JP2012164807A - Method of manufacturing conductive pattern formation substrate, and conductive pattern formation substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of manufacturing a conductive pattern formation substrate and the conductive pattern formation substrate, in which manufacture is easy without spending time for formation of a wiring region, a high quality transparent conductive film having a hardly visible conductive pattern can be formed in a display region, and electrical reliability is improved by fully securing insulating properties of an insulating part of the transparent conductive film.SOLUTION: The method of manufacturing the conductive pattern formation substrate includes: a step of forming a base film a having mesh-like members disposed in a transparent base material in the display region 13 and the wiring region 15 on an insulating substrate 11; a step of forming a mask means in a part corresponding to the display region 13 on the base film a and removing the part corresponding to the wiring region 15 out of the base film a by etching; a step in which cavities are formed by irradiating the part corresponding to the display region 13 out of the base film a with laser beam L to make a transparent conductive film 12; and a step of forming a wiring line 14 electrically connected to a conductive part C of the transparent conductive film 12 on the insulating substrate 11 of the wiring region 15.

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a conductive pattern forming substrate provided on the front surface of an image display device, such as a touch panel and an electromagnetic wave shield for a plasma display, and a conductive pattern forming substrate.

In the touch panel, an input device having a conductive pattern forming substrate in which a transparent conductive film is formed on the surface of a transparent insulating substrate is installed as an electrode sheet on the front surface of an image display device such as a liquid crystal display.
This type of conductive pattern formation substrate includes an image display region (display region) where a transparent conductive film is formed and a low resistance wiring pattern formation region (wiring region) where a wiring line is formed on an insulating substrate. ing. The image display area is visible to the operator of the touch panel, and the low resistance wiring pattern formation area is covered with a decorative panel (frame) or the like and is not visible to the operator.

As a material constituting the transparent conductive film of the conductive pattern forming substrate, tin-doped indium oxide (ITO), π-conjugated conductive polymer (organic conductor) represented by polyethylenedioxythiophene-polystyrenesulfonic acid, or Known are those obtained by dispersing and curing conductive metal nanowires (metal ultrafine fibers) in an insulating resin binder (transparent substrate).
The transparent conductive film is provided with a plurality of conductive conductive parts formed in a wide range and an insulating insulating part formed so as to partition the conductive parts.

  In order to manufacture a conductive pattern forming substrate, first, a conductive base film is formed in the display region and the wiring region on an insulating substrate. Next, the base film is subjected to a photolithography process (resist film formation, etching process, resist film removal), and a portion of the base film corresponding to the insulating portion of the display region and the wiring region are formed. Remove. Next, a wiring line of Ag, Cu, or the like is formed by printing or vapor deposition on the wiring region on the insulating substrate and a part (end portion) of the conductive portion of the display region (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 below). See).

JP 2008-83497 A JP 2010-20315 A

However, the conventional conductive pattern forming substrate has the following problems.
That is, when a portion of the base film corresponding to the insulating portion of the transparent conductive film is removed by a photolithography process, the conductive pattern of the transparent conductive film is changed due to a difference in refractive index between the insulating portion and the conductive portion. It was visually recognized and was not preferable in appearance.

On the other hand, by using a base film in which metal microfibers are dispersed in a transparent substrate and irradiating the base film with laser light, the parts corresponding to the insulating portions of the transparent conductive film and the metal microfibers in the wiring region Can be considered (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-44968) in which the conductive pattern of the transparent conductive film is made relatively inconspicuous by cutting (breaking) the wire. Since only the surface portion (exposed portion) of the fine metal wire (metal ultrafine fiber) fixed by the transparent substrate is removed by laser, insulation is difficult unless the thickness of the binder layer is precisely controlled, and laser In order to remove the fine metal wire by irradiation, there has been a problem that the irradiated region looks more transparent than the non-irradiated region.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-140859 discloses a technique in which conductive nanofibers are insulated by performing laser irradiation on a conductive film in which a binder is entangled in a three-dimensional shape in a binder. Since it is necessary to irradiate a large amount of energy to reliably insulate the intertwined conductive path, the irradiation conditions should be such that the appearance of the irradiated and non-irradiated parts does not change without removing or altering the binder layer. It is difficult to find.
Further, the size of the focused spot of the laser irradiation is several tens of μm, and insulating the conductive region in a planar shape (irradiating the base film with laser light to insulate the wiring region) is a laser. Processing takes time and workability deteriorates.
Further, in the conventional laser processing, since the metal ultrafine fibers that remain in the insulating portion remain, it cannot be said that sufficient insulation is ensured.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a high-quality transparent conductive film that is easy to manufacture without requiring trouble in forming a wiring region and in which a conductive pattern is difficult to be visually recognized in the display region. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a conductive pattern formation substrate and a conductive pattern formation substrate that can be formed, and that insulation of the insulating portion of the transparent conductive film is sufficiently ensured to improve electrical reliability.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention proposes the following means.
That is, the present invention is a method of manufacturing a conductive pattern forming substrate comprising a display region on which a transparent conductive film is formed and a wiring region in which wiring lines are formed on an insulating substrate, wherein the transparent conductive film Insulation in which a conductive portion in which a mesh member made of a conductive metal is disposed in an insulating transparent substrate and a void formed by removing the mesh member in the transparent substrate is disposed A base film in which the mesh member is disposed in the transparent substrate in the display area and the wiring area on the insulating substrate, and the display on the base film Forming a mask means at a portion corresponding to the region and removing the portion of the base film corresponding to the wiring region by etching; and irradiating the portion of the base film corresponding to the display region with laser light You Forming the gap to form the transparent conductive film; and forming the wiring line electrically connected to the conductive portion of the transparent conductive film on the insulating substrate in the wiring region; , Provided.

