Transparent conductive stratiform coating of indium tin oxide
First Claim
1. In a multi-layered electronic device which comprises a transparent substrate coated with at least one transparent electrically conductive film of indium tin oxide, wherein the improvement comprises:
- the at least one indium tin oxide film has a proportion of indium to tin atoms which is nonuniform, having no continuous gradient of compositional change, throughout the entire thickness of the film, such that the indium and tin atoms are distributed throughout the thickness of said film to form a plurality of electrically conductive indium tin oxide layers, at least one surface of each of the electrically conductive layers is in contact with a surface of one of the other said layers, each of said layers having a finite thickness of 5-10,000 angstroms, wherein the proportion of indium to tin is substantially uniform throughout said finite thickness;
wherein the proportion of indium to tin in at least one of said layers is different from the proportion of indium to tin in another of said layers, the proportions of indium and tin adding up to unity in each layer with respect to the total amount of indium and tin contained in each layer.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A transparent electrically conductive device which includes an indium tin oxide film is improved by providing an indium tin oxide film which contains a graded stack of individual indium tin oxide layers wherein the atomic percent of tin in the layers can be individually selected. Each indium tin oxide layer of the film contains 1-99 atomic percent tin. Each layer is made by a physical vapor deposition process or by sputter coating. Preferably the film which contains a plurality of indium tin oxide layers is applied to a transparent flexible substrate such as a polymeric sheet. Optional primer layers, hardcoat layers and topcoat layers may be included in the device.
86 Citations
41 Claims
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1. In a multi-layered electronic device which comprises a transparent substrate coated with at least one transparent electrically conductive film of indium tin oxide, wherein the improvement comprises:
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the at least one indium tin oxide film has a proportion of indium to tin atoms which is nonuniform, having no continuous gradient of compositional change, throughout the entire thickness of the film, such that the indium and tin atoms are distributed throughout the thickness of said film to form a plurality of electrically conductive indium tin oxide layers, at least one surface of each of the electrically conductive layers is in contact with a surface of one of the other said layers, each of said layers having a finite thickness of 5-10,000 angstroms, wherein the proportion of indium to tin is substantially uniform throughout said finite thickness;
wherein the proportion of indium to tin in at least one of said layers is different from the proportion of indium to tin in another of said layers, the proportions of indium and tin adding up to unity in each layer with respect to the total amount of indium and tin contained in each layer.- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
metal selected from the group consisting of Pd, Au, Ni and Cr;
metal alloy selected from the group consisting of NiCr, AuAg, CuPd and CuAg;
metal oxide selected from the group consisting of SiO2, TiO2, Al2O3, IZO and Ta2O5;
metal nitride selected from the group consisting of TiN and Si3N4;
metal carbide selected from the group consisting of TiC and W2C;
orcombinations of said metal, metal alloy, metal oxide, metal nitride or metal carbide.
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31. The device of claim 30 wherein said protective topcoat has a thickness in the range of 5-5,000 angstroms.
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32. The device of claim 28 wherein said protective topcoat is organic.
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33. The device of claim 32 wherein the organic topcoat is applied in the form of an organo-titanium based solution.
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34. The device of claim 33 wherein the organic topcoat has a thickness in the range of 10-100,000 angstroms.
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35. The device of claim 4 wherein said at least one indium tin oxide film includes an indium tin oxide film above said substrate and an indium tin oxide film below said substrate whereby said substrate is sandwiched between said film above said substrate and said film below said substrate;
- said device further including one or more scratch resistant hardcoat layers, one or more primer layers and a protective topcoat layer on a top surface of said device and/or a protective topcoat layer on a bottom surface of said device.
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36. An electronic apparatus which comprises the device of claim 1 as a component thereof;
- said electronic apparatus being selected from the group consisting of transparent touch panels, electroluminescent lamps, personal digital assistants, pen entry devices, liquid crystal displays and organic light emitting devices.
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37. The device of claim 4 wherein the thickness of each indium tin oxide layer of said at least one film is at least about 50 angstroms.
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38. The device of claim 5 which contains a single indium tin oxide film;
- said single indium tin oxide film having a lower indium tin oxide layer, a middle indium tin oxide layer and an upper indium tin oxide layer;
said middle indium tin oxide layer being coated onto a top surface of said lower indium tin oxide layer and said upper indium tin oxide layer being coated onto a top surface of said middle indium tin oxide layer;
said upper and lower indium tin oxide layers containing 95 atomic percent indium and 5 atomic percent tin; and
said middle layer containing 90 atomic percent indium and 10 atomic percent tin wherein the atomic percent of indium and tin in each layer is based upon the total content of indium and tin in said each layer.
- said single indium tin oxide film having a lower indium tin oxide layer, a middle indium tin oxide layer and an upper indium tin oxide layer;
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39. The device of claim 5 which contains a single indium tin oxide film;
- said single indium tin oxide film having a lower indium tin oxide layer, a middle indium tin oxide layer and an upper indium tin oxide layer;
said middle indium tin oxide layer being coated onto a top surface of said lower indium tin oxide layer and said upper indium tin oxide layer being coated onto a top surface of said middle indium tin oxide layer;
said upper and lower indium tin oxide layers containing 80 atomic percent indium and 20 atomic percent tin; and
said middle indium tin oxide layer containing 90 atomic percent indium and 10 atomic percent tin;
wherein the atomic percent of indium and tin in each layer is based upon the total content of indium and tin in said each layer.
- said single indium tin oxide film having a lower indium tin oxide layer, a middle indium tin oxide layer and an upper indium tin oxide layer;
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40. The device of claim 5 which contains a single indium tin oxide film;
- said single indium tin oxide film having a lower indium tin oxide layer, a middle indium tin oxide layer and an upper indium tin oxide layer;
said middle indium tin oxide layer being coated onto a top surface of said lower indium tin oxide layer and said upper indium tin oxide layer being coated onto a top surface of said middle indium tin oxide layer;
said middle and lower indium tin oxide layers containing 90 atomic percent indium and 10 atomic percent tin; and
said upper indium tin oxide layer containing 80 atomic percent indium and 20 atomic percent tin;
said atomic percent of indium and tin in each layer being based upon the total content of indium and tin in said each layer.
- said single indium tin oxide film having a lower indium tin oxide layer, a middle indium tin oxide layer and an upper indium tin oxide layer;
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41. The device of claim 5 which contains a single indium tin oxide film;
- said single indium tin oxide film having a lower indium tin oxide layer, a middle indium oxide layer and an upper indium tin oxide layer;
said middle indium tin oxide layer being coated onto a top surface of said lower indium tin oxide layer and said upper indium tin oxide layer being coated onto a top surface of said middle indium tin oxide layer;
said upper and lower indium tin oxide layers containing 90 atomic percent indium and 10 atomic percent tin; and
said middle indium tin oxide layer containing 80 atomic percent indium and 20 atomic percent tin;
wherein the atomic percent of indium and tin in each layer is based upon the total content of indium and tin in said each layer.
- said single indium tin oxide film having a lower indium tin oxide layer, a middle indium oxide layer and an upper indium tin oxide layer;
Specification