Light-directed electrochemical patterning of copper structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10793965-B2
Application number	US-201716327732-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2017
Priority date	Aug 29, 2016
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

A method creating a patterned film with cuprous oxide and light comprising the steps of electrodepositing copper from a solution onto a substrate; illuminating selected areas of said deposited copper with light having photon energies above the band gap energy of 2.0 eV to create selected illuminated sections and non-illuminated sections; and stripping non-illuminated sections leaving said illuminated sections on the substrate. An additional step may include galvanically replacing the copper with one or more noble metals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of creating a patterned film with cuprous oxide (Cu 2 O) and light comprising the steps of:
(a) electrodepositing cuprous oxide from a solution comprising copper ions onto a substrate;
(b) illuminating selected areas of said deposited cuprous oxide with light having photon energies above the band gap energy of 2.0 eV to create selected illuminated sections and non-illuminated sections; and
(c) stripping cuprous oxide from said non-illuminated sections leaving said deposited cuprous oxide on said illuminated sections of the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate is a transparent, conductive substrate.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate is a non-transparent, conductive substrate.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the pattern is made from Cu 2 O having chemically distinct phases.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the pattern is a film having features including sub-millimeter features.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein Cu 2 O is galvanically replaced with a noble metal and said Cu 2 O is reduced back to soluble Cu ions.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said noble metal is Au.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said noble metal is Ag.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein stripping occurs after illumination.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein stripping occurs during illumination.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein stripping occurs in-between illumination.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein a projector is used to illuminate selected areas of said deposited cuprous oxide.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein a light source and a mask located a spaced distance from said deposited cuprous oxide are used to illuminate selected areas of said deposited cuprous oxide.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the surface of the substrate on which the cuprous oxide is deposited is illuminated.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein a light source and a mask located on a transparent substrate are used to illuminate selected areas of said deposited cuprous oxide.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein an opposing located surface of the substrate on which the cuprous oxide is deposited is illuminated.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein steps (a)-(c) are repeated.

Assignees

• Univ Arkansas

Inventors

• Coridan Robert H
• Lowe James M

Classifications

• H10P95/00

  Generic processes or apparatus for manufacture or treatments not covered by the other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• H10P14/47

  Electrolytic deposition, i.e. electroplating; Electroless plating · CPC title

• H10F77/211

  for photovoltaic cells · CPC title

• H10F77/20

  Electrodes · CPC title

• C25D7/126

  for solar cells · CPC title