  Moreover, the manufacturing method of the conductive pattern formation board | substrate which concerns on this invention WHEREIN: It is good also as providing the process of forming an insulating film at least on the said transparent conductive film.

  Moreover, in the manufacturing method of the conductive pattern formation board | substrate which concerns on this invention, it is good also as using a resist film as said mask means.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a conductive pattern forming substrate comprising a display region on which a transparent conductive film is formed and a wiring region in which a wiring line is formed on an insulating substrate, wherein the transparent conductive film includes an insulating region. A conductive portion in which a mesh member made of a conductive metal is disposed in a transparent substrate having a property, an insulating portion in which a void formed by removing the mesh member in the transparent substrate is disposed, The wiring line is formed by printing or vapor-depositing a conductive metal material on the insulating substrate, and is electrically connected to a conductive portion of the transparent conductive film. To do.

  In the conductive pattern forming substrate according to the present invention, an insulating film may be formed on at least the transparent conductive film.

  According to the method for manufacturing a conductive pattern forming substrate and the conductive pattern forming substrate according to the present invention, it is easy to manufacture without forming a wiring region, and the high-quality transparent layer in which the conductive pattern is hardly visible in the display region. A conductive film can be formed, insulation of the insulating portion of the transparent conductive film is sufficiently ensured, and electrical reliability is improved.

It is a top view which shows the conductive pattern formation board | substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged photograph explaining the state of the electroconductive part of the transparent conductive film of the conductive pattern formation board | substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention, and the base film before laser processing. It is an enlarged photograph explaining the insulation part of the transparent conductive film of the conductive pattern formation board | substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view explaining the manufacturing method of the conductive pattern formation board | substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view explaining the manufacturing method of the conductive pattern formation board | substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view explaining an example of the manufacturing apparatus used for manufacture of the conductive pattern formation board concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention, and a laser beam irradiation method. It is a sectional side view explaining the manufacturing method of the conductive pattern formation board | substrate which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view explaining the manufacturing method of the conductive pattern formation board | substrate which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view explaining the manufacturing method of the conductive pattern formation board | substrate which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view which shows the state which formed the protective film on the transparent conductive film of the conductive pattern formation board | substrate which concerns on this invention.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, the manufacturing method of the conductive pattern formation board | substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention, and the conductive pattern formation board | substrate 10 produced by this are demonstrated with reference to FIGS.
The conductive pattern forming substrate 10 of the present embodiment is applied to a product in which a wiring pattern is formed in a transparent portion, such as a transparent input device such as a transparent antenna, a transparent electromagnetic wave shield, a capacitance type or a membrane type transparent touch panel. can do. The conductive pattern forming substrate 10 is necessary for a capacitance sensor provided on the surface of a three-dimensional molded product or a three-dimensional decorative molded product, such as a capacitance input device attached to a steering wheel of an automobile. It can be used for the purpose of forming an electrode.
In the present embodiment, “transparent” refers to a material having a light transmittance of 50% or more. The conductive pattern forming substrate 10 is transparent.

  When the conductive pattern forming substrate 10 of this embodiment is used for, for example, a touch panel (input device), the touch panel includes a pair of input members provided so that the conductive pattern forming substrate 10 is stacked in the thickness direction, and the conductive pattern forming substrate. And a detecting means such as an interface circuit that is electrically connected to a conductive portion C and a wiring line 14 of a transparent conductive film 12 (to be described later) and detects an input signal.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a conductive pattern forming substrate 10 has an image display region (display region) 13 in which a transparent conductive film 12 is formed and a low resistance in which wiring lines 14 are formed on a transparent insulating substrate 11. A wiring pattern forming region (wiring region) 15. The image display area 13 is visible to the operator of the touch panel, and the low-resistance wiring pattern formation area 15 is covered with a decorative panel (frame) or the like and is not visible to the operator.

  As the insulating substrate 11, it is preferable to use an insulating substrate having an insulating property, capable of forming the transparent conductive film 12 on the surface, and hardly changing appearance under predetermined irradiation conditions with respect to laser processing described later. Specific examples include insulating materials such as glass, polycarbonate, polyester typified by polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and acrylonitrile / butadiene / styrene copolymer resin (ABS resin). As the shape of the insulating substrate 11, a plate-like material, a flexible film-like material, a three-dimensional (three-dimensional) molded product, or the like can be used depending on applications.

  When this conductive pattern forming substrate 10 is used for a transparent touch panel, a glass plate, a PET film, or the like is used for the insulating substrate 11. In addition, when the conductive pattern forming substrate 10 is used as an electrode necessary for a capacitance sensor or the like such as a capacitance input device attached to a handle of an automobile or the like, the insulating substrate 11 is a molded product made of ABS resin or the like. Alternatively, a decorative molded product provided with a decorative layer by laminating or transferring the film is used.

  For example, in the case where the present invention is used as a transparent touch panel such as a membrane input in which the two upper and lower electrode films (transparent conductive film) 12 are brought into contact with each other by pressing, the input substrate side insulating substrate 11 is provided from the input user side. It is preferable to use a material that is flexible with respect to an external force (for example, a transparent resin film). As the insulating substrate 11 on the image display device side opposite to the input user side, the conductive pattern forming substrate 10 is provided via a dot spacer. It is preferable to use a material having a predetermined or higher hardness that is easy to support (for example, equal to or higher than the insulating substrate 11 on the input side).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transparent conductive film 12 includes a net-like member 3 made of a conductive metal in a transparent base 2 having an insulating property. That is, the transparent conductive film 12 is formed in the transparent substrate 2 by holding the net-like member 3 which is an inorganic network member developed so as to extend along the surface direction perpendicular to the thickness direction. The transparent substrate 2 can be filled (impregnated) between the strands (fibers) of the mesh member 3 described later in a liquid state, for example, a curable resin having a property of being cured by heat, ultraviolet rays, electron beams, radiation, or the like. Consists of.

