Static Elimination in Vacuum

Static charge on organic electronic devices during fabrication causes damage that decreases production rates. While corona ionizers have long been used to control static charge in silicon device production and on polymer sheets and films, static charge on organic devices must be neutralized in inert gases, often at reduced pressures to prevent degradation from oxygen exposure. Static elimination characteristics of ac corona ionizers in N 2 -CF 3 I and N 2 -O 2 gases at reduced pressure have been explored. The neutralizing current amplitude and voltage ripple on objects during static elimination rapidly increase when decreasing the gas pressure. The best static elimination performance can be attained by choosing the gas pressure and the ionizer frequency properly.