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 transparent conductive feature, comprising:
(a) providing a transparent conductor precursor composition comprising at least one of a molecular precursor to a transparent conductive phase or particles comprising the transparent conductive phase;
(b) direct printing the transparent conductor precursor composition onto a substrate; and
(c) heating the transparent conductor precursor composition to form the transparent conductive feature on the substrate.
2 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the depositing comprises syringe printing.
3 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the depositing-comprises aerosol jet deposition.
4 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the depositing comprises ink jet printing.
5 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the transparent conductor precursor composition comprises the particles, and wherein the transparent conductive phase is selected from the group consisting of ITO, ATO, ZnO, and SnO 2 .
6 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the transparent conductor precursor composition comprises the molecular precursor to the transparent conductive phase, wherein the transparent conductive phase is selected from the group consisting of ITO, ATO, ZnO, and SnO 2 .
7 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the transparent conductor precursor composition comprises the molecular precursor to the transparent conductive phase and particles comprising the transparent conductive phase.
8 . The process of claim 7 , wherein the transparent conductive phase is selected from the group consisting of ITO, ATO, ZnO, and SnO 2 .
9 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the transparent conductor precursor composition comprises the particles and a molecular precursor to silver, wherein the transparent conductive phase is selected from the group consisting of ITO, ATO, ZnO, and SnO 2 .
10 . The process of claim 9 , wherein the transparent conductive feature has a bulk conductivity of from 500 to 1000 μΩ-cm.
11 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the transparent conductor precursor composition comprises the particles comprising the transparent conductive phase, a molecular precursor to silver and silver phosphate glass, wherein the transparent conductive phase is selected from the group consisting of ITO, ATO, ZnO, and SnO 2 .
12 . The process of claim 11 , wherein the transparent conductive feature has a bulk conductivity of from 300 to 800 μΩ-cm.
13 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the transparent conductor precursor comprises the molecular precursor to the transparent conductive phase, the molecular precursor to the transparent conductive phase comprising a molecular precursor to indium and a molecular precursor to tin.
14 . The process of claim 13 , wherein the molecular precursor to indium is selected from the group consisting of In-nitrate; In-chloride; In-carboxylates; In-acetate; In-propionates; In-acetylacetonate; In-hexafluoroacetylacetonate; In-trifluoroacetylacetonate; In(pyrazolyl) 3 BH; In-alkoxides In-fluoroalkoxides; and In-amides, and wherein the molecular precursor to tin is selected from the group consisting of Sn-halides, Sn-tetrachloride; Sn-dichloride; Sn-carboxylates; Sn-acetate; Sn-ethylhexanoate; Sn-alkoxides, Sn(O t Bu) 4 ; Sn-hydroxycarboxylates; and Sn-glycolate.
15 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the transparent conductive feature is employed as an electrode for a thin-film electroluminescent (TFEL) display, a plasma display, a field emission display (FED), or an organic light emitting device (OLED).
16 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the transparent conductor precursor composition further comprises metallic nanoparticles having a volume median particle size of not greater than 100 nanometers.
17 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the transparent conductor precursor composition further comprises metallic particles having a volume median particle size of not greater than 0.3 μm.
18 . The process of claim 17 , wherein the metallic particles comprise a metal selected from the group consisting of silver, palladium, copper, gold, platinum and nickel.
19 . The process of claim 17 , wherein the metallic particles comprise a cap or coating thereon.
20 . The process of claim 19 , wherein the cap or coating comprises an inorganic cap or coating.
21 . The process of claim 19 , wherein the cap or coating comprises silica.
22 . The process of claim 19 , wherein the cap or coating comprises glass.
23 . The process of claim 19 , wherein the cap or coating comprises an organic cap or coating.
24 . The process of claim 19 , wherein the cap or coating comprises a polymer.
25 . The process of claim 19 , 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.
26 . The process of claim 19 , wherein the cap or coating comprises PVP.
27 . The process of claim 17 , wherein at least 80 volume percent of the metallic particles are not larger than twice the average particle size.
28 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the transparent conductor precursor composition further comprises glass particles.
29 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the heating comprises heating in air at from about 450° C. to 600° C.
30 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the substrate comprises glass.
31 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the substrate comprises a polymer.
32 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the transparent conductive feature comprises an electrode.
33 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the transparent conductive feature comprises a bus line.
34 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the transparent conductive feature has a width less than 200 μm.
35 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the transparent conductive feature has a width less than 100 μm.
36 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the transparent conductive feature has a thickness greater than 1 μm.
37 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the transparent conductive feature has a thickness greater than 5 μm.
38 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the transparent conductive feature comprises a metal-glass composition.
39 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the process further comprises high shear mixing the precursor composition.
40 . The process of claim 4 , wherein the process further comprises surface modifying the substrate with a laser.
