Methods for producing an etch resist pattern on a metallic surface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11255018-B2
Application number	US-202016948597-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2020
Priority date	Aug 13, 2015
Publication date	Feb 22, 2022
Grant date	Feb 22, 2022

Abstract

A method of forming a metallic pattern on a substrate is provided. The method includes applying onto a metallic surface, a chemically surface-activating solution having an activating agent that chemically activates the metallic surface; non-impact printing an etch-resist ink on the activated surface to produce an etch resist mask according to a predetermined pattern, wherein at least one ink component within the etch-resist ink undergoes a chemical reaction with the activated metallic surface to immobilize droplets of the etch-resist ink when hitting the activated surface; performing an etching process to remove unmasked metallic portions that are not covered with the etch resist mask; and removing the etch-resist mask.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method of forming a metallic pattern on a substrate, the method comprising:
activating a metallic surface of a substrate by applying an aqueous solution comprising an inorganic activating agent onto the metallic surface;
after chemically activating the metallic surface, selectively printing an etch-resist ink onto the metallic surface;
reacting a component of the etch-resist ink with ions of the metallic surface to produce an etch-resist mask;
performing an etching process to remove portions of the metallic surface that are not covered by the etch-resist mask; and
removing the etch-resist mask to form the metallic pattern.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metallic pattern formed by performing the etching process comprises multiple metallic lines each of the multiple metallic lines having a width of less than 50 microns.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the etch-resist mask produced from the printing comprises lines having a width of less than 50 microns.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the performing the etching process comprises forming metallic lines having a width of less than 30 microns.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to printing, removing the chemically surface-activating aqueous solution from the activated metallic surface using a solvent.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ink component that reacts with the activated metallic surface is a polymeric component comprising an acrylate, a phosphate, a sulfonate, or any combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic activating agent comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of a copper salt, a ferric salt, a chromic-sulfuric acid, a persulfate salt, sodium chlorite, and hydrogen peroxide.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying the aqueous solution comprises immersing the metallic surface in a bath of the aqueous solution for about 10-60 seconds or spraying the aqueous solution onto the metallic surface.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein selectively printing the etch-resist ink onto the metallic surface comprises ink-jet printing.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the etch-resistant ink comprises a dye.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metallic surface comprises copper and the ions of the metallic surface comprise copper cations.

12. A method of forming a metallic pattern on a substrate, the method comprising:
activating a metallic surface of a substrate by applying an aqueous solution comprising an inorganic activating agent onto the metallic surface;
after chemically activating the metallic surface, ink-jet printing an ink comprising a polymeric component onto the metallic surface;
reacting a component of the ink with ions of the metallic surface to produce a resist;
performing an etching process to remove portions of the metallic surface that are not covered by the resist; and
removing the resist to form the metallic pattern.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the performing the etching process comprises forming multiple metallic lines each of the multiple metallic lines having a width of less than 50 microns.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the polymeric component comprises an acrylate, a phosphate, a sulfonate, or any combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic activating agent comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of a copper salt, a ferric salt, a chromic-sulfuric acid, a persulfate salt, sodium chlorite, and hydrogen peroxide.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ink comprises a dye.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the component of the ink reacts with copper ions of the metallic surface.

18. A method of forming a metallic pattern on a substrate, the method comprising:
activating a metallic surface of a substrate by applying an aqueous solution comprising an inorganic activating agent selected from the group consisting of a copper salt, a ferric salt, a chromic-sulfuric acid, a persulfate salt, sodium chlorite, and hydrogen peroxide onto the metallic surface;
after chemically activating the metallic surface, ink-jet printing an ink comprising an acrylate, a phosphate, a sulfonate, or a combination thereof onto the metallic surface;
reacting a component of the ink with copper ions of the metallic surface to produce a resist;
performing an etching process to remove portions of the metallic surface that are not covered by the resist; and
removing the resist to form the metallic pattern.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the performing the etching process comprises forming metallic lines having a width of less than 30 microns.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the ink comprises a dye.

Assignees

• Kateeva Inc
• Kateeva Ltd

Inventors

• Shpaisman Nava
• Frenkel Moshe

Classifications

• H05K2203/1173

  Differences in wettability, e.g. hydrophilic or hydrophobic areas · CPC title

• H05K2203/0582

  Coating by resist, i.e. resist used as mask for application of insulating coating or of second resist · CPC title

• H05K2203/0392

  Pretreatment of metal, e.g. before finish plating, etching · CPC title

• H05K2203/013

  Inkjet printing, e.g. for printing insulating material or resist · CPC title

• H05K3/061 Primary

  Etching masks · CPC title