  The mesh member 3 is composed of a plurality of metal ultrafine fibers 4 dispersed in the transparent substrate 2 and electrically connected to each other. The net-like member 3 is formed by, for example, a process in which an ink (liquid) including the metal microfibers 4 is applied on the insulating substrate 11 and the metal microfibers 4 are dispersedly arranged on the insulating substrate 11. The transparent substrate 2 is formed by filling a liquid transparent substrate 2 (liquid member) between the metal ultrafine fibers 4 dispersedly arranged on the insulating substrate 11 and then curing, and the mesh member 3 is formed. Is fixedly arranged in the transparent conductive film 12.

  Specifically, these metal microfibers 4 extend irregularly in different directions along the surface direction of the surface of the insulating substrate 11 (surface on which the transparent conductive film 12 is formed), and at least one of them. They are arranged so densely that they overlap each other (contact each other), and are electrically connected (connected) to each other by such an arrangement.

  Thereby, the mesh member 3 constitutes a conductive two-dimensional network on the surface of the insulating substrate 11, and the region where the mesh member 3 is disposed in the transparent base 2 of the transparent conductive film 12 is a conductive portion. C. Further, most of the metal microfibers 4 of the mesh member 3 are disposed under the surface of the transparent conductive film 12 (surface facing away from the insulating substrate 11), but are embedded in the transparent substrate 2. A portion and a portion protruding from the surface of the transparent substrate 2.

  Specifically, examples of such metal microfibers 4 include metal nanowires and metal nanotubes made of copper, platinum, gold, silver, nickel, and the like. In the present embodiment, metal nanowires (silver nanowires) mainly composed of silver are used as the metal microfibers 4. The metal ultrafine fibers 4 are formed, for example, with a diameter of about 0.3 to 100 nm and a length of about 1 μm to 100 μm.

  In addition, as the net-like member 3, metal ultrafine fibers other than the above-described metal ultrafine fibers 4, that is, fibrous members such as silicon nanowires, silicon nanotubes, metal oxide nanotubes, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, graphite fibrils, and the metal covering members thereof May be used, and these may be dispersed and connected.

  Further, in the transparent base 2 of the transparent conductive film 12, at least a part of the mesh member 3 is removed to form the insulating portion I. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of voids 5 are formed in the transparent substrate 2 by removing the metal ultrafine fibers 4 of the mesh member 3, and the regions are arranged so that these voids 5 are densely packed. Is the insulating part I. Specifically, these voids 5 are formed by irradiating a region of the mesh member 3 where the metal microfibers 4 are disposed with a pulsed laser having a short pulse as laser light, and evaporating and removing the metal microfibers 4. ing. The short pulse means that the pulse width is set to 300 nsec or less, and preferably the pulse width is set to 70 nsec or less.

As this pulsed laser, for example, a YAG laser or a YVO ₄ laser can be used. When a YAG laser or a YVO ₄ laser is used, a widely used processing machine having a pulse width of about 5 to 300 nsec can be used.

  These voids 5 are in the form of elongated holes that are irregularly extended or scattered in different directions along the surface direction of the surface of the transparent substrate 2 (surface facing away from the insulating substrate 11). Alternatively, each has a hole shape (round hole shape), and has a portion opening on the surface. Specifically, the gap 5 is disposed so as to correspond to the position where the evaporated and removed metal microfibers 4 are disposed, and has a diameter (inner diameter) substantially equal to the diameter of the metal microfibers 4. In addition, the length is less than the length of the metal microfiber 4.

  More specifically, one metal microfiber 4 is completely evaporated / removed, or at least a part thereof is evaporated / removed so that the metal microfiber 4 is divided in the extending direction, A plurality of gaps 5 are formed at intervals. That is, a plurality of gaps 5 that are separated from each other are formed so as to extend or be scattered so as to form a linear shape as a whole, corresponding to a corresponding position of the metal microfiber 4. Incidentally, only one gap 5 may be formed so as to form a linear shape corresponding to the corresponding position of one metal fine fiber 4.

  By irradiating a two-dimensional network of ultrafine conductive fibers (network member 3) with a short pulse of laser light, it is possible to efficiently insulate by destroying a small number of portions of the network. Accordingly, it is possible to form the insulating portion I in which a plurality of gaps 5 that are separated from each other exist corresponding to the corresponding positions of the metal microfibers 4.

In the insulating portion I, by forming these voids 5, the metal microfibers 4 that are conductors are removed, and the mesh member 3 that is the conductive two-dimensional network is removed (disappeared). )
Thus, in the insulating part I, since the metal microfibers 4 are removed from the transparent substrate 2, the conductive part C and the insulating part I in the transparent base 2 (transparent conductive film 12) are chemically different from each other. The composition is different.

  Nevertheless, since the gap 5 corresponding to the metal microfiber 4 is present, the optical characteristics are not significantly changed as compared with the region not irradiated with the laser, so that the insulation and invisibility (invisibility) ) Two conditions can be satisfied.

  Next, the manufacturing method of the conductive pattern formation board | substrate 10 of this embodiment is demonstrated using FIGS. 4 and 5 show a manufacturing process in the XX cross section of FIG.

