TEXTURED SURFACES AND METHODS OF MAKING AND USING SAME

• US 20130157007A1
• Filed: 11/28/2012
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated, iCFO, Co., ICREA Co.
• Original Assignee: ICREA Co.
• Inventors: Mazumder, Prantik, Pruneri, Valerio, Sachenik, Paul Arthur, Tian, Lili, Carrilero, Albert, Osmond, Johann
• Granted Patent: US 9,023,457 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/141
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 17/065 the surface having a microscopic surface pattern to achieve the same effect as a lotus flower
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 15/00 Surface treatment of glass, not in the form of fibres or filaments, by etching etching or surface-brightening compositions, in general C09K13/00
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/06 with metals C03C17/34, C03C17/44 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/33 by etching
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/34 Masking
• CPC Class Codes: C23F 1/02 Local etching
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/00 Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor using photoresist structures for special production processes, see the relevant places, e.g. B44C, H01L, e.g. H01L21/00, H05K
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/773 Nanoparticle, i.e. structure having three dimensions of 100 nm or less
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/89 Deposition of materials, e.g. coating, cvd, or ald
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24355 Continuous and nonuniform or irregular surface on layer or component [e.g., roofing, etc.]

Abstract

Described herein are various methods for making textured articles, textured articles that have improved fingerprint resistance, and methods of using the textured articles. The methods generally make use of masks comprising nanostructured metal-containing features to produce textured surfaces that also comprise nanostructured features. These nanostructured features in the textured surfaces can render the surfaces hydrophobic and oleophobic, thereby beneficially providing the articles with improved fingerprint resistance relative to similar or identical articles that lack the texturing.

Claims

1. A textured article, comprising:

a substrate; and

a plurality of mortise-topped protrusions on a surface of the substrate;

wherein the mortise-topped protrusions have an average height of about 5 nanometers to about 300 nanometers, an average longest lateral cross-sectional dimension of about 10 nanometers to about 1000 nanometers, and are randomly oriented on the surface of the substrate so as to cover less than or equal to about 0.5 of an area fraction of the surface of the substrate.

2. The textured article of claim 1, wherein the mortise-topped protrusions comprise a mortise having an average longest lateral cross-sectional dimension less than or equal to about 95 percent of a longest cross-sectional dimension of a top surface of the mortise-topped protrusions and an average depth less than or equal to about 75 percent of the average height of the mortise-topped protrusions.

3. The textured article of claim 2, wherein the mortise-topped protrusions comprise only a single mortise.

4. The textured article of claim 1, wherein the mortise-topped protrusions have an average height of about 50 nanometers to about 300 nanometers, have an average longest lateral cross-sectional dimension of about 10 nanometers to about 300 nanometers, and are randomly oriented on the surface of the substrate so as to cover about 0.1 to about 0.25 of an area fraction of the surface of the substrate.

5. The textured article of claim 4, wherein the mortise-topped protrusions comprise a mortise having an average longest lateral cross-sectional dimension of about 40 percent to about 80 percent of a longest cross-sectional dimension of a top surface of the mortise-topped protrusions and an average depth of about 5 percent to about 60 percent of the average height of the mortise-topped protrusions.

6. The textured article of claim 5, wherein the mortise-topped protrusions comprise only a single mortise.

7. The textured article of claim 1, wherein a haze of the textured article is less than or equal to about 5 percent.

8. The textured article of claim 1, wherein an optical transmittance of the textured article is greater than or equal to about 92 percent over a visible spectrum of light.

9. The textured article of claim 1, wherein a contact angle between the substrate and water is greater than or equal to about 135 degrees, and wherein a contact angle between the substrate and oleic acid is greater than or equal to about 92 degrees.

10. The textured article of claim 1, wherein an amount of tactilely-transferable residue that is transferred to the textured article is less than or equal to about 1 milligram per tactile contact.

11. The textured article of claim 1, wherein the textured article is at least a portion of a touch-sensitive display screen or cover plate for an electronic device, a non-touch-sensitive component of an electronic device, a surface of a household appliance, or a surface of a vehicle component.

12. A textured article, comprising

a strengthened alkali aluminosilicate glass substrate having an average thickness of about 0.02 millimeters to about 2.0 millimeters, and comprising a plurality of mortise-topped protrusions on a surface;

wherein the plurality of mortise-topped protrusions have an average height of less than or equal to about 200 nanometers, an average longest lateral cross-sectional dimension of less than or equal to about 150 nanometers, and are randomly oriented on the surface of the strengthened alkali aluminosilicate glass substrate so as to cover less than or equal to about 0.20 of an area fraction of the surface of the strengthened alkali aluminosilicate glass substrate.

13. The textured article of claim 12, wherein a haze of the textured article is less than or equal to about 3 percent.

14. The textured article of claim 12, wherein an optical transmittance of the textured article is greater than or equal to about 94 percent over a visible spectrum of light.

15. The textured article of claim 12, wherein a contact angle between the textured strengthened alkali aluminosilicate glass substrate and water is greater than or equal to about 140 degrees, and wherein a contact angle between the textured strengthened alkali aluminosilicate glass substrate and oleic acid is greater than or equal to about 93 degrees.

16. The textured article of claim 12, wherein an amount of tactilely-transferable residue that is transferred to the textured article is less than or equal to about 0.5 milligrams per tactile contact.

17. A method of forming a textured article, the method comprising:

disposing a mask comprising nanostructured metal-containing features on a surface of a substrate; and

dry etching at least portions of the surface of the substrate on which the mask is not disposed to produce a plurality of mortise-topped protrusions on the surface of the substrate.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein disposing the mask having nanostructured metal-containing features on the surface of the substrate comprises:

providing the substrate comprising a continuous ultra-thin metal-containing film or film stack disposed on the surface of the substrate; and

dewetting at least a portion of the continuous ultra-thin metal-containing film or film stack to produce a plurality of discrete metal-containing dewetted islands on the surface of the substrate.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising removing the nanostructured metal-containing features from the surface of the substrate after the dry etching.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising repeating the dry etching of the portions of the surface of the substrate on which the mask is not disposed to produce additional textured features having topological features distinct from the mortise-topped protrusions.