TW201836451A - Method for patterning substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

The instant invention provides a method for patterning a substrate, including: coating a laser gel on the substrate for forming a temporary coating having a catalytic material; irradiating the temporary coating by a laser beam for fixing a part of the catalytic material on the substrate, wherein the part of the catalytic material forms a predetermined pattern; removing the temporary coating; and performing a electroless plating process for forming a metal pattern layer corresponding to the predetermined pattern on the surface of the part of the catalytic material. The method provided by the instant disclosure can utilize various substrates and laser devices and form smooth and accurate metal pattern layer under low cost.

Description

 Method of patterning a substrate  

The present invention relates to a method of patterning a substrate, and more particularly to a method of patterning a substrate by laser.

Currently, in common electronic products, it is often necessary to form a metal layer having a specific pattern. For example, metal patterning techniques are involved in the manufacture of products such as cell phone antennas, automotive electronic circuits, and cash dispenser housings.

In the prior art, Laser Direct Structuring is a three-dimensional Molded Interconnect Device (3D-MID) developed by LPKF of Germany, including professional laser processing, injection and electroplating processes. technology. Laser direct molding can impart electrical interconnection function to plastic components (such as circuit boards), support component functions, and protection functions, and can combine functions such as shielding and antenna generated by combining mechanical entities (substrates) and conductive patterns (lines). In one. This technology can be applied to integrated circuit boards, high-density interconnected printed circuit boards (HDI PCBs), and local fine-line fabrication of leadframes.

Please refer to Figure 1 to Figure 3. 1 to 3 are schematic views of different steps in laser direct structuring techniques. First, as shown in Fig. 1, the laser direct structuring technique includes providing a plastic substrate 1' having an active material inside as a substrate for supporting or supporting a metal pattern. Next, as shown in Fig. 2, an anti-etching resist (e.g., metal tin) in a specific region on the surface of the plastic substrate 1' is burned off by the laser beam L1 generated by the LPKF laser device. Specifically, this Laser Activation step activates the active metal (e.g., copper metal) by the laser beam L1 in combination with the added special chemical agent and forms a rough surface. Finally, as shown in Fig. 3, metallization pattern layer 3' is produced on the surface of the plastic substrate 1' by electroplating metallization.

However, as can be seen from the above, the laser direct molding technique must use a plastic substrate 1' having an active material inside as a substrate, and a specific laser device (LPKF laser) is required to perform the step of burning off the anti-etching agent. Therefore, the material and machine selection of this technology are highly restrictive and the production cost is also high. In addition, it is worth noting that before the step of laser beam burning off the anti-etching agent, the laser direct molding technique also needs to apply a protective liquid on the plastic substrate 1' to ensure the subsequently formed metallized pattern layer 3'. It does not have too high roughness and avoids over-plating. Therefore, laser direct structuring technology has the disadvantages of complicated process and high cost.

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method for patterning a substrate for the deficiencies of the prior art, which can relax the selection of materials and devices, thereby reducing the production cost and smoothing in a relatively simple step method. Metallized pattern.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is to provide a method for patterning a substrate, comprising: coating a laser on the substrate to form a temporary coating, wherein The temporary coating has a catalytic material; the temporary coating is illuminated by a laser beam to secure a portion of the catalytic material to the substrate, wherein the portion of the catalytic material has a predetermined pattern; removing the temporary coating; and performing an electroless plating process to form a metal pattern layer corresponding to the predetermined pattern on a surface of the portion of the catalytic material.

Preferably, the laser gel comprises 5 to 10% by weight of the carrier, 0.01 to 5% by weight of the catalytic material and the balance of solvent.

Preferably, the catalytic material is selected from the group consisting of palladium, platinum, copper, nickel, silver, and the like.

Preferably, the carrier is an aqueous resin selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol resins, acrylic resins, and polyurethane resins.

