Method for patterning thin films
First Claim
1. A method of making an imaged surface comprising:
- A. providing a substrate having a coating and an interface comprising the 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 sufficient to disrupt the interface but insufficient to ablate the coating; and
C. removing the parts of the coating in registry with the portions of the interface area that was disrupted.
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Accused Products
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.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method of making an imaged surface comprising:
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A. providing a substrate having a coating and an interface comprising the 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 sufficient to disrupt the interface but insufficient to ablate the coating; and
C. removing the parts of the coating in registry with the portions of the interface area that was disrupted. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
the metals are selected from the group consisting of copper, silver, nickel, chrominum, tin, gold, indium, and aluminum;
the oxides are 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 alloys are selected from alloys of the previously listed metals.
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13. The method of claim 1 in which step C comprises a method selected from:
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A. treating the coated substrate with ultrasonic vibrations in a fluid medium until the parts of the coating in registry with the disrupted parts of the interface are dislodged from the surface of the substrate;
B. contacting the surface of the coated substrate with an adhesive sufficient to selectively lift the parts of the coating in registry with the disrupted parts of the interface from the coated substrate but insufficient to lift the parts of the coating in registry with parts of the interface not disrupted from the coated substrate; and
C. contacting the surface of the substrate exposed to electromagnetic radiation with a high velocity stream of a benign liquid or gas.
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14. The method of claim 1 in which there is a tie layer at the interface, and the parts of the tie layer congruent with the parts of the coating removed in step C are also removed.
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15. The method of claim 11 in which the coating comprises an acrylate coating.
Specification