Light-transmitting conductor having nanostructure pattern and method for manufacturing same
10165680 ยท 2018-12-25
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
G06F3/041
PHYSICS
H05K3/10
ELECTRICITY
Y02P70/50
GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
H05K1/0274
ELECTRICITY
H05K1/097
ELECTRICITY
H10K30/82
ELECTRICITY
H05K3/06
ELECTRICITY
H05K3/4644
ELECTRICITY
G06F2203/04112
PHYSICS
Y02E10/549
GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
International classification
H05K1/09
ELECTRICITY
H05K3/10
ELECTRICITY
Abstract
The present invention provides a light-transmitting conductor comprising: a substrate; and a conduction layer on the substrate, wherein the conduction layer comprises a conductive material, and the conduction layer has a pattern corresponding to a network formed such that nanostructures are arranged to intersect with each other that includes a substrate and a conduction layer on the substrate.
Claims
1. A light-transmitting conductor comprising: a substrate; and a conduction layer on the substrate, wherein the conduction layer comprises a conductive material, wherein the conduction layer comprises a pattern corresponding to a network formed by intersecting nanostructures, and wherein the nanostructures are one selected from a group consisting of nanotube, nanowire, nanofiber, and a combination thereof.
2. The light-transmitting conductor of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the conduction layer is substantially constant.
3. The light-transmitting conductor of claim 1, wherein the conduction layer is integrally formed.
4. The light-transmitting conductor of claim 1, wherein the conductive material comprises metal.
5. The light-transmitting conductor of claim 1, wherein the conductive material comprises a conductive non-metal.
6. The light-transmitting conductor of claim 1, wherein the nanostructure is one selected from a group consisting of nanotube, nanowire, nano-fiber, and a combination thereof.
7. The light-transmitting conductor of claim 1, wherein the pattern comprises: a plurality of main portions corresponding to the nanostructures of the network; a plurality of intersections formed by intersecting the main portions; and an opening between the main portions.
8. The light-transmitting conductor of claim 7, wherein the main portions and the intersections are connected with the opening inside to form at least one closed system.
9. The light-transmitting conductor of claim 7, wherein the main portions and the intersections are connected without an evident distinction of inside and outside to form at least one open system.
10. The light-transmitting conductor of claim 7, wherein the opening has a protruding end of the main portion.
11. The light-transmitting conductor of claim 7, wherein when a thickness of the main portion is t, a width w of the main portion is within a range of 100 nmw5t.
12. The light-transmitting conductor of claim 11, wherein a thickness t of the main portion is within a range of 0<t500 nm.
13. The light-transmitting conductor of claim 7, wherein the intersection has substantially the same thickness as the main portion.
14. The light-transmitting conductor of claim 1, wherein the pattern is amorphous.
15. The light-transmitting conductor of claim 1, wherein a terminal layer that is electrically connected to the conduction layer is provided on the substrate corresponding to an outer periphery of the conduction layer.
16. The light-transmitting conductor of claim 15, wherein the terminal layer is formed with the same material as the conduction layer.
17. The light-transmitting conductor of claim 15, wherein the terminal layer has substantially the same thickness as the conduction layer.
18. A method of manufacturing a light-transmitting conductor, the method comprising: (1) coating a conductive material on a substrate; (2) coating a photosensitive material on a conductive material; (3) intersecting nanostructures on the photosensitive material to form a network of nanostructures; (4) shaping the photosensitive material according to the network of nanostructures on by using the network of nanostructures; and (5) forming a conduction layer by forming a pattern on the conductive material according to the shape of the photosensitive material.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the conductive material of step (1) comprises metal.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein the photosensitive material of step (2) is photosensitive polymer.
21. The method of claim 18, wherein the nanostructure of step (3) is one selected from a group consisting of nanotube, nanowire, nano-fiber, and a combination thereof.
22. The method of claim 18, wherein step (4) comprises shaping the photosensitive material according to the network of nanostructures by exposing light on the photosensitive material through the network of nanostructures.
