JP6412209B2 - Transparent conductive film and method for producing the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a transparent conductive film and a method for producing the same.

  Conventionally, a so-called conductive glass in which an ITO film (indium-tin composite oxide film) is formed on a glass substrate is well known as a transparent conductive film. On the other hand, a glass substrate is inferior in flexibility and workability, and may not be used depending on applications. For this reason, in recent years, ITO films have been formed on various polymer film substrates such as polyethylene terephthalate film due to advantages such as flexibility and workability, as well as excellent impact resistance and light weight. A transparent conductive film has been proposed.

  Transparent conductive materials typified by touch panels are required to have characteristics such as high transparency, high transmission, and high durability. As an approach for improving the transmittance, a structure is known in which sputtering is performed so that the constituent atoms of the sputtering gas in the thin film are 0.05 atomic% or less when the transparent thin film is formed by sputtering ( Patent Document 1).

  In addition, the ITO film formed on the polymer film substrate has reduced specific resistance and surface resistance for high sensitivity (improved operability) and low power consumption in order to cope with the large screen of the touch panel. The demand is growing. As a measure to provide a transparent conductive film with excellent light transmittance and low specific resistance, a technique for forming an ITO film on a film substrate by a magnetron sputtering method in which a horizontal magnetic field on a target material is 50 mT or more has been proposed. (See Patent Document 2).

JP 2002-371355 A International Publication No. 2013/080995

  Although the above-described technology also has a sufficiently low specific resistance depending on the application, the present inventors have been studying further reduction in specific resistance from the viewpoint of developing a next-generation transparent conductive film. Therefore, attempts have been made from both the ITO film formation process and compositional approach.

  FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing a process of forming an ITO film by sputtering. A sputtering gas mainly containing argon introduced into the sputtering chamber (including oxygen if necessary) collides with electrons generated by the potential difference between the ITO target 13 and the roll 52 that transports the film substrate. As a result, the plasma 5 is generated. The ions (particularly argon ions 4) generated in this way collide with the target 13, and the ejected target particles 2 'are deposited on the polymer film substrate 1, whereby the transparent conductive layer 2 is formed.

  At this time, some of the ions colliding with the target 13 recoil from the target 13 toward the substrate 1 and may be taken into the transparent conductive layer 2 as argon atoms 4 ′. Further, in addition to argon atoms, the transparent conductive layer 2 may incorporate hydrogen atoms 6 derived from moisture and organic components contained in the polymer film substrate 1 or moisture in the sputtering atmosphere.

  The present inventors have repeatedly studied based on the prediction that argon atoms, hydrogen atoms, and the like incorporated into the transparent conductive layer act as impurities and influence these on the resistance characteristics.

  An object of this invention is to provide the transparent conductive film which implement | achieves the low resistance characteristic of a transparent conductive layer.

  As a result of intensive studies to achieve the above object, the present inventors have found that there is a certain correlation between the impurity contained in the transparent conductive layer and the resistance value, and this is controlled. Thus, the present invention has been completed based on the new technical knowledge that the above-described object can be achieved.

That is, the present invention comprises a polymer film substrate,
A transparent conductive film comprising a transparent conductive layer formed by a sputtering method using a sputtering gas containing argon on at least one surface side of the polymer film substrate,
The atomic weight of argon atoms in the transparent conductive layer is 0.24 atomic% or less,
The atomic weight of hydrogen atoms in the transparent conductive layer is 13 × 10 ²⁰ atoms / cm ³ or less,
The transparent conductive layer has a specific resistance of 1.1 × 10 ⁻⁴ Ω · cm to 2.8 × 10 ⁻⁴ Ω · cm.

In the transparent conductive film, the existing atomic weight of argon atoms (hereinafter also simply referred to as “abundance”) in the transparent conductive layer formed by the sputtering method is 0.24 atomic% or lower, and the existing atomic weight of hydrogen atoms is 13 Since the value is as extremely low as × 10 ²⁰ atoms / cm ³ or less, the resistance of the transparent conductive layer can be reduced efficiently. Although this reason is not limited to any theory, it is guessed as follows. Argon atoms and hydrogen atoms taken into the transparent conductive layer in the sputtering process act as impurities. The resistance characteristics of a transparent conductive layer depend on the intrinsic mobility and carrier density of the material, but generally impurities in the transparent conductive layer cause inhibition of crystal growth and decrease in mobility due to neutron scattering. It is considered that the resistance value of the transparent conductive layer is increased when the abundance of incorporated argon atoms and hydrogen atoms is large. In the transparent conductive film, since the abundance of argon atoms and hydrogen atoms in the transparent conductive layer is kept low, the mobility of the transparent conductive layer can be increased, thereby effectively reducing the transparency of the transparent conductive layer. Resistance can be achieved.

When the abundance of argon atoms in the transparent conductive layer exceeds 0.24 atomic% or the abundance of hydrogen atoms exceeds 13 × 10 ²⁰ atoms / cm ³ , the action of argon atoms or hydrogen atoms as impurities is large. Therefore, carrier scattering and crystal growth inhibition may be caused and the mobility of the transparent conductive layer may be reduced.

Moreover, in the transparent conductive film, since the abundance of argon atoms and hydrogen atoms in the transparent conductive layer is suppressed to an extremely low amount, the specific resistance of the transparent conductive layer is 1.1 × 10 ⁻⁴ Ω · cm or more. It can reduce to the range of 2.8 * 10 <^{-4> (} omega ^| ohm) * cm or less, and can contribute to low resistance of a transparent conductive film.

The amount of carbon atoms present in the transparent conductive layer is preferably 10.5 × 10 ²⁰ atoms / cm ³ or less. At the time of sputtering, carbon atoms derived mainly from organic components contained in the polymer film substrate may be taken into the transparent conductive layer. Carbon atoms in the transparent conductive layer also act as impurities, like argon atoms and hydrogen atoms. By suppressing the abundance of carbon atoms in the transparent conductive layer, the mobility of the transparent conductive layer can be increased, and thereby the resistance of the transparent conductive layer can be reduced more efficiently.

  The transparent conductive layer is preferably an indium-tin composite oxide layer. When the transparent conductive layer is an indium-tin composite oxide (hereinafter also referred to as “ITO”) layer, a transparent conductive layer having a lower resistance can be formed.

  The transparent conductive layer is preferably crystalline. By making the transparent conductive layer crystalline, there are advantages that transparency is improved, resistance change after the humidifying heat test is small, and humidifying heat reliability is improved.

  The tin oxide content in the indium-tin composite oxide layer is preferably 0.5 wt% to 15 wt% with respect to the total amount of tin oxide and indium oxide. As a result, the carrier density can be increased and the specific resistance can be further reduced. Content of the said tin oxide can be suitably selected in the said range according to the specific resistance of a transparent conductive layer.

The transparent conductive layer has a structure in which a plurality of indium-tin composite oxide layers are laminated,
It is preferable that at least two of the plurality of indium-tin composite oxide layers have different amounts of tin. Not only the abundance of argon atoms and hydrogen atoms in the transparent conductive layer, but also the transparent conductive layer having such a specific layer structure promotes shortening of the crystal conversion time and further lowering the resistance of the transparent conductive layer. be able to.