(Basic film formation process)
As shown in FIG. 4A, first, a base film a in which the mesh member 3 is disposed in the transparent substrate 2 is formed in the image display region 13 and the low-resistance wiring pattern formation region 15 on the insulating substrate 11. . The base film a is a conductive coating film having the same configuration as the conductive part C of the transparent conductive film 12 shown in FIG.

(Photolithography process)
Next, a part corresponding to the low resistance wiring pattern formation region 15 is removed from the base film a on the insulating substrate 11 using a process by photolithography.
Specifically, first, as shown in FIG. 4B, a resist film 50 as a mask means is formed in a portion corresponding to the image display region 13 on the base film a.
Next, as shown in FIG. 4C, after removing a portion of the base film a corresponding to the low resistance wiring pattern formation region 15 by etching, the resist film 50 is removed. As the etching, either wet etching or dry etching may be used.

(Transparent conductive film forming step)
Next, as shown in FIG. 5A, the gap 5 is formed and the insulating portion I is formed by irradiating a portion of the base film a corresponding to the image display region 13 with the laser light L. The transparent conductive film 12 includes the insulating portion I and a conductive portion C that is a portion other than the insulating portion I. In FIG. 1, the description of the insulating portion I in the XX cross section is omitted, but actually, the conductive portion C is divided (partitioned) into the rectangular conductive portion C in FIG. Thus, the insulating portion I is formed to extend, for example, in a linear shape, and thereby the adjacent conductive portions C are electrically insulated from each other.

Here, the manufacturing apparatus 40 that irradiates the laser beam L and the irradiation method of the laser beam L will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
In the present embodiment, a method of irradiating the base film a in the image display region 13 with a laser beam L, which is a short pulse laser beam, in a predetermined pattern is used.

As shown in FIG. 6, the manufacturing apparatus 40 used for manufacturing the conductive pattern forming substrate 10 of the present embodiment includes a laser light generating unit 41 that generates the laser light L and a condensing unit that condenses the laser light L. A condensing lens 42 such as a convex lens, and a stage 43 on which the insulating substrate 11 having the base film a formed on the upper surface is placed.
Then, the laser light L is irradiated from the laser light generating means 41 to the base film a through the condenser lens 42 to form the insulating portion I and the conductive pattern on the base film a.

  As the laser light generating means 41 in the manufacturing apparatus 40, one that generates laser light (visible light or infrared laser light) having a wavelength of less than 2 μm and a pulse width of less than 200 nsec is used. When the laser beam L having a pulse width of 1 to 200 nsec is used, it is easy to obtain the apparatus and reduce the equipment cost, which is preferable.

  The focal point F of the condenser lens 42 is set at a position away from the base film a. Specifically, the condenser lens 42 is disposed so that the focal point F of the laser light L is located between the base film a and the condenser lens 42. That is, in the manufacturing method of the conductive pattern forming substrate 10 of the present embodiment, the focal point F of the condenser lens 42 (laser light L) is disposed between the base film a to be processed and the condenser lens 42.

  The condensing lens 42 preferably has a low numerical aperture (NA <0.1). That is, by setting the numerical aperture of the condenser lens 42 to NA <0.1, it becomes easy to set the irradiation condition of the laser light L. In particular, the focal point F of the laser light L is between the base film a and the condenser lens 42. It is possible to prevent energy loss and diffusion of the laser light L due to the air plasma at the focal point F due to being positioned in between.

  Further, the base film a is formed by filling (impregnating) the transparent base 2 made of resin between the fibers (elementary wires) of the net-like member 3 made of, for example, the metal ultrafine fibers 4 and is made of an insulating material made of a transparent resin film. When provided on the substrate 11, the metal ultrafine fibers 4 embedded in the transparent substrate 2 of the base film a can be reliably removed by being ejected from the surface of the transparent substrate 2 by the above setting. Accordingly, the gap 5 is surely formed corresponding to the desired shape of the insulating portion I. For example, a pattern that cannot be insulated unless it is set to a large R, such as a corner portion of a linear pattern. However, the insulation process can be reliably and easily realized with a small R setting (or without providing R).

The stage 43 is configured to be movable two-dimensionally in the horizontal direction. The stage 43 is preferably composed of a member having at least a transparent upper surface or a member having light absorption.
When the insulating substrate 11 is transparent and the output of the laser beam L exceeds 1 W, the stage 43 is preferably made of a nylon-based or fluorine-based resin material or a silicone rubber-based polymer material.

A method of irradiating the base film a with the laser beam L using the manufacturing apparatus 40 having such a configuration is as follows.
First, the insulating substrate 11 is placed on the upper surface of the stage 43 so that the base film a is disposed above the insulating substrate 11. Here, it is preferable to use the insulating substrate 11 and the transparent base 2 of the base film a made of the same material or the same resin material. Specifically, for example, when the insulating substrate 11 is a polyethylene terephthalate film, it is preferable to use a polyester resin for the transparent substrate 2.

  Next, the laser beam L is emitted from the laser beam generator 41, and the laser beam L is collected by the condenser lens 42. The base film a is irradiated with a portion of the condensed laser light L where the spot diameter has passed through the focal point F. At that time, the stage 43 is moved so that the irradiation of the laser beam L has a predetermined pattern.

