EP2926367A1 - Method for forming thin film conductors on a substrate - Google Patents
Method for forming thin film conductors on a substrateInfo
- Publication number
- EP2926367A1 EP2926367A1 EP12889427.6A EP12889427A EP2926367A1 EP 2926367 A1 EP2926367 A1 EP 2926367A1 EP 12889427 A EP12889427 A EP 12889427A EP 2926367 A1 EP2926367 A1 EP 2926367A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- thin film
- substrate
- precursor material
- film precursor
- compressive stress
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 239000010409 thin film Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 145
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 72
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 44
- 239000004020 conductor Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 16
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 90
- 239000002243 precursor Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 53
- RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N Copper Chemical compound [Cu] RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 54
- 229910052802 copper Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 54
- 239000010949 copper Substances 0.000 claims description 54
- PXHVJJICTQNCMI-UHFFFAOYSA-N Nickel Chemical compound [Ni] PXHVJJICTQNCMI-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 22
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 11
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 claims description 11
- 229910052759 nickel Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 11
- BQCADISMDOOEFD-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silver Chemical compound [Ag] BQCADISMDOOEFD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 10
- 229910052709 silver Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 9
- 239000004332 silver Substances 0.000 claims description 9
- 238000000151 deposition Methods 0.000 claims description 7
- 238000005096 rolling process Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 238000003490 calendering Methods 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000003638 chemical reducing agent Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 229920000642 polymer Polymers 0.000 claims description 4
- 229910017052 cobalt Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000010941 cobalt Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- GUTLYIVDDKVIGB-UHFFFAOYSA-N cobalt atom Chemical compound [Co] GUTLYIVDDKVIGB-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000001678 irradiating effect Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000007639 printing Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 150000003839 salts Chemical class 0.000 claims description 3
- 229910044991 metal oxide Inorganic materials 0.000 claims 1
- 150000004706 metal oxides Chemical class 0.000 claims 1
- 239000010408 film Substances 0.000 description 20
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 description 18
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 description 18
- 229910052724 xenon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 13
- FHNFHKCVQCLJFQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N xenon atom Chemical compound [Xe] FHNFHKCVQCLJFQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 13
- 230000003746 surface roughness Effects 0.000 description 11
- 238000000280 densification Methods 0.000 description 10
- 229920000139 polyethylene terephthalate Polymers 0.000 description 10
- 239000005020 polyethylene terephthalate Substances 0.000 description 10
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 8
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 5
- 230000007797 corrosion Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000005260 corrosion Methods 0.000 description 5
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 5
- 239000002904 solvent Substances 0.000 description 5
- 229910000831 Steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- -1 chorides Chemical class 0.000 description 4
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 4
- 239000011148 porous material Substances 0.000 description 4
- 239000010959 steel Substances 0.000 description 4
- QPLDLSVMHZLSFG-UHFFFAOYSA-N Copper oxide Chemical compound [Cu]=O QPLDLSVMHZLSFG-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 238000000576 coating method Methods 0.000 description 3
- XTVVROIMIGLXTD-UHFFFAOYSA-N copper(II) nitrate Chemical compound [Cu+2].[O-][N+]([O-])=O.[O-][N+]([O-])=O XTVVROIMIGLXTD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 230000007613 environmental effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 3
- 150000002736 metal compounds Chemical class 0.000 description 3
- 239000010453 quartz Substances 0.000 description 3
- 230000009467 reduction Effects 0.000 description 3
- VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N silicon dioxide Inorganic materials O=[Si]=O VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 230000001360 synchronised effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000012360 testing method Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000005751 Copper oxide Substances 0.000 description 2
- XEEYBQQBJWHFJM-UHFFFAOYSA-N Iron Chemical compound [Fe] XEEYBQQBJWHFJM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicon Chemical compound [Si] XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 229920002678 cellulose Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000001913 cellulose Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000005229 chemical vapour deposition Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000011248 coating agent Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229910000431 copper oxide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- ORTQZVOHEJQUHG-UHFFFAOYSA-L copper(II) chloride Chemical compound Cl[Cu]Cl ORTQZVOHEJQUHG-UHFFFAOYSA-L 0.000 description 2
- OPQARKPSCNTWTJ-UHFFFAOYSA-L copper(ii) acetate Chemical compound [Cu+2].CC([O-])=O.CC([O-])=O OPQARKPSCNTWTJ-UHFFFAOYSA-L 0.000 description 2
- 230000008021 deposition Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000000835 fiber Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000000643 oven drying Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 2