  It is preferable that all of the indium-tin composite oxide layer is crystalline. Since all the indium-tin composite oxide layers are crystalline, the transparency of the transparent conductive film is improved, the resistance change after the humidification heat test is small, and the humidification heat reliability is improved. Brought about.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the transparent conductive layer has a first indium-tin composite oxide layer and a second indium-tin composite oxide layer in this order from the polymer film substrate side. The content of tin oxide in the first indium-tin composite oxide layer is 6 wt% to 15 wt% with respect to the total amount of tin oxide and indium oxide, and the second indium-tin composite oxide It is preferable that the content of tin oxide in the layer is 0.5% by weight to 5.5% by weight with respect to the total amount of tin oxide and indium oxide. By using the two-layer structure, it is possible to reduce the specific resistance of the transparent conductive layer and shorten the crystal conversion time.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the transparent conductive film includes an organic undercoat layer formed by a wet coating method between the polymer film substrate and the transparent conductive layer. As a result, the surface of the polymer film substrate tends to be smoothed, so that the ITO film formed thereon is also smoothed. As a result, it contributes to the reduction in resistance of the ITO film. it can. Moreover, since the adjustment of the reflectance of a transparent conductive film becomes easy by providing an organic undercoat layer, an optical characteristic can also be improved.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the transparent conductive film includes an inorganic undercoat layer formed by a vacuum film forming method between the polymer film substrate and the transparent conductive layer. By interposing an inorganic undercoat layer between the polymer film substrate and the transparent conductive layer, the moisture of the polymer film substrate and the incorporation of hydrogen atoms and carbon atoms derived from organic components into the transparent conductive layer are blocked. It is possible to reduce the specific resistance of the transparent conductive layer more efficiently.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the transparent conductive film includes an organic undercoat layer formed by a wet coating method on at least one surface side of the polymer film,
An inorganic undercoat layer formed by a vacuum film formation method;
The transparent conductive layer is provided in this order.

The present invention is also a method for producing the transparent conductive film,
Step A for placing the polymer film substrate under a vacuum with an ultimate vacuum of 3.5 × 10 ⁻⁴ Pa or less, and at least one surface side of the polymer film substrate using a sputtering gas containing argon, Step B of forming a transparent conductive layer by a sputtering method with a discharge voltage of 100V to 400V
The manufacturing method of the transparent conductive film containing this.

  Since the manufacturing method includes the step A for evacuating the polymer film substrate to a predetermined ultimate vacuum, the amount of moisture and organic components in the polymer film substrate and the sputtering atmosphere can be reduced. As a result, the amount of hydrogen atoms taken into the transparent conductive layer can be reduced.

  Further, in the manufacturing method, the discharge voltage during sputtering is set to a low value of 100 V or more and 400 V or less. Thereby, the arrival frequency of the argon ions rebounding from the target to the polymer film substrate can be reduced, and as a result, the amount of argon atoms taken into the transparent conductive layer can be reduced. The reason for this is not clear, but is presumed as follows. When argon, which is a sputtering gas, is ionized and collides with the target, the kinetic energy depends on the discharge voltage during sputtering. Since the kinetic energy of argon ions is reduced by lowering the discharge voltage, the argon ions recoiled at the target can no longer retain the kinetic energy to reach the polymer film substrate, and as a result It is considered that the amount of argon atoms taken into the transparent conductive layer is reduced.

  In the manufacturing method, in addition to suppressing the incorporation of hydrogen atoms into the transparent conductive layer by adopting the step A, the incorporation of argon atoms into the transparent conductive layer by adopting the step B is also achieved. Therefore, a transparent conductive layer having low resistance characteristics can be efficiently formed.

  The sputtering method is preferably an RF superimposed DC sputtering method. The discharge voltage can be reduced more efficiently by the RF superposition DC sputtering method in which the RF power source is used in combination with the DC power source.

  In the step B, the horizontal magnetic field on the surface of the sputtering target is preferably 20 mT or more and 200 mT or less. By applying a relatively high magnetic field to the target surface during sputtering, the generated plasma is affected by the magnetic field and remains in the vicinity of the target surface. This increases the plasma density in the vicinity of the target surface, so that the frequency of sputtering gas collision with the target can be increased. As a result, an ITO film can be efficiently sputtered even at a low discharge voltage. it can.

  The manufacturing method preferably includes a step of crystal conversion by heating the transparent conductive layer. By making the transparent conductive layer crystalline, there are advantages that transparency is improved, resistance change after the humidifying heat test is small, and humidifying heat reliability is improved.

  In one embodiment, the manufacturing method includes a step of forming an inorganic undercoat layer by a vacuum film formation method on the surface side of the polymer film substrate on which the transparent conductive layer is formed before the step B. But you can. Blocking moisture and organic atom-derived hydrogen atoms and carbon atoms derived from the polymer film substrate into the transparent conductive layer by interposing an inorganic undercoat layer between the polymer film substrate and the transparent conductive layer Thus, the specific resistance of the transparent conductive layer can be reduced more efficiently.

It is typical sectional drawing of the transparent conductive film which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the structure of the sputter film deposition apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows typically the process which forms an ITO film | membrane by sputtering. It is a depth profile of a hydrogen atom and a carbon atom detected by dynamic SIMS measurement.

  Embodiments of the transparent conductive film of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, in some or all of the drawings, parts unnecessary for the description are omitted, and there are parts shown enlarged or reduced for easy explanation. Unless otherwise stated, terms indicating the positional relationship such as up and down are merely used for ease of explanation and are not intended to limit the configuration of the present invention.

[Transparent conductive film]
As shown in FIG. 1, in the transparent conductive film 10, the transparent conductive layer 2 is formed on one surface side of the polymer film substrate 1. The transparent conductive layer may be formed on both sides of the substrate 1. In addition, one or two or more undercoat layers may be provided between the polymer film substrate 1 and the transparent conductive layer 2. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the undercoat layers 3 and 4 are provided from the polymer film substrate 1 side.

<Polymer film substrate>
The polymer film substrate 1 has a strength necessary for handleability and has transparency in the visible light region. As the polymer film substrate, a film excellent in transparency, heat resistance, and surface smoothness is preferably used. For example, as the material, polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene naphthalate, polyolefins, polycycloolefins, polycarbonates, Examples thereof include single component polymers such as polyether sulfone, polyarylate, polyimide, polyamide, polystyrene, norbornene, and copolymerized polymers with other components. Among these, polyester resins are preferably used because they are excellent in transparency, heat resistance, and mechanical properties. As the polyester resin, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) and the like are particularly suitable. The polymer film substrate is preferably stretched from the viewpoint of strength, and more preferably biaxially stretched. It does not specifically limit as a extending | stretching process, A well-known extending | stretching process is employable.

  The thickness of the polymer film substrate is not particularly limited, but is preferably in the range of 2 to 200 μm, more preferably in the range of 2 to 150 μm, and further in the range of 20 to 150 μm. preferable. When the thickness of the film is less than 2 μm, the mechanical strength may be insufficient, and it may be difficult to continuously form the transparent conductive layer 2 in a roll shape. On the other hand, if the thickness of the film exceeds 200 μm, the scratch resistance of the transparent conductive layer 2 and the dot characteristics when a touch panel is formed may not be achieved.

  The surface of the substrate is preliminarily subjected to etching treatment such as sputtering, corona discharge, flame, ultraviolet irradiation, electron beam irradiation, chemical conversion, oxidation, and undercoating treatment, and adhesion to the transparent conductive layer 2 formed on the substrate. You may make it improve property. In addition, before forming the transparent conductive layer, the surface of the base material may be removed and cleaned by solvent cleaning or ultrasonic cleaning as necessary.

