enclosure, promote laminar flow, and circulate the gas atmosphere through the piping, which inert gas for circulation through the gas purification loop (2130). By separating the flows, the levels of each reactive species, such as water and oxygen, as well as each solvent, can be reduced to 100 ppm or less, such as 1 ppm or less, in various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly. For example, it may be maintained at 0.1 ppm or less.

According to various embodiments of a gas enclosure assembly system used for an OLED printing system, the number of fan filter units may be selected depending on how the substrate is physically positioned 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, Figure 28 is a cross-sectional view taken along the length of a gas enclosure assembly and system 2400, a gas enclosure assembly system similar to that shown in Figures 23 and 24. Gas enclosure assembly and system 2400 may include a gas enclosure assembly 1500 housing an OLED printing system 50 supported on a base 52 . The substrate flotation table 54 of the OLED printing system forms a movement area through which the substrate may be moved through the system 2400 during OLED printing of the substrate. Accordingly, the filtration system 2150 of the gas enclosure assembly and system 2400 may have an appropriate number of fan filter units, in the figure, corresponding to the physical movement zones through the OLED printing system 50 during the treatment process. Shown as units 2151-2155. In addition, the cross-sectional view schematically shown in Figure 28 illustrates the contours of several embodiments of a gas enclosure, which can effectively reduce the volume of inert gas required during the OLED printing process, while at the same time allowing for, for example, various globes. Easy access to the interior of the gas enclosure 1500 is provided during remote handling using globes mounted on ports, or directly during maintenance processes by means of various removable panels.

Various embodiments of gas enclosures and systems may utilize compressed inert gas recirculation systems for the operation of various pneumatically-actuated devices and appliances. Additionally, as previously discussed, embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly system of the present invention may be maintained at a slightly positive pressure relative to the external environment, for example, but not limited to, between about 2 mbarg and about 8 mbarg. . It represents a dynamic and ongoing balancing act to maintain 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 an enclosure assembly system is risky. Additionally, the variable demands 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 , various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system 3000 include a clean dry air (CDA) source 2512 and an inert gas source 2512 for use in various operating configurations of the gas enclosure assembly and system 3000. It may have an external gas loop 2500 to integrate and regulate the source 2509. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that 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 previously described. In addition to an external loop 2500 for integrating and regulating the inert gas source 2509 and the CDA source 2512, the gas enclosure assembly and system 3000 can be configured with a variety of loops that can be arranged within the interior of the gas enclosure assembly and system 3000. It may have a compressor loop 2160 that can supply 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 compressor loop 2160 is in fluid communication with gas enclosure assembly 1500 by gas enclosure assembly outlet 2501 via line 2503 with valve 2505 and check valve 2507. You can. Compressor loop 2160 may be in fluid communication with gas enclosure assembly 1500 via external gas loop 2500 on an outlet side of compressor loop 2160. Accumulator 2164 may be arranged between compressor 2162 and the junction of compressor loop 2160 with external gas loop 2500 and may be configured to produce a pressure of 5 psig or higher. A second accumulator 2168 may be within the compressor loop 2160 to provide dampening fluctuations at approximately 60 Hz due to the compressor piston cycle. For various embodiments of compressor loop 2160, first accumulator 2164 may have a capacity of between about 80 gallons and about 160 gallons, and the second accumulator may have a capacity of between about 30 gallons and about 60 gallons. You can have it. According to various embodiments of gas enclosure assembly and system 3000, compressor 2162 may be a zero ingress compressor. Various types of zero ingress compressors are capable of operating without atmospheric gases escaping within various embodiments of the gas enclosure assemblies and systems of the present invention. Various embodiments of the zero ingress compressor can be performed continuously, for example, during an OLED printing process, using various devices and devices that require compressed inert gas.

