Method for making antimicrobial cover window and antimicrobial cover window made thereby

Abstract

Disclosed are a method for manufacturing an antibacterial cover window and an antibacterial cover window manufactured thereby. The method comprises: a first step of preparing a substrate; a second step of forming a mask pattern on the substrate through a patterning process; a third step of forming an antibacterial layer on the substrate on which the mask pattern is formed; and a fourth step of removing the mask pattern to obtain the antibacterial pattern formed on the substrate. By this method, a cover window having an antibacterial pattern regularly and evenly distributed over its entire area can be manufactured. Therefore, the cover window has long-lasting excellent antibacterial properties over its entire area.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0130847, filed on October 12, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a cover window. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a cover window having long-lasting and excellent antibacterial properties over its entire area due to regularly arranged and uniformly distributed antibacterial patterns on the surface of a substrate. Background Art

[0004] The gradual development of industry has caused environmental pollution, leading to recent global climate change. Therefore, diseases caused by new viruses, parasites and bacteria are currently increasing. For this reason, research on antimicrobial products is being actively carried out all over the world.

[0005] Simple methods of imparting antimicrobial properties to a target object include coating an antimicrobial material on the surface of the target object or attaching an antimicrobial film to the surface of the target object.

[0006] Silver (Ag) and copper (Cu) nanoparticles are the most commonly used antibacterial materials. There are various products coated with silver or copper nanoparticles. However, there is a problem that the nanoparticles coated on the product are easily peeled off over time, so that the antibacterial properties cannot be exhibited after a certain period of time.

[0007] Therefore, recently, antibacterial films are widely used due to their convenience in application to various products.

[0008] Specifically, these antimicrobial films are coated on or attached to elevator operation buttons, touch panels of various electronic devices, and operation buttons of various products, which are used by many people.

[0009] However, since the existing antibacterial film is a simple coating of the antibacterial material on the surface of the substrate, there is still the problem of the antibacterial material peeling off over time.

[0010] In addition, when such an antibacterial film is coated on the surface of a product, the film also plays a role in protecting the surface of the product to a certain extent. However, since the antibacterial film itself is gradually damaged over time, the film cannot permanently protect the product, and the antibacterial performance gradually decreases over time.

[0011] Furthermore, since conventional antibacterial films are formed by a process in which an antibacterial material is simply sprayed or sprinkled toward the upper surface of a substrate, there is a possibility that the thickness of the antibacterial material deposited on the substrate is uneven, resulting in poor uniformity of antibacterial properties over the entire area and difficulty in controlling the antibacterial properties as desired. Summary of the invention

[0012] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a method of manufacturing an antimicrobial cover window having excellent, uniform, and long-lasting antimicrobial properties over its entire area by adopting a process of forming an antimicrobial pattern on a substrate.

[0013] In order to achieve the above objectives, a technical concept of the present disclosure is to provide a method for manufacturing an antibacterial cover window, the method comprising: a first step of preparing a substrate; a second step of forming a mask pattern on the substrate through a patterning process; a third step of forming an antibacterial layer on the substrate having the mask pattern formed thereon; and a fourth step of removing the mask pattern to obtain the antibacterial pattern formed on the substrate.

[0014] Another technical concept of the present disclosure is to provide a method for manufacturing an antibacterial cover window, the method comprising: (a) preparing a substrate; (b) forming an antibacterial layer on the substrate; (c) forming a mask pattern on the antibacterial layer through a patterning process; (d) performing an etching process using the mask pattern as an etching mask; and (e) removing the mask pattern to obtain an antibacterial pattern formed on the substrate.

[0015] Another technical concept of the present disclosure is to provide an antimicrobial cover window, which includes a substrate and an antimicrobial pattern formed on the substrate. The antimicrobial pattern is an embossed pattern protruding from the upper surface of the substrate or a mosaic pattern of a recessed design embedded in the surface of the substrate.

[0016] The method may further include a step of controlling the surface shape of the antibacterial pattern, and this step may be performed after the fourth step or step (e).

[0017] The patterning of the second step or step (c) may be performed by any one method selected from nano-imprint lithography (NIL), electron beam lithography, polymer blend lithography (PBL) and block copolymer processing (BCP).