The energy density and the irradiation energy per unit area of the laser beam L irradiating the base film a vary depending on the pulse width of the laser.
For example, in a laser having a pulse width of 1 to 100 ns (YAG laser or YVO ₄ laser), the pulse energy density is 1 × 10 ¹¹ to 1 × 10 ¹³ W / m ² , and the irradiation energy per unit area is 1 × 10 ⁴ to. 1 × 10 ⁶ J / m ² is preferred. More preferably ^{1 × 10 5 ~3 × 10 5} J / m 2.
When the energy density / irradiation energy is set to a value smaller than the above numerical range, the insulation of the insulating portion I may be insufficient. Moreover, when it is set to a value larger than the above numerical range, processing traces become conspicuous, which may be inappropriate for applications such as a transparent touch panel and a transparent electromagnetic wave shield.

These values are defined by dividing the output value of the laser beam in the processing area by the condensing spot area of the processing area. For convenience, the output is converted into the output value from the laser oscillator by the optical system. It is obtained by multiplying by the loss factor.
The spot diameter area S is defined by the following formula.
S = S ₀ × D / FL
S ₀ : Laser beam area focused by the lens FL: Lens focal length D: Distance between the surface (upper surface) of the base film a and the focal point

  The above-described focal point F has been described by taking as an example a case where the light converging means 42 such as a lens has sufficiently small aberration. However, for example, a spherical lens having a short focal length or an element that increases aberration such as protective glass. When present, the focal point F is defined as the position where the energy density of the focal point is the highest.

  Here, the distance D is set within a range of 0.2% to 3% of the focal length FL. Preferably, the distance D is set within a range of 0.5% to 2% of the focal length FL. More preferably, the distance D is set within a range of 0.7% to 1.5% of the focal length FL. By setting the distance D within the above numerical range, it is possible to reliably remove the metal microfibers 4 (formation of the gap 5) in the insulating portion I and to form an insulating pattern (conductive pattern) having high electrical reliability. In addition, it is possible to reliably prevent processing traces resulting from damage to the insulating substrate 11.

  Moreover, in the point which forms a highly accurate conductive pattern, it overlaps with adjacent spot positions by irradiating the pulsed laser beam L several times intermittently, moving the spot position on the base film a. It is preferable to form a part. Specifically, it is preferable to irradiate intermittently 3 to 500 times, and more preferably 20 to 200 times. If the irradiation is performed three times or more, the insulation can be more reliably performed. If the irradiation is performed 500 times or less, the transparent substrate 2 irradiated with the laser light L can be prevented from being removed by dissolution or evaporation.

  In this way, by irradiating the base film a with the laser light L, the insulating part I is formed by removing at least a part of the mesh member 3 in the transparent base 2, and the insulating part I and the transparent base 2 are formed. A conductive pattern including a conductive portion C in which the mesh member 3 is disposed. That is, the base film a is patterned to form the transparent conductive film 12 having a conductive pattern composed of the conductive part C and the insulating part I.

  In the above description, the insulating substrate 11 having the base film a is placed on the movable stage 43 such as an XY stage for patterning. However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, for example, a method in which the insulating substrate 11 having the base film a is fixed and the focusing system member is relatively moved, a method in which the laser light L is scanned and scanned using a galvano mirror, or the like described above Patterning can be performed by combining them.

  Among the base film a, examples of the inorganic conductor constituting the mesh member 3 include metal nanowires such as silver, gold, and nickel. Moreover, as an insulator which comprises the transparent base | substrate 2 among the base films a, as a transparent thermoplastic resin (polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, polymethyl methacrylate, nitrocellulose, chlorinated polyethylene, chlorine And a transparent curable resin (silicone resin such as melamine acrylate, urethane acrylate, epoxy resin, polyimide resin, and acrylic-modified silicate) that can be cured by heat, ultraviolet rays, electron beams, or radiation.

(Wiring line formation process)
After the transparent conductive film 12 is formed in the image display region 13, as shown in FIG. 5B, the conductive portion C of the transparent conductive film 12 is electrically connected to the insulating substrate 11 in the low resistance wiring pattern formation region 15. The wiring lines 14 to be connected to each other are formed. Specifically, the wiring line 14 is made of paste-like Ag or Cu on the insulating substrate 11 in the low-resistance wiring pattern formation region 15 and a part (periphery edge) on the conductive part C of the transparent conductive film 12. It is formed by printing or vapor-depositing a conductive metal material.

(Protective film formation process)
Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, an insulating protective film (insulating film) 16 is formed on at least the transparent conductive film 12. In the illustrated example, a PET film 18 is provided on the entire insulating substrate 11 via an adhesive material 17 so as to cover the transparent conductive film 12 and the wiring line 14, and a protective film 16 as a cover film is configured. Yes.

  As described above, according to the manufacturing method of the conductive pattern forming substrate 10 and the conductive pattern forming substrate 10 manufactured thereby according to the present embodiment, first, on the whole of the insulating substrate 11 (image display) at the initial stage of manufacturing. A base film a is formed in the region 13 and the low resistance wiring pattern formation region 15). On the insulating substrate 11, the low resistance wiring pattern formation region 15 that is not visually recognized by the operator is removed from the base film a in a wide range and quickly using a photolithography process, so that workability is good.

  On the other hand, on the insulating substrate 11, the image display region 13 visually recognized by the operator is formed with a transparent conductive film 12 by forming a conductive pattern by irradiating the laser beam L. Specifically, in the transparent substrate 2 of the transparent conductive film 12, the arrangement region of the conductive mesh member 3 is the conductive portion C, and the arrangement region of the gap 5 formed by removing the mesh member 3 is the insulating portion I. Has been. That is, in the conductive part C, conduction is ensured by the mesh member 3 made of metal, and in the insulating part I, an electrical insulation state is reliably obtained by the gap 5 formed by removing the mesh member 3. It is supposed to be.