Accumulator 2164 may be configured to receive and collect compressed inert gas from compressor 2162. Accumulator 2164 may supply compressed inert gas as required within gas enclosure assembly 1500. For example, accumulator 2164 may be used to connect various components of gas enclosure assembly 1500, including, but not limited to, pneumatic robots, substrate floatation tables, air bearings, air bushings, compressed gas tools, pneumatic actuators, and combinations thereof. As shown in FIG. 29 for gas enclosure assembly and system 3000, gas enclosure assembly 1500 can have OLED printing system 50 contained therein. As shown in Figure 24, OLED printing system 50 may be supported by a granite stage 52 and float the substrate to transport the substrate to a position within the print head chamber as well as to support the substrate during the OLED printing process. It may include a table 54. Additionally, air bearings 58 supported on bridge 56 may be used, for example, instead of linear mechanical bearings. For various embodiments of the gas enclosures and systems of the present invention, the use of a variety of high-pressure-operated devices and appliances can provide low-particle generation performance as well as lower maintenance costs. The compressor loop 2160 may be configured to continuously supply compressed inert gas to various devices and devices in the gas enclosure device 3000. In addition to supplying compressed inert gas, the substrate flotation table 54 of the OLED printing system 50 using air bearing technology provides gas enclosure assembly via line 2552 when valve 2554 is in the open position. A vacuum system (2550) in communication with 1500) is used.

The compressed inert gas recirculation system according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 29, compensates for the need for variable compressed gas during use and thus provides various embodiments of the gas enclosure assemblies and systems of the present invention. There may be a pressure-regulated bypass loop 2165 that acts to provide dynamic balance for the For various embodiments of the gas enclosure assembly and system according to the present invention, the bypass loop can maintain the pressure within the accumulator 2164 constant without changing or disturbing the pressure within the enclosure 1500. The bypass loop 2165 may have a first bypass inlet valve 2161 on the inlet side of the bypass loop 2165 that is closed unless the bypass loop 2165 is used. Additionally, bypass loop 2165 may have a back pressure regulator that can be used when second valve 2163 is closed. The bypass loop 2165 may have a second accumulator 2168 arranged on the outlet side of the bypass loop 2165. For embodiments of compressor loop 2160 that utilize a zero ingress compressor, bypass loop 2165 provides protection against small pressure excursions that may occur over time during use of the gas enclosure assembly and system. It can be offset. Bypass loop 2165 may be in fluid communication with compressor loop 2160 over the inlet face of bypass loop 2165 when bypass inlet valve 2161 is in the open position. When the bypass inlet valve 2161 is opened, the inert gas shunted through the bypass loop 2165 allows the inert gas from the compressor loop 2160 to be discharged from the inside of the gas enclosure assembly 1500 when it is not needed inside the gas enclosure assembly 1500. In some cases 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 1 cubic foot per minute (CFM), or about 50 psig at a flow rate of at least about 1 cubic foot per minute (CFM). It can be between about 75 psig and about 125 psig at a flow rate of at least about 1 cubic foot per minute (CFM), or between about 90 psig and about 95 psig at a flow rate of at least about 1 cubic foot per minute (CFM). there is.

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

30 for gas enclosure assembly and system 3100, blower loop 2170 and blower vacuum are used to operate substrate flotation table 54 of OLED printing system 50 housed within gas enclosure assembly 1500. Loop 2550 is shown. As discussed above with respect to compressor loop 2160, blower loop 2170 may be configured to continuously supply compressed inert gas to substrate flotation table 54.

Various embodiments of gas enclosure assemblies and systems capable of utilizing compressed inert gas recirculation systems can have various loops using one or more of various compressed gas sources, such as compressors, blowers, and combinations thereof. 30 for the gas enclosure assembly and system 3100, the compressor loop 2160 is an external gas enclosure that 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 gas loop 2500. For various embodiments of gas enclosure assemblies and systems according to the present invention, such as shown in FIG. 29 for gas enclosure assembly and system 3000, a high-consumption manifold 2525 is used to distribute inert gas to various devices and devices. , such as, but not limited to, substrate flotation tables, pneumatic robots, air bearings, air bushings, and compressed gas tools, and combinations thereof. For various embodiments of gas enclosure assemblies and systems according to the present invention, low-consumption manifold 2513 may be used to direct inert gas to various 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, blower loop 2170 may be used to supply compressed inert gas to various embodiments of substrate flotation table 54 and external gas loop ( A compressor loop 2160 in fluid communication with 2500 may be used to compress compressed inert gas, such as, but not limited to, 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 compressed inert gas, the substrate flotation table 54 of the OLED printing system 50 utilizing air bearing technology provides gas enclosure assembly 1500 via line 2552 when valve 2554 is in the open position. ) uses a blower vacuum system (2550) in fluid communication with the The housing 2172 of the blower loop 2170 includes a first blower 2174 that acts as a source for supplying compressed inert gas to the substrate floating table 54, and a first blower 2174 that acts as a source for supplying compressed inert gas to the substrate floating table 54 in an inert gas environment. A second blower 2550 may be maintained to act as a vacuum source for the vacuum. For various embodiments of the substrate flotation table, properties that may make the blower suitable for use as a source of compressed inert gas or vacuum, for example, but not limited to these, may reduce maintenance costs. With low cost, high stability, variable speed control, and a wide range of flow volumes, various embodiments can provide volumetric flow rates between about 100 m ³ /h and about 2,500 m ³ /h. Various 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 ( 2175) can be additionally added. Various embodiments of blower loop 2170 may have adjustable valves 2176, such as, but not limited to, gate, butterfly, needle or ball valves, as well as There may be a heat exchanger 2178 to maintain the inert gas from blower assembly 2170 to substrate flotation system 54 at a predetermined temperature.