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N Carbon Chemical compound [C] OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910021592 Copper(II) chloride Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000004128 Copper(II) sulphate Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004698 Polyethylene Substances 0.000 description 1
- ATJFFYVFTNAWJD-UHFFFAOYSA-N Tin Chemical compound [Sn] ATJFFYVFTNAWJD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- RTAQQCXQSZGOHL-UHFFFAOYSA-N Titanium Chemical compound [Ti] RTAQQCXQSZGOHL-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000004775 Tyvek Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920000690 Tyvek Polymers 0.000 description 1
- HCHKCACWOHOZIP-UHFFFAOYSA-N Zinc Chemical compound [Zn] HCHKCACWOHOZIP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 150000001242 acetic acid derivatives Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 239000000443 aerosol Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N atomic oxygen Chemical compound [O] QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910052799 carbon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 230000015556 catabolic process Effects 0.000 description 1
- CETPSERCERDGAM-UHFFFAOYSA-N ceric oxide Chemical compound O=[Ce]=O CETPSERCERDGAM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910000422 cerium(IV) oxide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- ARUVKPQLZAKDPS-UHFFFAOYSA-L copper(II) sulfate Chemical compound [Cu+2].[O-][S+2]([O-])([O-])[O-] ARUVKPQLZAKDPS-UHFFFAOYSA-L 0.000 description 1
- 239000002537 cosmetic Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000006731 degradation reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000593 degrading effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000005489 elastic deformation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004924 electrostatic deposition Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004049 embossing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000011067 equilibration Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000011156 evaluation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001704 evaporation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008020 evaporation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001747 exhibiting effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005187 foaming Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005242 forging Methods 0.000 description 1
- PCHJSUWPFVWCPO-UHFFFAOYSA-N gold Chemical compound [Au] PCHJSUWPFVWCPO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910052737 gold Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010931 gold Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000006872 improvement Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229910052742 iron Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000010030 laminating Methods 0.000 description 1
- 150000002823 nitrates Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 125000002524 organometallic group Chemical group 0.000 description 1
- 229910052760 oxygen Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000001301 oxygen Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010422 painting Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000000623 plasma-assisted chemical vapour deposition Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229920000573 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920000307 polymer substrate Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 238000003825 pressing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000002310 reflectometry Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910052594 sapphire Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010980 sapphire Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000007650 screen-printing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005245 sintering Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000007764 slot die coating Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003595 spectral effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001228 spectrum Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004544 sputter deposition Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012430 stability testing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 150000003467 sulfuric acid derivatives Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 229910052718 tin Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000011135 tin Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000010936 titanium Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052719 titanium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000001771 vacuum deposition Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910052725 zinc Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000011701 zinc Substances 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01B—CABLES; CONDUCTORS; INSULATORS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR CONDUCTIVE, INSULATING OR DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES
- H01B1/00—Conductors or conductive bodies characterised by the conductive materials; Selection of materials as conductors
- H01B1/20—Conductive material dispersed in non-conductive organic material
- H01B1/22—Conductive material dispersed in non-conductive organic material the conductive material comprising metals or alloys
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K3/00—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits
- H05K3/10—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits in which conductive material is applied to the insulating support in such a manner as to form the desired conductive pattern
- H05K3/12—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits in which conductive material is applied to the insulating support in such a manner as to form the desired conductive pattern using thick film techniques, e.g. printing techniques to apply the conductive material or similar techniques for applying conductive paste or ink patterns
- H05K3/1283—After-treatment of the printed patterns, e.g. sintering or curing methods
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K1/00—Printed circuits
- H05K1/02—Details
- H05K1/03—Use of materials for the substrate
- H05K1/0386—Paper sheets
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K1/00—Printed circuits
- H05K1/02—Details
- H05K1/03—Use of materials for the substrate
- H05K1/0393—Flexible materials
