US 11,738,517 B2
Multi dispense head alignment using image processing
Igor Abramson, San Jose, CA (US); Mo Yang, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Jason G. Fung, Santa Clara, CA (US); and Douglas Kitajima, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed by Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 9, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/343,573.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/040,905, filed on Jun. 18, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0394454 A1, Dec. 23, 2021
Int. Cl. B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 50/02 (2015.01); B29C 64/112 (2017.01); B29C 64/393 (2017.01); G01B 11/27 (2006.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B29C 64/264 (2017.01); B24D 11/00 (2006.01)
CPC B29C 64/393 (2017.08) [B29C 64/112 (2017.08); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 50/02 (2014.12); G01B 11/272 (2013.01); B24D 11/003 (2013.01); B29C 64/264 (2017.08)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for an additive manufacturing system, comprising:
forming an alignment test pattern using a plurality of dispense heads fixedly coupled to a dispense head assembly, wherein the plurality of dispense heads comprise a first dispense head and one or more second dispense heads, and wherein the alignment test pattern comprises:
a plurality of spaced-apart droplets arranged in a grid pattern on a test substrate, the grid pattern comprising a plurality of first rows, a plurality of second rows, and one or more columns corresponding to each of the one or more second dispense heads, wherein
each of the one or more columns comprises first droplets dispensed from the first dispense head and second droplets dispensed from a corresponding one of the one or more second dispense heads; and
comparing, within each of the one or more columns, a placement of the second droplets to a placement of the first droplets to determine respective offset distances therebetween; and
generating, using the offset distances determined within each of the one or more columns, one or more timing offsets to be used for corresponding ones of each of the one or more second dispense heads.