Preferably, the carrier is an oily resin selected from the group consisting of a resin of an acrylic system, an epoxy resin, a phenol resin, a polyurethane resin, and a silicone resin.

Preferably, the solvent is selected from the group consisting of toluene, xylene, butanol, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and the like. .

Preferably, the laser glue is applied to the substrate by spraying, spin coating, hand-painting, dipping or printing.

Preferably, in the step of removing the temporary coating layer, the method further comprises: removing the temporary coating layer by a fluid. Preferably, the fluid is water having a temperature between 65 and 95 °C.

Preferably, the substrate is one of a plastic substrate, a ceramic substrate and a glass substrate.

The beneficial effects of the present invention are that the method for patterning a substrate provided by the technical solution of the present invention can "fix a portion of the catalytic material to the substrate by irradiating the temporary coating with a laser beam. The portion of the catalytic material has a predetermined pattern of technical features to produce a smooth metallization pattern in a relatively simple step process while reducing production costs.

For a better understanding of the features and technical aspects of the present invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings.

1‧‧‧Substrate

1'‧‧‧Plastic substrate

11’‧‧‧Active materials

2‧‧‧ Temporary coating

21‧‧‧ Catalytic materials

3‧‧‧metal pattern layer

3'‧‧‧metallized pattern layer

L1, L2‧‧‧ laser beam

P‧‧‧Prescribed pattern

1 is a schematic view of one step of laser direct structuring technology; FIG. 2 is a schematic view of another step of laser direct structuring technology; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of still another step of laser direct structuring technology; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a step S100 of a method for patterning a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a step S100 of a method for patterning a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a step S104 of a method for patterning a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 8 is a step S106 of a method for patterning a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 9 is a flow chart of a method of patterning a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The following is a description of an embodiment of the present invention relating to a "method of patterning a substrate" by a specific embodiment, and those skilled in the art can understand the advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in the specification. The present invention may be carried out or applied in various other specific embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, the drawings of the present invention are merely illustrative and are not intended to be stated in the actual size. The following embodiments will further explain the related technical content of the present invention, but the disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

First, please refer to FIG. 9 and at the same time cooperate with FIG. 4 to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method for patterning a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a substrate used in a method for patterning a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 to FIG. A schematic diagram of different steps in the method of patterning a substrate provided by the embodiments of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the method for patterning a substrate provided by an embodiment of the present invention, at least the following steps are included: coating a laser on a substrate to form a temporary coating (S100), wherein the temporary The coating has a catalytic material; the temporary coating is irradiated by the laser beam to fix a portion of the catalytic material on the substrate (S102), wherein a portion of the catalytic material has a predetermined pattern; the temporary coating is removed (S104); Electroless plating processing is performed to form a metal pattern layer corresponding to a predetermined pattern on the surface of a portion of the catalytic material (S106).

Please refer to Figure 4. The substrate 1 in the embodiment of the present invention is a support material for a metal pattern, and may be one of a plastic substrate, a ceramic substrate, and a glass substrate. In fact, in the embodiment of the present invention, the material of the substrate 1 is not limited thereto. Compared with the prior art, it is necessary to use the plastic substrate 1' containing the specific active material 11' as a substrate, and the method provided by the invention can expand the selection limitation of the substrate, thereby reducing the production cost and increasing the diversity and flexibility of the product. degree.

Next, please refer to Figure 5. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a step S100 of a method of patterning a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention. In step S100, a laser paste is coated on the substrate 1 to form a temporary coating layer 2. The temporary coating 2 has a catalytic material 21. Specifically, the temporary coating 2 is formed by applying a laser gel onto the substrate 1 by spraying, spin coating, hand-painting, dipping or printing.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the manner in which the laser gel is applied to the substrate 1 is not limited, and may be adjusted according to the composition of the laser. For example, when the solvent content of the laser is high and the flowability of the laser is high, the laser can be applied to the substrate 1 by spraying or spin coating.