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K1/00—Printed circuits
- H05K1/02—Details
- H05K1/09—Use of materials for the conductive, e.g. metallic pattern
- H05K1/092—Dispersed materials, e.g. conductive pastes or inks
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to printed circuits covered by H05K1/00
- H05K2201/01—Dielectrics
- H05K2201/0104—Properties and characteristics in general
- H05K2201/0116—Porous, e.g. foam
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K2203/00—Indexing scheme relating to apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits covered by H05K3/00
- H05K2203/01—Tools for processing; Objects used during processing
- H05K2203/0104—Tools for processing; Objects used during processing for patterning or coating
- H05K2203/0143—Using a roller; Specific shape thereof; Providing locally adhesive portions thereon
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K2203/00—Indexing scheme relating to apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits covered by H05K3/00
- H05K2203/02—Details related to mechanical or acoustic processing, e.g. drilling, punching, cutting, using ultrasound
- H05K2203/0278—Flat pressure, e.g. for connecting terminals with anisotropic conductive adhesive
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K2203/00—Indexing scheme relating to apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits covered by H05K3/00
- H05K2203/15—Position of the PCB during processing
- H05K2203/1545—Continuous processing, i.e. involving rolls moving a band-like or solid carrier along a continuous production path
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K3/00—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits
- H05K3/10—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits in which conductive material is applied to the insulating support in such a manner as to form the desired conductive pattern
- H05K3/102—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits in which conductive material is applied to the insulating support in such a manner as to form the desired conductive pattern by bonding of conductive powder, i.e. metallic powder
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K3/00—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits
- H05K3/10—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits in which conductive material is applied to the insulating support in such a manner as to form the desired conductive pattern
- H05K3/14—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits in which conductive material is applied to the insulating support in such a manner as to form the desired conductive pattern using spraying techniques to apply the conductive material, e.g. vapour evaporation
Definitions
- the present invention relates to thin films in general, and, in particular, to a method of forming thin film conductors on a substrate.
- Photonic curing is the high-temperature thermal processing of a thin film using light pulses from a flashlamp. Photonic curing allows thin films on low-temperature substrates to be processed in much shorter time periods (about 1 millisecond) than with an oven (which takes seconds to minutes).
- a thin film precursor material is initially deposited onto a porous substrate.
- the thin film precursor material is then irradiated with a light pulse in order to transform the thin film precursor material to a thin film such that the thin film is more electrically conductive than the thin film precursor material.
- compressive stress is applied to the thin film and the porous substrate to further increase the thin film's electrical conductivity.
- Figure 1 is a high-level process flow diagram of a method for forming thin film conductors on a substrate, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a diagram of a photonic curing apparatus, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
- Figure 3 is a graph showing the height profile of a copper film on a paper substrate before and after being compressed using the method depicted in Figure 1.
- the relatively short processing time enabled by photonic curing can cause problems.
- One of the artifacts of photonic curing is that the rapid heating of a thin film can generate gas within the thin film. If the gas generation is violent enough, the thin film will undergo a complete cohesive failure, i.e., it may explode. More commonly, the thin film develops a slight porosity. Often, the porosity is inconsequential, but it can, under certain conditions, cause the thin film to be more mechanically fragile than its denser counterparts. Furthermore, if the thin film has any electronic functionality, such as electrical conductivity, its sheet resistance will be higher as a result of the porosity. The increased porosity in the thin film can also exhibit increased surface roughness as well.
- a thin film precursor material is initially deposited onto a substrate, as shown in block 110.
- the material is then thermally processed with a photonic curing apparatus such that the thin film precursor material becomes a thin film material, as depicted in block 120.
- the electrical conductivity of the thin film material is higher than that of the thin film precursor material.
- compressive stress is applied to the thin film material located on the substrate to cause the thin film material to density such that its electrical conductivity of the thin film material can be further increased, as shown in block 130.
- the thin film precursor material can be in a particulate form.
- the thin film precursor material can also be dispersed in a liquid.
- the thin film precursor material can be deposited onto a substrate by one or combinations of printing methods such as screen printing, inkjet, aerosol jet, flexographic, gravure, laser, pad, dip pen, syringe, or coating methods such as airbrush, painting, roll coating, slot die coating, etc.
- the thin film precursor material can be deposited without a liquid including vacuum deposition techniques such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), PECVD, evaporation, sputtering, etc.
- vacuum deposition techniques such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), PECVD, evaporation, sputtering, etc.
- CVD chemical vapor deposition
- PECVD PECVD
- evaporation evaporation
- sputtering evaporation
- Other dry coating techniques in which the thin film precursor material can be deposited include electrostatic deposition, xerography, etc.