[0018] The antibacterial pattern may be an embossed antibacterial pattern or an inlaid antibacterial pattern.

[0019] The antibacterial pattern may be made of one material selected from the group consisting of silver, platinum, copper, and titanium dioxide, or a mixture of two or more materials.

[0020] The antibacterial pattern has a pencil hardness in the range of 3H to 9H, an average lateral width in the range of 50nm to 5000nm, an average interval in the range of 50nm to 5000nm, and an average height in the range of 0.5nm to 500nm.

[0021] The method may further include the steps of forming a hard mask pattern layer on the substrate having the mask pattern formed thereon in the second step and removing the mask pattern to obtain the hard mask pattern.

[0022] Furthermore, it is preferred that the substrate is glass or a polymer film.

[0023] The present disclosure provides a method of forming a cover window by forming regularly arranged and uniformly distributed antibacterial patterns on the surface of a substrate, the cover window having long-lasting excellent antibacterial properties over the entire area.

[0024] In addition, due to the formation of the embossed antibacterial pattern and the inlaid antibacterial pattern, the antibacterial property is improved and the bonding strength between the substrate and the antibacterial material is increased. For these reasons, the cover window exhibits improved wear resistance and long-lasting antibacterial properties.

[0025] That is, in the present disclosure, the antimicrobial pattern is an embossed antimicrobial pattern protruding from the surface of the substrate or a mosaic antimicrobial pattern embedded in a gravure pattern etched into the substrate. Therefore, the cover window manufactured by the method provided by the present disclosure has uniform antimicrobial properties over its entire area and exhibits a strong bonding strength between the substrate and the antimicrobial pattern, thereby achieving an improvement in the wear resistance of the antimicrobial pattern. Therefore, the cover window can be used as a protective cover window in various applications.

[0026] Furthermore, since the flexible cover window according to the present disclosure has a pencil hardness of 3H to 9H, the flexible cover window according to the present disclosure is expected to be practically used due to the ability to exhibit antibacterial properties and the ability to protect the surface of the flexible display. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 1A to 1G are schematic diagrams illustrating a method of manufacturing a flexible cover window according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 2 2A to 2H are schematic diagrams showing a method of manufacturing a flexible cover window according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 33A to 3E are schematic diagrams showing a method of manufacturing a flexible cover window according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 4 4A to 4G are schematic diagrams showing a method of manufacturing a flexible cover window according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 5 5A to 5F are schematic diagrams illustrating a method of manufacturing a flexible cover window according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0032] Fig. 6A and 6B is a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image showing the surface of each cover window according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 7 is a SEM image showing the surface of a cover window according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 8 is a SEM image showing the surface of a cover window according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Fig. 9 is a SEM image showing a surface of a cover window according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0036] Fig. 10A and 10B is a SEM image showing the surface of each cover window according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The present disclosure relates to a flexible cover window with antibacterial properties. More particularly, the present disclosure discloses a flexible cover window obtained by forming an antibacterial pattern on a substrate so that the flexible cover window has long-lasting and excellent antibacterial properties.

[0038] Since the antibacterial pattern used in the present invention is uniformly formed on the surface of the substrate, the surface of the substrate is endowed with uniform antibacterial properties. In addition, since the antibacterial pattern is formed in an embossed shape or an engraved shape, the flexible cover window disclosed in the present disclosure has sufficient strength and antibacterial properties.

[0039] That is, in the present disclosure, the antimicrobial pattern is an embossed antimicrobial pattern protruding from the surface of the substrate or a mosaic antimicrobial pattern embedded in a gravure pattern etched into the substrate. Therefore, the cover window manufactured by the method provided by the present disclosure has uniform antimicrobial properties over its entire area and exhibits a strong bonding strength between the substrate and the antimicrobial pattern, thereby achieving an improvement in the wear resistance of the antimicrobial pattern. Therefore, the cover window can be used as a protective cover window in various applications.

