Method of forming an electronic device

• US 7,323,634 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2006
• Issued: 01/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Patterning Technologies Limited
• Original Assignee: Patterning Technologies Limited
• Inventors: Speakman, Stuart Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; David
• Application Number:
  US11/590,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20070087564A1
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 136/243, 136/252, 136/256, 136/261, 136/293
• US Class Current: 136/256
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00298 Producing lens arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00365 Production of microlenses lenticular sheets B29D11/00278
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00432 Auxiliary operations, e.g. machines for filling the moulds B29D11/00125 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/006 Patterns of chemical products used for a specific purpose, e.g. pesticides, perfumes, adhesive patterns; use of microencapsulated material; Printing on smoking articles
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/007 on glass, ceramic, tiles, concrete, stones, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 9/2031 comprising titanium oxide, e.g. TiO2 H01G9/2036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 9/2059 comprising an organic dye as the active light absorbing material, e.g. adsorbed on an electrode or dissolved in solution
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14685 Process for coatings or optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/18 Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of these devices or of parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0436 Small-sized flat cells or batteries for portable equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0565 Polymeric materials, e.g. gel-type or solid-type
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/058 Construction or manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/405 Alloys based on lithium
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/20 comprising organic-organic junctions, e.g. donor-acceptor junctions
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/211 comprising multiple junctions, e.g. double heterojunctions
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/30 comprising bulk heterojunctions, e.g. interpenetrating networks of donor and acceptor material domains
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 39/10 : Organic photovoltaic [PV] modules; Arrays of single organic PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/135 : using ink-jet printing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/542 : Dye sensitized solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A method of forming an electronic circuit component using the technique of drop on demand printing to deposit droplets of deposition material, said method comprising depositing a plurality of droplets on a surface to form a patterned electronic device comprising multiple discrete portions.

Claims

1. A method of forming a solar cell using the technique of drop on demand printing to deposit droplets of deposition material, said method comprising depositing a plurality of droplets on a surface to form a patterned solar cell comprising multiple discrete portions, and curing the deposited fluid by exposing the deposited fluid to electromagnetic radiation.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the solar cell comprises a photovoltaic structure.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of depositing an optical material on said solar cell.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein said optical material comprises one of an organically-modified ceramic and a polymer.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein said optical surface comprises an anti-reflection surface.

6. A method according to claim 3, wherein said optical surface comprises a micro lenslet array.

7. A method according to claim 3, wherein said optical surface comprises a moisture and water vapour barrier.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein said surface comprises a sheet of a premetallised flexible plastic.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein said solar cell is deposited on a layer of polyanyline containing TCNQ for injecting electrons.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein said deposition material includes transparent conducting material.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein said transparent conductor comprises polyaniline.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein said deposition material includes a C₆₀-doped conducting polymer.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein said deposition material includes a metallo-organic.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein said deposition material includes a polymeric semiconducting material.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of droplets comprise at least one droplet of one material and at least one droplet of another material.

16. A method according to claim 1, comprising the step of using an electrostatic spray head to deposit said deposition material.

17. A solar cell formed using the technique of drop on demand printing to deposit droplets of deposition material, the cell comprising a plurality of droplets deposited on a surface to form a patterned solar cell comprising multiple discrete portions, said droplets having been cured by exposing the deposited fluid to electromagnetic radiation.