Imaged article on polymeric substrate

• US 6,203,952 B1
• Filed: 01/14/1999
• Issued: 03/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Smithson, Robert L. W., Florczak, Jeffrey M., OʼBrien, Dennis P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Young, Christopher G.
• Application Number:
  US09/231,428
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 430/9, 430/17
• US Class Current: 430/17
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/262 recording or marking of inorganic surfaces or materials, e.g. glass, metal, or ceramics marking of plastic artifacts with inorganic additives B41M5/267
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0014 at least one surface having optical power
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0052 the light source comprising a laser diode coupling into light guides using intermediate optical elements G02B6/4204; semiconductor lasers having optical devices external to the laser cavity H01S5/005
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/009 for use with infrared radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0095 for use with ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/09 Beam shaping, e.g. changing the cross-sectional area, not otherwise provided for adapting the beam shape of a laser diode G02B19/0052; adapting the beam shape of an LED G02B19/0061; coupling into light guides using intermediate optical elements G02B6/4204; beam shaping specially adapted for lasers H01S3/005
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0911 Anamorphotic systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0966 Cylindrical lenses cylindrical lenses per se G02B3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/68 Preparation processes not covered by groups G03F1/20 - G03F1/50
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/30 Imagewise removal using liquid means
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/3014 combined with ultrasonic means
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/34 Imagewise removal by selective transfer, e.g. peeling away
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/027 the conductive material being removed by irradiation, e.g. by photons, alpha or beta particles

Abstract

Patterned articles, such as RFID antenna, are made by subablation, a process comprising the steps of:

A. providing a substrate having a coating, such as a metal or metal oxide, and an interface comprising the thin region where the coating and the substrate are closest to each other;

B. exposing at least one part of the total area of the coating to a flux of electromagnetic energy, such as a focused excimer laser beam, sufficient to disrupt the interface but insufficient to ablate the coating; and

C. removing the parts of the coating in registry with the portion of the interface area that was disrupted, by means such as ultrasonic agitation.

The process has advantages over photo-resist processes in that there is no residual chemical resist left on the product and no undercutting of the pattern or image. It has advantages over laser ablation processes in that higher throughput is possible at the same energy level and there is no microscopic debris left on the product surface.

Claims

1. An imaged article comprising a polymeric substrate bearing a patterned image wherein the material of which the patterned image is made comprises an inorganic coating and the patterned image is characterized by a substantial absence of:

A. heat distortion;

B. debris comprising the material of which the image is made or decomposition products of such material;

C. photo-resist; and

D. undercut of the image.

2. The imaged article of claim 1 in which the polymeric substrate comprises a polyester.

3. The imaged article of claim 1 of which the patterned image is an antenna.

4. The imaged article of claim 1 in which the inorganic coating is selected from the group consisting of metal films, metal alloy films, oxide films, lithium niobate films, magnesium fluoride films, zinc sulfide films, LiTaO₃ films, calcium fluoride films, and titanium nitride films.

5. The imaged article of claim 4 in which:

the metal is selected from the group consisting of copper, silver, gold, nickel, chromium, tin, indium, and aluminum;

the oxide is selected from the group consisting of indium-tin-oxide, silicon oxide, silicon monoxide, zinc oxide, germanium oxide, niobium oxide, tantalum oxide, and aluminum oxide; and

the metal alloy is selected from nickel iron and silver zinc alloys.

6. An imaged article comprising a polymeric substrate bearing a patterned image wherein the material of which the patterned image is made consists essentially of an organic film coating and the patterned image is characterized by a substantial absence of:

A. heat distortion;

B. debris comprising the material of which the image is made or decomposition products of such material;

C. photo-resist; and

E. undercut of the image.

7. The imaged article of claim 6 on which the organic film coating comprises an acrylate coating.

8. An imaged article comprising a substrate consisting essentially of a polymeric material, the polymeric substrate bearing a patterned image wherein the material of which the patterned image is made comprises an inorganic coating and the patterned image is characterized by a substantial absence of:

A. heat distortion;

B. debris comprising the material from which the image is made or decomposition products of such material;

C. photo-resist; and

D. undercut of the image.