[0040] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 1A to Figure 5 5F is a schematic diagram showing a method for manufacturing an antimicrobial cover window according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; and FIG. 6A to FIG. 10B is a SEM image showing the surface of a cover window manufactured by a method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0041] As shown in the accompanying drawings, a method for manufacturing an antibacterial cover window according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a first step of preparing a substrate 100; a second step of forming a mask pattern 200 on the substrate 100 using a patterning process; a third step of forming an antibacterial layer 300 on the substrate 100 having the mask pattern 200 formed thereon; and a fourth step of removing the mask pattern 200 to obtain an antibacterial pattern 400 on the substrate 100.

[0042] The present invention is characterized in that a mask pattern 200 is formed on a substrate 100 and an antibacterial pattern 400 is formed on the substrate 100 through a patterning process.

[0043] The antibacterial pattern 400 thus formed is an embossed antibacterial pattern 400 protruding from the surface of the substrate 100 or an inlaid antibacterial pattern 400 embedded in the substrate 100. The inlaid antibacterial pattern 400 is formed by etching the surface layer of the substrate 100 to form an intaglio pattern recessed from the surface of the substrate 100 and filling the intaglio pattern with an antibacterial material. Therefore, uniform antibacterial properties and strong bonding strength between the substrate 100 and the antibacterial pattern 400 can be obtained, thereby achieving improved wear resistance of the antibacterial pattern 400 and long-lasting antibacterial properties. Therefore, the cover window manufactured by the method disclosed herein can be used as a protective cover window in various products.

[0044] Figure 1 1A to 1G and Figure 3 3A to 3E relate to a method of forming an embossed antimicrobial pattern 400 on a substrate 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 2 2A to 2H and Figure 3 3A to 3E relate to a method of forming a mosaic antimicrobial pattern 400 on a substrate 100 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0045] Therefore, the antimicrobial cover window according to the present disclosure includes a substrate 100 and an antimicrobial pattern 400 formed on the substrate 100. The antimicrobial pattern 400 may be an embossed antimicrobial pattern protruding from the surface of the substrate 100 or a mosaic antimicrobial pattern 400 embedded in a gravure pattern 120 etched into the surface of the substrate 100.

[0046] First, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, as the substrate 100 , a glass film or a polymer film is prepared (first step).

[0047] In the case of using a glass plate as the substrate 100 , a thin glass plate having a thickness of 30 μm to 300 μm is attached to a surface of a target object such as an operation panel, an operation button, or a touch panel to serve as a protective window cover.

[0048] Alternatively, the substrate 100 may use a polymer film such as PVC polymer, synthetic resin polymer, plastic polymer, acrylic polymer, vinyl polymer or any polymer. The material of the substrate 100 may be selected according to the purpose and specification of the target product, and the substrate 100 may be used as a window cover.

[0049] Next, a mask pattern 200 is formed on the substrate 100 through a patterning process (a second step).

[0050] The patterning may be performed by any one method selected from nanoimprint lithography (NIL), electron beam lithography, polymer blend lithography (PBL), and block copolymer processing (BCP).

[0051] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, block copolymer processing (BCP) or polymer blend lithography (PBL) during patterning will be described.

[0052] Figure 1 1A to 1G and Figure 2 2A to 2H are schematic diagrams showing a method for manufacturing an antimicrobial cover window in which BCP is used as a patterning process. Figure 3 3A to 3E and Figure 4 4A to 4G are schematic diagrams showing a method for manufacturing an antimicrobial cover window in which PBL is used as a patterning process. Figure 5 5A to 5G are schematic diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing an antimicrobial cover window using PBL as a patterning process according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0053] BCP and PBL are patterning methods using heterogeneous polymer structures. Specifically, a polymer layer 210 containing different polymers is formed on a substrate 100, phase separation between the different polymers contained in the polymer layer 210 is induced, and any of the polymers separated by phase separation is removed from the substrate 100, while the other polymers remain on the substrate 100 to be used as a mask pattern 200.

[0054] The heterogeneous polymer structure is formed by combining or mixing two or more polymers having different characteristics. As the polymer for forming the heterogeneous polymer structure, any polymer may be used without limitation as long as it can be separated by phase separation.