  The polymer film as the substrate 1 is provided as a roll of a long film, and the transparent conductive layer 2 is continuously formed thereon by a roll-to-roll method. A transparent conductive film can be obtained.

<Transparent conductive layer>
The transparent conductive layer 2 is formed by sputtering using a sputtering gas containing argon on at least one surface side of the polymer film substrate 1.

  The existing atomic weight of argon atoms in the transparent conductive layer 2 may be 0.24 atomic% or less. Further, the upper limit of the abundance of argon atoms is preferably 0.23 atomic% or less, more preferably 0.20 atomic% or less, and further preferably 0.18 atomic% or less. In addition, although the lower limit of the atomic concentration of argon atoms is preferably as low as possible, it is preferably more than 0.05 atomic%, and more preferably 0.06 atomic% or more. If the amount of argon atoms present in the transparent conductive layer is too large, the action of the argon atoms as impurities increases, which may cause carrier scattering and crystal growth inhibition, thereby reducing the mobility of the transparent conductive layer. On the other hand, if the abundance of argon atoms is too small, it greatly contributes to lowering the resistance of the transparent conductive layer, but the crystal grain size of the transparent conductive layer becomes excessively large during crystal conversion. There is a possibility that the flexibility is lowered. In addition, it is thought that a part of impurity which can be contained in the transparent conductive layer 2 originates in the formation process of a transparent conductive layer, and it is thought that an argon atom originates in argon gas for plasma generation of sputtering method.

Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy is employed as a method for quantifying the impurities of argon atoms in the transparent conductive layer. The principle of the method is as follows. When the sample is irradiated with ions (for example, He ⁺ ions) at a high speed, a part of the incident ions undergoes elastic backscattering by the nuclei in the sample. Since the energy of backscattered ions depends on the mass and position of the target nucleus (depth in the sample), the relationship between the energy of scattered ions and the yield is obtained by a semiconductor detector. By performing numerical analysis based on the obtained spectrum, information on the element composition in the depth direction of the sample can be determined. Details of the measurement method are as described in the examples.
When the transparent conductive layer is made of ITO, it is possible to accurately calculate the existing atomic weight of Ar by using In, Sn, and O as detection targets in addition to Ar. When ITO includes additional components other than those described above, the additional components may also be detected.

The existing atomic weight of hydrogen atoms in the transparent conductive layer 2 may be 13 × 10 ²⁰ atoms / cm ³ or less. Furthermore, the upper limit of the abundance of hydrogen atoms is preferably 12 × 10 ²⁰ atoms / cm ³ or less, more preferably 11 × 10 ²⁰ atoms / cm ³ or less, and even more preferably 9.5 × 10 ²⁰ atoms / cm ³ or less. In addition, although the lower limit of the existing atom concentration of hydrogen atoms is preferable, it is preferably 0.001 × 10 ²⁰ atoms / cm ³ or more, more preferably 0.05 × 10 ²⁰ atoms / cm ³ or more. . When the amount of hydrogen atoms present in the transparent conductive layer is too large, the action of hydrogen atoms as impurities increases, which may cause carrier scattering and crystal growth inhibition, thereby reducing the mobility of the transparent conductive layer. On the other hand, if the amount of hydrogen atoms is too small, it greatly contributes to lowering the resistance of the transparent conductive layer, but the crystal grain size of the transparent conductive layer becomes excessively large at the time of crystal conversion. There is a possibility that the flexibility is lowered. In addition, hydrogen atoms as impurities that can be contained in the transparent conductive layer include moisture and organic components contained in the polymer film substrate, moisture in the sputtering atmosphere, and an undercoat layer formed of organic matter in the lower layer. Is considered to be derived from moisture and organic components contained in the undercoat layer.

The existing atomic weight of carbon atoms in the transparent conductive layer 2 is preferably 10.5 × 10 ²⁰ atoms / cm ³ or less, more preferably 9 × 10 ²⁰ atoms / cm ³ or less, and further preferably 5 × 10 ²⁰ atoms / cm ³ or less. preferable. Although the lower limit of the existing atom concentration of carbon atoms is preferable, it is preferably 0.001 × 10 ²⁰ atoms / cm ³ or more, and more preferably 0.01 × 10 ²⁰ atoms / cm ³ or more. . If the amount of carbon atoms present in the transparent conductive layer is too large, the action of carbon atoms as impurities, like argon and hydrogen atoms, will increase, causing carrier scattering and crystal growth inhibition, and the mobility of the transparent conductive layer. May be reduced. Carbon atoms as impurities that may be contained in the transparent conductive layer are included in the undercoat layer when the lower layer has an undercoat layer formed of an organic component or organic substance contained in the polymer film substrate. It is thought to be derived from organic components.

  Quantification of hydrogen atoms and carbon atoms in the transparent conductive layer is performed by secondary ion mass spectrometry while sequentially sputtering the transparent conductive layer from the surface using Cs + ions. The amount can be measured (this analytical method is commonly referred to as dynamic SIMS). As the amount of impurities contained in the ITO layer, data at the center point of the ITO film thickness (25 nm point if the ITO layer is 50 nm) is adopted. Carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms can detect the element contained in the transparent conductive layer without being contaminated on the surface of the transparent conductive layer or affected by the element contained in the substrate. Details of the measurement method are as described in the examples.

The constituent material of the transparent conductive layer 2 is not particularly limited, and is at least selected from the group consisting of In, Sn, Zn, Ga, Sb, Ti, Si, Zr, Mg, Al, Au, Ag, Cu, Pd, and W. A metal oxide of one kind of metal is preferably used. The metal oxide may further contain a metal atom shown in the above group, if necessary. For example, indium-tin composite oxide (ITO), antimony-tin composite oxide (ATO) and the like are preferably used, and ITO is particularly preferably used.

When ITO (indium-tin composite oxide) is used as the constituent material of the transparent conductive layer 2, the content of tin oxide (SnO ₂ ) in the metal oxide is that of tin oxide and indium oxide (In ₂ O ₃ ). The total amount is preferably 0.5 to 15% by weight, more preferably 3 to 15% by weight, further preferably 5 to 12% by weight, and 6 to 12% by weight. It is particularly preferred that If the amount of tin oxide is too small, the durability of the ITO film may be inferior. Moreover, when there is too much quantity of a tin oxide, an ITO film | membrane will become difficult to crystal-convert and transparency and stability of resistance value may not be enough.

  “ITO” in this specification may be a complex oxide containing at least indium (In) and tin (Sn), and may contain additional components other than these. Examples of the additional component include metal elements other than In and Sn. Specifically, Zn, Ga, Sb, Ti, Si, Zr, Mg, Al, Au, Ag, Cu, Pd, W, Fe , Pb, Ni, Nb, Cr, Ga, and combinations thereof. The content of the additional component is not particularly limited, but may be 3% by weight or less.

  The transparent conductive layer 2 may have a structure in which a plurality of indium-tin composite oxide layers having different amounts of tin are stacked. In this case, the ITO layer may be two layers or three or more layers.