- the thin film precursor material is preferably contains a metal and/or a metal compound such as an oxide, salt, or organometallic.
- the thin film precursor material can be copper, nickel, cobalt, silver, carbon, aluminum, silicon, gold, tin, iron, zinc, titanium, etc.
- oxides include Cu 2 0, CuO, Co 3 0 4 , Co 2 0 3 , NiO, etc.
- salts include copper (II) nitrate, copper (II) chloride, copper (II) acetate, copper (II) sulphate, as well as nitrates, chorides, acetates, and sulphates of cobalt, nickel, silver, etc. If the thin film precursor material contains a metal compound, a reducing agent generally accompanies it as well.
- the substrate which may be porous, preferably has a maximum working temperature of less than 450°C.
- examples include polymers and cellulose.
- porous substrates include fiber based films that are calendered such as cellulose (e.g. , paper) or polyethylene (e.g., Tyvek ® manufactured by DuPont ® ).
- the porosity may be induced in the substrate by foaming the substrate material.
- thermal processing of the thin film precursor material evaporates the solvent. If the thin film precursor material is the particulate form of the final thin film, the photonic curing additionally sinters the thin film precursor material. If the thin film precursor material is composed of multiple species designed to chemically react with each other (such as a metal compound and a reducing agent), then the thermal processing additionally reacts the precursor thin film material to form the final thin film which is generally a metal.
- a photonic curing apparatus 200 includes a conveyor system 210, a strobe head 220, a relay rack 230, and a reel-to-reel feeding system 240.
- Photonic curing apparatus 200 is capable of irradiating a thin film precursor material 202 deposited on a substrate 203 situated on a web being conveyed past strobe head 220 at a relatively high speed.
- Strobe head 220 includes a high-intensity xenon flashlamp 221 for curing thin film precursor material 202 located on substrate 203.
- Xenon flashlamp 221 can provide pulses of different intensity, pulse length, and pulse repetition frequency.
- xenon flashlamp 221 can provide 10 /- s to 10 ms pulses with a 3" by 6" wide footprint at a pulse repetition rate of up to 1 kHz.
- the spectral content of the emissions from xenon flashlamp 221 ranges from 200 nm to 2,500 nm. The spectrum can be adjusted by replacing the quartz lamp with a ceria doped quartz lamp to remove most of the emission below 350 nm.
- the quartz lamp can also be replaced with a sapphire lamp to extend the emission from approximately 140 nm to approximately 4,500 nm.
- Xenon flashlamp 221 can also be a water wall flash lamp that is sometimes referred to as a Directed Plasma Arc (DP A) lamp.
- DP A Directed Plasma Arc
- Relay rack 230 includes an adjustable power supply, a conveyance control module, and a strobe control module.
- the adjustable power supply can produce pulses with energy of up to 4 kJ per pulse.
- Adjustable power supply is connected to xenon flashlamp 221, and the intensity of the emission from xenon flashlamp 221 can be varied by controlling the amount of current passing through xenon flashlamp 221.
- the adjustable power supply controls the emission intensity of xenon flashlamp 221.
- the power, pulse duration, and pulse repetition frequency of the emission from xenon flashlamp 221 are electronically adjusted in real time and synchronized to the web speed to allow optimum curing of thin film precursor material 202 without damaging substrate 203, depending on the optical, thermal, and geometric properties of thin film precursor material 202 and substrate 203.
- the time duration of irradiation of each light pulse is less than the time to thermal equilibration time of the stack comprising thin film precursor material 202 on substrate 203.
- Conveyor system 210 moves thin film precursor material 202 under strobe head 220 where thin film precursor material 202 is cured by rapid light pulses from xenon flashlamp 221.
- the power, duration, and repetition rate of the emissions from xenon flashlamp 221 are controlled by the strobe control module, and the speed at which substrate 203 is being moved past strobe head 220 is determined by the conveyor control module.
- thin film precursor material 202 When xenon flashlamp 221 is emitting light pulses, thin film precursor material 202 is momentarily heated to provide the energy for curing thin film precursor material 202.
- a rapid pulse train is synchronized to moving substrate 203, a uniform cure can be attained over an arbitrarily large area as each section of thin film precursor material 202 may be exposed to multiple light pulses, which approximates a continuous curing system such as an oven.
