Apparatus comprising conductive portions and a method of making the apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10499504-B2
Application number	US-201214405346-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 4, 2012
Priority date	Jun 4, 2012
Publication date	Dec 3, 2019
Grant date	Dec 3, 2019

Abstract

A method comprising: creating, first conductive traces (12) over a substrate (10) by selective creation of metallization over the substrate (10) using selective direct structuring of a material configured for selective direct structuring; and creating second conductive areas (16A, 16B) over the substrate (10) directly in contact with at least darts of the first conductive traces (12).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, for manufacturing a capacitive touch sensor, comprising:
creating first conductive traces over a substrate by selective creation of metallization over the substrate using selective direct structuring of a material configured for selective direct structuring; and
creating second conductive areas over the substrate directly in contact with at least parts of the first conductive traces.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising: depositing on the substrate a first layer of the material configured for selective direct structuring.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 , comprising selective direct structuring of the material comprising:
selective irradiation of a first upper surface portion of the material to convert the first upper surface portion of the material from a first state to a second state in which the material is a substrate for metallization;
selective metallization on the first upper surface portion of a first layer of material that is in the second state.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein irradiation of a first upper surface portion of the first layer of material to convert the first upper surface portion of the first layer of material to a second state in which the material is a substrate for metallization uses a laser at a power and duration sufficient to convert the first upper surface portion of the first layer of material to the second state in which the material is a substrate for metallization but of insufficient power and duration to penetrate the first layer of material.

5. A method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein ablation converts the material from the first state to the second state.

6. A method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein metallization comprises electroless plating.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the material comprises a reducing agent dispersed in a dielectric medium that provides for metallization in a second state.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the material comprises metal oxide dispersed in a dielectric medium that provides for metallization in a second state.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the material comprises transition metal oxide dispersed in a dielectric medium that provides for metallization in a second state.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the material comprises multi-metal oxide dispersed in a dielectric medium that provides for metallization in a second state, wherein the multi-metals of the multi-metal oxide are transition metals.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the material comprises an accelerator dispersed in a dielectric medium that provides for metallization in a second state.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 ,
wherein the accelerator is AM x B y O z A is one or more elements selected from Groups 10 and 11 of the Periodic Table, M is one or more metal elements in oxidation state 3+ selected from the group consisting of Fe, Co, Mn, Al, Ga, In, Ti and rare earth elements, O is oxygen, B is boron, x=0 to 2, y=0.01 to 2 and z=1 to 4;
or
wherein the accelerator is A′M′ m B y O n
and wherein A′ is one or more elements selected from Groups 9, 10 or 11 of the Periodic Table, M′ is one or more metal elements selected from the group consisting of Cr, Mo, W, Se, Te and Po, O is oxygen, m=0.01 to 2 and n=2 to 4.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the accelerator A′M′ m B y O n is a spinel-structure oxide.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a three-dimensional injection-molded plastics substrate configured as a cover for a hand-portable electronic device.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising as an additional step manufacturing as a direct product a module for an electronic device that comprises:
a supporting substrate;
a dielectric configured to respond to irradiation to convert to a irradiated state in which it functions, where it has been irradiated, as a substrate for metallization;
first conductive traces formed over portions of the dielectric that have been subject to laser direct structuring; and
patterned second conductive areas formed over the substrate and directly in contact with at least parts of the first conductive traces.

16. A method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising connecting the conductive areas to the first conductive traces for sensing changes in capacitance between the conductive areas for capacitive touch detection.

17. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first conductive traces are created over portions of the substrate.

Assignees

• Zeng Sen
• Shang Ligang
• Wang Song
• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Zeng Sen
• Shang Ligang
• Wang Song

Classifications

• C23C18/1633

  Process of electroless plating · CPC title

• H05K1/03

  Use of materials for the substrate · CPC title

• H05K3/0091

  Apparatus for coating printed circuits using liquid non-metallic coating compositions · CPC title

• B05D5/12

  to obtain a coating with specific electrical properties · CPC title

• B05D3/062

  Pretreatment · CPC title