Low viscosity precursor compositions and methods for the deposition of conductive electronic features
A precursor composition for the deposition and formation of an electrical feature such as a conductive feature. The precursor composition advantageously has a low viscosity enabling deposition using direct-write tools. The precursor composition also has a low conversion temperature, enabling the deposition and conversion to an electrical feature on low temperature substrates. A particularly preferred precursor composition includes silver metal for the formation of highly conductive silver features.
1 . A process for forming a flat panel display conductive feature, comprising:
(a) providing a precursor composition comprising metallic particles, glass particles, liquid vehicle, and a metal precursor compound to a metal or to a metal oxide;
(b) direct printing the precursor composition onto a substrate; and
(c) converting the metal precursor compound to the metal by heating the precursor composition to a conversion temperature and forming the flat panel display conductive feature.
2 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the direct printing comprises syringe printing.
3 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the direct printing comprises aerosol jet deposition.
4 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the direct printing comprises ink jet printing.
5 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the glass particles comprise glass nanoparticles.
6 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the glass particles comprise barium aluminum borosilicate, calcium silicate or lead borosilicate.
7 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the glass particles comprise silver phosphate glass.
8 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the precursor composition comprises the glass particles in an amount up to 10 volume percent.
9 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the metal particles have a volume median particle size of not greater than 100 nanometers.
10 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the metal particles have a volume median particle size of not greater than 0.3 μm.
11 . The process of claim 10 , wherein the metallic particles comprise a cap or coating thereon.
12 . The process of claim 11 , wherein the cap or coating comprises an inorganic cap or coating.
13 . The process of claim 11 , wherein the cap or coating comprises silica.
14 . The process of claim 11 , wherein the cap or coating comprises glass.
15 . The process of claim 11 , wherein the cap or coating comprises an organic cap or coating.;
16 . The process of claim 11 , wherein the cap or coating comprises a polymer.
17 . The process of claim 11 , wherein the cap or coating comprises an intrinsically conductive polymer, a sulfonated perfluorohydrocarbon polymer, polystyrene, polystyrene/methacrylate, sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, tetra-n-octyl-ammonium bromide or an alkane thiolate.
18 . The process of claim 11 , wherein the cap or coating comprises PVP.
19 . The process of claim 10 , wherein at least 80 volume percent of the metallic particles are not larger than twice the average particle size.
20 . The process of claim 10 , wherein the metal precursor compound is a precursor to the metal.
21 . The process of claim 20 , wherein the metal is selected from the group consisting of silver, palladium, copper, gold, platinum and nickel.
22 . The process of claim 20 , wherein the conductivity of the flat panel display conductive feature is no less than 10 percent the conductivity of equivalent pure metal.
23 . The process of claim 20 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature has a resistivity that is not greater than 4 times the resistivity of equivalent pure metal.
24 . The process of claim 20 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature has a resistivity that is not greater than 2 times the resistivity of equivalent pure metal.
25 . The process of claim 20 , wherein the metallic particles comprise a second metal different from the metal formed from the metal precursor compound.
26 . The process of claim 20 , wherein the metallic particles comprise the same metal as the metal formed from the metal precursor compound.
27 . The process of claim 26 , wherein the conductivity of the flat panel display conductive feature is no less than 10 percent the conductivity of the equivalent pure metal.
28 . The process of claim 26 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature has a resistivity that is not greater than 4 times the resistivity of the equivalent pure metal.
29 . The process of claim 26 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature has a resistivity that is not greater than 2 times the resistivity of the equivalent pure metal.
30 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the metal precursor compound is a precursor to the metal oxide.
31 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the heating comprises heating in air at from about 450° C. to 600° C.
32 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the substrate comprises glass.
33 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the substrate comprises a polymer.
34 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature comprises an electrode.
35 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature comprises a bus line.
36 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature comprises a transparent conductive feature.
37 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature comprises indium-tin oxide or antimony-tin oxide.
38 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature has a width less than 200 μm.
39 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature has a width less than 100 μm.
40 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature has a thickness greater than 1 μm.