  When the transparent conductive layer 2 has a two-layer structure in which the first indium-tin composite oxide layer and the second indium-tin composite oxide layer are laminated in this order from the polymer film substrate 1 side, The tin oxide content in the first indium-tin composite oxide layer is preferably 6% by weight to 15% by weight and more preferably 6-12% by weight with respect to the total amount of tin oxide and indium oxide. Preferably, it is 6.5 to 10.5% by weight. In addition, the tin oxide content in the second indium-tin composite oxide layer is preferably 0.5 wt% to 5.5 wt% with respect to the total amount of tin oxide and indium oxide, and 1 to 5. It is more preferably 5% by weight, and further preferably 1-5% by weight. By setting the amount of tin in each ITO layer within the above range, a transparent conductive film having a small specific resistance and a short crystal conversion time by heating can be produced.

  The transparent conductive layer 2 has a first indium-tin composite oxide layer, a second indium-tin composite oxide layer, and a third indium-tin composite oxide layer in this order from the polymer film substrate 1 side. In the first indium-tin composite oxide layer, the tin oxide content in the first indium-tin composite oxide layer is 0.5 wt% to 5.5 wt% with respect to the total amount of tin oxide and indium oxide. It is preferably 1 to 4% by weight, more preferably 2 to 4% by weight. Further, the tin oxide content in the second indium-tin composite oxide layer is preferably 6% by weight to 15% by weight, and preferably 7% by weight to 12% by weight with respect to the total amount of tin oxide and indium oxide. Is more preferable, and it is further more preferable that it is 8 to 12 weight%. Further, the tin oxide content in the third indium-tin composite oxide layer is preferably 0.5 wt% to 5.5 wt% with respect to the total amount of tin oxide and indium oxide, and is 1-4 wt%. %, More preferably 2 to 4% by weight. By setting the amount of tin in each ITO layer within the above range, a transparent conductive film having a small specific resistance can be produced.

  By setting the thickness of the transparent conductive layer 2 to 15 nm or more and 40 nm or less, preferably 15 nm or more and 35 nm or less, the transparent conductive layer 2 can be suitably applied to touch panel applications.

  The transparent conductive layer 2 may be crystalline or amorphous. In this embodiment, when an ITO film is formed as a transparent conductive layer by a sputtering method, if the base material 1 is a polymer film, there is a restriction due to heat resistance, so that sputtering film formation at a high temperature cannot be performed. For this reason, the ITO immediately after film formation is substantially an amorphous film (some of which may be crystallized). Such an amorphous ITO film has a lower transmittance than a crystalline ITO film, and may cause problems such as a large resistance change after a humidification heat test. From such a viewpoint, after forming an amorphous transparent conductive layer, the transparent conductive layer may be converted into a crystalline film by annealing in the presence of oxygen in the atmosphere. By converting the crystal of the transparent conductive layer, the transparency is improved, the resistance change after the humidification heat test is small, and the humidification heat reliability is improved. The transparent conductive layer may be a semi-crystalline film that is not completely converted into a crystalline film. If it is a semi-crystalline film, the above advantages can be obtained more easily than an amorphous film.

  The transparent conductive layer 2 is a crystalline film because the transparent conductive layer 2 is immersed in 20 ° C. hydrochloric acid (concentration 5% by weight) for 15 minutes, washed with water and dried, and the resistance between terminals is about 15 mm. It can be judged by measuring. In the present specification, it is assumed that the crystal conversion of the ITO film is completed when the inter-terminal resistance between 15 mm does not exceed 10 kΩ after immersion in hydrochloric acid, washing with water, and drying.

  Although it is preferable that the time required for crystal conversion of the amorphous transparent conductive layer by heating is short, the crystal conversion time tends to be long when a low resistivity film is to be obtained. For example, when ITO is used as the material for forming the transparent conductive layer, the specific resistance can be greatly reduced by increasing the amount of tin oxide added (for example, 15% by weight). Thus, increasing the dopant concentration is a suitable means for reducing the specific resistance. On the other hand, since the dopant acts as an impurity with respect to the host (main component), an ideal crystal structure can be obtained by increasing the dopant addition amount. Is difficult to form and requires a lot of energy for crystallization, so that the time required for the crystal conversion treatment becomes long.

  The heating time for crystal conversion of the amorphous transparent conductive layer can be appropriately set in the range of 10 minutes to 5 hours, but when considering productivity in industrial applications, it is substantially 10 minutes or more and 150 minutes or less. It is preferably 10 to 90 minutes, more preferably 10 to 60 minutes, still more preferably 10 to 30 minutes. By setting within this range, crystal conversion can be completed while ensuring productivity.

  The heating temperature for crystal conversion of the amorphous transparent conductive layer is preferably 110 ° C. to 180 ° C., but from the viewpoint of defects (for example, precipitation of oligomers in a PET film) caused by high temperature, the heating temperature is 110 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. ° C or lower is preferable, and 110 ° C or higher and 140 ° C or lower is more preferable. By setting to this range, it is possible to complete the crystal conversion of the transparent conductive layer while suppressing defects of the film base material.

  The surface resistance value of the transparent conductive layer after the amorphous transparent conductive layer is converted to crystalline by heating is preferably 200Ω / □ or less, more preferably 150Ω / □ or less, and 90Ω / □. More preferably, it is as follows.

The transparent conductive layer 2 only needs to have a low value of 1.1 × 10 ⁻⁴ Ω · cm or more and 2.8 × 10 ⁻⁴ Ω · cm or less as a specific resistance value. In particular, the specific resistance value of the transparent conductive layer after crystal conversion should be in the above range. The specific resistance value is preferably 1.1 × 10 ⁻⁴ Ω · cm or more and 2.5 × 10 ⁻⁴ Ω · cm or less, and 1.1 × 10 ⁻⁴ Ω · cm or more and 2.4 × 10 ^{− It} is more preferably ⁴ Ω · cm or less, and even more preferably 1.1 × 10 ⁻⁴ Ω · cm or more and 2.2 × 10 ⁻⁴ Ω · cm or less.

  The transparent conductive layer 2 may be patterned by etching or the like. For example, in a transparent conductive film used for a capacitive touch panel or a matrix resistive touch panel, the transparent conductive layer 2 is preferably patterned in a stripe shape. In addition, when patterning the transparent conductive layer 2 by etching, if crystal conversion of the transparent conductive layer 2 is performed first, patterning by etching may be difficult. Therefore, the annealing treatment of the transparent conductive layer 2 may be performed after the transparent conductive layer 2 is patterned.

<Undercoat layer>
In addition, an undercoat layer may be formed between the substrate 1 and the transparent conductive layer 2 in consideration of optical characteristics, electrical characteristics, mechanical characteristics, and the like. The layer structure of the undercoat layer may be a single layer structure or a multilayer structure in which two or more layers are laminated.

As a material for the undercoat layer, NaF (1.3), Na ₃ AlF ₆ (1.35), LiF (1.36), MgF ₂ (1.38), CaF ₂ (1.4), BaF ₂ (1.3), BaF ₂ (1.3), SiO ₂ (1.46), LaF ₃ (1.55), CeF (1.63), Al ₂ O ₃ (1.63) and other inorganic substances [ The numerical value in parentheses indicates the refractive index], or an organic material such as acrylic resin, urethane resin, melamine resin, alkyd resin, siloxane polymer, organosilane condensate having a refractive index of about 1.4 to 1.6, or the above A mixture of an inorganic substance and the organic substance can be given.

  When the undercoat layer has a single layer structure, the undercoat layer may be an inorganic undercoat layer formed of the inorganic material, or may be an organic undercoat layer formed of the organic material or a mixture of the organic material and the inorganic material. Good. When the undercoat layer has a multilayer structure, an inorganic undercoat layer may be laminated, an organic undercoat layer may be laminated, or a combination of an inorganic undercoat layer and an organic undercoat layer may be laminated. It may be.

