Electronic article and process of producing an electronic article

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9985344-B2
Application number	US-201414581707-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2014
Priority date	Dec 23, 2014
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

Electronic articles, antennae, and processes of producing electronic articles are disclosed. The electronic article includes a rigid substrate having a non-planar region and a sintered conductive ink positioned on the non-planar region. The antenna is a specific type of electronic article covered by the disclosure. Additionally or alternatively, the antenna has a light transmission of at least 85%. The process includes positioning a substrate having a non-planar region, applying a conductive ink to the non-planar region, and sintering the conductive ink on the non-planar region thereby producing the sintered conductive ink on the electronic article and/or producing an antenna having a light transmission of at least 80%.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic article, comprising:
a rigid substrate having a non-planar region; and
a sintered conductive ink positioned on the non-planar region, the sintered conductive ink having (i) a light transmission of at least 80%, and (ii) a trace depth of 6 to 20 micrometers.

2. The electronic article of claim 1 , wherein the sintered conductive ink has a trace depth of 8 to 10 micrometers.

3. The electronic article of claim 1 , wherein the sintered conductive ink has a trace depth of 10 to 20 micrometers.

4. The electronic article of claim 1 , wherein the sintered conductive ink includes a metal nanostructure, an organic solvent, and a capping agent.

5. The electronic article of claim 1 , wherein the sintered conductive ink has a sheet resistance of less than 3 ohms/square.

6. The electronic article of claim 5 , wherein the sintered conductive ink has a sheet resistance of less than 1 ohms/square.

7. The electronic article of claim 6 , wherein the sintered conductive ink has a sheet resistance of less than 0.5 ohms/square.

8. The electronic article of claim 7 , wherein the sintered conductive ink has a sheet resistance of less than 0.02 ohms/square.

9. The electronic article of claim 1 , wherein the electronic article comprises a cured ink positioned on the rigid substrate.

10. The electronic article of claim 1 , further comprising a post-plated layer being positioned on the rigid substrate and the sintered conductive ink being at least partially positioned between the post-plated layer and the rigid substrate.

11. The electronic article of claim 1 , wherein the electronic article is an antenna.

12. An electronic article, comprising:
a rigid substrate having a non-planar region; and
a sintered conductive ink positioned on the non-planar region, the sintered conductive ink having (i) a light transmission of at least 80%, and (ii) a trace width of 30 to 40 micrometers or 20 to 30 micrometers.

13. An electronic article, comprising:
a rigid substrate having a non-planar region; and

a sintered conductive ink positioned on the non-planar region, the sintered conductive ink having (i) a light transmission of at least 80%, and (ii) a mean surface roughness of less than 10 micrometers.

14. The electronic article of claim 13 , wherein the sintered conductive ink has a mean surface roughness of less than 0.6 micrometers.

15. A process of producing an electronic article having a sintered conductive ink, comprising:
positioning a rigid substrate having a non-planar region;
applying a conductive ink to the non-planar region; and
sintering the conductive ink on the non-planar region thereby producing the sintered conductive ink on the electronic article, said sintered conductive ink having (i) a light transmission of at least 80%, and (ii) a trace depth of 6 to 20 micrometers.

Assignees

• Tyco Electronics Corp
• Te Connectivity Corp

Inventors

• Bishop Bruce Foster
• Scholz James Paul
• Moore Jerry L
• Oar Michael A
• Radzilowski Leonard Henry

Classifications

• H01Q1/40

  Radiating elements coated with or embedded in protective material · CPC title

• H05K3/246

  Reinforcing conductive paste, ink or powder patterns by other methods, e.g. by plating · CPC title

• H05K2201/09681

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

• H05K3/125

  by ink-jet printing · CPC title

• H01Q1/38

  formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support {(patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface  H01Q15/142)} · CPC title