[0055] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, as heterogeneous polymer structure, a block copolymer comprising a polymer A block and a polymer B block having different properties or a polymer mixture comprising a first polymer A and a second polymer B is used. When a solvent is added to such a block copolymer or polymer mixture, it can be obtained in the form of a solution. The solvent can be a solvent that exhibits different solubility for each polymer used or a solvent that exhibits the same solubility.

[0056] First, in a block copolymer, two or more chemically different blocks are covalently bonded, and their phase separation structure and size vary depending on the chemical properties, length (or molecular weight), composition ratio, and annealing temperature of each block.

[0057] On the other hand, a polymer mixture is formed by mixing two or more chemically different polymers to form a heterogeneous mixture, and the phase separation structure and size vary depending on the chemical characteristics, molecular weight, mixing ratio, annealing temperature, etc. of each polymer.

[0058] In particular, the first polymer A and the second polymer B constituting the block copolymer or polymer mixture have different characteristics. That is, they are incompatible. For example, the first polymer A and the second polymer B can have different solubility due to the difference of their respective chemical structures. Since one phase consisting of any one polymer has a higher solubility than another phase consisting of different polymers, any one polymer can be selectively and easily removed compared to the other.

[0059] Specifically, for the block copolymer, a polymer A block derived from styrene or a derivative thereof and a polymer B block derived from acrylate may be combined.

[0060] For example, the block copolymer is preferably a block copolymer selected from a polystyrene (PS)-polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) block copolymer, a polystyrene (PS)-polybutadiene (PB) block copolymer, and a polystyrene (PS)-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) block copolymer.

[0061] Furthermore, specifically, the polymer mixture may be a heterogeneous mixture including a polymer A derived from styrene or a derivative thereof and a polymer B derived from acrylate.

[0062] For example, the block mixture is preferably a polymer mixture selected from a polystyrene (PS)-polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) polymer mixture, a polystyrene (PS)-polybutadiene (PB) polymer mixture, and a polystyrene (PS)-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer mixture.

[0063] The polymer layer 210 may be formed on the substrate 100 by a known method such as spin coating. Figure 1 1A to 1G and Figure 2 2A to 2H, before forming the polymer layer 210, the neutral layer 110 on the substrate 100 is first processed.

[0064] The neutral layer 100 is used to effectively induce phase separation of the vertical structure on the substrate 100. Therefore, the neutral layer 100 shows a neutral affinity to the two different polymers constituting the heterogeneous polymer structure. That is, the neutral layer 110 does not show a higher affinity to any of the two polymers.

[0065] That is, since the polymers on the surface of the neutral layer 110 show the same affinity, a phase-separated structure forming a vertical structure is effectively formed.

[0066] The neutral layer 110 is formed of an organic material or an inorganic material. In the case of using an inorganic material, a hydrophobic treatment may be performed on the surface of the inorganic material layer by ion implantation so that each polymer block may be induced to be vertically aligned.

[0067] Next, phase separation between polymers in each heterogeneous polymer structure included in the polymer layer 210 is induced.

[0068] The polymer block components in the block copolymer can be reordered by annealing or by spontaneous reordering. That is, a first region A in which the polymer A blocks are ordered and a second region B in which the polymer B blocks are ordered can be formed by phase separation caused by annealing. The shape of each region depends on the chemical characteristics and length (or molecular weight) of each block, the composition ratio, the annealing temperature, etc.

[0069] The annealing temperature is generally higher than the glass transition temperature of the block copolymer and lower than the thermal decomposition temperature. For example, annealing can be performed at a temperature in the range of 100° C. to 190° C. for a period of time in the range of tens of seconds to 24 hours.

[0070] The first region A composed of polymer A blocks and the second region B composed of polymer B blocks form different phase-separated structures according to the chemical characteristics of each block, block length, composition ratio, annealing temperature, etc. By setting appropriate parameters, the first region A or the second region B can be used as a matrix, and the other region can form the mask pattern 200. The region used as the matrix is ​​selectively removed in a subsequent process.

[0071] Furthermore, the same description applies to the case where the first phase region A and the second phase region B are obtained by phase separation between the polymer A and the polymer B constituting the polymer mixture.

