Electrically conducting assemblies

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a process for the manufacture of a multilayer assembly comprising applying at least one patterned substrate onto at least one surface of at least one non-patterned substrate. The present invention also pertains to the multilayer assembly obtainable by said process and to uses of said multilayer assembly in various applications.

Claims

1. A process for the manufacture of a multilayer assembly, said process comprising: applying a patterned layer (LMP) of at least one patterned substrate directly onto a non-patterned layer (LMT) of at least one non-patterned substrate, thereby providing a multilayer assembly, wherein: (1) the at least one patterned substrate is obtained by a process comprising: printing a liquid composition (L1) comprising at least one first metal compound (M1) onto at least one surface of an optically transparent substrate layer (LT-1) having an outer surface and an inner surface to form a patterned layer (LMP), thus providing a patterned substrate, optionally, contacting the patterned layer (LMP) with a liquid composition (L2) comprising at least one second metal compound (M2), said compound (M2) being equal to or different from the compound (M1), and drying the patterned substrate, optionally contacted with composition (L2), at a temperature of at least 50 C.; and wherein (2) the at least one non-patterned substrate is obtained by a process comprising: optionally, treating by a radio-frequency glow discharge process in the presence of an etching gas, at least one surface of an optically transparent substrate layer (LT-2) having an outer surface and an inner surface, said layer (LT-2) being equal to or different from layer (LT-1), contacting optionally treated layer (LT-2) with a liquid composition (L3) comprising at least one optically transparent metal compound (M.sub.ot), to form an optically transparent non-patterned layer (LMT), thus providing a non-patterned substrate, and drying the non-patterned substrate at a temperature of at least 50 C.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein compound (M.sub.ot) is a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of: impurity-doped ZnO, In.sub.2O.sub.3, SnO.sub.2 and CdO, ternary metal oxide compounds, and multi-component metal oxides consisting of combinations of ZnO, In.sub.2O.sub.3 and SnO.sub.2.

3. The process according to claim 2, wherein compound (M.sub.ot) is a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of Sn-doped ZnO, Sn-doped In.sub.2O.sub.3, Sn-doped CdO, Zn.sub.2SnO.sub.4, ZnSnO.sub.3, Zn.sub.2In.sub.2O.sub.5, Zn.sub.3In.sub.2O.sub.6, In.sub.2SnO.sub.4, and CdSnO.sub.3.

4. The process according to claim 1, wherein layer (LT-2) is contacted with composition (L3) by electroless plating techniques.

5. The process according to claim 1, wherein compound (M1) is selected from the group consisting of Rh, Ir, Ru, Ti, Re, Os, Cd, Tl, Pb, Bi, In, Sb, Al, Ti, Cu, Ni, Pd, V, Fe, Cr, Mn, Co, Zn, Mo, W, Ag, Au, Pt, Ir, Ru, Pd, Sn, Ge, Ga, alloys thereof and derivatives thereof.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein composition (L1) is printed by screen, gravure, flexo or ink-jet printing techniques.

7. The process according to claim 1, wherein compound (M2) is selected from the group consisting of Rh, Ir, Ru, Ti, Re, Os, Cd, Tl, Pb, Bi, In, Sb, Al, Ti, Cu, Ni, Pd, V, Fe, Cr, Mn, Co, Zn, Mo, W, Ag, Au, Pt, Ir, Ru, Pd, Sn, Ge, Ga, alloys thereof and derivatives thereof.

8. The process according to claim 1, wherein layer (LMP) is contacted with composition (L2) by electroplating or electroless plating techniques.

9. A process for the manufacture of a multilayer assembly, said process comprising: printing a liquid composition (L1) comprising at least one first metal compound (M1) onto an optically transparent substrate layer (LT-1) having an outer surface and an inner surface, wherein layer (LT-1) is a non-patterned substrate comprising: an optically transparent substrate layer (LT-2) having an outer surface and an inner surface, and an optically transparent non-patterned layer (LMT) made of at least one optically transparent metal compound (M.sub.ot) directly adhered onto at least one surface of layer (LT-2), and wherein said at least one surface of layer (LT-2) is optionally treated by a radio-frequency glow discharge process in the presence of an etching gas, wherein the liquid composition (L1) is printed directly on the surface of layer (LMT) that is opposite to layer (LT-2), to form a patterned layer (LMP), optionally, contacting patterned layer (LMP) with a liquid composition (L2) comprising at least one second metal compound (M2), said compound (M2) being equal to or different from the compound (M1), and drying the patterned substrate, optionally contacted with composition (L2), at a temperature of at least 50 C.

10. The process according to claim 9, wherein the non-patterned substrate is obtained by a process comprising: optionally, treating by a radio-frequency glow discharge process in the presence of an etching gas, at least one surface of an optically transparent substrate layer (LT-2) having an outer surface and an inner surface, contacting optionally treated layer (LT-2) with a liquid composition (L3) comprising at least one optically transparent metal compound (M.sub.ot), to form an optically transparent non-patterned layer (LMT), thus providing a non-patterned substrate, and drying the non-patterned substrate at a temperature of at least 50 C.

Description

EXAMPLE 1

Manufacture of a Multilayer Assembly

(1) A non-patterned substrate having a thickness of 125 m was provided, said substrate having a layer made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) directly adhered onto an optically transparent continuous layer made of Sn-doped In.sub.2O.sub.3 (ITO).

(2) A multilayer assembly was manufactured by printing by ink-jet printing techniques, using a Dimatix DMP-2831 ink-jet printer, having a ten-pL print-head and a solvent-resistant cartridge containing the composition (Ag) filtered through a 220 nm syringe filter, a patterned grid layer having a thickness of 1.2 m onto the optically transparent continuous layer made of ITO of said non-patterned substrate.

(3) The patterned grid layer made of Ag thereby provided had a mesh size of 400 m and a bar width of 20 m.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1

Manufacture of a Patterned Substrate

(4) A patterned grid substrate having a thickness of 125 m was manufactured by printing by ink-jet printing techniques, onto one surface of a PET layer having a thickness of 120 m, a patterned grid layer using the composition (Ag).

(5) The patterned grid layer made of Ag thereby provided had a mesh size of 400 m and a bar width of 20 m.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 2

Manufacture of a Non-patterned Substrate

(6) A non-patterned substrate commercially available from Sigma Aldrich was used, said substrate having a thickness of 125 m, wherein an optically transparent continuous layer made of Sn-doped In.sub.2O.sub.3 (ITO) was directly adhered onto a PET layer having a thickness of 120 m.

(7) Determination of the Mesh and Bar Width Structures

(8) The mesh and bar width structures of the patterned grid layers were determined by using the Dimatix DMP-2831 ink-jet printer fiducial camera and its digital software.

(9) Determination of the Optical Transparency

(10) The optical transparency of the assemblies was determined by measuring transmittance values using a double beam spectrophotometer (Perkin Elmer Lambda 2). Wavelength measurement range was 200-1000 nm and data point spacing was 1 nm.

(11) Determination of the Electrical Resistivity

(12) The electrical resistivity of the assemblies was determined by using the four point technique (Multi Height Probe, Bridge Technology) on 25 cm.sup.2 samples at room temperature in standard environment.

(13) The results are set forth in Table 1 here below:

(14) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Transmittance at 500 nm Electrical resistivity Run [%] [/square] Ex. 1 60 12 C. Ex. 1 65 85 C. Ex. 2 78 60

(15) It has been thus found that the multilayer assembly of the present invention advantageously provided for lower electrical resistivity values as compared with prior art assemblies while advantageously maintaining high transmittance values.