Patterned substrates with darkened conductor traces

• US 10,420,207 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2017
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Frey, Matthew H., Yu, Ta-Hua, McGee, Kari A., Luo, Hui, Kolb, William B., Kolb, Brant U., David, Moses M., Zu, Lijun
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Sheeba
• Application Number:
  US15/636,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20170303393A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/116 including electrically conducting layers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/142 Coating structures, e.g. thin films multilayers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0274 Optical details, e.g. printed circuits comprising integral optical means H05K1/0269 takes precedence; coupling light guides with opto-electronic components G02B6/42
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0306 Inorganic insulating substrates, e.g. ceramic, glass
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/09 Use of materials for the conductive, e.g. metallic pattern
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0108 Transparent
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09681 Mesh conductors, e.g. as a ground plane
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/061 Etching masks
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/4644 by building the multilayer layer by layer, i.e. build-up multilayer circuits making via holes in the insulating layers H05K3/0011; special circuit boards as base or core whereon the multilayer is built H05K3/4602
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0086 comprising a single discontinuous metallic layer on an electrically insulating supporting structure, e.g. metal grid, perforated metal foil, film, aggregated flakes, sintering
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0096 for television displays, e.g. plasma display panel
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/755 Nanosheet or quantum barrier/well, i.e. layer structure having one dimension or thickness of 100 nm or less

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an article having a substrate having a first nanostructured surface and an opposing second surface; and a conductor micropattern disposed on the first surface of the substrate, the conductor micropattern formed by a plurality of traces. The micropattern may have an open area fraction greater than 80%. The traces of the conductor micropattern may have a specular reflectance in a direction orthogonal to and toward the first surface of the substrate of less than 50%. The nanostructured surface may include nanofeatures having a height from 50 to 750 nanometers, a width from 15 to 200 nanometers, and a lateral spacing from 5 to 500 nanometers. The articles are useful in devices such as displays, in particular, touch screen displays useful for mobile hand held devices, tablets and computers. They also find use in antennas and for EMI shields.

Claims

1. An article comprising:

a substrate having a nanostructured first surface and an opposing second surface; and

a plurality of metallic traces disposed in a micropattern on the first surface of the substrate,

wherein the metallic traces have a specular reflectance of less than 50% for light normally incident on the article in a direction through the substrate toward the first surface.

2. The article of claim 1, wherein each metallic trace has an average thickness from 0.05 micrometers to 2 micrometers.

3. The article of claim 1, wherein each metallic trace has an average thickness from 0.075 micrometers to 0.5 micrometers.

4. The article of claim 1, wherein the plurality of metallic traces defines a plurality of cells.

5. The article of claim 4, wherein the cells are discontinuous.

6. The article of claim 4, wherein the cells are continuous.

7. The article of claim 1, wherein the nanostructured first surface comprises nanofeatures having a height from 50 to 500 nanometers.

8. The article of claim 7, wherein the nanofeatures have a width from 15 to 200 nanometers, and a lateral spacing from 5 to 500 nanometers.

9. The article of claim 1, wherein the specular reflectance is less than 20%.

10. The article of claim 1, wherein the specular reflectance is less than 10%.

11. The article of claim 1, wherein the micropattern has an open area fraction greater than 80% and each of the metallic traces has a width from 0.5 to 10 micrometers.

12. An article comprising:

a transparent substrate having a nanostructured surface and a metallic conductor disposed on the nanostructured surface, the metallic conductor having an average thickness of greater than 50 nanometers, the nanostructured surface comprising nanofeatures having a height from 50 to 750 nanometers, a width from 15 to 200 nanometers, and a lateral spacing from 5 to 500 nanometers.

13. The article of claim 12, wherein the average thickness of the metallic conductor is in a range of 75 nm to 500 nm.

14. The article of claim 12, wherein the metallic conductor has a specular reflectance of less than 50% for light normally incident on the article in a direction through the transparent substrate toward the nanostructured surface.

15. The article of claim 14, wherein the specular reflectance is less than 20%.

16. The article of claim 14, wherein the specular reflectance is less than 10%.

17. The article of claim 12, wherein the metallic conductor comprises a plurality of traces disposed in a micropattern.

18. The article of claim 17, wherein the micropattern has an open area fraction greater than 80% and each of the traces has a width from 0.5 to 10 micrometers.

19. The article of claim 12, wherein the nanostructured surface comprises a matrix and a nanoscale dispersed phase that comprises nanoparticles having a particle size from 50 nm to 250 nm.

20. The article of claim 19, wherein the nanoparticles are present in the matrix from 40% to 85% by volume.