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Method and system for transferring a patterned materialRelated Patent Categories: Printing, Printing Members And InkersMethod and system for transferring a patterned material description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060196375, Method and system for transferring a patterned material. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CLAIM OF PRIORITY [0001] This application claims priority to provisional U.S. patent application No. 60/620,967, filed Oct. 22, 2004, and to provisional U.S. patent application No. 60/629,579, filed Nov. 22, 2004, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD [0003] The present invention relates to a method and system for transferring a patterned material. BACKGROUND [0004] In general, contact printing begins by forming a patterned mold. The mold has a surface with a pattern of elevations and depressions. A stamp is formed with a complementary pattern of elevations and depressions by coating the patterned surface of the mold with a liquid polymer precursor that is cured while in contact with the patterned mold surface. The stamp can then be uniformly inked; that is, the stamp is contacted with a material which is to be deposited on a substrate, covering the pattern of elevations and depressions. The material becomes reversibly adhered to the stamp. The inked stamp is then contacted with the substrate. The elevated regions of the stamp can contact the substrate while the depressed regions of the stamp can be separated from the substrate. Where the inked stamp contacts the substrate, the ink material (or at least a portion thereof) is transferred from the stamp to the substrate. In this way, the pattern of elevations and depressions is transferred from the stamp to the substrate as regions including the material and free of the material on the substrate. SUMMARY [0005] A material can be deposited on a substrate using contact printing. Contact printing using a textured stamp allows micron-scale (e.g., less than 1 mm, less than 500 .mu.m, less than 200 .mu.m, or less than 100 .mu.m or less) patterning of features on a surface. This approach allows the dry (i.e., solvent free) application of a patterned material to a substrate, thus freeing the substrate of solubility and surface chemistry requirements. For example, a monolayer of semiconductor nanocrystals can be deposited by contact printing. For examples of contact printing, see U.S. patent application 60/620,967, filed Oct. 22, 2004, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. [0006] A material can be selectively applied to a stamp such that the material forms a pattern on the stamp. The material can be included in a composition with other components, for example, as a solution in a solvent. For example, the material can be applied by ink jet printing, which allows a pattern of material (ink) to be conveniently formed on a stamp. Ink jet printing can allow precise control over the location and size of inked areas on the stamp. Ink spots of 20 .mu.m in size are readily achieved today by commercial inkjet printers, and smaller spot sizes are possible. Thus, contact printing using a stamp patterned by ink jet printing can be used to form patterns of a material on substrate, where the pattern is a micropattern. A micropattern can have features on the micron scale, such as less than 1 mm, less than 500 .mu.m, less than 200 .mu.m, less than 100 .mu.m, less than 50 .mu.m, or 20 .mu.m or less in size. A 20 .mu.m feature size is sufficiently small for most light emitting device applications. Different materials can be patterned on the substrate simultaneously using an ink jet print system having multiple print heads. Thus, multiple materials can be transferred to a substrate in a single stamping step. This method can allow the use of a featureless stamp (i.e., a stamp substantially free of elevations or depressions) patterned by multiple print heads to transfer multiple materials to a substrate, rather than using a separate stamp for each material. Thus, there is no need to register subsequent stamps to the previously deposited patterns. Registration of a stamp with a previously formed pattern on a substrate can be the limiting factor in the resolution of contact printing. The pattern can have features 100 nm in size; however, registration to 100 nm resolution of elastomeric materials over large areas has never been demonstrated. [0007] Microcontact printing can be used to apply a material in a pattern having micron scale features across large dimensions, such as 1 cm or greater, 10 cm or greater, 100 cm or greater, or 1,000 cm or greater. [0008] Mechanical limitations on patterned-stamp contact printing can be overcome when a pattern is formed on a featureless stamp. When a textured stamp contacts a substrate, any applied pressure (necessary to achieve material transfer) is distributed in predictable but non-uniform ways. This induced stress can cause sagging of the stamp in the areas not in contact with the substrate surface. If the applied pressure is great enough, the sagging areas can contact the substrate surface, resulting in material transfer in undesired regions. In contrast, pressure applied to a stamp that is substantially free of elevations and depression leads to uniformly distributed forces over the stamped area, and thus sagging and other non-uniform processes can be reduced or eliminated. [0009] Contact printing of semiconductor nanocrystal monolayers can be used to make saturated color red, green and blue LEDs including semiconductor nanocrystals, place multiple such LEDs of different colors onto a single substrate, and form LED patterns at the micron scale (<100 .mu.m). The deposition process is scalable, and can allow inexpensive manufacturing of LEDs over a large surface area. [0010] In one aspect, a method of transferring a material to a substrate includes depositing the material selectively on a surface of an applicator, and contacting the surface of the applicator with the substrate. [0011] In another aspect, a method of transferring a plurality of materials to a substrate includes depositing a first material selectively on a surface of an applicator, depositing a second material selectively on the surface of the applicator, and contacting the surface of the applicator with the substrate. [0012] The material can be substantially free of solvent before contacting. Depositing the material selectively can include forming a pattern including the material on the surface of the applicator. A feature of the pattern can have a dimension of less than 1000 micrometers, less than 100 micrometers, or less than 10 micrometers. Forming the pattern can include ink jet printing the material. The surface of the applicator can include an elevation or a depression. The surface of the applicator can be substantially free of elevations and depressions. The applicator can include an elastomeric material. [0013] The method can include depositing a second material selectively on the surface of the applicator. The second material can be substantially free of solvent before contacting. Depositing the second material selectively can include forming a pattern on the surface of the applicator. Depositing the second material can include ink jet printing. The surface of the applicator can be in continuous contact with the substrate. The material can include a semiconductor nanocrystal. [0014] The method can include modifying the surface of the applicator before depositing the material selectively on the surface of the applicator. Modifying the surface of the applicator can include contacting the surface of the applicator with a composition selected to release at least a portion of the material from the applicator upon contact with a substrate. The composition includes an aromatic organic polymer. The material can include a nanomaterial. The nanomaterial can include a semiconductor nanocrystal. [0015] In another aspect, a system for transferring a material to a substrate includes an ink jet print head including a reservoir, wherein the reservoir holds the material, and an applicator having a surface arranged to receive the material from the ink jet print head. [0016] The system can include a substrate arranged to contact the surface of the applicator. The applicator can be configured to move the surface of the applicator with respect to the ink jet print head. The applicator can be mounted on a drum, the drum being configured to rotate. The surface of the applicator can be configured to roll on the substrate. The surface of the applicator includes an elevation or a depression, or the applicator can be substantially free of elevations and depressions. The surface of the applicator can be configured to be in continuous contact with the substrate. [0017] In another aspect, a method of making a light emitting device includes ink jet printing a material on a surface of an applicator, and contacting the surface of the applicator with a substrate. Ink jet printing the material can include forming a pattern on the surface of the applicator. The material can include a light emitting material. The light emitting material can include a semiconductor nanocrystal. The substrate can include an electrode, a hole transport material, an electron transport material, a hole injection material, an electron injection material, or a combination thereof. [0018] In another aspect, a device for applying a material includes an applicator and a material forming a pattern on a surface of the applicator. The surface of the applicator can include an elevation or a depression. The surface of the applicator can be substantially free of elevations or depressions. The applicator can include an elastomeric material. The device can include a second material forming a pattern on the surface of an applicator [0019] Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS [0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing depicting a light-emitting device. Continue reading about Method and system for transferring a patterned material... Full patent description for Method and system for transferring a patterned material Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Method and system for transferring a patterned material patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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