[0072] Here, when a block copolymer is used, the first phase region and the second phase region are arranged relatively regularly, whereas when a polymer mixture is used, the first phase region and the second phase region are arranged relatively irregularly depending on the setting of parameters.

[0073] This is because block copolymers have a heterogeneous structure in which incompatible polymer blocks are covalently linked. The polymer blocks form their own domains, and a regular arrangement of different phase domains is obtained by phase separation. On the other hand, since the polymer mixture is a mixture of incompatible polymers mixed heterogeneously, the pattern composed of phase-separated polymer domains is relatively irregular.

[0074] Among the polymer blocks or polymers that are heterogeneous, the polymer blocks or polymers in the phase region to be removed in the subsequent process to form the antimicrobial pattern 400 have relatively high solubility compared to the polymer blocks or polymers in the phase region that are not removed. The remaining polymer blocks or polymers serve as an etching mask for subsequent patterning.

[0075] Then, any one of the polymer structures in the phase-separated polymer layer 210 is selectively removed to form a mask pattern 200 consisting of the remaining polymer structure on the substrate 100 .

[0076] Any one of the polymer structures in the phase-separated polymer layer 210 (i.e., the first phase region A or the second phase region B) is removed. The polymer structures to be removed and to be retained are designed by controlling the type and molecular weight of the polymer, the mixing ratio or composition ratio of the polymer, the annealing temperature, etc. according to the final shape of the antibacterial pattern 400.

[0077] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, polystyrene (PS)-polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) block copolymer is first used to induce phase separation, and then PS or PMMA is selectively removed.

[0078] For example, when PMMA is set as the matrix region, the phase region composed of PMMA is removed by wet etching using the solubility difference between PS and PMMA, thermal decomposition, UV treatment, etc. Here, when thermal decomposition or UV treatment is performed, PMMA having a relatively low molecular weight is removed by a development process, etc.

[0079] As described above, by selectively removing one of the phase regions formed by the phase separation of the polymer layer 210 , the mask pattern 200 composed of the remaining polymer structure is formed on the substrate 100 .

[0080] In the third step, the antibacterial layer 300 is formed on the substrate 100 having the mask pattern 200 thereon. In the fourth step, the mask pattern 200 is removed from the substrate 100 so that the antibacterial pattern 400 is formed on the substrate 100.

[0081] The antibacterial layer 300 is formed by a physical thin film deposition method or a chemical thin film deposition method. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the antibacterial layer 300 is formed by a sputtering deposition process. That is, the antibacterial pattern 400 is obtained by forming the antibacterial layer 300 by a deposition process and removing the mask pattern 200 by a stripping process.

[0082] In one embodiment in which the antibacterial pattern 400 is an embossed antibacterial pattern 400, the mask pattern 200 is composed of one of two different polymer structures and is formed on the substrate 100. The embossed antibacterial pattern 400 is formed by removing the mask pattern 200 from the substrate 100 after forming the antibacterial layer 300 on the substrate on which the mask pattern 200 is formed.

[0083] In one embodiment in which the antibacterial pattern 400 is a mosaic antibacterial pattern 400, etching is performed on the substrate 100 using the mask pattern 200 as an etching mask to form the intaglio pattern 120 etched into the substrate 100. Next, the antibacterial layer 300 is formed on the substrate 100 having the mask pattern 200 and the intaglio pattern 120. Next, the mask pattern 200 is removed.

[0084] That is, the substrate 100 is etched using the mask pattern 200 composed of one of the two different polymer structures as an etching mask so that the gravure pattern 120 (ie, a recessed pattern) can be formed on the substrate 100, and then the antibacterial layer 300 is formed on the substrate 100. Thereafter, the mask pattern 200 is removed.

[0085] In this case, the mask pattern 200 may be replaced with a hard mask pattern 240 having a higher etching selectivity with respect to the substrate 100 than the mask pattern 200 composed of a polymer structure.

[0086] For example, Figure 2 2A to 2H and Figure 4 4A to 4G, after forming the mask pattern 200 composed of the polymer structure, a hard mask pattern layer 220 is formed on the substrate 100, and the polymer structure of the mask pattern 200 is peeled off. Therefore, the relatively soft mask pattern 200 composed of the polymer structure is removed, and a mask pattern 240 that is harder than the mask pattern 200 is formed.

