Method for manufacturing transparent electrode

• US 10,236,398 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2016
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Cheong, Woo-Seok
• Primary Examiner(s): Nikmanesh, Seahvosh
• Application Number:
  US15/093,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20170012147A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/022466 made of transparent conductive layers, e.g. TCO, ITO layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/166 using selective deposition, e.g. using a mask
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/40 Thermal treatment, e.g. annealing in the presence of a solvent vapour

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a transparent electrode, and provides a method for manufacturing a transparent electrode, the method comprising forming a multi-layered transparent conductive film by sequentially laminating a first oxide layer, a metal layer, and a second oxide layer on a transparent substrate, forming a mask pattern on the second oxide layer, performing an etching process using the mask pattern as an etching mask to form, in the second oxide layer, a trench exposing the upper surface of the metal layer, and forming a metal pattern in the trench.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a transparent electrode, the method comprising:

forming a multi-layered transparent conductive film on a transparent substrate, the multi-layered transparent conductive film including a first oxide layer, a metal layer, and a second oxide layer which are sequentially laminated on the transparent substrate;

forming a mask pattern on the second oxide layer;

performing an etching process using the mask pattern as an etching mask to form a trench in the second oxide layer, the trench exposing the upper surface of the metal layer; and

forming a metal pattern in the trench.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal pattern has a mesh structure as seen from a plan view.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the metal pattern has, as seen from a plan view, a grid shape including first metal patterns which extend in one direction to form a plurality of rows, and second metal patterns which extend in the direction perpendicular to the one direction to form a plurality of columns.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the metal pattern has a honeycomb shape as seen from a plan view.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming of the metal pattern comprises performing a plating process using the exposed upper surface of the metal layer as a seed.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the plating process uses at least any one selected from the group consisting of copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), silver (Ag), and an alloy thereof as a source material.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the metal pattern is formed so as to be higher than the upper surface of the second oxide layer and lower than the upper surface of the mask pattern.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the mask pattern has a height of 1 to 10 μ

m from one surface of the second oxide layer, and the metal pattern has a height of 0.1 to 10 μ

m from one surface of the second oxide layer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal pattern has a width of 1 to 20 μ

m.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal layer includes any one selected from the group consisting of silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), gold (Au), palladium (Pd), titanium (Ti), copper (Cu), and an alloy thereof.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first oxide layer and the second oxide layer each include any one selected from the group consisting of zinc oxide (ZnO), tin oxide (SnO₂), silicon oxide (SiO₂), titanium oxide (TiO₂), silicon nitride (SiN_x), ZITO (ZnO+In₂O₃+SnO₂), ZTO (ZnO+SnO₂), AZO (Al-doped ZnO), GZO (Ga-doped ZnO), ITO (In₂O₃+SnO₂), IZO (In₂O₃+ZnO) , and a compound thereof.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-layered transparent conductive film further includes an adhesion layer, and the adhesion layer is formed in at least any one of between the first oxide layer and the metal layer, and between the metal layer and the second oxide layer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the adhesion layer includes any one selected from the group consisting of aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), chromium (Cr), aluminum nitride (AlN), titanium nitride (TiN), aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), titanium oxide (TiO₂), chromium oxide (Cr₂O₃), and silicon oxide (SiO₂, Si₃O₄).

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the forming of the metal pattern, forming an anti-oxidation film on the metal pattern.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the anti-oxidation film includes nickel (Ni) or silver (Ag).

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a protective layer so as to cover the second oxide layer and the meal pattern after removing the mask pattern.

17. The method of claim 16, the protective layer includes silicon oxide (SiO₂).