Electrode and/or conductor track for organic components and production method thereof

• US 20040026121A1
• Filed: 08/20/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: PolyIC GmbH & Co. KG (Leonhard KURZ Stiftung & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: PolyIC GmbH & Co. KG (Leonhard KURZ Stiftung & Company KG)
• Inventors: Rost, Henning, Bernds, Adolf, Clemens, Wolfgang, Fix, Walter
• Application Number:
  US10/381,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20040026121A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 174/257
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31133 by chemical means
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76838 characterised by the formation and the after-treatment of the conductors etching for patterning the conductors H01L21/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 10/46 Field-effect transistors, e.g. organic thin-film transistors [OTFT] H10K10/43 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 10/82 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/805 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/211 by selective transformation of an existing layer
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/233 by photolithographic etching
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/60 Forming conductive regions or layers, e.g. electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/111 comprising aromatic, heteroaromatic, or aryl chains, e.g. polyaniline, polyphenylene or polyphenylene vinylene
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/1135 Polyethylene dioxythiophene [PEDOT]; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]

Abstract

The invention relates to electrodes for organic components, particularly for components such as field effect transistors (OFET'"'"'s) and/or light-emitting diodes (OLED'"'"'s), which have conductive and highly resolved finely structured electrode tracks. The electrode and/or conductor track are/is produced by treating a conductive or non-conductive layer comprised of an organic functional polymer with a chemical compound since, at the point of contact, the chemical compound deactivates or activates the layer comprised of an organic functional polymer, i.e. renders it conductive or non-conductive. The non-conductive regions of the layer can be removed.

Claims

1. Electrode and/or conductor track (2′

) that can be produced by treating an organic functional polymer with a chemical compound.

2. Electrode and/or conductor track in accordance with claim 1, with the organic functional polymer being conductive before treatment with the chemical compound and present as a layer (2).

3. Electrode and/or conductor track in accordance with claim 1 or 2, with the organic functional polymer polyaniline being doped polyaniline or a different conductive organic material.

4. Electrode and/or conductor track in accordance with one of the preceding claims, with the chemical compound being an alkali or oxidating medium.

5. Electrode and/or conductor track in accordance with one of the preceding claims, that can be produced by selective removal of the areas (3) of the layer that are non-conducting after the treatment.

6. Electrode and/or conductor track in accordance with one of the preceding claims, with the affected areas (3) of the layer being deprotonized after treatment.

7. Method for producing an electrode and/or conductor track by treating an organic functional polymer with a chemical compound.

8. Method in accordance with claim 7, with the organic functional polymer being treated by printing with the chemical compound.

9. Method in accordance with one of claims 7 or 8, with the electrode and/or conductor track being produced by partial activation or deactivation of the organic functional polymer.

10. Method in accordance with one of claims 7 or 9, with a layer (2) of organic functional polymer being produced, and on this a layer (4) of photoresist being produced that is made soluble in selected areas by structured exposure, the soluble areas being removed, the exposed areas (3) then being either deprotonized by contact with alkali or etched off by contact with an oxidation agent and with the remaining photoresist then being dissolved in a further operation.

11. Method in accordance with claim 10, with the layer of organic functional polymer being produced by squeegee, spin coating, spraying or screen-printing.

12. Method in accordance with one of claims 10 or 11, with the soluble areas of the exposed photoresist being removed by means of an alkaline solvent that deprotonizes the areas (3) underneath at the same time as selectively removing the photoresist.

13. Method in accordance with claims 10 or 11, with a mixture of sulfuric acid with an aqueous potassium permanganate being used as the oxidation agent.

14. Method in accordance with one of claims 7 to 13 for the production of organic field effect transistors (OFETs).

15. Method in accordance with one of claims 7 to 14 for the production of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs).

16. Method in accordance with one of claims 7 to 15 for the production of photoelectronic components.