Patterned substrates with darkened multilayered conductor traces

• US 9,661,746 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2016
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Frey, Matthew H., Maki, Stephen P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Sherman
• Application Number:
  US15/070,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20160198566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 174256, 174257, 174258, 174261, 345173, 345174
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/116 including electrically conducting layers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/142 Coating structures, e.g. thin films multilayers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0274 Optical details, e.g. printed circuits comprising integral optical means H05K1/0269 takes precedence; coupling light guides with opto-electronic components G02B6/42
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0306 Inorganic insulating substrates, e.g. ceramic, glass
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/09 Use of materials for the conductive, e.g. metallic pattern
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0108 Transparent
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09681 Mesh conductors, e.g. as a ground plane
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/061 Etching masks
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/4644 by building the multilayer layer by layer, i.e. build-up multilayer circuits making via holes in the insulating layers H05K3/0011; special circuit boards as base or core whereon the multilayer is built H05K3/4602
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0086 comprising a single discontinuous metallic layer on an electrically insulating supporting structure, e.g. metal grid, perforated metal foil, film, aggregated flakes, sintering
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0096 for television displays, e.g. plasma display panel
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/755 Nanosheet or quantum barrier/well, i.e. layer structure having one dimension or thickness of 100 nm or less

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an article having a substrate having opposing first and second surfaces. A conductor micropattern disposed on the first surface of the substrate. The conductor micropattern has a plurality of traces defining a plurality of cells. The conductor micropattern has an open area fraction greater than 80% and a uniform distribution of trace orientation. Each of the traces has a trace width from 0.5 to 10 micrometer. The conductor micropattern is a tri-layer material comprising in sequence a semi-reflective metal, a transparent layer, and a reflective layer disposed on the transparent layer. The articles are useful in devices such as displays, in particular, touch screen displays useful for mobile hand held devices, tablets and computers. They also find use in antennas and for EMI shields.

Claims

1. An article comprising:

a substrate having opposing first and second surfaces; and

a conductor micropattern disposed on the first surface of the substrate, the conductor micropattern comprising a plurality of traces, wherein the conductor micropattern has an open area fraction greater than 80%; and

each of the traces has a trace width from 0.5 to 10 micrometer, and wherein the conductor micropattern is a tri-layer material comprising in sequence a semi-reflective metal, a transparent layer, and a reflective layer, wherein the semi-reflective metal has a thickness of less than 50 nanometers and the reflective layer has a thickness of greater than 50 nanometers.

2. The article of claim 1, wherein the semi-reflective material is selected from the group consisting of titanium, chromium, aluminum, nickel, copper, gold, molybdenum, platinum, rhodium, silver, tungsten, cobalt, iron, germanium, hafnium, palladium, rhenium, vanadium, silicon, selenium, tantalum, yttrium, zirconium and combinations and alloys thereof.

3. The article of claim 1, wherein the transparent material is selected from the group consisting of acrylic polymers, SiO₂, Al₂O₃, ZrO₂, TiO₂, HfO₂, Sc₂O₃, La₂O₃, ThO₂, Y₂O₃, CeO₂, MgO, Ta₂O₅ and combinations thereof.

4. The article of claim 1, wherein the reflective layer is selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, palladium, platinum, aluminum, copper, molybdenum, nickel, tin, tungsten, alloys, and combinations thereof.

5. The article of claim 1, wherein each trace in the plurality of traces is linear.

6. The article of claim 1, wherein each trace in the plurality of traces is non-linear.

7. The article of claim 6, wherein each trace in the plurality of traces has a radius of curvature of less than 1 centimeter.

8. The article of claim 1, wherein the traces define a plurality of cells.

9. The article of claim 8, wherein the conductor micropattern has a non-repeating cell geometry.

10. The article of claim 8, wherein the conductor micropattern has cells that do not lie on a repeating array of positions.

11. The article of claim 1, wherein traces have a specular reflectance of less than 20% at normal incidence and in a direction oriented toward the first surface of the substrate.

12. The article of claim 1, wherein the traces have a specular reflectance of less than 10% at normal incidence and in a direction oriented toward the first surface of the substrate.

13. The article of claim 1, wherein the traces have a specular reflectance of less than 50% at normal incidence and in a direction oriented toward the first surface of the substrate.

14. The article of claim 1, wherein the traces have a specular reflectance of less than 20% at normal incidence and in a direction oriented away from the first surface of the substrate.

15. The article of claim 1, wherein the traces have a specular reflectance of less than 10% at normal incidence and in a direction oriented away the first surface of the substrate.

16. The article of claim 1, wherein the traces have a specular reflectance of less than 50% at normal incidence and in a direction oriented away the first surface of the substrate.

17. The article of claim 1, wherein the semi-reflective metal is disposed directly on the first surface of the substrate.

18. The article of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the semi-reflective metal is greater than 1 nanometers and the thickness of the reflective layer is less than 10 micrometers.

19. The article of claim 1, wherein the semi-reflective metal has a thickness between 2 and 20 nanometers and the reflective layer has a thickness between 75 nanometers and 1 micrometer.