Electroconductive substrate and method for forming the same

• US 5,763,091 A
• Filed: 02/12/1997
• Issued: 06/09/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Metal Mining Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Metal Mining Company Limited
• Inventors: Kawata, Munekazu, Yukinobu, Masaya
• Primary Examiner(s): SPEER, TIMOTHY M
• Application Number:
  US08/799,405
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• Field of Search: 428/325, 428/326, 428/428, 428/432, 428/446, 428/448, 428/701, 428/702, 428/917, 313/479
• US Class Current: 428/428
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/20 Conductive material dispersed in non-conductive organic material organic macromolecular compounds or compositions C08
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1884 Manufacture of transparent electrodes, e.g. TCO, ITO
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/917 Electroluminescent
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/252 Glass or ceramic [i.e., fired or glazed clay, cement, etc.] [porcelain, quartz, etc.]

Abstract

A transparent, electroconductive ink having therein ultra-fine ITO particles dispersed in a solvent or in a solvent containing a resin dissolved therein is coated and dried on a transparent support, then dried and optionally baked, and thereafter an overcoating liquid consisting essentially of silica sol is coated over the resulting transparent, electroconductive film formed on the support. This is then dried and optionally baked to obtain a transparent, electroconductive substrate having a specific resistance of 0.01 to 0.5 Ω·cm, a haze value of 0 to 2%, and a volume content of the ultra-fine ITO particles in the film of being 40 to 75%. The substrate has a small surface resistivity and has excellent optical characteristics and weather resistance.

Claims

1. An electroconductive substrate comprising a support capable of transmitting visible rays therethrough, and an electroconductive film formed on said support, said support and film being transparent in the visible wavelength range from 380 nm to 780 nm, said film having therein ultra-fine indium-tin oxide (ITO) particles with a mean particle size of 0.1 m or less dispersed in a binder layer structure consisting essentially of silica and embedded in the gaps or voids formed between the ITO particles an overcoat film is continuous and integral with said electroconductive film with no boundary or gaps therebetween, and said overcoat film is formed on the transparent, electroconductive film and consisting esentially of silica;

the volume content of the ultra-fine indium-tin oxide particles in the transparent, electroconductive film is from 40 to 75% by volume, the specific resistance of the transparent, electroconductive film is from 0.01 to 0.5 Ω

·

cm, and the haze value of the film is from 0.5 to 2% when the thickness of the transparent, electroconductive film is from 0.5 to 2 μ

m while it is from 1% when the thickness of the transparent, electroconductive film is less than 0.5 μ

m.

2. The transparent, electroconductive substrate as claimed in claim 1, in which said fine particles of indium-tin oxide have a mean particle size of from 0.01 to 0.05 μ

m.

3. The transparent, electroconductive substrate as claimed in claim 1, in which said support capable of transmitting visible rays therethrough is a soda lime glass support, a low-alkali glass support, a non-alkali glass support, or a silicon semiconductor support.

4. The transparent, electroconductive substrate as claimed in claim 1, in which the volume content of the ultra-fine, indium-tin oxide particles in said transparent, electroconductive film is from 50 to 70% by volume.