Method of manufacturing transparent conductive film, the transparent conductive film, element and transparent conductive substrate using the film, as well as device using the substrate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9701849-B2
Application number	US-201113579380-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 15, 2011
Priority date	Feb 17, 2010
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

By using a coating method, which is a simple method of manufacturing a transparent conductive film at low cost, a transparent conductive film formed with heating at a low temperature, in particular, lower than 300° C. with both of excellent transparency and conductivity and also with excellent film strength and a method of manufacturing this transparent conductive film are provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a transparent conductive film comprising:
coating a substrate with a coating liquid containing an organometallic compound selected from an acetylacetonate of indium, tin, or zinc and a dopant organometallic compound thereby forming a coating film;
drying the coating film to form a dried coating film; and then
mineralizing the dried coating film by irradiating the dried coating film with ultraviolet light while heating the dried coating film to a temperature of 100° C. to 200° C. under an air atmosphere having a dew point temperature equal to or lower than −10° C. thereby forming an inorganic film that includes a metal oxide and a dopant; and then
flowing a reducing atmosphere over the inorganic film at a temperature of 150° C. to 600° C. thereby reducing the inorganic film and forming the transparent conductive film; wherein the reducing atmosphere includes hydrogen gas, wherein the hydrogen gas has an amount of 0.1 to 7 vol. %;
wherein the transparent conductive film includes a metal selected from the group consisting of indium, tin, and zinc.

2. The method of manufacturing the transparent conductive film according to claim 1 , wherein
the coating liquid includes a content molar ratio between the organometallic compound and the dopant organometallic compound in a range of 99.9:0.1 to 66.7:33.3.

3. The method of manufacturing the transparent conductive film according to claim 2 , wherein
the organometallic compound is an acetylacetonate of indium, and
the dopant organometallic compound and the dopant formed therefrom include a metal selected from the group consisting of tin, titanium, germanium, zinc, tungsten, zirconium, tantalum, niobium, hafnium, vanadium, and a mixture thereof.

4. The method of manufacturing the transparent conductive film according to claim 2 , wherein
the organometallic compound is an acetylacetonate of tin, and
wherein the dopant organometallic compound is selected from the group consisting of an organic indium compound, an organic antimony compound, an organic phosphorus compound, and a mixture thereof.

5. The method of manufacturing the transparent conductive film according to claim 2 , wherein
the organometallic compound is an acetylacetonate of zinc, and
wherein the dopant organometallic compound is selected from the group consisting of an organic aluminum compound, an organic indium compound, an organic gallium compound, and a mixture thereof.

6. The method of manufacturing the transparent conductive film according to claim 1 , wherein
irradiating the dried coating film with ultraviolet light includes applying the ultraviolet light in a pattern shape thereby forming the inorganic film having the pattern shape.

7. The method of manufacturing the transparent conductive film according to claim 1 , wherein
the inorganic film is reduced under the reducing atmosphere at the temperature of 150° C. to 300° C.

8. The method of manufacturing the transparent conductive film according to claim 7 , further comprising
irradiating the inorganic film while the inorganic film is reduced under the reducing atmosphere at the temperature of 150° C. to 300° C.

9. The method of manufacturing the transparent conductive film according to claim 1 , wherein
the dew-point temperature is equal to or lower than −30° C.

10. The method of manufacturing the transparent conductive film according to claim 1 , wherein
the ultraviolet light has a wavelength equal to or smaller than 200 nm.

11. The method of manufacturing the transparent conductive film according to claim 10 , wherein
the ultraviolet light is emitted from a low-pressure mercury lamp, an amalgam lamp, or an excimer lamp.

12. The method of manufacturing the transparent conductive film according to claim 1 , wherein
the organometallic compound is indium acetylacetonate.

13. The method of manufacturing the transparent conductive film according to claim 1 , wherein
coating the substrate with the coating liquid includes a method selected from an inkjet printing method, a screen printing method, a gravure printing method, an offset printing method, a flexor printing method, a dispenser printing method, a slit coating method, a die coating method, a doctor blade coating method, a wire bar coating method, a spin coating method, a dip coating method, or a spray coating method.

14. The method of manufacturing the transparent conductive film according to claim 1 , wherein the amount of the hydrogen gas is 1 to 3 vol. % hydrogen gas.

Assignees

• Yukinobu Masaya
• Nagano Takahito
• Otsuka Yoshihiro
• Sumitomo Metal Mining Co

Inventors

• Yukinobu Masaya
• Nagano Takahito
• Otsuka Yoshihiro

Classifications

• C23C18/143

  Radiation by light, e.g. photolysis or pyrolysis · CPC title

• C23C18/1295

  with after-treatment of the deposited inorganic material · CPC title

• C09D5/24 Primary

  Electrically-conducting paints {(conductive materials H01B1/00)} · CPC title

• Y02E10/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] energy · CPC title

• C09D11/101

  Inks specially adapted for printing processes involving curing by wave energy or particle radiation, e.g. with UV-curing following the printing · CPC title