The present disclosure relates to systems and methods of additive manufacturing that reduce or eliminates defects in the bulk deposition material microstructure resulting from the additive manufacturing process. An additive manufacturing system comprises evaporating a deposition material to form an evaporated deposition material and ionizing the evaporated deposition material to form an ionized deposition material flux. After forming the ionized deposition material flux, the ionized deposition material flux is directed through an aperture, accelerated to a controlled kinetic energy level and deposited onto a surface of a substrate. The aperture mechanism may comprise a physical, electrical, or magnetic aperture mechanism. Evaporation of the deposition material may be performed with an evaporation mechanism comprised of resistive heating, inductive heating, thermal radiation, electron heating, and electrical arc source heating.

A deposition mask group includes a first deposition mask having two or more first through holes arranged along two different directions, a second deposition mask having two or more second through holes arranged along two different directions and a third deposition mask having two or more third through holes. The first through hole and the second through hole or the third through hole partly overlap when the first deposition mask, the second deposition mask and the third deposition mask are overlapped.

A method of forming microelectronic systems on a flexible substrate includes depositing a plurality of layers on one side of the flexible substrate. Each of the plurality of layers is deposited from one of a plurality of sources. A vertical projection of a perimeter of each one of the plurality of sources does not intersect the flexible substrate. The flexible substrate is in motion during the depositing the plurality of layers via a roll to roll feed and retrieval system.

A method of forming microelectronic systems on a flexible substrate includes depositing a plurality of layers on one side of the flexible substrate. Each of the plurality of layers is deposited from one of a plurality of sources. A vertical projection of a perimeter of each one of the plurality of sources does not intersect the flexible substrate. The flexible substrate is in motion during the depositing the plurality of layers via a roll to roll feed and retrieval system.

An optical device as described herein includes a host substrate fabricated from a dielectric material transparent in the Infrared range. Additionally, the optical device as discussed herein includes multiple elements disposed on the host substrate. The multiple elements are spaced apart from each other on the host substrate in accordance with a desired pattern. Each of the multiple elements disposed in the host substrate is fabricated from a second material having a refractive index of greater than 4.5. Such an optical device provides an improvement over conventional optical devices that operate in the Infrared range.

Various embodiments herein relate to electrochromic devices, methods of fabricating electrochromic devices, and apparatus for fabricating electrochromic devices. In a number of cases, the electrochromic device may be fabricated to include a particular counter electrode material. The counter electrode material may include a base anodically coloring material. The counter electrode material may further include one or more halogens. The counter electrode material may also include one or more additives.

The present disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing a film for a decoration element, the method including depositing two or more islands on one surface of a film; and forming a pattern portion by dry etching the film using the island as a mask.

A shadow mask for patterned vapor deposition of an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) material includes a ceramic membrane under tensile stress with a plurality of through-apertures forming an aperture array through which a vaporized deposition material can pass. A multilayer peripheral support is attached to a rear surface with a hollow portion beneath the aperture array. A compressively-stressed interlayer balances the tensile stress of the ceramic membrane. A shadow mask module with multiple shadow masks is also provided and includes a rigid carrier having plural windows with a shadow mask positioned in each window. To make the module, shadow mask blanks are affixed to each carrier window followed by etching of apertures and support layers. In this way extremely flat masks with precise aperture patterns are formed.

Provided are a method of manufacturing a mask that has a high precision configured to minimize a shadow effect, and a method of manufacturing a display device. The method of manufacturing a mask includes: tensioning a mask sheet; bonding the mask sheet that is tensioned to a mask frame; and forming an opening in the mask sheet by irradiating laser light on the mask sheet such that an inner wall of the opening has a slope with respect to a surface of the mask sheet.

A method for introducing a soft metal into a hard coating during a physical vapor deposition process. The method including steps of providing a substrate; depositing a bonding layer on the substrate; and depositing the hard coating on the bonding layer using vapor deposition wherein the soft metal forms islands in the hard coating.