In view of the above, the laser gel comprises 5 to 10% by weight of the carrier, 0.01 to 5% by weight of the catalytic material 21, and the balance of the solvent. The catalytic material 21 is selected from the group consisting of palladium, platinum, copper, nickel, silver, and the like. For example, a palladium metal can be used as the catalytic material 21. The selection of the catalytic material 21 can be selected according to the energy and wavelength of the laser beam L2 generated by the subsequent laser device, the material and characteristics of the substrate 1, and the type of plating solution in the subsequent electroless plating process. The invention is not limited.

It should be noted that in the method of patterning a substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention, the laser gel used is a catalytic material 21 containing a relatively low content. In the prior art, the laser direct structuring technique directly employs a plastic substrate 1' containing an active material 11', wherein the content of the active material 11' in the plastic substrate 1' is generally 10 to 20% by weight. Therefore, the method provided by the embodiments of the present invention can not only enlarge the selection of the substrate, but also effectively reduce the amount of the catalytic material 21 and reduce the production cost.

The catalytic material 21 can be fixed to the surface of the substrate 1 after being irradiated by the laser beam L1, and reacts with ions in the plating solution in a subsequent electroless plating process to assist in the formation of the metal pattern. The role of the catalytic material in the subsequent steps will be described in detail later.

The carrier in the laser gel is an aqueous resin selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol resins, acrylic resins, and polyurethane resins. Alternatively, the carrier is an oil-based resin selected from the group consisting of a resin of an acrylic system, an epoxy resin, a phenol resin, a polyurethane resin, and a silicone resin. The carrier is used to disperse the catalytic material 21 such that the catalytic material 21 is evenly distributed within the laser.

The solvent in the laser gel is selected from the group consisting of toluene, xylene, butanol, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and the like. The solvent is used to wet the surface of the substrate 1 when the laser is applied to the surface of the substrate 1, and may also be used to uniformly disperse the carrier and the catalytic material 21 on the surface of the substrate 1.

Next, please refer to Figure 6. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of step S102 of a method of patterning a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention. In step S102, the temporary coating 2 is irradiated by the laser beam L2 to fix a part of the catalytic material 21 on the substrate 1. The laser beam L2 may be produced by a fiber laser, an argon ion laser, an ultraviolet (UV) laser, a carbon dioxide laser, or an LPKF laser. However, in the embodiment of the present invention, the generating means of the laser beam L2 is not limited.

When the temporary coating 2 on the substrate 1 is irradiated by the laser beam L2, the position and range of the laser beam L2 irradiation can be programmed in advance by a computer. For example, the digital line data can be transmitted to the laser device that produces the laser beam L2 such that the position and extent of the laser beam L2 illuminated on the substrate 1 is the same as the position and extent of the subsequently formed metal pattern.

In other words, in step S102, the laser beam L2 illuminates a portion of the temporary coating 2 such that a portion of the catalytic material 21 in the temporary coating 2 is fixed to the substrate 1. Thereby, the portion of the catalytic material 21 fixed on the substrate 1 has a predetermined pattern P. The predetermined pattern P corresponds to the pattern of the metal layer 3 to be formed later. While the laser beam L2 illuminates a part of the temporary coating layer 2, the carrier in the temporary coating layer 2 is cracked and is not fixed to the surface of the substrate 1. In addition, the solvent will volatilize due to the energy of the laser beam L2.

Next, please refer to Figure 7. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of step S104 of a method of patterning a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention. In step S104, the temporary coating 2 is removed. Specifically, after the portion of the catalytic material 21 in the temporary coating 2 is fixed on the substrate 1, the temporary coating 2 remaining on the substrate 1 can be removed. For example, the temporary coating 2 remaining on the substrate 1 can be removed by fluid removal. For example, the substrate 1 may be rinsed with water having a temperature between 65 and 95 ° C to remove the temporary coating 2 remaining on the substrate 1.

