Process of making components for electronic and optical devices using laser processing on a patterned conductive film
View Patent ↗The present invention relates to processes of making components for electronic and optical devices using laser processing and devices comprising such components. Such process uses a laser to introduce chemical and/or structural changes in substrates and films that are the raw materials from which components for electronic and optical devices are made. Such process yields components that can have one or more electronic and/or optical functionalities that are integrated on the same substrate or film. In addition, such process does not require large-scale clean rooms and is easily configurable. Thus, rapid device prototyping, design change and evolution in the lab and on the production side is realized.
1 . A process of making an electrical component, an optical component or a combined electrical and optical component, said process comprising:
a) applying one or more coatings of electrically conductive material to a substrate having a first side and a second side, said one or more coatings of electrically conductive material being applied to at least the first side of said substrate;
b) using a laser to remove a portion of said electrically conductive material to form a pattern of electrically conductive material electrodes on said substrate;
c) applying one or more chemical coatings in the form of a continuous film over said patterned electrical conductive material to form a coated substrate, wherein
(i) said patterned electrical conductive material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate, poly(pyrrole), polycarbazoles, polyindoles, polyazepines, Cr, Mo, Ti, Sc, Ni, V, Hf, W, Nb, Au, Ag, Cu, and Pt and mixtures thereof;
(ii) said one or more chemical coatings each independently comprising a transition metal and an element selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, selenium, phosphorous and mixtures thereof, said one or more chemical coatings each independently comprising at least one of an amorphous, nanocrystalline, microcrystalline or crystalline region; and
d) pattern illumination-based annealing said coated substrate, said pattern illumination-based annealing comprising using one or more lasers and/or lamps to achieve at least one of a chemical change or change in crystallization in at least a portion of at least one of said one or more chemical coatings on at least one side of said substrate, wherein said chemical change or change in crystallization changes said at least said portion to a semiconducting material, which semiconducting material is in contact with the underlying patterned electrical conductive material that was formed on said substrate.
2 . A process of making an electrical component, an optical component or a combined electrical and optical component according to claim 1 wherein:
at least one of said one or more chemical coatings comprises, prior to said annealing, two or more regions that are amorphous, nanocrystalline, microcrystalline or crystalline with the proviso that at least two of said regions are not identical with respect to being amorphous, nanocrystalline, microcrystalline or crystalline and said laser or lamp forms on, within or on and within said at least one of said one or more chemical coatings:
(i) at least two electronic elements selected from a conductor, semiconductor and an insulator;
(ii) two or more different conductors having at least one of the following: different electrical properties or different optical properties;
(iii) two or more different semiconductors having at least one of the following: different electrical properties or different optical properties; or
(iv) two or more different insulators having at least one of the following: different electrical properties or different optical properties;
said process being performed under one of the following conditions: vacuum of less 100 torr, air, or under a fluid blanket other than air; and
said pattern illumination-based annealing resulting in at least one of a chemical change or a change in crystallinity, or the removal of at least a portion of at least one of said one or more chemical coatings and resulting in an electrical component, an optical component or a combined electrical and optical component being formed on, within or on and within at least a portion of said pattern illumination-based annealed one or more chemical coatings.
3 . The process of claim 1 further comprising performing steps a) to d) on the second side of said substrate as well.
4 . The process of claim 1 wherein said transition metal is selected from the group consisting of molybdenum, tungsten, niobium, tantalum, vanadium, titanium, chromium, iron, rhodium, hafnium, rhenium and mixtures thereof.
5 . A process according to claim 1 wherein said one or more chemical coatings comprises at least one region that is crystalline or nanocrystalline.
6 . The process of claim 1 wherein, said electrical and/or optical component is selected from the group consisting of: an inductor, a capacitor, a resistor, a diode, a trace, a battery, an optical filter, a chemical sensor, a biological sensor, and a solar cell.
7 . The process of claim 1 wherein said pattern illumination-based annealing in step d) further comprises removal of at least a portion of said chemical coating on at least one side of said substrate, and each of said one or more chemical coatings have an area and a thickness and said removal of said at least a portion of said one or more chemical coating occurs, said removal comprising at least one of:
a.) laser ablation removal of from about 0.1% to about 99.9% of at least one of said one or more chemical coatings' area; or
b.) laser ablation removal of at least 85% of at least one of said chemical coatings' thickness; or laser ablation removal of about 85% to about 99% of at least one of said chemical coatings' thickness.
