Method of making electrically conductive micro-wires

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9328253-B2
Application number	US-201313757913-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 4, 2013
Priority date	Jan 22, 2013
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

A method of making a conductive article includes providing a substrate having a surface with one or more micro-channels having a width of less than 12 μm. A composition is provided over the substrate and in the one or more micro-channels. The composition includes water and silver nanoparticles dispersed in the water and he weight percentage of silver in the composition is greater than 70% and the viscosity of the composition is in a range from 10 to 10,000 centipoise. The composition is removed from the surface of the substrate. The composition provided in the micro-channels is dried and converted to form one or more electrically conductive micro-wires.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of making electrically conductive micro-wires comprising:
providing a substrate having a surface with one or more micro-channels having a width of less than 12 μm but not less than 0.5 μm;
providing a composition directly over the substrate and in the one or more micro-channels, wherein the composition includes water and silver nanoparticles dispersed in the water and a weight percentage of silver in the composition is greater than 70% and a viscosity of the composition is in a range from 10 to 10,000 centipoise;
removing the composition from the surface of the substrate, but leaving at least a portion of the composition in the micro-channels; and
drying and converting the composition provided in the one or more micro-channels to form one or more electrically conductive micro-wires.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the composition over the substrate and in the one or more micro-channels further includes dip coating the substrate in a reservoir containing the composition.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the composition over the substrate and in the one or more micro-channels further includes curtain coating the substrate with the composition.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein removing the composition from the surface of the substrate further includes wiping the surface of the substrate.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the surface of the substrate is wiped with a flexible blade.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the surface of the substrate is wiped with a curved rotating surface.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more micro-channels have a width less than 8 μm.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more micro-channels have a width less than 5 μm.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more micro-channels have a depth less than 10 μm.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein two or more of the micro-channels intersect to form a micro-channel intersection.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the intersecting micro-channels intersect at an angle greater than or equal to 45 degrees and less than or equal to 90 degrees.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the intersecting micro-channels form a grid.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the grid is a rectangular grid.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the grid is a diamond grid.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the grid forms rows that are alternately offset.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the weight percentage of silver is in a range of 70 to 90% and the viscosity of the composition is in a range from 10 to 1000 centipoise.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the composition further includes organic solids having a weight percentage in a range from 0.05 to 3%.

Assignees

• Wang Yongcai
• Hoderlein Paul Matthew
• Lebens John Andrew
• Yau Hwei-Ling
• Trauernicht David Paul
• Eastman Kodak Co

Inventors

• Wang Yongcai
• Hoderlein Paul Matthew
• Lebens John Andrew
• Yau Hwei-Ling
• Trauernicht David Paul

Classifications

• H05K2201/09036

  Recesses or grooves in insulating substrate · CPC title

• C09D11/52 Primary

  Electrically conductive inks · CPC title

• H05K1/097

  Inks comprising nanoparticles and specially adapted for being sintered at low temperature (H05K1/095 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H05K2201/09681

  Mesh conductors, e.g. as a ground plane · CPC title

• C09D11/322

  Pigment inks · CPC title