41 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature has a thickness greater than 5 μm.
42 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature comprises a metal-glass composition.
43 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the process further comprises high shear mixing the precursor composition.
44 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the process further comprises surface modifying the substrate with a laser.
45 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature comprises regions derived from the metallic particles dispersed in a matrix of the metal or the metal oxide formed from the metal precursor compound.
46 . A process for forming a flat panel display conductive feature, the process comprising heating an ink jet printed precursor composition to form the flat panel display conductive feature on a substrate, wherein the precursor composition comprises metallic particles, glass particles, liquid vehicle, and a metal precursor compound to a metal or to a metal oxide.
47 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the glass particles comprise glass nanoparticles.
48 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the glass particles comprise barium aluminum borosilicate, calcium silicate or lead borosilicate.
49 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the glass particles comprise silver phosphate glass.
50 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the precursor composition comprises the glass particles in an amount up to 10 volume percent.
51 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the metallic particles have a volume median particle size of not greater than 100 nanometers.
52 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the metallic particles have a volume median particle size of not greater than 0.3 μm.
53 . The process of claim 52 , wherein the metallic particles comprise a cap or coating thereon.
54 . The process of claim 53 , wherein the cap or coating comprises an inorganic cap or coating.
55 . The process of claim 53 , wherein the cap or coating comprises silica.
56 . The process of claim 53 , wherein the cap or coating comprises glass.
57 . The process of claim 53 , wherein the cap or coating comprises an organic cap or coating:
58 . The process of claim 53 , wherein the cap or coating comprises a polymer.
59 . The process of claim 53 , wherein the cap or coating comprises an intrinsically conductive polymer, a sulfonated perfluorohydrocarbon polymer, polystyrene, polystyrene/methacrylate, sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, tetra-n-octyl-ammonium bromide or an alkane thiolate.
60 . The process of claim 53 , wherein the cap or coating comprises PVP.
61 . The process of claim 52 , wherein at least 80 volume percent of the metallic particles nanoparticles are not larger than twice the average particle size.
62 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the metal precursor compound is a precursor to the metal.
63 . The process of claim 62 , wherein the metal is selected from the group consisting of silver, palladium, copper, gold, platinum and nickel.
64 . The process of claim 62 , wherein the conductivity of the flat panel display conductive feature is no less than 10 percent the conductivity of equivalent pure metal.
65 . The process of claim 62 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature has a resistivity that is not greater than 4 times the resistivity of equivalent pure metal.
66 . The process of claim 62 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature has a resistivity that is not greater than 2 times the resistivity of equivalent pure metal.
67 . The process of claim 62 , wherein the metallic particles comprise a second metal different from the metal formed from the metal precursor compound.
68 . The process of claim 62 , wherein the metallic particles comprise the same metal as the metal formed from the metal precursor compound.
69 . The process of claim 68 , wherein the conductivity of the flat panel display conductive feature is no less than 10 percent the conductivity of the equivalent pure metal.
70 . The process of claim 68 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature has a resistivity that is not greater than 4 times the resistivity of the equivalent pure metal.
71 . The process of claim 68 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature has a resistivity that is not greater than 2 times the resistivity of the equivalent pure metal.
72 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the metal precursor compound is a precursor to the metal oxide.
73 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the heating comprises heating in air at from about 450° C. to 600° C.
74 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the substrate comprises glass.
75 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the substrate comprises a polymer.
76 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature comprises an electrode.
77 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature comprises a bus line.
78 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature comprises a transparent conductive feature.
79 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature comprises indium-tin oxide or antimony-tin oxide.
80 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature has a width less than 200 μm.
81 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature has a width less than 100 μm.
82 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature has a thickness greater than 1 μm.
83 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature has a thickness greater than 5 μm.
84 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature comprises a metal-glass composition.
85 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the substrate was surface modified with a laser.
86 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the flat panel display conductive feature comprises regions derived from the metallic particles dispersed in a matrix of the metal or the metal oxide formed from the metal precursor compound.