23. The method of claim 18, wherein the pattern of step (5) is amorphous.
24. The method of claim 18, further comprising forming a terminal layer that is electrically connected with the conduction layer, on the substrate corresponding to an outer periphery of the conduction layer.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein the forming of the terminal layer comprises: coating the conductive material on the substrate; coating the photosensitive material on the conductive material; shaping the photosensitive material according to a shape of the mask by arranging a mask shaped with respect to the terminal layer on the photosensitive material and exposing light; and forming a pattern of the terminal layer on the conductive material according to the shape of the photosensitive material.
26. A method of manufacturing a light-transmitting conductor, the method comprising: (1) coating a conductive material on a substrate; (2) patterning a terminal layer on the conductive material; (3) coating a photosensitive material on the conductive material such that a patterned portion of the terminal layer is included; (4) intersecting nanostructures on the photosensitive material except for a portion corresponding to the terminal layer, to form a network of nanostructures; (5) shaping the photosensitive material according to the network of nanostructures by using the network of nanostructures; and (6) forming a conduction layer connected to the terminal layer by forming a pattern of the conductive material except for the terminal layer according to the shape of the photosensitive material.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein the conductive material of step (1) includes an area where the conduction layer is formed and an area where the terminal layer is formed.
28. The method of claim 26, wherein the terminal layer of step (2) is patterned by photolithography.
Description
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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BEST MODE
(11) Various embodiments of the invention will be described so that this disclosure is thorough and complete. The embodiments are exemplary, and merely provided to facilitate understanding of the inventive concept to those of ordinary skill in the art. As the embodiments allow various changes and modifications, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.
Embodiment 1
(12) According to the present embodiment, as shown in
(13) The light-transmitting conductor 100 may transmit light and be electrically conductive. In this case, it is preferable that light transmittance is at least 90%.
(14) The conduction layer 120 is formed above the substrate 110 by coating or laminating. The substrate 110 may be rigid or flexible. The substrate 110 may be light-transmitting or non-light-transmitting. The substrate 110 may include a rigid material such as glass, polycarbonate, acryl, etc., or a flexible material such as polyester, polyolefin, polyvinyl, polyimide, silicon, etc. The substrate 110 may include cyclic olefin polymer (COP), cyclic olefin copolymer (COC), or triacetyl cellulose (TAC). However, the substrate 110 is not limited thereto.
(15) The conduction layer 120 refers to an electric conduction layer fondled above the substrate 110. The conduction layer 120 may have an electric conductivity of 150/ or less. Preferably, the conduction layer 120 may have an electric conductivity of 50/ or less. The electric conductivity of the conduction layer 120 may be appropriately determined with regard to characteristics of conductive materials included in the conduction layer 120. The thickness of the conduction layer 120 may be substantially constant. Accordingly, the conduction layer 120 does not have an outwardly protruding portion, and thus, static electricity is hardly generated. Therefore, the conduction layer 120 is prevented from being damaged due to static electricity, and a separate coating layer is not necessary for static electricity prevention. For example, 100 nm to 300 nm is preferable for the thickness of the conduction layer 120. It is preferable for the thickness of the conduction layer 120 to be substantially constant. However, the conduction layer 120 is not limited thereto, and may have any thickness that is appropriate for forming a layer. The conduction layer 120 may be an integrally formed single unit, e.g., a copper single layer. However, the conduction layer 120 is not limited to the integrally formed single unit, and may be formed as a plurality of layers, e.g., a three-layer structure including molybdenum-aluminum-molybdenum (MoAlMo).
(16) The conduction layer 120 may include a conductive material. The conductive material of the conduction layer 120 may include metal such as copper, aluminum, silver, molybdenum, and nickel. However, the conductive material of the conduction layer 120 is not limited to metal, and may include any conductive material, such as a metal compound, e.g., conductive non-metal or silver halide. The conductive material may be formed on the substrate 110 by using various methods. For example, the conductive material may be formed on the substrate 110 through deposition, such as sputtering.