That is, in the conventional transparent conductive film, the mesh member 3 made of metal nanowires dispersed in the transparent substrate 2 and electrically connected to each other remains not only in the conductive part C but also in the insulating part I (insulation) Since the part of the mesh member 3 in the divided state is positively left in the part I so that the pattern is difficult to be visually recognized), it is difficult to reliably insulate the insulating part I.
On the other hand, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the mesh member 3 (metal microfiber 4) of the insulating portion I is removed so as to replace the gap 5, and the insulating portion I and the conductive portion C have a chemical composition with each other. Is different. Thereby, since the insulation part I is insulated reliably, the electrical characteristic (performance) in the transparent conductive film 12 is stabilized, and the reliability as a product (input device) is improved.

  Further, in the insulating portion I, the mesh member 3 is removed to form a void 5 having a shape corresponding to (corresponding to) the mesh member 3 (metal microfiber 4). That is, since the gap 5 is formed, the conductive portion C and the insulating portion I are similar in color tone and transparency to each other and are not discriminated (viewed) from each other by the naked eye. . Therefore, even if the width of the insulating portion I is increased, the conductive pattern (wiring pattern) is not visually recognized.

  Further, since the mesh member 3 is composed of metal ultrafine fibers 4 dispersed in the transparent substrate 2 and electrically connected to each other, the mesh member 3 is made of metal ultrafine fibers 4 such as commercially available metal nanowires and metal nanotubes. And can be formed relatively easily.

  Further, as in this embodiment, when the metal fine fiber 4 having silver as a main component is used, the metal fine fiber 4 can be obtained relatively easily and used as the mesh member 3. Moreover, when removing the mesh member 3 (metal fine fiber 4) of the insulating part I by laser processing, a commercially available general laser processing machine can be used. Further, the metal microfiber 4 mainly composed of silver is more preferable because it can form a colorless and transparent conductive pattern having a high light transmittance and a low surface resistivity.

Specifically, according to the method for manufacturing the conductive pattern forming substrate 10, a general pulsed laser such as a YAG laser or a YVO ₄ laser is used as the laser light L, for example. An excellent conductive pattern forming substrate 10 can be easily manufactured.

  In laser processing of the base film a, the focal point F of the condenser lens 42 (laser light L) is provided at a position away from the base film a. Specifically, the focal point F is set to the base film a and the condenser lens 42. Since the laser beam L is radiated between them, the spot diameter of the laser beam L hitting the insulating substrate 11 becomes larger than the spot diameter of the laser beam L hitting the base film a. Thereby, the energy density of the laser beam L is ensured in the base film a and the insulating portion I is reliably formed, while the energy density of the laser beam L is reduced in the insulating substrate 11 to damage the insulating substrate 11. Can be prevented.

  Further, since the irradiation spot irradiated with the laser beam L on the base film a is formed in a planar shape instead of a spot shape, an irradiation energy density that does not affect the insulating substrate 11 while processing the base film a. This control becomes easier as compared with the conventional method. Furthermore, it becomes possible to draw an insulating pattern with a large line width on the base film a at once, so that the so-called filling process is facilitated and the width of the insulating pattern can be increased. The insulating property of I is improved.

  In addition, the laser beam L is intermittently irradiated a plurality of times while moving the position of the spot on the base film a, and the insulating portion I is formed by overlapping the positions of adjacent spots. The transparent conductive film 12 and the conductive pattern forming substrate 10 having a conductive pattern with excellent visual characteristics and good appearance can be obtained.

  Further, when the transparent base 2 of the base film a and the insulating substrate 11 are made of the same material or the same type of resin material, the following effects are obtained. That is, since the absorbance of the laser beam L in the transparent base 2 of the base film a and the absorbance of the laser beam L in the insulating substrate 11 are substantially the same, a sufficient energy density of the laser beam L in the base film a is ensured. However, the energy density of the laser light L in the insulating substrate 11 can be reduced, and the above-described effects can be obtained with certainty. In addition, the base film a (transparent conductive film 12) is easily firmly bonded onto the insulating substrate 11.

  Further, the net-like member 3 is formed by dispersing and arranging the metal microfibers 4 on the insulating substrate 11 through a process of applying ink (liquid) including the metal microfibers 4 on the insulating substrate 11. . In addition, by filling the liquid transparent substrate 2 (liquid member) between the metal ultrafine fibers 4 dispersed and arranged on the insulating substrate 11 in this way and then curing, the mesh member 3 is placed in the transparent substrate 2. Since it is held, the following effects are produced. That is, the mesh member 3 can be easily provided in the base film a on the insulating substrate 11, and the metal microfibers 4 constituting the mesh member 3 are electrically and reliably connected to each other, so that the conductive portion C The electrical characteristics of are stable. In addition, since the mesh member 3 is stably held by the transparent substrate 2, the above-described electrical characteristics extend the life.

  In addition, since the wiring line 14 is formed by printing or vapor-depositing a conductive metal material, the wiring line 14 reliably connects the conductive portion C of the transparent conductive film 12 and the external circuit with a low resistance. Reliability is ensured. In addition, since the wiring line 14 can be visually confirmed, it is possible to easily and quickly find out abnormalities during manufacturing.

  In addition, since the insulating protective film 16 is formed on at least the transparent conductive film 12, the transparent conductive film 12 does not come into contact with outside air or moisture, and migration and deterioration due to this contact are ensured. Can be prevented. When the protective film 16 is provided over the entire area on the insulating substrate 11 as in the present embodiment, it is more preferable because migration and deterioration of the wiring line 14 as well as the transparent conductive film 12 can be prevented.