41 . A process for forming a flat panel display transparent conductive feature, the process comprising heating an ink jet printed precursor composition to form the transparent conductive feature on a substrate, wherein the precursor composition comprises at least one of a molecular precursor to a transparent conductive phase or particles comprising the transparent conductive phase.
42 . The process of claim 41 , wherein the transparent conductor precursor composition comprises the particles, and wherein the transparent conductive phase is selected from the group consisting of ITO, ATO, ZnO, and SnO 2 .
43 . The process of claim 41 , wherein the transparent conductor precursor composition comprises the molecular precursor to the transparent conductive phase, wherein the transparent conductive phase is selected from the group consisting of ITO, ATO, ZnO, and SnO 2 .
44 . The process of claim 41 , wherein the transparent conductor precursor composition comprises the molecular precursor to the transparent conductive phase and particles comprising the transparent conductive phase.
45 . The process of claim 44 , wherein the transparent conductive phase is selected from the group consisting of ITO, ATO, ZnO, and SnO 2 .
46 . The process of claim 41 , wherein the transparent conductor precursor composition comprises the particles and a molecular precursor to silver, wherein the transparent conductive phase is selected from the group consisting of ITO, ATO, ZnO, and SnO 2 .
47 . The process of claim 46 , wherein the transparent conductive feature has a bulk conductivity of from 500 to 1000 μΩ-cm.
48 . The process of claim 41 , wherein the transparent conductor precursor composition comprises the particles comprising the transparent conductive phase, a molecular precursor to silver and silver phosphate glass, wherein the transparent conductive phase is selected from the group consisting of ITO, ATO, ZnO, and SnO 2 .
49 . The process of claim 48 , wherein the transparent conductive feature has a bulk conductivity of from 300 to 800 μΩ-cm.
50 . The process of claim 41 , wherein the transparent conductor precursor comprises the molecular precursor to the transparent conductive phase, the molecular precursor to the transparent conductive phase comprising a molecular precursor to indium and a molecular precursor to tin.
51 . The process of claim 50 , wherein the molecular precursor to indium is selected from the group consisting of In-nitrate; In-chloride; In-carboxylates; In-acetate; In-propionates; In-acetylacetonate; In- hexafluoroacetylacetonate; In-trifluoroacetylacetonate; In(pyrazolyl) 3 BH; In-alkoxides In-fluoroalkoxides; and In-amides, and wherein the molecular precursor to tin is selected from the group consisting of Sn-halides, Sn-tetrachloride; Sn-dichloride; Sn-carboxylates; Sn-acetate; Sn-ethylhexanoate; Sn-alkoxides, Sn(O t Bu) 4 ; Sn-hydroxycarboxylates; and Sn-glycolate.
52 . The process of claim 41 , wherein the transparent conductive feature is employed as an electrode for a thin-film electroluminescent (TFEL) display, a plasma display, a field emission display (FED), or an organic light emitting device (OLED).
53 . The process of claim 41 , wherein the transparent conductor precursor composition further comprises metallic nanoparticles having a volume median particle size of not greater than 100 nanometers.
54 . The process of claim 41 , wherein the transparent conductor precursor composition further comprises metallic particles having a volume median particle size of not greater than 0.3 μm.
55 . The process of claim 54 , wherein the metallic particles comprise a metal selected from the group consisting of silver, palladium, copper, gold, platinum and nickel.
56 . The process of claim 54 , wherein the metallic particles comprise a cap or coating thereon.
57 . The process of claim 56 , wherein the cap or coating comprises an inorganic cap or coating.
58 . The process of claim 56 , wherein the cap or coating comprises silica.
59 . The process of claim 56 , wherein the cap or coating comprises glass.
60 . The process of claim 56 , wherein the cap or coating comprises an organic cap or coating.
61 . The process of claim 56 , wherein the cap or coating comprises a polymer.
62 . The process of claim 56 , 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.
63 . The process of claim 56 , wherein the cap or coating comprises PVP.
64 . The process of claim 54 , wherein at least 80 volume percent of the metallic particles are not larger than twice the average particle size.
65 . The process of claim 41 , wherein the transparent conductor precursor composition further comprises glass particles.
66 . The process of claim 41 , wherein the heating comprises heating in air at from about 450° C. to 600° C.
67 . The process of claim 41 , wherein the substrate comprises glass.
68 . The process of claim 41 , wherein the substrate comprises a polymer.
69 . The process of claim 41 , wherein the transparent conductive feature comprises an electrode.
70 . The process of claim 41 , wherein the transparent conductive feature comprises a bus line.
71 . The process of claim 41 , wherein the transparent conductive feature has a width less than 200 μm.
72 . The process of claim 41 , wherein the transparent conductive feature has a width less than 100 μm.
73 . The process of claim 41 , wherein the transparent conductive feature has a thickness greater than 1 μm.
74 . The process of claim 41 , wherein the transparent conductive feature has a thickness greater than 5 μm.
75 . The process of claim 41 , wherein the transparent conductive feature comprises a metal-glass composition.