[0087] Here, the hard mask pattern 240 is used as an etching mask for selectively etching the substrate 100. Therefore, the hard mask pattern 240 is formed of a material having a high etching selectivity with respect to the substrate 100.

[0088] In order to simplify the manufacturing, the same process as that for forming the antibacterial layer 300 described later is used, and the same material as the antibacterial layer 300 is used. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a sputtering deposition process is used, and a copper or chromium target is used for sputtering deposition.

[0089] After the mask pattern 200 is formed on the substrate 100 in the above manner, the antibacterial layer 300 is formed thereon, and the mask pattern 200 is immediately removed to form an embossed antibacterial pattern 400 protruding from the surface of the substrate 100. Alternatively, the surface of the substrate 100 is selectively etched using the mask pattern 200 as an etching mask to form an intaglio pattern 120 recessed from the surface of the substrate 100, and the intaglio pattern 120 is filled with an antibacterial material to form a mosaic antibacterial pattern 400. In this case, the intaglio antibacterial pattern 400 may be formed after the hard mask pattern 240 is formed as needed.

[0090] In the present disclosure, the antibacterial pattern 400 is formed on the substrate 100 by depositing an antibacterial material on the substrate 100 exposed through the opening of the mask pattern 200 (or the hard mask pattern 240). The antibacterial material may be a metal material or a non-metal material exhibiting antibacterial properties.

[0091] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the antibacterial pattern 400 is formed using any one material selected from among silver, platinum, copper, and titanium dioxide, or a combination of two or more materials.

[0092] The antibacterial material exhibits excellent antibacterial activity. In particular, copper is known to be excellent in removing bacteria. Any one of the materials selected from the above materials can be used alone. Alternatively, a mixture of two or more materials can be used. Specifically, a mixture of copper with any one of platinum and titanium dioxide can be used.

[0093] The antibacterial pattern 400 is formed by first forming the antibacterial layer 300 on the substrate 100 having the mask pattern 200 formed thereon, and then removing the mask pattern 200. The antibacterial layer 300 may be formed through a typical deposition or coating process.

[0094] For example, the antibacterial layer 300 may be formed by a sputtering process which is one of the conventional thin film forming methods. In this case, a silver, platinum, copper or titanium dioxide target is used to form the antibacterial layer 300 on the substrate 100 on which the mask pattern 200 is formed.

[0095] In addition, the antibacterial layer 300 is formed by a known coating process such as spray coating, dip coating, bar coating, stamping, slit coating, etc. In this case, the antibacterial layer 300 is formed on the substrate 100 on which the mask pattern 200 is formed using an antibacterial resin composition containing at least one of silver, platinum, copper, and titanium dioxide.

[0096] The antibacterial resin composition can be a resin composite composition in which at least one nanoparticle of silver, platinum, copper and titanium dioxide nanoparticles in an amount of 0.001 to 0.5 parts by weight is dispersed. Specifically, a transparent resin such as an optical clear resin (OCR) is used. More specifically, any one selected from acrylic compounds, epoxy compounds, silicones, carbamates, carbamate compounds, carbamate acrylic compounds, mixed sol-gels and siloxane-based resins is used. These materials can be mixed in a variety of combinations to control strength and elasticity.

[0097] The transparency of the antibacterial pattern 400 may be adjusted by controlling the thickness of the antibacterial layer 300 or the composition ratio of the antibacterial material.

[0098] Conventional antibacterial films are formed by coating a substrate with an antibacterial material such as copper particles. In this case, the bonding strength between the substrate and the antibacterial material is not maintained, and the antibacterial material is not uniformly coated on the substrate. Therefore, the antibacterial coating on the substrate 100 is not uniform, resulting in poor uniformity of antibacterial activity on the substrate.

[0099] Furthermore, when used as a cover window of a target object, there is a problem that the antibacterial material falls off due to frequent contact or friction.