  Thus, according to the manufacturing method of the conductive pattern forming substrate 10 of this embodiment and the conductive pattern forming substrate 10 manufactured thereby, it is easy to manufacture without forming the low resistance wiring pattern forming region 15. In addition, in the image display region 13, a high-quality transparent conductive film 12 that is hard to be visually recognized and excellent in appearance can be formed, and insulation of the insulating portion I of the transparent conductive film 12 is sufficiently ensured. The reliability is improved.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a method for manufacturing a conductive pattern forming substrate according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same member as above-mentioned embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

In the manufacturing method of the conductive pattern formation substrate of this embodiment, the order of a photolithography process and a transparent conductive film formation process differs from 1st Embodiment. The configuration of the conductive pattern forming substrate 10 manufactured according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above.
The manufacturing method of the conductive pattern formation board | substrate 10 of 2nd Embodiment is as follows.

(Basic film formation process)
As shown in FIG. 7A, first, a base film a in which the mesh member 3 is disposed in the transparent substrate 2 is formed in the image display region 13 and the low-resistance wiring pattern formation region 15 on the insulating substrate 11. .

(Transparent conductive film forming step)
Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, the gap 5 is formed and the insulating portion I is formed by irradiating the portion corresponding to the image display region 13 in the base film a with the laser light L. The transparent conductive film 12 includes the insulating portion I and a conductive portion C that is a portion other than the insulating portion I. In this state, the transparent conductive film 12 is also formed in the low resistance wiring pattern forming region 15.

(Photolithography process)
Next, a portion corresponding to the low resistance wiring pattern formation region 15 is removed from the base film a (transparent conductive film 12) on the insulating substrate 11 by using a photolithography process.
Specifically, first, as shown in FIG. 7C, a resist film 50 as a mask means is formed in a portion corresponding to the image display region 13 on the base film a.
Next, as shown in FIG. 8A, after removing a portion of the base film a corresponding to the low resistance wiring pattern formation region 15 by etching, the resist film 50 is removed.

(Wiring line formation process)
Next, as shown in FIG. 8B, the wiring line 14 is formed on the insulating substrate 11 in the low resistance wiring pattern forming region 15 so as to be electrically connected to the conductive portion C of the transparent conductive film 12. .

(Protective film formation process)
Next, as shown in FIG. 8C, an insulating protective film 16 is formed on at least the transparent conductive film 12.

  According to the manufacturing method of the conductive pattern formation substrate 10 of this embodiment and the conductive pattern formation substrate 10 manufactured by this, the effect similar to 1st Embodiment mentioned above is acquired.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a method for manufacturing a conductive pattern forming substrate according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same member as above-mentioned embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

In the manufacturing method of the conductive pattern forming substrate of this embodiment, the wiring line forming step is different from that of the above-described embodiment. The configuration of the conductive pattern forming substrate 10 manufactured according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the first and second embodiments described above. However, as will be described later, the arrangement pitch between adjacent wiring lines 14 is further increased. Small and precise formation is possible.
The manufacturing method of the conductive pattern formation board | substrate 10 of 3rd Embodiment is as follows.

A base film forming process, a photolithography process, and a transparent conductive film forming process are performed. Since these steps are the same as described above, description thereof is omitted.
Through these steps, as shown in FIG. 9A, the base film a in the low resistance wiring pattern formation region 15 is removed, and the base film a in the image display region 13 is made the transparent conductive film 12.

(Wiring line formation process)
Next, as shown in FIG. 9B, a wiring film b that is electrically connected to the conductive portion C of the transparent conductive film 12 is formed on the insulating substrate 11 in the low resistance wiring pattern formation region 15. The wiring film b is formed by printing or vapor-depositing a conductive metal material made of pasty Ag, Al, Cu, or the like, and is formed in a planar shape so as to include a plurality of desired wiring lines 14.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9C, the wiring film b is irradiated with the laser light L2, and a portion corresponding to the space between the adjacent wiring lines 14 in the wiring film b is removed, so that a desired film is obtained. A wiring line 14 is formed.

The energy density of the laser beam L2 irradiated to the wiring film b and the irradiation energy per unit area differ depending on the pulse width of the laser.
For example, in a laser having a pulse width of 1 to 100 nsec (YAG laser or YVO ₄ laser), the pulse energy density is 1 × 10 ¹⁰ to 1 × 10 ¹² W / m ² , and the irradiation energy per unit area is 1 × 10 ⁴ to. 1 × 10 ⁶ J / m ² is preferred.

  As described above, the conductive metal material is printed or vapor deposited on the insulating substrate 11 in the low-resistance wiring pattern formation region 15 and on a part (periphery edge) on the conductive portion C of the transparent conductive film 12, and laser A wiring line 14 having a desired shape is formed by irradiating the light L2.

(Protective film formation process)
Next, as shown in FIG. 9D, an insulating protective film 16 is formed on at least the transparent conductive film 12.

  According to the manufacturing method of the conductive pattern formation substrate 10 of this embodiment and the conductive pattern formation substrate 10 manufactured by this, the effect similar to 1st, 2nd embodiment mentioned above is acquired.

In the present embodiment, the arrangement pitch between the adjacent wiring lines 14 can be set smaller. That is, for example, when the wiring lines 14 are formed only by Ag screen printing as in the prior art, the lower limit of the arrangement pitch (interval between insulating portions) between the adjacent wiring lines 14 is about 0.3 to 0.4 mm. It was difficult to narrow the interval below that. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the arrangement pitch can be narrowed to about 0.05 mm, for example.
Therefore, it is possible to reduce the occupation area of the low resistance wiring pattern formation region 15. Alternatively, even when the conductive pattern of the transparent conductive film 12 is further subdivided, the wiring lines 14 can be easily increased within the predetermined occupied area corresponding to the increased conductive portion C. Is easy.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, A various change can be added in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the insulating substrate 11 is transparent. However, the insulating substrate 11 may be colored with a certain degree of transparency.