8 . The process of claim 1 , said process being a roll process wherein said coated substrate is a rolled coated substrate that is unrolled at least in part, said unrolled chemically coated portion of said coated substrate being at least in part pattern illumination-based annealed.
9 . The process of claim 1 step a) consists of applying a single coating of electrically conductive material to at least the first side of said substrate, and step c) consists of applying a single chemical coating in the form of a continuous film over said patterned electrical conductive material to form a coated substrate.
10 . A process according to claim 1 wherein at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating is further treated by at least one of the following processes:
a.) two or more pattern illumination-based annealings;
b.) plasma treatment comprising exposing said at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating to an ionized gas derived from the group consisting of He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, H 2 , O 2 , SF 6 , CF 4 , N 2 and mixtures thereof;
c.) ion beam irradiation comprising exposing said at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating to an ion beam, said ion beam comprising an ionized gas derived from the group consisting of He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, H 2 , O 2 , SF 6 , CF 4 , N 2 and mixtures thereof;
d.) electron beam illumination comprising exposing at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating to an electron dose of from about 10 2 electrons/nm 2 to about 10 25 electrons/nm 2 ;
e.) thermal annealing said at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating, said at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating's thermal annealing treatment temperature being from greater than about 250° C. to about 1,500° C.;
f.) chemically etching said at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating comprising contacting said at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating with an etching composition;
g.) electro-chemically treating said at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating by contacting said at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating with a chemical composition comprising an electrolyte and subjecting said contacted at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating and said chemical composition comprising an electrolyte to an electrical current;
h.) surface physical modification of at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating.
11 . A process of making electrical device, an optical device or a combined electrical and optical device, said process comprising combining:
a) two or more electrical, an optical or a combined electrical and optical components produced according to the process of claim 1 ; or
b) at least one electrical, optical or combined electrical and optical component produced according to the process of claim 1 , and one or more additional electrical, optical or combined electrical and optical components.
12 . A process according to claim 1 wherein at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating is further treated by at least one of the following processes:
a.) plasma treatment comprising exposing said at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating to an ionized gas derived from the group consisting of He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, H 2 , O 2 , SF 6 , CF 4 , N 2 and mixtures thereof;
b.) ion beam irradiation comprising exposing said at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating to an ion beam, said ion beam comprising an ionized gas derived from the group consisting of He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, H 2 , O 2 , SF 6 , CF 4 , N 2 and mixtures thereof;
c.) electron beam illumination comprising exposing at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating to an electron dose of from about 10 2 electrons/nm 2 to about 10 25 electrons/nm 2 ;
d.) chemically etching said at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating comprising contacting said at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating with an etching composition;
e.) electro-chemically treating said at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating by contacting said at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating with a chemical composition comprising an electrolyte and subjecting said contacted at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating and said chemical composition comprising an electrolyte to an electrical current;
f.) surface physical modification of at least a portion of said coated substrate's pattern illumination-based annealed chemical coating.
13 . A process of making an electrical component, an optical component or a combined electrical and optical component according to claim 1 wherein said pattern of electrically conductive material electrodes comprise a pair of electrically conductive material electrodes that have a gap therebetween, and said gap is covered by said one or more chemical coatings, wherein said pattern illumination-based annealing comprises forming a crystallized region of said one or more chemical coatings over said gap.
14 . A process for making a sensor or sensor array on a flexible substrate that has a first side and a second side, said process comprising:
1) a first unit operation where the flexible substrate is moved past a metal sputtering target, and said metal sputtering target deposits metal onto the first side of said flexible substrate to form an electrically conductive material coated substrate on a portion of said substrate;
2) a second unit operation where the electrically conductive material coated substrate is moved past a laser, and said laser patterns said electrically conductive material on said portion of said substrate to form patterned electrical conductive material on said substrate;
3) a third unit operation where the patterned electrically conductive material on said substrate is moved past a chemical coating sputtering target, and said chemical coating sputtering target applies a chemical coating in the form of a continuous film on top of said patterned electrical conductive material on said substrate to form a chemically coated substrate; and
4) a fourth unit operation, wherein the chemically coated substrate from the third unit operation is moved past a laser, wherein said laser anneals said chemically coated substrate to achieve at least one of a chemical change or change in crystallization in at least a portion of said continuous film.