It is preferable to provide an organic undercoat layer 3 formed by a wet coating method (for example, a gravure coating method) between the polymer film substrate 1 and the transparent conductive layer 2. By adopting the wet coating method, the surface roughness of the polymer film substrate 1 can be reduced, and the specific resistance of the transparent conductive layer 2 can be reduced. From this viewpoint, the surface roughness Ra of the organic undercoat layer 3 formed on the polymer film substrate 1 is preferably 0.1 nm to 5 nm, more preferably 0.1 nm to 3 nm, and 0.1 nm to 1.5 nm. Is more preferable. The surface roughness Ra can be measured by AFM observation using a scanning probe microscope (SPI3800) manufactured by Seiko Instruments Inc., and made of Si ₃ N ₄ (spring constant 0.09 N / m in contact mode). ), The surface roughness (Ra) can be measured by 1 μm square scan.

  The thickness of the organic undercoat layer 3 can be appropriately set within a suitable range, but is preferably 15 nm to 1500 nm, more preferably 20 nm to 1000 nm, and most preferably 20 nm to 800 nm. Since the surface roughness can be sufficiently suppressed by setting to the above range, a high effect can be obtained with respect to a reduction in specific resistance. Moreover, the organic undercoat layer which laminated | stacked two or more types of said organic substance with a difference of 0.01 or more in refractive index, or the said inorganic substance and the mixture of the said organic substance may be sufficient.

  It is preferable to provide an inorganic undercoat layer 4 formed by a vacuum film forming method (for example, a sputtering method or a vacuum vapor deposition method) between the polymer film substrate 1 and the transparent conductive layer 2. By forming the inorganic undercoat layer 4 having a high density by a vacuum film formation method, it suppresses impurity gases such as water and organic gas released from the polymer film substrate when the transparent conductive layer 2 is formed by sputtering. can do. As a result, the amount of impurity gas taken into the transparent conductive layer can be reduced, which can contribute to suppression of specific resistance.

  The thickness of the inorganic undercoat layer 3 is preferably 2 nm to 100 nm, more preferably 3 nm to 50 nm, and most preferably 4 nm to 30 nm. By setting the above range, the emission of impurity gas can be suppressed. Moreover, the inorganic undercoat layer which laminated | stacked two or more types of inorganic substances with a difference of 0.01 or more in a refractive index may be sufficient.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the transparent conductive film 10 includes an organic undercoat layer 3 formed by wet coating on at least one surface side of the polymer film 1 and an inorganic formed by vacuum film formation. It is preferable to provide the undercoat layer 4 and the transparent conductive layer 2 in this order. By combining the organic undercoat layer and the inorganic undercoat layer, the surface becomes smooth and the impurity gas during sputtering can be suppressed, and the specific resistance of the transparent conductive layer can be effectively reduced. It becomes. In addition, each thickness of the said organic undercoat layer and the said inorganic undercoat layer can be suitably set from the said range.

  Thus, by forming an undercoat layer on the transparent conductive layer forming surface side of the polymer film substrate 1, for example, even when the transparent conductive layer 2 is patterned into a plurality of transparent electrodes, the transparent conductive layer is formed. It is possible to reduce the difference in visibility between the region and the region where the transparent conductive layer is not formed. Moreover, when using a film base material as a transparent base material, an undercoat layer can act also as a sealing layer which suppresses precipitation of low molecular weight components, such as an oligomer from a polymer film.

  A hard coat layer, an easy adhesion layer, an anti-blocking layer, and the like may be provided on the surface of the polymer film substrate 1 opposite to the surface on which the transparent conductive layer 2 is formed, as necessary. In addition, those with other substrates bonded using appropriate adhesive means such as pressure-sensitive adhesives, or those in which a protective layer such as a separator is temporarily attached to a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer for bonding with other substrates It may be.

[Method for producing transparent conductive film]
In the method for producing a transparent conductive film of the present embodiment, the polymer film substrate is placed under a vacuum having an ultimate vacuum of 3.5 × 10 ⁻⁴ Pa or less and at least one of the polymer film substrates The step B includes forming a transparent conductive layer on the surface side by sputtering using a sputtering gas containing argon and a discharge voltage of 100 V to 400 V.

  From the viewpoint of obtaining a long laminate, the transparent conductive layer 2 is preferably formed while the substrate is conveyed by, for example, a roll-to-roll method. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a sputter deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the sputter film forming apparatus 100, the base 1 is fed from a feed roll 53, is conveyed by a temperature control roll 52 through a guide roll 55, and is wound by a take-up roll 54 through a guide roll 56. The roll method is adopted. The inside of the sputter deposition apparatus 100 is evacuated to a predetermined pressure or less (exhaust means is not shown). The temperature adjustment roll 52 can be controlled to reach a predetermined temperature.

  The sputter deposition apparatus 100 of this embodiment includes one sputter chamber 11. The sputter chamber 11 is a region surrounded by the casing 101 of the sputter deposition apparatus 100, the partition wall 12, and the temperature control roll 52, and can be set to an independent sputter atmosphere during sputter deposition. The sputtering chamber 11 includes an indium-tin composite oxide (ITO) target 13 and a magnet electrode 14 that generates a horizontal magnetic field on the target 13. The ITO target 13 is connected to a DC power source 16 and an RF power source 17 and is discharged from each of these power sources, and a transparent conductive layer is formed on the substrate 1. In the sputtering chamber 11, plasma control is performed by the DC power source 16 and the RF power source 17, and argon gas and oxygen gas are used as a plasma generation source at a predetermined volume ratio (for example, argon gas: oxygen gas = 99: 1). Has been introduced in.

  The shape of the ITO target 13 may be a flat plate type (planar) as shown in FIG. 2 or a cylindrical type (rotary).

As the ITO target 13, a target containing an indium-tin composite oxide (In ₂ O ₃ —SnO ₂ target) is preferably used. When an In ₂ O ₃ —SnO ₂ metal oxide target is used, the amount of tin oxide (SnO ₂ ) in the metal oxide target is the sum of tin oxide (SnO ₂ ) and indium oxide (In ₂ O ₃ ). It is preferably 0.5% to 15% by weight, more preferably 3 to 15% by weight, still more preferably 5 to 12% by weight, and 6 to 12% by weight. It is particularly preferred. If the amount of tin oxide in the target is too small, the durability of the ITO film may be inferior. Moreover, when there is too much quantity of a tin oxide, an ITO film | membrane will become difficult to crystallize and transparency and stability of resistance value may not be enough.

In RF superposition DC sputter deposition using such an ITO target, the ultimate vacuum in the sputter deposition apparatus 100 is preferably 3.5 × 10 ⁻⁴ Pa or less, more preferably 1.0 × 10 ⁻⁴ Pa. It exhausts until it becomes the following, and puts the polymer film base material 1 in a vacuum environment (process A). Thereby, it can be set as the atmosphere which removed impurities, such as the water in the sputter film-forming apparatus 100, and the organic gas generated from a polymer film base material. The presence of moisture and organic gas terminates dangling bonds generated during sputter deposition and prevents crystal growth of conductive oxides such as ITO, and causes carrier scattering in the transparent conductive layer to increase mobility. It is because it lowers.