(17) The conduction layer 120 includes a pattern that corresponds to a network that is formed by intersecting nanostructures. The nanostructure may include nanotubes, nanowires, nano-fiber, or a combination thereof. The nanostructure may include any material. For example, carbon nanotubes, silver nanowire, carbon nano-fiber, and the like may be used as nanostructures. Since the conduction layer 120 includes a pattern that corresponds to a network formed by intersecting nanostructures, a width of each portion respectively corresponding to the nanostructures of the conduction layer 120 may be extremely small so as to provide high light transmission. Therefore, the conduction layer 120 may have high light transmission and high conductivity by being formed with a highly conductive material and a pattern corresponding to a nanostructure network for high light transmission.
(18) The pattern corresponding to the nanostructure network does not directly refer to the network formed by intersecting nanostructures, but a pattern formed with respect to the network. As shown in the example of
(19) As shown in the example of
(20) The pattern of the conduction layer 120 may be amorphous. The amorphous pattern prevents stripes, i.e., moir phenomenon, which occurs due to repetition of patterns. However, the conduction layer 120 is not limited to an amorphous pattern, and may include any type of patterns that correspond to a network formed by intersecting nanostructures.
(21) As shown in the example of
Embodiment 2
(22) According to the present embodiment, as shown in the example of
(23) Accordingly, electrical connection reliability of the conduction layer 220 may be increased due to the main portion 221 and the intersection 222. Also, since there is no disconnected portions such as an end of the main portion 221, static electricity may be prevented from occurring at disconnected portions.
(24) According to the present embodiment, the pattern of the conduction layer 220 may be easily formed by using nano-fiber with a large aspect ratio as nanostructures.
Embodiment 3
(25) According to the present embodiment, as shown in the example of
(26) Accordingly, it is possible to form a pattern which provides electrical connection reliability of the conduction layer may be increased by using a nanostructure without a large aspect ratio.
(27) According to the present embodiment, the pattern of the conduction layer 320 may be easily formed by using nanotubes or nanowires that have a small aspect ratio than nano-fiber as nanostructures.
Embodiment 4
(28) According to the present embodiment, as shown in the example of
(29) The light-transmitting conductor 400 may be connected through an external circuit (not shown) and the terminal layer 430, and thus may function as a portion of a system such as a touch screen panel.
(30) The terminal layer 430 may be formed with the same material as the conduction layer 420, and thus electric interaction, such as a user's touch, on the conduction layer 420 may be efficiently transmitted to the terminal layer 430.
(31) The conduction layer 420 includes a plurality of sensors 427 that detect external touch and send electric signals. The sensors 427 are spaced apart by certain distances. The terminal layer 430 includes a plurality of terminals 431 and connectors 432 that are connected to each of the sensors 427 of the conduction layer 420. Electric signals detected by the sensors 427 may pass through the connectors 432 and the terminals 431 of the terminal layer 430 and be transmitted to an external circuit.
(32) The terminal layer 430 and the conduction layer 420 may have substantially the same thickness. Accordingly, the terminal layer 430 and the conduction layer 420 may be formed together, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process.
Embodiment 5
(33) According to the present embodiment, the examples of
(34) In the method of manufacturing the light-transmitting conductor according to the present embodiment, first, a conductive material 520 is coated on a substrate 510 (
(35) In addition, a terminal layer (not shown) electrically connected to the conduction layer 550 is formed on the substrate 510 corresponding to an outer periphery of the conduction layer 550. The forming of the terminal layer includes coating a conductive material on the substrate 510; coating a photosensitive material on the conductive material; arranging a mask having a shape corresponding to the terminal layer on the photosensitive material and exposing light thereon to form a shape corresponding to a shape of the mask on the photosensitive material; and forming a pattern of the terminal layer on the conductive material according to the shape of the photosensitive material.
Embodiment 6
(36) According to the present embodiment, as shown in the example of
(37) Accordingly, it is possible to form a pattern which provides electrical connection reliability of the conduction layer may be increased by using a nanostructure without a large aspect ratio.
(38) According to the present embodiment, the pattern of the conduction layer 320 may be easily formed by using nanotubes or nanowires that have a small aspect ratio than nano-fiber as nanostructures.
Embodiment 4
(39) According to the present embodiment, as shown in the example of
(40) The light-transmitting conductor 400 may be connected through an external circuit (not shown) and the terminal layer 430, and thus may function as a portion of a system such as a touch screen panel.