30 is illustrated for use in various operational configurations 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. External gas loop 2500 of FIGS. 29 and 30 may include four or more mechanical valves. These 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 have various flow lines that allow for regulating both inert gases, such as nitrogen, any noble gas, and any combination thereof, and an air source, such as clean dry air (CDA). It is located at the (flow line) location. From the house inert gas source 2509, a house inert gas line 2510 extends. House inert gas line 2510 continues to extend linearly with low-consumption manifold line 2512 in fluid communication with low-consumption manifold 2513. A cross-line first section 2514 is located at the intersection of the house inert gas line 2510, the low-consumption manifold line 2512, and the cross-line first section 2514. It extends from the first flow joint 2516. Cross-line first section 2514 extends to second flow joint 2518. Compressor inert gas line 2520 extends from accumulator 2164 of compressor loop 2160 and terminates at second flow joint 2518. CDA line 2522 extends from CDA source 2512 and continues with 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, the clean dry air line 2522, and the high-consumption manifold line 2524. A cross-line second section 2528 extends from second flow joint 2518 to third flow joint 2526.

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

According to the table in FIG. 31, the valve status indicates the process mode generating inert gas compressor operating mode. In process mode, as indicated for the valve state in 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 geometry allows compressed inert gas to flow to both low-consumption manifold 2513 and 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 to either the low-consumption manifold 2513 and the high-consumption manifold 2525.

As shown in Figure 31, and referring to Figure 30, a series of valve states for maintenance and recovery are provided. Various embodiments of the gas enclosure assemblies and systems of the present invention often require a maintenance mode, as well as a recovery mode from system failure. In this particular mode, second mechanical valve 2504 and 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. The house inert gas source and the CDA source have a small consumption rate of inert gas that can be supplied by low-consumption manifold 2513 and have dead volume that can be difficult to purge efficiently during restoration. Provided to components. Examples of such components include pneumatic actuators. Conversely, these components may be supplied to the CDA during maintenance by high-consumption manifold 2525. Isolating the compressor using valves 2504, 2508, and 2530 prevents reactive species, such as oxygen and water vapor, from contaminating the inert gases within the compressor and accumulator.

After the maintenance or restoration mode is completed, the gas enclosure assembly is configured to maintain the various reactive atmospheric species, such as oxygen and water, at sufficiently low levels for each species, e.g., 100 ppm or less, e.g. For example, it may 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 purge mode, third mechanical valve 2506 is in a closed configuration and 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. This particular valve geometry allows only the house inert gas to flow to both the low-consumption manifold 2513 and the high-consumption manifold 2525.

As shown in Figure 31 and referring to Figure 30, both "no flow" mode and leak test mode are modes used as needed. The “no flow” mode has a valve state configuration 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. am. This seal configuration results in a “no flow” mode of the system, such that no gas from any of the inert gas, CDA, or compressor sources enters the low-consumption manifold 2513 or the high-consumption manifold 2525. becomes unreachable. This "no flow" mode can be useful when the system is not in use and can remain idle for extended periods of time. Leak test mode can be used to detect if there is a leak within the system. The leak test mode uses only compressed inert gas and is used to check for leaks in low-consumption components, such as isolators and pneumatic actuators of the low-consumption manifold 2513 (high-consumption manifold 2525) of FIG. 30. separate the system from In this leak test mode, first mechanical valve 2502, third mechanical valve 2506, and 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 herein are herein incorporated by reference so that each such publication, patent, or patent application is specifically and individually incorporated by reference.

Although various embodiments of the invention have been shown and described herein, those skilled in the art will understand that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Various modifications, improvements, and alternatives will now be provided without departing from the scope of the 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 bring the methods and configurations of the invention within the scope of the claims and their equivalents covered herein.

