Welcome back to N2 Box Monitoring Solutions. In this blog, practical approaches to monitoring of N2 boxes and their adjoining systems are discussed.
Approach is Dependent on Available Space
The best way to avoid secondary contamination from a break in the isolated production box for a particle sample line is to install all particle monitoring system components inside of the N2 box. To be successful in this implementation, all components should be clean prior to installation to minimize introduction of contamination in the production environment.
Most of the large N2 production boxes have suitable space inside to allow this solution to be implemented in existing OLED production systems as an upgrade. For small N2 production boxes, there is not enough space to install particle monitoring system components inside, so particle monitoring is done outside the N2 environment. It is best if this solution is implemented at the time the N2 production box is designed and built to allow optimal installation and particle monitoring. No matter the design, the particles should be sampled close to the production parts to provide data that best represents the contamination to which the parts are exposed.
High Pressure N2 Delivery Lines
Monitoring particles in the N2 delivery lines will assure the N2 source is continuously clean. Particle Measuring Systems offers a patented High Pressure Gas Probe (HPGP-101-C) to continuously monitor particles in a compressed gas line for this application.
Full OLED N2 Box Particle Monitoring Solutions
Depending on critical level definitions and monitoring frequency considerations, a traditional manifold particle monitoring system can be used to monitor OLED manufacturing environments. Particle Measuring Systems offers the Lasair® Aerosol Particle Counter and AM II-16/32 Aerosol Manifold for sequential monitoring at multiple locations.
Final Thoughts
The OLED display production process is vulnerable to particle contamination, but also to low levels of O2 and H2O contamination. This adds a level of complexity to monitoring particle contamination in these production environments. Particle Measuring Systems has investigated these challenges and offers proven monitoring solutions for N2 environments in modern OLED flat panel display facilities.
