Electronic device
A device is prepared using a chemical vapor deposition method and has a patterned thin film on a substrate that is applied using a deposition inhibitor material. The deposition inhibitor material is a hydrophilic polymer that is a neutralized acid having a pKa of 5 or less, wherein at least 90% of the acid groups are neutralized. The deposition inhibitor material can be patterned simultaneously or subsequently to its application to the substrate, to provide selected areas of the substrate effectively not having the deposition inhibitor material. A thin film is substantially deposited only in the selected areas of the substrate not having the deposition inhibitor material.
1. An electronic device having a substrate and having thereon:
a deposited pattern of a composition comprising a deposition inhibitor material, and
a deposited inorganic thin film disposed only in selected areas of the substrate where the composition comprising a deposition inhibitor material is absent,
wherein the deposition inhibitor material is a hydrophilic polymer that is a neutralized acid having a pKa of 5 or less, wherein at least 90% of the acid groups are neutralized.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein the hydrophilic polymer is a neutralized homopolymer or copolymer derived from (meth)acrylic acid or styrenesulfonic acid.
3. The device of claim 1 that is an integrated circuit, active-matrix display, solar cell, active-matrix imager, sensor, or an rf label.
4. The device of claim 1 wherein the hydrophilic polymer comprises neutralized carboxy or sulfa groups.
5. The device of claim 1 wherein the hydrophilic polymer comprises recurring units having neutralized carboxy, sulfo, phospho, sulfinic, or phosphinic acid groups that are pendant to the polymer backbone.
6. The device of claim 1 wherein the hydrophilic polymer satisfies both of the following tests:
a) it is soluble to at least 1% by weight in a solution containing at least 50 weight % water as measured at 40° C., and
b) it provides an inhibition power of at least 200 Å to deposition of zinc oxide by an ALD process.
7. The device of claim 1 wherein the inorganic thin film is either a metal or a metal containing compound.
8. The device of claim 7 wherein the metal-containing compound contains a group V or group VI anion, or it is an oxide, nitride, sulfide, or phosphide, or a combination thereof.
9. The device of claim 1 wherein the inorganic thin film contains zinc oxide.
10. The device of claim 7 wherein inorganic thin film contains zinc, aluminum, hafnium, zirconium, or indium, or any combination of these metals.
11. The device of claim 1 wherein the inorganic thin film contains copper, tungsten, aluminum, nickel, ruthenium, or rhodium.
12. An electronic device having a substrate and having thereon:
a deposited pattern of a composition comprising a deposition inhibitor material, and
a deposited inorganic thin film disposed only in selected areas of the substrate where the composition comprising a deposition inhibitor material is absent,
wherein the deposition inhibitor material is a hydrophilic polymer comprising carboxy, sulfo, phospho, sulfonic, or phosphonic acid groups, at least 90% of which groups are neutralized, and the hydrophilic polymer has a pKa of 5 or less.