Method For Producing an Electronic Component

• US 20080200030A1
• Filed: 07/27/2006
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PolyIC GmbH & Co. KG (Leonhard KURZ Stiftung & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: PolyIC GmbH & Co. KG (Leonhard KURZ Stiftung & Company KG)
• Inventors: Fix, Walter, Knobloch, Alexander, Ullmann, Andreas, Welker, Merlin
• Granted Patent: US 7,846,838 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/678
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/16 incorporating printed electric components, e.g. printed resistor, capacitor, inductor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/12 using thick film techniques, e.g. printing techniques to apply the conductive material or similar techniques for applying conductive paste or ink patterns
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/13 using printing techniques, e.g. ink-jet printing or screen printing
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/611 using printing deposition, e.g. ink jet printing
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 77/111 Flexible substrates
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 Organic PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing an electronic component on a surface of a substrate with the electronic component having, seen at right angles to the surface of the substrate, at least two electrical functional layers which are arranged one above the other and such that they overlap at least in a surface area F, with the at least two electrical functional layers on the substrate being structured directly or indirectly using a continuous process, with a first electrical functional layer of the at least two electrical functional layers being structured such that a first length/width dimension of the first electrical functional layer parallel to the surface of the substrate and in a relative movement direction of the substrate is at least 5 μm longer/wider, preferably more than 1 mm longer/wider, than a length/width dimension of the surface area F in the relative movement direction and parallel to the surface of the substrate.

Claims

1. A method for producing an electronic component on a surface of a substrate with the electronic component having, seen at a right angle to the surface of the substrate, at least two electrical functional layers arranged one above the other and overlapping at least in a surface area F having a length dimension (L_F), with the at least two electrical functional layers on the substrate being structured directly or indirectly with a structuring unit using a continuous process, and with the substrate being moved relative to the structuring unit, the substrate being flexible with a thickness in the range from 6 μ

m to 200 μ

m and which substrate is transported from roll to roll during the continuous process, wherein

a) a first electrical functional layer of the at least two electrical functional layers is structured such that a first length dimension (L₁) of the first electrical functional layer in a first direction parallel to the surface of the substrate and in a relative movement direction of the substrate relative to the structuring unit is at least 5 μ

m longer than the length dimension (L_F) of the surface area F in the relative movement direction and in the first direction parallel to the surface of the substrate, and wherein

b) the first electrical functional layer of the at least two electrical functional layers is being structured such that a first width dimension (B₁) of the first electrical functional layer parallel to the surface of the substrate and at a right angle to the relative movement direction of the substrate is at least 5 μ

m wider relative to the structuring unit than a second width dimension (B_F) of the surface area F at a right angle to the relative movement direction and parallel to the surface of the substrate.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein, the first length dimension (L₁) of the first electrical functional layer in the relative movement direction is 50 to 500 μ

m longer than the length dimension (L_F.) of the surface area F in the relative movement direction.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first electrical functional layer is positioned in a layout with respect to the surface area F such that a first area centroid of the first electrical functional layer and an area centroid (S_F) of the surface area F are located one above the other, seen at right angles to the substrate.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein, for case a) a second electrical functional layer of the at least two electrical functional layers is structured such that a second width dimension (B₂) of the second electrical functional layer parallel to the surface of the substrate (1) and at right angles to the relative movement direction is at least 5 μ

m wider than a width dimension (B_F) of the surface area F at a right angle to the relative movement direction and parallel to the surface of the substrate.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 wherein, the second electrical functional layer is positioned in a layout with respect to the surface area F such that a second area centroid of the second electrical functional layer and the area centroid (S_F) of the surface area F are located one above the other, seen at a right angle to the substrate.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 including utilizing a continuous printing process comprising at least one of intaglio, relief, lithographic, screen or tampo printing process, a laser structuring method, or a photolithographic structuring method.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the relative speed of the substrate with respect to the structuring unit during the continuous process is in the range from 0.5 to 200 m/min.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein an elongated plastic film which may comprise at least one layer comprises as the substrate.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the thickness of the substrate in the range from 12 μ

m to 50 μ

m.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least two electrical functional layers are each formed with a layer thickness in the range from 1 nm to 100 μ

m.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least two electrical functional layers are each formed with a layer thickness in the range from 10 nm to 300 nm.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least two electrical functional layers are arranged directly adjacent to one another in the electronic component, seen in the cross section through the substrate.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one third electrical functional layer is arranged at least in the surface area F in the electronic component between the at least two electrical functional layers, seen in the cross section through the substrate.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the at least one third electrical functional layer overhangs the surface area F on all sides, seen at right angles to the surface of the substrate, with a third length dimension of the at least one third electrical functional layer parallel to the surface of the substrate and in the relative movement direction being at least 5 μ

m longer, than the length dimension (L_F) of the surface area F in the relative movement direction and parallel to the surface of the substrate and with a third width dimension of the third electrical functional layer parallel to the surface of the substrate and at a right angle to the relative movement direction being at least 5 μ

m wider than a width dimension (B_F) of the surface area F at a right angle to the relative movement direction and parallel to the surface of the substrate.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1including forming the first electrical functional layer as an organic electrode or electrodes.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1 including forming a second electrical functional layer into an electrical organic isolation layer or a semiconductor layer.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16 including forming the second electrical functional layer into one or more organic electrode or electrodes.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1 including forming at least one organic electrical functional layer from the at least two functional layers and forming the at least one organic functional layer into the electronic component including at least one of a field-effect transistor, a capacitor, a diode or an electronic a component containing at least one via.