After step S104, a catalytic material 21 having a predetermined pattern P is fixed on a part of the surface of the substrate 1. Please refer to Figure 8 below. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of step S106 of a method of patterning a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention. In step S106, electroless plating processing is performed to form a metal pattern layer 3 corresponding to a predetermined pattern P on the surface of a portion of the catalytic material 21.

Specifically, in step S106, the substrate 1 to which the catalytic material 21 is fixed may be placed in an electroless plating solution to perform electroless plating processing. The electroless plating solution can be electroless silver plating, nickel plating, copper plating, cobalt plating, nickel plating phosphorus plating or nickel plating phosphorous. By the electroless plating solution, metal ions can be reduced to metal and deposited on the surface of the substrate 1, thereby forming the metal pattern layer 3. After the electroless plating process is completed, the surface of the substrate 1 will have the metal pattern layer 3 corresponding to the predetermined pattern P. The detailed parameters of the electroless plating process are not limited in the present invention.

 [Advantageous Effects of Embodiments]  

The beneficial effects of the present invention are that the method for patterning a substrate provided by the technical solution of the present invention can "fix a portion of the catalytic material to the substrate by irradiating the temporary coating with a laser beam. The portion of the catalytic material has a predetermined pattern of technical features to produce a smooth metallization pattern in a relatively simple step process while reducing production costs.

In particular, the method for patterning a substrate provided by the embodiments of the present invention can be applied to substrates made of various materials and different types of lasers, which greatly increases the flexibility of the product and the manufacturing method. In addition, according to the kind of the catalytic material 21 and the control of the energy of the laser beam L2, the method provided by the embodiment of the present invention can omit the step of activating the active material 11' of the prior art, and can also eliminate the use of the protective liquid to ensure the metal layer 3. The necessity of smoothness. Accordingly, the method for patterning a substrate provided by the embodiments of the present invention has lower manufacturing method complexity, higher flexibility, and can significantly reduce production cost.

The above disclosure is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, any equivalent technical changes made by using the present specification and the contents of the drawings are included in the application of the present invention. Within the scope of the patent.

Claims (10)

 A method of patterning a substrate, comprising: coating a laser on the substrate to form a temporary coating, wherein the temporary coating has a catalytic material; and is illuminated by a laser beam The temporary coating to fix a portion of the catalytic material to the substrate, wherein the portion of the catalytic material has a predetermined pattern; removing the temporary coating; and performing an electroless plating Processing to form a metal pattern layer corresponding to the predetermined pattern on a surface of the portion of the catalytic material.    The method of patterning a substrate according to claim 1, wherein the laser gel comprises 5 to 10% by weight of a carrier, 0.01 to 5% by weight of the catalytic material, and the balance of a solvent.    The method of patterning a substrate according to claim 2, wherein the catalytic material is selected from the group consisting of palladium, platinum, copper, nickel, silver, and the like.    The method of patterning a substrate according to claim 2, wherein the carrier is an aqueous resin selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol resin, acrylic resin, and urethane resin.    The method of patterning a substrate according to claim 2, wherein the carrier is one selected from the group consisting of a resin of an acrylic system, an epoxy resin, a phenol resin, a polyurethane resin, and a silicone resin. Oily resin.    The method of patterning a substrate according to claim 2, wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of toluene, xylene, butanol, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, acetone, and butyl. a group consisting of a ketone and a mixture thereof.    The method of patterning a substrate according to claim 1, wherein the laser gel is applied to the substrate by spraying, spin coating, hand-painting, dipping or printing.    The method of patterning a substrate according to claim 1, wherein, in the step of removing the temporary coating layer, further comprising: removing the temporary coating layer by a fluid.    The method of patterning a substrate according to claim 8, wherein the fluid is water having a temperature between 65 and 95 °C.    The method of patterning a substrate according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is one of a plastic substrate, a ceramic substrate, and a glass substrate.