- thin film precursor material 202 located on substrate 203 has been photonically cured with flashlamp 221 to form a thin film material 202'
- compressive stress is applied to thin film material 202' and substrate 203 in order to densify thin film material 202 and substrate 203.
- Thin film material 202' on substrate 203 can be compressed by one or combinations of existing technologies such as stamping, forging, rolling, calendering, pressing, embossing, laminating, etc.
- Rolling is preferably used in a reel-to-reel manufacturing setting by a set of pinch rollers 260.
- Pinch rollers 260 are loaded, in compression, such that the peak pressure applied to thin film material 202' and substrate 203 exceeds 25% of the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the bulk thin film material after photonic curing at standard conditions.
- UTS ultimate tensile strength
- the preferred compression pressure range is between 7,500 and 30,000 psi (i.e., 25% to 100% of its ultimate tensile strength at standard conditions).
- substrate 203 is porous, it is compressible and responds to compression by reducing in thickness while keeping the same width, such as a fiber based substrate like paper. This single dimensional change ensures that thin film material 202' is not damaged by lateral deformation of substrate 203.
- the peak pressure capable of being applied by pinch rollers 260 to polymer substrates that are non-porous, such as PET, may be limited because PET is a low-temperature polymer that tends to be relatively soft. PET will deform laterally at a lower pressure threshold than other substrates, which can cause damage to thin film material 202' and substrate 203.
- Heating pinch rollers 260 to a temperature between standard temperature and the maximum working temperature of substrate 203 can decrease the required pressure to achieve a similar result with standard temperature pinch rollers 260 due to the softening of thin film material 202' during compression.
- Compressive stress applied to thin film material 202' deposited on substrate 203 can increase the density of thin film material 202'.
- a particle or solution-based deposited material has a density lower than the bulk precursor material due to a residual pore structure within the deposited layer. Additionally, the photonic curing process may introduce additional porosity in thin film material 202'.
- the volume of pore space relative to layer volume (volume fraction) will vary depending on material, process, and particle size. Reducing the pore space volume fraction densities the material improving its performance in terms of increased electrical conductivity if it is conductive, improved mechanical stability and hardness, alters the surface properties like reducing surface roughness and improving solder-ability, and improved chemical resistance if the material is prone to corrosion by reducing the surface area to volume ratio. Compressing thin film material 202' increases it density, which brings deposited thin film material 202' closer to the properties of the bulk thin film material.
- Example 1 Compressive stress applied to thin films of mesoporous copper on paper substrates
- a screen printable version of a copper oxide reduction ink (part no. ICI-021 available from NovaCentrix in Austin, Texas) was printed on Wausau 110 lb exact index paper with a 230 mesh flat screen. The print was then dried in a 140°C oven for 5 minutes to remove excess solvents. Initially, the ink had a sheet resistance that was ⁇ 1 ⁇ /D . That is, the resistance as measured by an ordinary multimeter was an open circuit. The ink was converted to a conductive mesoporous copper thin film using a photonic curing apparatus (such as PulseForge ® 3300 X2 photonic curing system manufactured by NovaCentrix in Austin, Texas).
- a photonic curing apparatus such as PulseForge ® 3300 X2 photonic curing system manufactured by NovaCentrix in Austin, Texas.
- the settings on the machine used for curing were 430 V, 1,600 ms, overlap factor of 5, and at a web speed of 16 feet per minute.
- the sheet resistance after photonic curing was 17.2 mQ/ ⁇ .
- the mesoporous copper thin film underwent densification via the following process: A pair of steel rollers (1.7" diameter x 3.0" length) applied a compressive force of 2,875 lbf to the foamed copper thin film on paper as it was drawn through the rollers.
- the cross sectional area of compression was 0.074 in 2 , yielding an average 38,850 psi applied to the printed conductors.
- Densification, via compression, of the mesoporous copper reduced the sheet resistance to 9.3 ⁇ /D .
- Both the total height and the surface roughness are reduced indicating increased density and reduced surface roughness of the copper film.
- the surface roughness was reduced from 25 micron to 5 microns.
- the entire thin film stack was reduced in thickness by about 50 microns.
- As-converted mesoporous copper measured about 30 ⁇ /D in sheet resistance.
