MAKING MICRO-WIRES WITH DIFFERENT HEIGHTS

• US 20130224370A1
• Filed: 02/28/2012
• Published: 08/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Ronald Steven Cok
• Inventors: COK, RONALD STEVEN, O'Toole, Terrence Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,943,682 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/108
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/06 Coating on selected surface areas, e.g. using masks
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/08 characterised by the deposition of metallic material
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/143 Radiation by light, e.g. photolysis or pyrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49126 Assembling bases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49155 Manufacturing circuit on or in base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49158 with molding of insulated base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4916 Simultaneous circuit manufacturing

Abstract

A method of making a transparent touch-responsive capacitor apparatus includes providing a transparent conductor precursor structure including a transparent substrate, a first precursor material layer formed over the transparent substrate and a second precursor material layer formed on the first precursor material layer; forming a electrically connected first micro-wires in the first and second precursor material layers; forming electrically connected second micro-wires in a precursor material layer electrically connected to the first micro-wires; and wherein the height of at least a portion of the first micro-wires is greater than the height of at least a portion of the second micro-wires, and wherein the total area occupied by the first micro-wires is less than 15% of the first transparent conductor area and the total area occupied by the second micro-wires is less than 15% of the second transparent conductor area.

Claims

1. A method of making a transparent conductor structure, comprising:

providing a transparent conductor precursor structure including a transparent substrate, a first precursor material layer formed over the transparent substrate and a second precursor material layer formed on the first precursor material layer;

forming within a first transparent conductor area a plurality of electrically connected first micro-wires in the first and second precursor material layers;

forming within a second transparent conductor area a plurality of electrically connected second micro-wires in either the first precursor material layer or the second precursor material layer, the second micro-wires electrically connected to the first micro-wires; and

wherein the height of at least a portion of the first micro-wires is greater than the height of at least a portion of the second micro-wires, and wherein the total area occupied by the first micro-wires is less than 15% of the first transparent conductor area and the total area occupied by the second micro-wires is less than 15% of the second transparent conductor area.

2. The method according to claim 1, further including:

forming the first and second precursor material layers by forming first and second photo-sensitive layers of spectrally photo-sensitive precursor material on the transparent substrate, the first photo-sensitive layer sensitive to a first spectrum and the second photo-sensitive layer sensitive to a second spectrum different from the first spectrum.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first photo-sensitive layer includes a first spectrally-sensitive radiation-absorbing material and the second photo-sensitive layer includes a second spectrally-sensitive radiation-absorbing material different from the first spectrally-sensitive radiation-absorbing material.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first precursor material layer is photosensitive to a first-spectrum light and the second precursor material layer is photosensitive to a second-spectrum light different from the first spectrum.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein the first precursor material layer is also photosensitive to the second-spectrum light and the second precursor material layer is substantially insensitive to first-spectrum light.

6. The method according to claim 4 further comprising:

pattern-wise exposing the transparent precursor material structure in the first transparent conductor area to second-spectrum light, and optionally to first-spectrum light, defining the plurality of electrically connected first micro-wires;

pattern-wise exposing the transparent conductive precursor structure in the second transparent conductor area to first-spectrum light defining the plurality of electrically connected second micro-wires; and

processing the exposed transparent conductive precursor structure thereby forming the plurality first and second micro-wires.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the first and second precursor material layers each include a photosensitive precursor material provided in a binder material.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the photosensitive precursor material includes silver halide and the binder material is gelatin.

9. The method according to claim 4 further comprising:

pattern-wise exposing the transparent precursor material structure in the first transparent conductor area to first-spectrum light and second-spectrum light, defining the plurality of electrically connected first micro-wires;

pattern-wise exposing the transparent conductive precursor structure in the second transparent conductor area to first- or second-spectrum light defining the plurality of electrically connected second micro-wires; and

processing the exposed transparent conductive precursor structure thereby forming the plurality first and second micro-wires.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the first and second precursor material layers each include a photosensitive precursor material provided in a binder material.

11. The method according to claim 6 wherein the first and second precursor material layers each include a metallic particulate material or a metallic precursor material, and a photosensitive binder material.

12. The method according to claim 6, further including curing the exposed portions of the first and second photo-sensitive layers and removing the uncured portions to form the first or second micro-wires.

13. The method according to claim 6, further including curing the unexposed portions of the first and second photo-sensitive layers and removing the uncured portions to form the first or second micro-wires.

14. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first and second photo-sensitive layers include conductive ink, conductive particles, or metal ink.

15. The method according to claim 1 wherein the transparent conductive structure includes a plurality of first and second transparent conductor areas.

16. The method according to claim 1, further including forming the first micro-wires in a first step and forming the second micro-wires in a second step different from the first step.

17. The method according to claim 1, further including forming the one or more first micro-wires and a portion of each of the one or more second micro-wires in a first step and forming the remainder of the one or more first micro-wires in a second step after the first step.

18. The method according to claim 17, further including:

forming the first precursor material layer by depositing first precursor material in the first transparent conductor area and in the second transparent conductor area;

pattern-wise processing the first precursor material; and

forming the second precursor material layer by depositing second precursor material in the first transparent conductor area; and

pattern-wise processing the second precursor material.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the deposition includes blanket-coating the transparent substrate and further including pattern-wise exposing the blanket coating.

20. The method according to claim 19, further including curing the pattern-wise exposed blanket coating.

21. The method according to claim 17, further including:

forming the first precursor material layer by pattern-wise depositing first precursor material in the first transparent conductor area and in the transparent conductor second area; and

forming the second precursor material layer by pattern-wise depositing second precursor material in the first area.

22. The method according to claim 1, further including the pattern-wise transfer of precursor material from a source to the transparent substrate.

23. The method according to claim 1, further including blanket-coating the transparent substrate with a material and pattern-wise exposing the blanket-coated material.

24. The method according to claim 1, further including pattern-wise depositing material with an inkjet device or by transferring the material from a printing plate.

25. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first or second materials are precursor materials and further including processing the precursor materials to become conductive materials.

26. The method according to claim 1, further including providing the transparent substrate, forming the first precursor material layer over the transparent substrate and forming the second precursor material layer over the first precursor material layer.