[0100] The cover window according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is configured such that the antibacterial material is formed on the substrate 100 in a predetermined regular pattern shape or in a uniformly dispersed pattern shape through a patterning process. Therefore, the cover window exhibits uniform transparency over its entire area. In addition, since the antibacterial material and the substrate 100 are firmly bonded to each other, the problem of the antibacterial material falling off from the substrate 100 does not occur. Therefore, the cover window maintains long-lasting, excellent and uniform antibacterial activity over its entire area.

[0101] The cover window including the antibacterial pattern 400 according to the present disclosure has a pencil hardness ranging from 3H to 9H.

[0102] Generally, it is known that a coating composed of a resin has a pencil hardness in the range of 1 H to 2 H. However, when the antibacterial pattern 400 composed of an antibacterial material is formed to be regularly arranged on the substrate 100 by deposition or coating, the cover window has a pencil hardness in the range of 3 H to 9 H. Therefore, the cover window of the present disclosure can be used to protect the surface of the target object due to the increased hardness and the exhibiting of antibacterial activity.

[0103] In particular, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the antibacterial pattern 400 is formed as an embossed antibacterial pattern or an inlaid antibacterial pattern by applying an antibacterial coating composition consisting of a resin coating solution and antibacterial particles dispersed in the resin coating solution on a substrate. Therefore, even when the substrate 100 is folded or bent, the antibacterial pattern 400 may not be broken or separated from the substrate 100. Therefore, the cover window disclosed in the present disclosure may be beneficially applied to recent wearable electronic products and flexible displays.

[0104] Since the cover window exhibits excellent antibacterial activity, high strength and good folding properties, it can be used as a cover window for a display panel or as a cover window for various operation buttons of electronic products. The cover window can also be used as a cover window for products requiring antibacterial activity or products with curved surfaces.

[0105] In addition, the antibacterial pattern 400 may be optionally provided with an anti-fingerprint (AF) function or an anti-reflection (AR) function as required. This function may be achieved by using a resin having such a function.

[0106] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing a cover window is provided, the method comprising: (a) preparing a substrate 100; (b) forming an antibacterial layer 300 on the substrate 100; (c) forming a mask pattern 200 on the antibacterial layer 300 using a patterning process; (d) etching the substrate 100 using the mask pattern 200 as an etching mask; and (e) removing the mask pattern 200 to form an antibacterial pattern 400 on the substrate 100.

[0107] In this embodiment, the antibacterial layer 300 is formed before forming the mask pattern 200. After the mask pattern 200 is formed on the antibacterial layer 300 through a patterning process, the substrate 100 is selectively etched using the mask pattern 200 as an etching mask. Next, the mask pattern 200 is removed so that the antibacterial pattern 400 remains on the substrate 100.

[0108] The method may further include a step of controlling the surface shape of the antimicrobial pattern 400, and this additional step may be performed after the fourth step of the previous embodiment or step (e) of the latter embodiment.

[0109] The surface shape control process may be particularly beneficially applied to an embodiment in which an embossed antibacterial pattern 400 is formed. The surface shape control process refers to a process of roughening the surface of the antibacterial pattern 400 to have irregularities.

[0110] The surface shape control process may be implemented by a dry etching process or a wet etching process. The fine irregularities on the surface of the antibacterial pattern 400 further improve the antibacterial activity and prevent bacteria from being transferred to the user when the user touches the surface of the cover window.

[0111] Hereinafter, the above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention will be summarized and described again with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0112] Figure 1 1A to 1G and Figure 2 2A to 2H are schematic diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing an antimicrobial cover window using BCP as a patterning process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 3A to 3E and Figure 4 4A to 4G are schematic diagrams illustrating a method of manufacturing an antimicrobial cover window using PBL as a patterning process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 5A to 5G are schematic diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing an antimicrobial cover window using PBL as a patterning process according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0113] Reference Figure 1 In the step (a), a neutral layer 110 is formed on a substrate 100. Next, a polymer layer 210 including a block copolymer is formed on the neutral layer 110 in step (b). Next, in step (c), a phase separation of the heterogeneous polymer structure included in the polymer layer 210 is induced, and any one of the polymer structures obtained by the phase separation is removed. Next, in step (d), RIE ( 2The exposed portion of the neutral layer 110 on the substrate 100 is removed by a sputtering process to form a mask pattern 200. Next, an antibacterial layer 300 is formed on the substrate 100 on which the mask pattern 200 is formed using a sputtering process in step (e). Next, the mask pattern 200 is removed by a stripping process in step (f) to form an embossed antibacterial pattern 400 on the substrate 100.

