Selective coating of a structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11628467-B2
Application number	US-201916697288-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 27, 2019
Priority date	Jan 25, 2019
Publication date	Apr 18, 2023
Grant date	Apr 18, 2023

Abstract

A method of coating a structure is disclosed. Method steps include providing a structure having a first portion of a first material having a first surface and providing a second portion of a second material having a second surface, wherein a mask is provided over the first surface. Another step includes exposing the mask and the second surface to a solution comprising a polymer and a solvent, wherein the solution dewets from the mask and the polymer collects onto the second surface to form a polymer coating over the second surface without forming a polymer coating on the first surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of selectively coating a structure comprising:
providing a structure having:
a first portion of a first material and having a first surface;
a second portion of a second material and having a second surface,
wherein a mask is over the first surface;

cleaning the structure by sonification in at least one solvent;
exposing the structure to ultraviolet ozone (UVO);
dispensing a liquid solution comprising a polymer and a solvent onto the mask and the second surface, wherein the liquid solution has a chemistry tuned to transition from spin wetting to spin dewetting at a critical time as the solvent evaporates as the structure is spinning; and
spinning the structure for at least the critical time to achieve the spin dewetting of the liquid solution from the first surface and the mask causing the polymer to collect onto the second surface to form a polymer coating over the second surface without forming a polymer coating over the first surface.

2. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 1 wherein the first material is a dielectric and the second material is an electrical conductor.

3. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 1 wherein the first material is an electrical conductor and the second material is a dielectric.

4. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 1 wherein the first material is silicon dioxide and the second material is copper.

5. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 1 wherein the first material is silicon dioxide and the second material is titanium nitride.

6. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 1 wherein the mask comprises a self-assembled monolayer.

7. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 1 wherein the mask comprises a silane coupling agent.

8. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 7 wherein the silane coupling agent is an alkyl-trichlorosilane.

9. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 7 wherein the silane coupling agent is octyltrichlorosilane.

10. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 1 wherein the mask is hydrophobic.

11. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 1 wherein the polymer is a non-polar polymer.

12. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 11 wherein the non-polar polymer is polystyrene.

13. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 1 wherein the polymer is a polar polymer.

14. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 13 wherein the polar polymer is poly(acrylic acid).

15. A method of selectively coating a structure comprising:
providing a structure having:
a first portion of a first material and having a first surface;
a second portion of a second material and having a second surface;

cleaning the structure by sonification in at least one solvent;
exposing the structure to UVO;
providing a liquid solution comprised of a polymer and a solvent, wherein the liquid solution has a tuned chemistry to transition from spin wetting to spin dewetting at a critical time as the solvent evaporates as the structure is spinning to coat the second surface, and a coupling agent having a chemistry to couple with the first material;
dispensing the liquid solution onto the first surface and onto the second surface; and
spinning the structure for at least the critical time, wherein the coupling agent couples to the first material to form a mask from which the liquid solution dewets during the spinning of the structure such that the polymer collects onto the second surface to form a polymer coating over the second surface without forming a polymer coating on the first surface.

16. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 15 wherein the first material is a dielectric and the second material is an electrical conductor.

17. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 15 wherein the first material is an electrical conductor and the second material is a dielectric.

18. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 15 wherein the first material is silicon dioxide and the second material is copper.

19. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 15 wherein the first material is silicon dioxide and the second material is titanium nitride.

20. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 15 wherein the mask comprises a self-assembled monolayer.

21. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 15 wherein the coupling agent is a silane coupling agent.

22. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 21 wherein the silane coupling agent is an alkyl-trichlorosilane.

23. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 21 wherein the silane coupling agent is octyltrichlorosilane.

24. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 15 wherein the mask is hydrophobic.

25. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 15 wherein the polymer is a non-polar polymer.

26. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 25 wherein the non-polar polymer is polystyrene.

27. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 15 wherein the polymer is a polar polymer.

28. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 27 wherein the polar polymer is poly(acrylic acid).

29. The method of selectively coating the structure of claim 15 wherein the exposing the structure to UVO is for a period of at least 10 minutes.

Assignees

• Univ California

Inventors

• Bates Christopher
• Zhang Yuanyi

Classifications

• H10P72/0448

  Apparatus for applying a liquid, a resin, an ink or the like · CPC title

• B05D1/32 Primary

  using means for protecting parts of a surface not to be coated, e.g. using stencils, resists · CPC title

• B05D1/002

  the substrate being rotated · CPC title

• B05D1/005

  Spin coating · CPC title

• C09D125/06

  Polystyrene · CPC title