Imprinted bi-layer micro-structure method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9277642-B2
Application number	US-201314012216-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2013
Priority date	Mar 5, 2013
Publication date	Mar 1, 2016
Grant date	Mar 1, 2016

Abstract

A method of making an imprinted micro-wire structure includes providing a substrate having an edge area and a central area separate from the edge area and providing first, second, and third different stamps. A curable bottom, connecting layer, and top layer are formed on the substrate. A bottom-layer micro-channel is imprinted in the bottom layer in the central area and the edge area, a connecting-layer micro-channel is imprinted in the connecting layer in the edge area over the bottom-layer micro-channel, an edge micro-channel is imprinted in the top layer in the edge area over the connecting-layer micro-channel, and top-layer micro-channels are imprinted in the top layer over the central area. Micro-wires are formed in each micro-channel. The bottom-layer micro-wire in the central area is electrically connected to the edge micro-wire in the edge area and is electrically isolated from the top-layer micro-wire.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of making a micro-wire structure, comprising:
providing a substrate having an edge area and a central area separate from the edge area;
providing first, second, and third different stamps;
providing a curable bottom layer in relation to the substrate;
forming an imprinted bottom-layer micro-channel in the curable bottom layer by at least imprinting the curable bottom layer with the first stamp in at least a portion of the central area and in at least a portion of the edge area and curing the curable bottom layer, the bottom-layer micro-channel extending from the central area into the edge area;
locating a curable electrical conductor in the bottom-layer micro-channel and curing the curable electrical conductor to form a bottom-layer micro-wire in the bottom-layer micro-channel, the bottom-layer micro-wire extending from the central area into the edge area;
providing a curable connecting layer adjacent to and in contact with the cured bottom layer and the bottom-layer micro-wire;
forming an imprinted connecting-layer micro-channel in the curable connecting layer by at least imprinting the curable connecting layer with the second stamp over at least a portion of the bottom-layer micro-channel in at least a portion of the edge area and curing the curable connecting layer;
forming a connecting-layer micro-wire in the connecting-layer micro-channel contacting at least a portion of the bottom-layer micro-wire;
providing a curable top layer adjacent to and in contact with the cured connecting layer and the connecting-layer micro-wire;
forming an imprinted edge micro-channel in the curable top layer by at least imprinting the curable top layer with the third stamp over at least a portion of the connecting-layer micro-channel in at least a portion of the edge area and forming an imprinted top-layer micro-channel in the curable top layer by at least imprinting the curable top layer with the third stamp separate from the bottom-layer micro-channel and over at least a portion of the bottom-layer micro-channel in at least a portion of the central area and curing the curable top layer;
forming an edge micro-wire in the edge micro-channel contacting at least a portion of the connecting-layer micro-wire and forming a top-layer micro-wire in the top-layer micro-channel that is electrically isolated from the edge micro-wire, the connecting-layer micro-wire, and the bottom-layer micro-wire; and
wherein the bottom-layer micro-wire in the central area is electrically connected to the edge micro-wire in the edge area and is electrically isolated from the top-layer micro-wire.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate has at least one edge and the edge area is adjacent to the edge.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of forming the imprinted connecting-layer micro-channel further includes contacting the bottom-layer micro-wire with the second stamp.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of forming the imprinted edge micro-channel further includes contacting the connecting-layer micro-wire with the third stamp.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bottom and connecting layers include cross-linkable material and further including cross linking the cross-linkable first-layer material to the cross-linkable second-layer material or wherein the connecting and top layers include cross-linkable material and further including cross linking the cross-linkable second-layer material to the cross-linkable third-layer material.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the edge micro-wire forms at least a portion of a connection pad.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the connection pad further includes a plurality of micro-wires.

8. The method of claim 1 , further including forming a plurality of edge micro-wires electrically connected through a corresponding plurality of connection micro-wires to a corresponding plurality of bottom-layer micro-wires.

9. The method of claim 8 , further including forming a plurality of top-layer micro-wires electrically isolated from the edge micro-wires.

10. The method of claim 1 , further including removing a portion of the cured connecting layer or removing a portion of the cured top layer.

11. The method of claim 10 , further including removing the portion of the cured second or cured top layer by treating the cured second or cured top layer with a plasma treatment.

12. The method of claim 10 , further including thinning the cured second or cured top layer by a thinning depth.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the thinning depth is less than the difference between the depth of the cured second or cured top layer and the depth of any micro-channels in the corresponding cured second or cured top layer.

14. A method of making a micro-wire structure, comprising:
providing a substrate having an edge area and a central area separate from the edge area;
providing first, second, and third different stamps;
providing a curable bottom layer in relation to the substrate;
forming an imprinted bottom-layer micro-channel in the curable bottom layer by at least imprinting the curable bottom layer with the first stamp in at least a portion of the central area and in at least a portion of the edge area and curing the curable bottom layer, the bottom-layer micro-channel extending from the central area into the edge area;
locating a curable electrical conductor in the bottom-layer micro-channel and curing the curable electrical conductor to form a bottom-layer micro-wire in the bottom-layer micro-channel, the bottom-layer micro-wire extending from the central area into the edge area;
providing a curable connecting layer adjacent to and in contact with the cured bottom layer and the bottom-layer micro-wire;
forming an imprinted connecting-layer micro-channel in the curable connecting layer by at least imprinting the curable connecting layer with the second stamp over at least a portion of the bottom-layer micro-channel in at least a portion of the edge area and curing the curable connecting layer;
forming a connecting-layer micro-wire in the connecting-layer micro-channel contacting at least a portion of the bottom-layer micro-wire;
providing a curable top layer adjacent to and in contact with the cured connecting layer and the connecting-layer micro-wire;
forming an imprinted edge micro-channel in the curable top layer by at least imprinting the curable top layer with the third stamp over at least a portion of the connecting-layer micro-channel in at least a portion of the edge area and forming an imprinted top-layer micro-channel in the curable top layer by at least imprinting the curable top layer with the third stamp separate from the bottom-layer micro-channel and over at least a portion of the bottom-layer micro-channel in at least a portion of the central area and curing the curable top layer;
forming an edge micro-wire in the edge micro-channel contacting at least a portion of the connecting-layer micro-wire and forming a top-layer micro-wire in the top-layer micro-channel that is electrically isolated from the edge micro-wire, the connecting-layer micro-wire, and the bottom-layer micro-wire;
forming a plurality of edge micro-wires electrically connected through a corresponding plurality of connection micro-wires to a corresponding plurality of bottom-layer micro-wires;
forming a plurality of top-layer micro-wires electrically isolated from the edge micro-wires;
wherein the bottom-layer micro-wire in the central area is electrically connected to the edge micro-wire in the edge area and is electrically isolated from the top-layer micro-wire; and
wherein the

Assignees

• Eastman Kodak Co

Inventors

• Cok Ronald Steven

Classifications

• H05K3/4685 Primary

  Manufacturing of cross-over conductors · CPC title

• H05K2203/0108

  Male die used for patterning, punching or transferring · CPC title

• H05K3/1258

  by using a substrate provided with a shape pattern, e.g. grooves, banks, resist pattern · CPC title

• H05K3/1275

  by other printing techniques, e.g. letterpress printing, intaglio printing, lithographic printing, offset printing · CPC title

• H05K2201/09281

  Layout details of a single conductor · CPC title