Claims (20)

gas enclosure;
a substrate support disposed inside the gas enclosure;
a printer disposed within the interior of the gas enclosure, the printer having a printhead disposed to deposit printing material on a substrate disposed on the substrate support;
A first gas circulation system disposed within the interior of the gas enclosure to provide a laminar flow of gas from a location above the substrate support to a location below the substrate support, the first gas circulation system being located at the location below the substrate support. comprising a duct for flowing gas from to the location on the substrate support; and
and a second gas circulation system external to the gas enclosure and fluidly connected to the interior of the gas enclosure. 2. The inkjet printing device of claim 1, wherein the printer includes at least one pneumatic actuation device fluidly coupled to a source of compressed gas. 3. The inkjet printing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the substrate support is a floating table fluidly connected to the compressed gas source. 3. The inkjet printing device of claim 2, wherein the compressed gas source is fluidly connected to the second gas circulation system. 4. The inkjet printing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the substrate support is also fluidly connected to a vacuum source. 5. The inkjet printing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the compressed gas source includes an inert gas source and a clean dry air source, and the second gas circulation system includes a compressor. 2. The inkjet printing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first gas circulation system includes a fan unit adjacent the ceiling of the gas enclosure, and the duct is fluidly connected to the fan unit and has an inlet adjacent the bottom of the gas enclosure. . The inkjet printing device of claim 7, wherein the fan unit includes a filter. 3. The inkjet printing device of claim 2, wherein the at least one pneumatic actuation device includes an air bearing for the printhead. gas enclosure;
a gas floating substrate support disposed inside the gas enclosure;
a printer disposed within the interior of the gas enclosure, the printer supported by air bearings and having a printhead disposed to deposit printing material on a substrate disposed on the gas floating substrate support;
providing a laminar flow of gas from a location adjacent a first interior surface of the gas enclosure above the gas suspended substrate support to a location adjacent a second interior surface of the gas enclosure opposite the first interior surface below the gas suspended substrate support. a first gas circulation system disposed within the interior of the gas enclosure, the first gas circulation system comprising a duct for flowing gas from the location below the gas floating substrate support to the location above the gas floating substrate support to Included; and
and a second gas circulation system external to the gas enclosure and fluidly coupled to the interior of the gas enclosure. 11. The inkjet printing device of claim 10, wherein the printer includes one or more pneumatic actuation devices fluidly coupled to a source of inert gas, a source of clean dry air, or both. 11. The inkjet printing device of claim 10, wherein the gas floating substrate support includes a floating table fluidly connected to the second gas circulation system. 13. The inkjet printing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the gas suspended substrate support is also fluidly coupled to a vacuum system. 11. The inkjet system of claim 10, wherein the first gas circulation system includes a fan unit adjacent the first interior surface, the duct fluidly connected to the fan unit and having an inlet adjacent the second interior surface. Printing device. 15. The inkjet printing device of claim 14, wherein the fan unit includes a filter. The inkjet printing device of claim 10, wherein the second gas circulation system includes a compressor and an accumulator. gas enclosure;
a gas floating substrate support disposed inside the gas enclosure;
a printer disposed within the interior of the gas enclosure, the printer supported by air bearings and having a print head positioned to deposit printing material on a substrate disposed on the gas floating substrate support;
providing a laminar flow of gas from a location adjacent a first interior surface of the gas enclosure above the gas suspended substrate support to a location adjacent a second interior surface of the gas enclosure opposite the first interior surface below the gas suspended substrate support. a first gas circulation system disposed within the interior of the gas enclosure, the first gas circulation system comprising a duct for flowing gas from the location below the gas floating substrate support to the location above the gas floating substrate support to Included;
a second gas circulation system external to the gas enclosure and fluidly connected to the interior of the gas enclosure; and
An inert gas source or a clean dry air source fluidly connected to the second gas circulation system. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first gas circulation system includes a fan unit adjacent the first interior surface, the duct fluidly connected to the fan unit and having an inlet adjacent the second interior surface, An inkjet printing device, wherein the second gas circulation system includes a compressor and an accumulator. 19. The inkjet printing device of claim 18, wherein the gas floating substrate support includes a floating table fluidly connected to the second gas circulation system and the vacuum system. 20. The inkjet printing device of claim 19, wherein the second gas circulation system includes a compressor, a first accumulator, and a second accumulator.