  In the sputter chamber 11 thus exhausted, sputtering gas is formed under reduced pressure of 1 Pa or less by introducing an inert gas such as Ar as a sputtering gas and oxygen gas as a reactive gas as necessary. The discharge pressure in the sputtering chamber 11 during film formation is preferably 0.09 Pa to 1 Pa, and more preferably 0.1 Pa to 0.8 Pa. If the discharge pressure is too high, the sputtering rate tends to decrease. Conversely, if the discharge pressure is too low, the discharge may become unstable.

  In the sputtering method of this embodiment, the incorporation of argon atoms as impurities into the transparent conductive layer 2 is suppressed by lowering the discharge voltage. The reason why the incorporation of impurities can be suppressed by suppressing the discharge voltage is not clear, but is estimated to be as follows. When sputtering under a high discharge voltage, argon ions moving towards the target have a high kinetic energy. As a result, argon recoiling from the target collides with the transparent conductive layer 2 while having high energy, so that it is considered that the amount of argon atoms taken into the transparent conductive layer 2 increases.

  As a result of the study by the present inventors, in order to reduce the discharge voltage, for example, the power source is an RF superimposed DC power source, and the sputtering pressure (discharge pressure) is set high within a preferable range (for example, 0. 6 Pa), increasing the horizontal magnetic field strength of the magnet (for example, 100 mT), and setting the discharge output within a preferable range. In the sputtering method of this embodiment, an RF superimposed DC power source is adopted as a power source to lower the effective discharge voltage, and a relatively high horizontal magnetic field is generated on the target 13 by the magnet electrode 14 to generate plasma in the system. By confining in the space in the vicinity of the target 13 and improving the plasma density, the discharge voltage is lowered and the incorporation of argon atoms into the transparent conductive layer 2 is suppressed.

  The type of power source installed in the sputtering apparatus of this embodiment is not limited, and may be the RF superimposed DC power source described with reference to the drawings, and may be the RF power source, whether it is a DC power source or an MF power source. These power sources may be combined. An RF superimposed DC power source is preferable from the viewpoint of efficient reduction of the discharge voltage. The discharge voltage (absolute value) is preferably from 100 V to 400 V, more preferably from 120 V to 380 V, more preferably from 120 V to 300 V, and even more preferably from 120 V to 250 V. By setting it as these ranges, the amount of impurities taken into the transparent conductive layer 2 can be reduced while securing the film formation rate.

  The strength of the horizontal magnetic field on the target surface can be set in consideration of the amount of argon atoms taken in, the film formation speed, etc., preferably 20 mT or more and 200 mT or less, more preferably 60 mT or more and 150 mT or less, and more preferably 80 mT or more and 130 mT or less. Further preferred.

  The presence of water molecules in the film formation atmosphere terminates dangling bonds generated during film formation and hinders crystal growth of the indium-based composite oxide. Therefore, the partial pressure of water in the film formation atmosphere is preferably small. . The partial pressure of water during film formation is preferably 1.0% or less, more preferably 0.8% or less, and 0.1% or less with respect to the partial pressure of the inert gas. Is more preferable. In this embodiment, since the inside of the sputtering apparatus is depressurized to a predetermined ultimate vacuum level in step A before the start of film formation, the water pressure during film formation can be within the above range, and An atmosphere in which impurities such as organic gas generated from the material are removed can be obtained.

The film substrate temperature at the time of forming the transparent conductive layer is not particularly limited. Usually, it can be set as the temperature of -40 degreeC or more and 200 degrees C or less.
Conventionally, it is known that, by setting the substrate temperature to a high temperature exceeding, for example, 100 ° C. and not more than 200 ° C., the crystal conversion property of the transparent conductive film can be improved and the resistance can be reduced. On the other hand, since the transparent conductive film of the present invention has the amount of impurities such as argon atoms and hydrogen atoms within a predetermined range, there is little inhibition of crystal conversion of the transparent conductive layer due to such impurities, and the substrate temperature is low. Even if the film is formed at a low temperature of 100 ° C. or lower, the crystal conversion property is good and a low specific resistance can be realized.

  From the viewpoint of further improving the crystal convertibility of the transparent conductive layer, the film substrate temperature is, for example, more than 100 ° C and 200 ° C or less, preferably 120 ° C or more and 180 ° C or less, more preferably 130 ° C or more and 160 ° C or less. .

  From the viewpoint of making it easier to reduce impurities such as hydrogen atoms and carbon atoms in the transparent conductive layer, the film substrate temperature is, for example, −40 ° C. or higher, preferably −30 ° C. or higher, more preferably. It is −20 ° C. or higher, more preferably −15 ° C. or higher, for example, 80 ° C. or lower, preferably 40 ° C. or lower, more preferably 30 ° C. or lower, still more preferably, It is 20 degrees C or less, Most preferably, it is 10 degrees C or less. By lowering the substrate temperature in this way, it is possible to suppress the release of impurity gases (water, organic solvents, etc.) derived from the film substrate during sputtering film formation, and impurities of hydrogen atoms and carbon atoms are contained in the transparent conductive layer. Incorporation can be suppressed.

In the present invention, the film base material temperature is a set temperature of the base of the base material at the time of sputtering film formation. For example, the film substrate temperature in the case where film formation is continuously performed by a roll sputtering apparatus including a film formation drum (temperature control roll 52 in the embodiment of FIG. 2) is a film formation drum on which sputter film formation is performed. It is the temperature of the surface.
Moreover, the film base material temperature in the case of performing sputter film formation with a batch-type sputtering apparatus is the temperature of the base material holder surface on which the film base material is placed.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although this invention is demonstrated in detail using an Example, this invention is not limited to a following example, unless the summary is exceeded. In the examples, unless otherwise indicated, “parts” means “parts by weight”. The discharge voltage is described as an absolute value.

[Example 1]
(Formation of undercoat layer)
A thermosetting resin composition containing a melamine resin: alkyd resin: organosilane condensate in a weight ratio of 2: 2: 1 in terms of solid content was diluted with methyl ethyl ketone so that the solid content concentration was 8% by weight. The obtained diluted composition was applied to one main surface of a polymer film substrate made of a 50 μm thick PET film (trade name “Diafoil”, manufactured by Mitsubishi Plastics), and heat-cured at 150 ° C. for 2 minutes to form a film. An organic undercoat layer having a thickness of 35 nm was formed. When the surface roughness of the formed organic undercoat layer was measured with AFM (“SPI3800” manufactured by Seiko Instruments Inc.), Ra was 0.5 nm.

(Formation of transparent conductive layer)
The polymer film substrate on which the organic undercoat layer was formed was placed in a vacuum sputtering apparatus, and was sufficiently evacuated so that the ultimate vacuum was 0.9 × 10 ⁻⁴ Pa, and the film was degassed. . Thereafter, 10% by weight of tin oxide and 90% by weight of indium oxide were obtained in a vacuum atmosphere (0.40 Pa) in which Ar and O ₂ (flow rate ratio: Ar: O ₂ = 99.9: 0.1) were introduced. As a target, an RF superimposed DC magnetron sputtering method (discharge voltage 150 V, RF frequency 13.56 MHz, ratio of RF power to DC power (with a film base temperature of 130 ° C. and a horizontal magnetic field of 100 mT) ( RF power / DC power) was 0.8) to form a first transparent conductor layer made of an indium-tin composite oxide layer having a thickness of 20 nm. 3% by weight of tin oxide in a vacuum atmosphere (0.40 Pa) in which Ar and O ₂ (the flow ratio is Ar: O ₂ = 99.9: 0.1) is introduced onto the first transparent conductor layer. And a 97 wt% indium oxide sintered body as a target, a film substrate temperature of 130 ° C., and a horizontal magnetic field of 100 mT, an RF superimposed DC magnetron sputtering method (discharge voltage 150 V, RF frequency 13.56 MHz, A second transparent conductor layer made of an indium-tin composite oxide layer having a thickness of 5 nm was formed at a ratio of RF power to DC power (RF power / DC power) of 0.8). Thus, the transparent conductive layer formed by laminating the first transparent conductor layer and the second transparent conductor layer was produced. The produced transparent conductive layer was heated in a 150 ° C. hot air oven to perform a crystal conversion treatment, thereby obtaining a transparent conductive film having a crystalline transparent conductive layer.

