Methods of patterning a material on polymeric substrates

1. A method of patterning a first material on a polymeric substrate comprising:

providing a transparent polymeric film substrate having a major surface with a relief pattern comprising a recessed region and an adjacent raised region, wherein the recessed region has a floor and sidewalls;

depositing a first material onto the major surface of the polymeric film substrate to form a coated polymeric film substrate, wherein the depositing a first material comprises depositing a metal onto the polymeric film substrate;

forming a layer of a functionalizing material selectively on the raised region of the coated polymeric film substrate to form a functionalized raised region and an unfunctionalized recessed region, wherein the functionalizing material is a self-assembled monolayer selectively onto the raised region and the self-assembled monolayer comprises a chemical species selected from the group consisting of organosulfur compounds, silanes, phosphonic acids, benzotriazoles, and carboxylic acids, wherein forming comprises unwinding the coated polymeric film substrate from a support and winding the coated polymeric film substrate onto a support; and

etching the first material from the polymeric substrate selectively from the floor and sidewalls of the unfunctionalized recessed region, forming a first material patterned polymeric substrate.

2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising forming the major surface with a relief pattern by molding or embossing the polymeric film substrate with a mechanical tool.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the providing step comprises providing a polymeric film substrate comprising a polymer selected from the group of polyolefins, polyamides, polyimides, polycarbonates, polyesters, polyacrylates, polymethacrylates, and liquid crystal polymers.

4. A method according to claim 1 further comprising removing the functionalizing material from the raised region after the etching step.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the forming step comprises applying the functionalizing material selectively onto the raised region of the coated polymeric film substrate, with an elastomeric plate.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the forming step comprises applying the functionalizing material selectively onto the raised region of the coated polymeric film substrate, with a featureless elastomeric plate.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the depositing a metal comprises depositing 10 angstroms to 30000 angstroms of a metal selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, palladium, platinum, rhodium, copper, nickel, iron, indium, tin, and mixtures, alloys, and compounds thereof.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the providing step comprises providing a polymeric film substrate having a major surface with a relief pattern comprising an array of discrete recessed regions each surrounded by a contiguous raised region.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein the providing step comprises providing a polymeric film substrate having a major surface with a relief pattern comprising a plurality of raised regions in the form of linear traces that are isolated from each other by a contiguous recessed region.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein the providing step comprises providing a polymeric film substrate having a major surface with a relief pattern comprising a plurality of raised regions in the form of linear traces that are isolated from each other by a contiguous recessed region, the raised regions having a height in a range from 0.1 micrometer to 10 micrometers and a width in a range from 0.25 micrometer to 2 millimeters.

11. A method according to claim 9 wherein the providing step comprises providing a polymeric film substrate having a major surface with a relief pattern comprising a plurality of raised regions in the form of linear traces that are generally parallel with a distance between adjacent generally parallel raised regions in a range from 0.25 micrometer to 1 centimeter.