Integrated electrohydrodynamic jet printing and spatial atomic layer deposition system for area selective-atomic layer deposition

1. An integrated electrohydrodynamic jet printing and spatial atomic layer deposition system for conducting nanofabrication, the system comprising:

an electrohydrodynamic jet printing station that includes an E-jet printing nozzle;

a spatial atomic layer deposition station that includes a zoned ALD precursor gas distributor that discharges linear zone-separated first and second ALD precursor gases;

a heatable substrate plate supported on a motion actuator controllable to move the substrate plate in three dimensions; and

a conveyor on which the motion actuator is supported, the conveyor being operative to move the motion actuator between the electrohydrodynamic jet printing station and the spatial atomic layer deposition station so that the substrate plate is conveyable between a printing window of the E-jet printing nozzle and a deposition window of the zoned ALD precursor gas distributor, respectively.

2. The integrated electrohydrodynamic jet printing and spatial atomic layer deposition system set forth in claim 1 , further comprising:

a cooling station located between the electrohydrodynamic jet printing station and the spatial atomic layer deposition station.

3. The integrated electrohydrodynamic jet printing and spatial atomic layer deposition system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the motion actuator comprises at least one linear motion stage that supports the substrate plate.

4. The integrated electrohydrodynamic jet printing and spatial atomic layer deposition system set forth in claim 3 , wherein the motion actuator further comprises a central block that is secured to the at least one linear motion stage and a base plate that is disposed on the central block, and wherein the motion actuator additionally comprises a plurality of linear actuators secured to the central block and which extend through corresponding openings in the base plate and engage and support the substrate plate above the base plate.

5. The integrated electrohydrodynamic jet printing and spatial atomic layer deposition system set forth in claim 4 , wherein the plurality of linear actuators is controllable to adjust the tilt of the substrate plate relative to the base plate.

6. The integrated electrohydrodynamic jet printing and spatial atomic layer deposition system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the conveyor defines a linear travel path for the motion actuator that extends between the electrohydrodynamic jet printing station and the spatial atomic layer deposition station.

7. The integrated electrohydrodynamic jet printing and spatial atomic layer deposition system set forth in claim 6 , wherein the conveyor is a linear actuator.

8. The integrated electrohydrodynamic jet printing and spatial atomic layer deposition system set forth in claim 7 , wherein the conveyor includes opposed linear guides, a central guide track that contains a rotatable threaded screw, and an adapter plate onto which the motion actuator is mounted.

9. The integrated electrohydrodynamic jet printing and spatial atomic layer deposition system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the zoned ALD precursor gas distributor comprises a depositor head that has an active surface configured to discharge at least one linear flow of the first ALD precursor gas, at least one linear flow of the second ALD precursor gas, and at least one linear flow of the inert gas that separates the linear flow of the first ALD precursor gas and the linear flow of the second ALD precursor gas.

10. An integrated electrohydrodynamic jet printing and spatial atomic layer deposition system for conducting nanofabrication, the system comprising:

an electrohydrodynamic jet printing station that includes an E-jet printing nozzle;

a spatial atomic layer deposition station that includes a zoned ALD precursor gas distributor that discharges linear zone-separated first and second ALD precursor gases;

a heatable substrate plate supported on a motion actuator that comprises at least one linear motion stage that supports the substrate plate and commands movement of the substrate plate within a horizontal plane along two coordinate axes;

a build substrate retained on the heatable substrate plate, the build substrate having a working surface on which an inhibition material is applied at the electrohydrodynamic jet printing station and an ALD material film is grown at the spatial atomic layer deposition station; and

a conveyor on which the motion actuator is supported, the conveyor being operative to move the motion actuator along a linear travel path between the electrohydrodynamic jet printing station and the spatial atomic layer deposition station.

11. The integrated electrohydrodynamic jet printing and spatial atomic layer deposition system set forth in claim 10 , further comprising:

a cooling station located between the electrohydrodynamic jet printing station and the spatial atomic layer deposition station.

12. The integrated electrohydrodynamic jet printing and spatial atomic layer deposition system set forth in claim 10 , further comprising an atomic force microscope.

13. A method of conducting area-selective atomic layer deposition, the method comprising:

positioning a heatable substrate plate that supports a build substrate within a printing window of an E-jet printing nozzle of an electrohydrodynamic jet printing station;

forming a pattern of an inhibition material onto a working surface of the build substrate to define an ALD growth area on the working surface using the E-jet printing nozzle;

conveying the heatable substrate plate away from the printing window of the E-jet printing nozzle of the electrohydrodynamic jet printing station and to a spatial atomic layer deposition station without removing the build substrate from the substrate plate;

positioning the heatable substrate plate that supports the build substrate within a deposition window of a zoned ALD precursor gas distributor discharges linear zone-separated first and second ALD precursor gases towards the substrate plate; and

depositing an ALD material film onto the ALD growth area.

14. The method set forth in claim 13 , further comprising:

conveying the heatable substrate plate along the conveyor away from the deposition window of the zoned ALD precursor gas distributor and to a cooling station located between the electrohydrodynamic jet printing station and the spatial atomic layer deposition station; and

cooling the heatable substrate plate.

15. The method set forth in claim 13 , wherein forming a pattern of an inhibition material comprises:

providing a deposited layer of an inhibition material over the working surface of the build substrate; and

printing a solvent onto the layer of the inhibition material to selectively remove a portion of the layer of the inhibition material to form the pattern of the inhibition material.

16. The method set forth in claim 13 , wherein forming a pattern of an inhibition material comprises:

printing an inhibition material solution onto the working surface of the build substrate to apply the pattern of the inhibition material onto the working surface.

17. The method set forth in claim 13 , further comprising:

removing some or all of the pattern of the inhibition material after the ALD material film has been deposited onto the ALD growth area.

18. The method set forth in claim 13 , further comprising:

curing some or all of the pattern of the inhibition material after the ALD material film has been deposited onto the ALD growth area.

19. The method set forth in claim 13 , further comprising:

thermally annealing some or all of the pattern of the inhibition material after the ALD material film has been deposited onto the ALD growth area.