[Example 2]
A transparent conductive layer and a transparent conductive layer were formed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a single transparent conductive layer having a thickness of 25 nm was formed using a sintered body of 10% by weight tin oxide and 90% by weight indium oxide as a target. A transparent conductive film was produced.

[Example 3]
A transparent conductive layer and a transparent conductive film were produced in the same manner as in Example 2 except that the ultimate vacuum in the degassing treatment of the film was 2.0 × 10 ⁻⁴ Pa.

[Example 4]
A transparent conductive layer and a transparent conductive film were formed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that an SiO ₂ layer having a thickness of 5 nm was formed as an inorganic undercoat layer on the organic undercoat layer by sputtering using an MF power source. Was made.

[Example 5]
The transparent conductive layer and the transparent conductive film were the same as in Example 1 except that the sputtering power source was a DC power source, the flow ratio of Ar and O ₂ was Ar: O ₂ = 99: 1, and the discharge voltage was 235 V. Was made.

[Example 6]
A transparent conductive layer and a transparent conductive film were produced in the same manner as in Example 5 except that the ultimate vacuum in the degassing treatment of the film was 0.7 × 10 ⁻⁴ Pa.

[Example 7]
The ultimate vacuum in the degassing treatment of the film is 2.0 × 10 ⁻⁴ Pa, and a single-layer transparent film having a thickness of 25 nm is used using a sintered body of 10 wt% tin oxide and 90 wt% indium oxide as a target. A transparent conductive layer and a transparent conductive film were produced in the same manner as in Example 5 except that a conductive layer was formed.

[Example 8]
A transparent conductive layer and a transparent conductive film were produced in the same manner as in Example 7 except that the ultimate vacuum in the degassing treatment of the film was 2.6 × 10 ⁻⁴ Pa.

[Example 9]
A transparent conductive layer and a transparent conductive film were formed in the same manner as in Example 5 except that an SiO ₂ layer having a thickness of 10 nm was formed as an inorganic undercoat layer on the organic undercoat layer by sputtering using an MF power source. Was made.

[Example 10]
The ultimate vacuum in the degassing treatment of the film is 0.9 × 10 ⁻⁴ Pa, and an SiO ₂ layer having a thickness of 10 nm is formed as an inorganic undercoat layer on the organic undercoat layer by sputtering using an MF power source. A transparent conductive layer and a transparent conductive film were produced in the same manner as in Example 7 except that.

[Example 11]
In the same manner as in Example 7, except that the ultimate vacuum in the degassing treatment of the film was 0.9 × 10 ⁻⁴ Pa, the discharge atmospheric pressure was 0.60 Pa, the horizontal magnetic field was 30 mT, and the discharge voltage was 380 V. A transparent conductive layer and a transparent conductive film were prepared.

[Example 12]
A transparent conductive layer and a transparent conductive film were produced in the same manner as in Example 2 except that an organic undercoat layer was not formed and a PET film having an Ra of 2.1 nm was used as the polymer film substrate.

[Example 13]
A transparent conductive layer and a transparent conductive film were produced in the same manner as in Example 5 except that the film substrate temperature was 0 ° C.

[Comparative Example 1]
A transparent conductive layer and a transparent conductive film were produced in the same manner as in Example 5 except that the horizontal magnetic field was 30 mT and the discharge voltage was 430 V.

[Comparative Example 2]
A transparent conductive layer and a transparent conductive film were produced in the same manner as in Example 11 except that the discharge pressure was 0.25 Pa and the discharge voltage was 450 V.

[Comparative Example 3]
A transparent conductive layer and a transparent conductive film were produced in the same manner as in Example 8 except that the ultimate vacuum in the degassing treatment of the film was 3.9 × 10 ⁻⁴ Pa.

[Comparative Example 4]
A transparent conductive layer and a transparent conductive film were produced in the same manner as in Example 8 except that the ultimate vacuum in the degassing treatment of the film was 4.8 × 10 ⁻⁴ Pa.

[Comparative Example 5]
In the film degassing process, the ultimate vacuum is set to 4.8 × 10 ⁻⁴ Pa, and then argon gas is introduced into the sputtering apparatus after passing water (25 ° C.) in a water storage tank installed outside the apparatus. Then, a transparent conductive layer and a transparent conductive film were produced in the same manner as in Example 5 except that the discharge pressure was 0.20 Pa and the discharge voltage was 270 V.

<Evaluation>
The measurement thru | or evaluation method with respect to the transparent conductive film produced in the Example and the comparative example is as follows. Each evaluation result is shown in Table 1.

(1) Evaluation of film thickness The film thickness of the ITO film is based on the X-ray reflectance method as a measurement principle, and using a powder X-ray diffractometer ("RINT-2000" manufactured by Rigaku Corporation) under the following measurement conditions. The film thickness was calculated by measuring the X-ray reflectivity and analyzing the acquired measurement data with analysis software (“GXRR3” manufactured by Rigaku Corporation). The analysis conditions are as follows, and a two-layer model of a film base and an ITO thin film with a density of 7.1 g / cm ³ is adopted, and the least square fitting is performed with the film thickness and surface roughness of the ITO film as variables. The film thickness of the ITO film was analyzed.

<Measurement conditions>
Light source: Cu-Kα ray (wavelength: 1,5418Å), 40 kV, 40 mA
Optical system: Parallel beam optical system Divergent slit: 0.05 mm
Receiving slit: 0.05mm
Monochromatic / Parallelization: Use of multi-layered govel mirror Measurement mode: θ / 2θ scan mode Measurement range (2θ): 0.3 to 2.0 °
<Analysis conditions>
Analysis method: least square fitting Analysis range (2θ): 2θ = 0.3 to 2.0 °

(2) Argon atom quantitative measurement Using a measuring device (manufactured by National Electrostatics Corporation, "Pelletron 3SDH") based on Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, measurement is performed under the following conditions, and the presence of Ar in the ITO film Atomic weight was analyzed. Specifically, four elements of In, Sn, O, and Ar were detected, and the ratio (atomic%) of the existing atomic weight of Ar to the total existing atomic weight of the four elements was measured.

<Measurement conditions>
Incident ion: ⁴ He ⁺⁺
Incident energy: 2300 keV
Incident angle: 0 deg
Scattering angle: 110 deg
Sample current: 10 nA
Beam diameter: 2mmφ
In-plane rotation: No irradiation amount: 176 μC

(3) Quantitative measurement of hydrogen atoms and carbon atoms Using a device based on dynamic SIMS as a measurement principle (device: PHI ADEPT-1010, manufactured by ULVAC-PHI), carbon atoms and hydrogen in the depth direction at a pitch of 0.15 nm The amount of atoms (atoms / cm ³ ) was measured. FIG. 4 is a depth profile of hydrogen atoms and carbon atoms detected in this measurement. In this figure, the left end is the surface, the right end is the substrate side, and the right end portion of the In peak is the end in the depth direction of the ITO film. In this measurement, on the surface side and the film substrate side of the transparent conductive layer shown in FIG. 4, the surface contamination components and hydrogen atoms and carbon atoms contained in the film are detected.

