Over the past few years, NovaCentrix has developed a laser-less technique to delaminated polyimide films from rigid carrier substrates by using the PulseForge tools. The process involves non-equilibrium heating of the polyimide surface while the device stack temperature remains below 100°C. As OLED and AMOLED displays gain volume in the consumer electronics market, the photonic delamination can reduce the delamination cost by replacing expensive laser systems. Additionally, the PulseForge systems can illuminate large areas at once, leading to processing rates significantly higher than point or line laser systems. Lastly, the device stack is protected and will not be illuminated through the photonic delamination process. This reduces defect formation due to impurities in the polyimide layer and leads to significant improvement in the yield of the delamination process. Laser delamination presents a bottleneck in OLED production while photonic delamination presents a novel technique to overcome the stated barriers.
Holst Centre/TNO (www.holstcentre.com), set up by the TNO and IMEC, is an independent shared-innovation R&D Centre for Flexible Electronics and Sensor Technologies in the Netherlands. A key feature is its partnership model with industry and academia comprising more than 40 international companies. Holst Centre/TNO has major activities in the areas of TOLAE, (hybrid) printed electronics, flexible OLEDs, photovoltaics and oxide transistor technology. Holst Centre has demonstrated solutions for numerous hybrid and printed electronics products, varying from printed temperature and humidity sensing devices, paper electronics, health-patches, smart garments, and (thermoformed) stretchable products