- Mesoporous copper film compressed at 8,300 psi (27%o UTS of pure copper) measured 22 mQ/D in sheet resistance. At a pressure of 12,000 psi (40%o UTS of pure copper) the sheet resistance reached a minimum value of 20 ⁇ /D (saturation point).
- the converted mesoporous copper After photonic curing, the converted mesoporous copper has a high surface area to volume ratio contributing to its poor native corrosion resistance. Compressing the mesoporous copper greatly reduces the surface area to volume ratio of the copper and improves the material's corrosion resistance.
- Environmental testing was performed on bare as-converted and compressed copper films on paper substrate. Compressed copper demonstrates a significantly improved corrosion resistance when tested in an environment at 85°C/100% relative humidity for 24 hours. Uncoated mesoporous copper on paper does not survive such an environmental test, but compressed copper survives un-coated and without a detectable change in conductivity. Uncoated compressed copper films passed an industry standard (1,000 hours at 85°C/85% relative humidity) with only an increase in resistivity by 20%. Additional cost benefits pertaining to production become apparent as required volumes of materials for encapsulating the compressed copper films are decreased relative to as-converted copper.
- Example 2 Compressive stress applied to porous thin films of nickel on paper substrates
- a screen printable version of a nickel flake ink (part no. 79-89-16 available from NovaCentrix in Austin, Texas) was printed on Wausau 110 lb exact index paper with a 230 mesh flat screen. The prints were dried in a 150°C oven for 5 minutes to remove excess solvents. After oven drying the sheet resistance measured 77 ⁇ /D .
- the dried ink was photonically cured to form a highly conductive porous nickel thin film using a photonic curing apparatus (such as PulseForge ® 3300 X2 photonic curing system manufactured by NovaCentrix in Austin, Texas).
- a photonic curing apparatus such as PulseForge ® 3300 X2 photonic curing system manufactured by NovaCentrix in Austin, Texas.
- the settings on the photonic curing apparatus used for curing were 540 V, 1,100 ms, overlap factor of 4, at a web speed of 14 feet per minute.
- Photonic curing reduced the sheet resistance of the nickel film on the paper substrate to 550 mQ/D .
- the porous nickel thin film underwent densification via the following process: A pair of steel rollers (1.7" diameter x 3.0" length) applied a compressive force of 2,464 lbf to the porous nickel thin films on paper as they were drawn through the rollers. The cross-sectional area of compression was 0.074 in 2 , yielding an average 33,300 psi applied to the printed conductors. Densification, via compression, of the porous nickel reduced the sheet resistance to 60 mQ/D . Compressing the porous nickel decreased its resistivity by 89%.
- Example 3 Compressive stress applied to thin films of silver on paper substrates
- a screen printable version of a silver flake ink (part no. HPS-030LV available from NovaCentrix in Austin, Texas) was printed on Wausau 110 lb exact index paper with a 230 mesh flat screen. The print was dried in a 170°C oven for 5 minutes to remove excess solvents and cause sintering of the silver flakes. After oven drying the sheet resistance measured 16.9 mQ/D .
- the 5 micron thick silver trace on paper substrate underwent densification via the following process: A pair of steel rollers (1.7" diameter x 3.0" length) applied a compressive force of 1,848 lbf to the silver thin films on paper as they were drawn through the rollers. The cross sectional area of compression was 0.074 in 2 , yielding an average 24,970 psi applied to the printed conductors. Densification, via compression, of the silver reduced the sheet resistance to 14.2 ⁇ /D . Compressing the silver film decreased the resistivity by 16%.
- Example 4 Compressive stress applied to thin films of mesoporous copper on PET substrates
- a screen printable version of a copper oxide reduction ink (part no. ICI-021 available from NovaCentrix in Austin, Texas) was printed on ST505 polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film with a 230 mesh flat screen. The print was then dried in a 140°C oven for 5 minutes to remove excess solvents. Initially, the ink had a sheet resistance that was -lGQ/rj . That is, the resistance as measured by an ordinary multimeter was an open circuit. The ink was converted to a conductive mesoporous copper thin film using a photonic curing apparatus (PulseForge ® 3300 X2 photonic curing system manufactured by NovaCentrix in Austin, Texas).