  For this reason, the amount of hydrogen atoms and carbon atoms detected at almost the central point of the film thickness of the transparent conductive layer, which is not affected by the hydrogen atoms and carbon atoms contained in the contamination component and the film base material, is determined here. Of hydrogen atoms and carbon atoms.

  The method for determining the central point is as follows. As described above, in FIG. 4, the left end is the surface, the right end is the substrate side, and the right end portion of the In peak is the end in the depth direction of the ITO film. As for the central point of the ITO film thickness, the positions where the In detection intensity was halved on the surface side and the substrate side with respect to the peak intensity were the outermost surface part and the deepest part of the ITO layer, and the intermediate point was the central point.

(4) Measurement of specific resistance of crystalline ITO layer After the transparent conductive film was heat-treated at 150 ° C. to convert the transparent conductive layer into crystals, the surface resistance (Ω / □) of the transparent conductive layer was measured according to JIS K7194 (1994). ) And measured by the four probe method. The specific resistance was calculated from the thickness of the transparent conductive layer determined by the above (1) film thickness measurement and the surface resistance.

(5) Evaluation of crystallization A transparent conductive film having an ITO film formed on a polymer film substrate is heated in a hot air oven at 150 ° C. to carry out a crystal conversion treatment, and hydrochloric acid at 20 ° C. and a concentration of 5% by weight. After dipping for 15 minutes, it was washed with water and dried, and the resistance between terminals between 15 mm was measured with a tester. In this specification, after immersion in hydrochloric acid, washing with water, and drying, when the inter-terminal resistance between 15 mm does not exceed 10 kΩ, the crystal conversion of the ITO film is completed. Moreover, the said measurement was implemented every 30 minutes of heating time, and the time which the crystallization completion was able to be confirmed was evaluated as crystal conversion time.

(Results and discussion)
In Examples 1 to 13, the amounts of argon atoms, hydrogen atoms, and carbon atoms in the transparent conductive layer were all reduced to a predetermined range or less, and the specific resistance after crystal conversion of the transparent conductive layer was 2.8 × 10 ^{−. The} value is as low as ⁴ Ω · cm or less, indicating that the resistance of the transparent conductive layer has been reduced. On the other hand, in Comparative Examples 1 and 2, the atomic concentration of argon atoms in the transparent conductive layer exceeds 0.24 atomic%, and the specific resistance of the transparent conductive layer is also a high value exceeding 2.8 × 10 ⁻⁴ Ω · cm. It was. In Comparative Example 3, although the existing atomic weight of argon atoms was low, the existing atomic weight of hydrogen atoms exceeded 13 × 10 ²⁰ atoms / cm ^3, and thus the specific resistance was high. In addition, the time required for crystal conversion has become longer due to the effect of inhibiting crystal growth by hydrogen atoms. In Comparative Examples 4 and 5, since the existing atomic weights of hydrogen atoms and carbon atoms were too high, the ITO film was not crystallized and the specific resistance was high.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Base material 2 Transparent conductive layer 10 Transparent conductive film 11 Sputtering chamber 13 Target 14 Magnet electrode 16 DC power supply 17 RF electrode 100 Sputter film-forming apparatus

Claims (16)

A polymer film substrate;
A transparent conductive film comprising a transparent conductive layer formed on at least one surface side of the polymer film substrate,
The material of the polymer film substrate is a norbornene single-component polymer or copolymer polymer, polyester, polyolefin, polycycloolefin, polycarbonate, polyamide, or polystyrene,
The transparent conductive layer is an indium-tin composite oxide layer,
The atomic amount of argon atoms in the transparent conductive layer is more than 0.05 atomic% and 0.24 atomic% or less,
The transparent conductive film whose specific resistance of the said transparent conductive layer is 1.1 * 10 < ^-4 > ohm * cm or more and 2.8 * 10 < ^-4 > ohm * cm or less. 2. The transparent conductive film according to claim 1, wherein the atomic weight of hydrogen atoms in the transparent conductive layer is 13 × 10 ²⁰ atoms / cm ³ or less. ^3. The transparent conductive film according to claim 1, wherein the atomic weight of carbon atoms in the transparent conductive layer is 10.5 × 10 ²⁰ atoms / cm ³ or less.   The transparent conductive film according to claim 1, wherein the transparent conductive layer is crystalline.   5. The content of tin oxide in the indium-tin composite oxide layer is 0.5% by weight to 15% by weight with respect to the total amount of tin oxide and indium oxide. 5. Transparent conductive film. The transparent conductive layer has a structure in which a plurality of indium-tin composite oxide layers are laminated,
The transparent conductive film according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the abundance of tin is different in at least two of the plurality of indium-tin composite oxide layers.   The transparent conductive film according to claim 6, wherein all of the indium-tin composite oxide layer is crystalline. The transparent conductive layer has a first indium-tin composite oxide layer and a second indium-tin composite oxide layer in this order from the polymer film substrate side,
The content of tin oxide in the first indium-tin composite oxide layer is 6% by weight to 15% by weight with respect to the total amount of tin oxide and indium oxide,
The content of tin oxide in the second indium-tin composite oxide layer is 0.5% by weight to 5.5% by weight with respect to the total amount of tin oxide and indium oxide. Transparent conductive film.   The transparent electroconductivity of any one of Claims 1-8 provided with the organic undercoat layer formed of the organic substance or the mixture of an organic substance and an inorganic substance between the said polymer film base material and the said transparent conductive layer. the film.   The transparent conductive film of any one of Claims 1-8 provided with the inorganic undercoat layer formed with the inorganic substance between the said polymer film base material and the said transparent conductive layer. An organic undercoat layer formed of an organic substance or a mixture of an organic substance and an inorganic substance on at least one surface side of the polymer film;
An inorganic undercoat layer formed of an inorganic material;
The transparent conductive film of any one of Claims 1-8 provided with the said transparent conductive layer in this order. It is a manufacturing method of the transparent conductive film according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
Step A for placing the polymer film substrate under a vacuum with an ultimate vacuum of 3.5 × 10 ⁻⁴ Pa or less, and at least one surface side of the polymer film substrate using a sputtering gas containing argon, Step B of forming a transparent conductive layer by a sputtering method with a discharge voltage of 100 V to 400 V and a substrate temperature of -40 ° C. to 180 ° C.
The manufacturing method of the transparent conductive film containing this.   The method for producing a transparent conductive film according to claim 12, wherein the sputtering method is an RF superimposed DC sputtering method.   The method for producing a transparent conductive film according to claim 12 or 13, wherein in the step B, a horizontal magnetic field on the surface of the sputter target is 20 mT or more and 200 mT or less.   The manufacturing method of the transparent conductive film of any one of Claims 12-14 including the process of crystal-converting by heating the said transparent conductive layer. The process according to any one of claims 12 to 15, further comprising a step of forming an inorganic undercoat layer by a vacuum film forming method on the surface side of the polymer film substrate on which the transparent conductive layer is formed before the step B. The manufacturing method of the transparent conductive film of description.

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