Colnatec and Novaled announced today that the two companies will work together to test the performance Colnatec's Tempre" heated quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor system for device layer self-regeneration in continuously-run OLED production.
Colnatec Tempe sensor system
Colnatec explains that measuring the thickness of an OLED layer (often on the order of nanometers) is a direct function of the temperature of the sensor and substrate being coated. If you do not monitor and equalize the temperature, the thickness accuracy will suffer which can lead to inconsistencies as great as 50% per layer. The Tempe system can extend sensor lifetime and improve cost efficiency in long, continuous runs.
The Tempe system was originally developed to stabilize OLED device performances, for its material characterization capabilities, and for in-situ, self-regeneration properties. But now they hope that it will also improve continuous OLED production.
In November 2012, Colnatec said that Samsung is one of their clients - since they started producing sensors in 2010. Now Novaled is part of the Samsung Group and it seems that Colnatec's relationship with Samsung is even better.