- a photonic curing apparatus PulseForge ® 3300 X2 photonic curing system manufactured by NovaCentrix in Austin, Texas.
- the settings on the machine used for curing were 360 V, 2,500 ms, overlap factor of 1, and at a web speed of 16 feet per minute.
- the sheet resistance after photonic curing was 46 mQ/D .
- the mesoporous copper thin film underwent densification via the following process: A pair of steel rollers (1.7" diameter x 3.0" length) applied a compressive force of 1,027 lbf to the foamed copper thin film on paper as it was drawn through the rollers.
- the cross sectional area of compression was 0.074 in 2 , yielding an average 13,873 psi applied to the printed conductors. Densification, via compression, of the mesoporous copper reduced the average sheet resistance to 34 mQ/D .
- the present invention provides a method for forming thin film conductors on a substrate. While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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Abstract
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PCT/US2012/067607 WO2014088546A1 (en) | 2012-12-03 | 2012-12-03 | Method for forming thin film conductors on a substrate |
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JP (1) | JP6202763B2 (en) |
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JP6313474B2 (en) * | 2015-01-06 | 2018-04-18 | 株式会社フジクラ | Conductor layer manufacturing method and wiring board |
JP2016171051A (en) * | 2015-03-16 | 2016-09-23 | Dowaエレクトロニクス株式会社 | Conductive film and manufacturing method thereof |
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US5311027A (en) * | 1993-02-26 | 1994-05-10 | Raychem Corporation | Apparatus and method for uniformly irradiating a strand |
US6257133B1 (en) * | 1999-03-15 | 2001-07-10 | International Paper | Method and apparatus for controlling cross directional nip dynamics |
JP2001064547A (en) * | 1999-09-01 | 2001-03-13 | Toyo Ink Mfg Co Ltd | Active energy ray-curable electroconductive paste, and conductor circuit and non-contact id using the same |
US20040185388A1 (en) * | 2003-01-29 | 2004-09-23 | Hiroyuki Hirai | Printed circuit board, method for producing same, and ink therefor |
JP4858057B2 (en) * | 2006-09-29 | 2012-01-18 | 大日本印刷株式会社 | Method for manufacturing conductive substrate |
US10231344B2 (en) * | 2007-05-18 | 2019-03-12 | Applied Nanotech Holdings, Inc. | Metallic ink |
DE102007051930A1 (en) * | 2007-10-29 | 2009-04-30 | Leonhard Kurz Gmbh & Co. Kg | Method for producing a printed conductor structure |
US9564629B2 (en) * | 2008-01-02 | 2017-02-07 | Nanotek Instruments, Inc. | Hybrid nano-filament anode compositions for lithium ion batteries |
US7960027B2 (en) * | 2008-01-28 | 2011-06-14 | Honeywell International Inc. | Transparent conductors and methods for fabricating transparent conductors |
JP5339089B2 (en) * | 2008-02-13 | 2013-11-13 | 住友金属鉱山株式会社 | Flexible transparent conductive film, flexible functional element, and production method thereof |
US20100231672A1 (en) * | 2009-03-12 | 2010-09-16 | Margaret Joyce | Method of improving the electrical conductivity of a conductive ink trace pattern and system therefor |
KR20120018329A (en) * | 2009-04-21 | 2012-03-02 | 몰렉스 인코포레이티드 | Three dimensional antenna |
US8328987B2 (en) * | 2009-09-01 | 2012-12-11 | Armstrong World Industries, Inc. | Process of making a wet formed cellulosic product and a wet formed cellulosic product |
JP5452443B2 (en) * | 2009-10-27 | 2014-03-26 | パナソニック株式会社 | Conductive pattern forming substrate |
US8907258B2 (en) * | 2010-04-08 | 2014-12-09 | Ncc Nano, Llc | Apparatus for providing transient thermal profile processing on a moving substrate |
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- 2012-12-03 CA CA2893584A patent/CA2893584C/en active Active
- 2012-12-03 WO PCT/US2012/067607 patent/WO2014088546A1/en active Application Filing
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EP2926367A4 (en) | 2016-07-27 |
JP2016501431A (en) | 2016-01-18 |
CA2893584A1 (en) | 2014-06-12 |
WO2014088546A1 (en) | 2014-06-12 |
CA2893584C (en) | 2019-05-21 |
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