Light-Directed Electrochemical Patterning of Copper Structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019177867-A1
Application number	US-201716327732-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 29, 2017
Priority date	Aug 29, 2016
Publication date	Jun 13, 2019
Grant date	—

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 and light comprising the steps of:
(a) electrodepositing copper from a solution onto a substrate; (b) 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 (c) stripping non-illuminated sections leaving said illuminated sections on 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 thin 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 Cu2+ ions.

7 . The method of claim 9 wherein said noble metal is Au.

8 . The method of claim 9 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 copper.

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

14 . The method of claim 13 wherein the surface of the substrate on which the copper 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 copper.

16 . The method of claim 15 wherein an opposingly located surface of the substrate on which the copper is deposited is illuminated.

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

18 . A method of creating a pattern on a substrate using electrodeposition and light comprising the steps of:
on selected areas of said substrate, depositing material by electrodeposition and by illumination to create a deposition rate of material that is greater than in the non-illuminated areas; and reversing the polarity while maintaining the illumination of said selected areas to cause said non-illuminated areas to have a higher rate of dissolution than said selected areas.

19 . The method of claim 18 wherein said deposited material is copper.

20 . The method of claim 18 wherein said illumination is changed by time to create three-dimensional patterns.

21 . The method of claim 18 wherein said illumination is changed by intensity to create three-dimensional patterns.

22 . The method of claim 18 wherein said illumination is changed by color of the illumination to create three-dimensional patterns.

23 . The method of claim 18 wherein said illumination is changed by a combination of color of the illumination, time or intensity to create three-dimensional patterns.

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

• C25D9/08 Primary

  by cathodic processes · CPC title

• H05K2203/0723

  Electroplating, e.g. finish plating · CPC title

• H05K3/027

  the conductive material being removed by irradiation, e.g. by photons, alpha or beta particles · CPC title