  Further, although the net member 3 is composed of a plurality of metal ultrafine fibers 4 dispersed in the transparent substrate 2 and electrically connected to each other, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the net member 3 may be a wire grid formed by forming a conductive metal film in a grid pattern by etching or the like.

In addition, functional layers such as adhesive, antireflection, hard coat, and dot spacer may be optionally added to the conductive pattern forming substrate 10.
In particular, when using a laser having a wavelength near 1000 nm, such as a fundamental wave of a YAG laser or a YVO ₄ laser, and using an acrylic polymer material as the functional layer, the functional layer after laser irradiation is used from the viewpoint of appearance characteristics. Is preferably provided.

  In the above-described embodiment, the focal point F of the laser light L is arranged between the base film a and the condenser lens 42 in the transparent conductive film forming step, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, it is only necessary to form the gap 5 by removing the mesh member 3 in the transparent substrate 2 by the irradiation of the laser beam L. Therefore, if this condition is satisfied, for example, the focal point F is set to the base film a. You may arrange on top.

In the above-described embodiment, the base film a is irradiated with the laser light L using a YAG laser or a YVO ₄ laser. However, the type of the laser processing apparatus is not limited to the above. That is, any laser processing apparatus other than the YAG laser and the YVO ₄ laser may be used as long as the gap 5 can be formed by irradiation with the laser beam L.

  In the above-described embodiment, the resist film 50 is used as the mask unit. However, other than that, for example, a metal film or the like may be used.

  Further, the protective film 16 is used as an insulating film covering at least the transparent conductive film 12, but the insulating film only needs to be able to insulate the transparent conductive film 12 (and the wiring line 14) from the outside. It is not limited to the purpose of protecting the transparent conductive film 12 described above. That is, for example, another transparent conductive film or an insulating substrate may be laminated on the insulating film.

Further, the protective film (insulating film) 16 is not limited to that described in the above embodiment.
FIGS. 10A to 10C show the above-described base film forming step, transparent conductive film forming step, and protective film forming step, respectively, which are the same as those described above. Here, the protective film forming step shown in FIG. 10 (d) is a modification of FIG. 10 (c). In FIG. 10 (d), instead of the protective film 16, an insulating protection is provided. A film (insulating film) 19 is used.

In the conductive pattern forming substrate 10 shown in FIG. 10 (d), at least on the transparent conductive film 12, a protective film 19 made of a curable resin having a property of being cured by ultraviolet rays, heat, electron beam, radiation or the like, or SiO _A protective film 19 made of ₂ is formed. The protective film 19 made of a curable resin can be formed on the transparent conductive film 12 by, for example, coating and curing. The protective film 19 made of SiO ₂ can be formed on the transparent conductive film 12 by sputtering, for example. Since the protective film 19 is formed, similarly to the protective film 16 described above, the transparent conductive film 12 does not come into contact with outside air and moisture, and migration and deterioration due to this contact can be reliably prevented.
The protective films 16 and 19 may be hard coat layers.

  In addition, you may combine suitably the component demonstrated by the above-mentioned embodiment etc. of this invention. In addition, the above-described components can be replaced with well-known components without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Transparent base | substrate 3 Net-like member 5 Space | gap 10 Conductive pattern formation board | substrate 11 Insulation board | substrate 12 Transparent conductive film 13 Image display area (display area)
14 Wiring line 15 Low resistance wiring pattern formation area (wiring area)
16, 19 Protective film (insulating film)
50 resist film (masking means)
a Base film C Conductive part I Insulating part L Laser beam

Claims (5)

A method for manufacturing a conductive pattern forming substrate, comprising: a display region where a transparent conductive film is formed on an insulating substrate; and a wiring region where a wiring line is formed,
The transparent conductive film includes a conductive portion in which a mesh-like member made of a conductive metal is disposed in an insulating transparent substrate, and a void formed by removing the mesh-like member in the transparent substrate. Is provided, and is provided with an insulating part,
Forming a base film in which the mesh member is disposed in the transparent substrate in the display region and the wiring region on the insulating substrate;
Forming a mask means on a portion of the base film corresponding to the display region, and removing a portion of the base film corresponding to the wiring region by etching;
Irradiating a portion of the base film corresponding to the display region with a laser beam to form the gap to form the transparent conductive film;
Forming a wiring line that is electrically connected to a conductive portion of the transparent conductive film on the insulating substrate in the wiring region. It is a manufacturing method of the conductive pattern formation board according to claim 1,
The manufacturing method of the conductive pattern formation board | substrate characterized by including the process of forming an insulating film on the said transparent conductive film at least. It is a manufacturing method of the conductive pattern formation board according to claim 1 or 2,
A method of manufacturing a conductive pattern forming substrate, wherein a resist film is used as the mask means. A conductive pattern forming substrate comprising a display region on which a transparent conductive film is formed and a wiring region on which a wiring line is formed on an insulating substrate,
The transparent conductive film includes a conductive portion in which a mesh-like member made of a conductive metal is disposed in an insulating transparent substrate, and a void formed by removing the mesh-like member in the transparent substrate. Is provided, and is provided with an insulating part,
The wiring pattern is formed by printing or vapor-depositing a conductive metal material on the insulating substrate, and is electrically connected to a conductive portion of the transparent conductive film. The conductive pattern forming substrate according to claim 4,
An electrically conductive pattern forming substrate, wherein an insulating film is formed at least on the transparent conductive film.