(41) The terminal layer 430 may be formed with the same material as the conduction layer 420, and thus electric interaction, such as a user's touch, on the conduction layer 420 may be efficiently transmitted to the terminal layer 430.
(42) The conduction layer 420 includes a plurality of sensors 427 that detect external touch and send electric signals. The sensors 427 are spaced apart by certain distances. The terminal layer 430 includes a plurality of terminals 431 and connectors 432 that are connected to each of the sensors 427 of the conduction layer 420. Electric signals detected by the sensors 427 may pass through the connectors 432 and the terminals 431 of the terminal layer 430 and be transmitted to an external circuit.
(43) The terminal layer 430 and the conduction layer 420 may have substantially the same thickness. Accordingly, the terminal layer 430 and the conduction layer 420 may be formed together, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process.
Embodiment 5
(44) According to the present embodiment, the examples of
(45) In the method of manufacturing the light-transmitting conductor according to the present embodiment, first, a conductive material 520 is coated on a substrate 510 (
(46) In addition, a terminal layer (not shown) electrically connected to the conduction layer 550 is formed on the substrate 510 corresponding to an outer periphery of the conduction layer 550. The forming of the terminal layer includes coating a conductive material on the substrate 510; coating a photosensitive material on the conductive material; arranging a mask having a shape corresponding to the terminal layer on the photosensitive material and exposing light thereon to form a shape corresponding to a shape of the mask on the photosensitive material; and forming a pattern of the terminal layer on the conductive material according to the shape of the photosensitive material.
(47) (Em excluding a portion corresponding to the terminal layer 630. To do so, devices such as the shadow mask is used to coat the nanostructures on the photosensitive material. The shadow mask has closed portions with respect to the terminal layer 630 and open portions with respect to the conduction layer 620. Next, the nanostructure network is used to shape the photosensitive material corresponding to the nanostructure network by using light exposure and developing. Thereafter, according to the shape of the photosensitive material, a pattern is formed on the conductive material expect for the terminal layer 630 to form the conduction layer 620 that is connected to the terminal layer 630.
(48) Accordingly, when manufacturing the light-transmitting conductor 600, the manufacturing process may be simplified and less material may be used by forming the conduction layer 620 and the terminal layer 630 on a single conductive material and forming sensors 627 of the conduction layer 620 and terminals 631 of the terminal layer 630 together. Also, display size may be reduced by reducing an area of the substrate in which the terminal layer 630 is formed.
Embodiment 7
(49) According to the present embodiment, as shown in the example of
(50) As a substrate 710 coated with a conductive material 720 rolled on the first roller 791 loosens because of a second roller 792, a coater 731 installed nearby the first roller 791 consecutively coats a photosensitive material 730 on the conductive material 720. Then, a spray 741 is installed after the coater 731 of the photosensitive material 730. The spray 741 is used to a network 740 is formed by intersecting nanostructures on the photosensitive material 730. Next, a light exposing device 750, a developing device 750, an etching device 770, and a peeling device 780 are sequentially installed. Each device is used to expose light on the photosensitive material 730 and develop the photosensitive material 730, etch the conductive material 720, and peel remaining photosensitive material 730. Through this process, a pattern of a conduction layer 790 or a pattern of the conduction layer 790 and a terminal layer (not shown) are formed on the substrate 710. Accordingly, the light-transmitting conductor 700 is manufactured and then, the light-transmitting conductor 700 is rolled by the second roller 792.
(51) Since the light-transmitting conductor may be consecutively manufactured, the manufacturing process is simplified and quickly finished.
(52) While one or more embodiments have been described with reference to the figures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope as defined by the following claims.
REFERENCE NUMERALS
(53) 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700: Light-transmitting Conductor 110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 610, 710: Substrate 120, 220, 320, 420, 540, 620: Conduction layer 121, 221, 321: Main Portion 122, 222, 322: Intersection 123, 323: Opening 124, 324: End 130: Dark Color Layer 427, 627: Sensor 430, 630: Terminal Layer 431, 631: Terminal 520, 720: Conductive Material 530, 730: Photosensitive Material 791: First Roller 792: Second Roller
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
(54) The present invention may be applied in fields that require a light-transmitting conductor and a method of manufacturing the same.