[0114] Optionally, a surface shape control process such as a dry etching process is performed in step (g) to remove the neutral layer 110 exposed on the substrate 100 and form fine irregularities on the surface of the antibacterial pattern 400 .

[0115] Fig. 6A and 6B It is shown that the corresponding Figure 1 SEM images of the surfaces of each sample after the 1D process. Fig. 6A is a SEM image of the surface of a PMMA pattern according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 6B is a SEM image of the surface of a PS substrate according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0116] Figure 7 is shown by the corresponding Figure 1 SEM image of the surface of the antibacterial pattern obtained by process 1E.

[0117] Reference Figure 2 2A to 2H, in step (a), a neutral layer 110 is formed on a substrate 100. Next, in step (b), a polymer layer 210 including a block copolymer is formed on the neutral layer 110. Next, in step (c), a phase separation of the heterogeneous polymer structure included in the polymer layer 210 is induced, and any of the polymer structures obtained by the phase separation is removed. Next, in step (d), RIE ( 2 The exposed portion of the neutral layer 110 on the substrate 100 is removed by a sputtering process (e) to form a mask pattern 200. Next, in step (e), a hard mask layer 220 is formed on the substrate 100 on which the mask pattern 200 is formed using a sputtering process. Next, the mask pattern 220 composed of a polymer structure is stripped off in step (f) to form a hard mask pattern 240 on the substrate 100. Next, a dry etching process is performed using the hard mask pattern 240 as an etching mask to form an intaglio pattern 120 on the substrate 100 in step (g). The intaglio pattern 120 is filled with an antibacterial material in step (h) to form a mosaic antibacterial pattern 400.

[0118] Reference Figure 33A to 3E, in step (a), a polymer layer 210 including a polymer mixture is formed on a substrate 100. Next, in step (b), phase separation of the heterogeneous polymer structure included in the polymer layer 210 is induced, and any one of the polymer structures obtained by the phase separation is removed to form a mask pattern 200. Next, in step (c), an antibacterial layer 300 is formed on the substrate 100 on which the mask pattern 200 is formed using a sputtering process. Next, in step (d), the mask pattern 200 is peeled off to form an embossed antibacterial pattern 400 on the substrate 100.

[0119] A surface shape control process such as a dry etching process is performed in step (e) so that the exposed neutral layer 110 on the substrate 100 is removed and fine irregularities are formed on the surface of the antibacterial pattern 400 .

[0120] Figure 8 is shown by the corresponding Figure 3 SEM image of the surface of the sample obtained by the 3D process. The SEM image shows that the surface of the antibacterial pattern is uniform. Fig. 9 is shown by the corresponding Figure 3 SEM image of the surface of the sample obtained by the 3E process. The SEM image shows that the surface of the antibacterial pattern is uneven.

[0121] Reference Figure 4 4A to 4G, in step (a), a polymer layer 210 including a polymer mixture is formed on a substrate 100. Next, in step (b), phase separation of the polymer structure included in the polymer layer 210 is induced, and any one of the polymer structures obtained by the phase separation is removed to form a mask pattern 200. Next, in step (c), a hard mask layer 220 is formed on the substrate 100 on which the mask pattern 200 is formed using a sputtering process. Next, in step (d), the mask pattern 220 composed of the polymer structure is peeled off to form a hard mask pattern 240 on the substrate 100. Next, in steps (e) and (f), a dry etching process is performed using the hard mask pattern 240 as an etching mask to form a gravure pattern 120 on the substrate 100. Next, in step (g), the gravure pattern 120 is filled with an antibacterial material to form a mosaic antibacterial pattern 400.

[0122] Reference Figure 55A to 5F, in step (a), an antibacterial layer 300 is formed on a substrate 100. Next, in step (b), a polymer layer 210 including a polymer mixture is formed on the antibacterial layer 300. Next, in step (c), phase separation of the polymer structure included in the polymer layer 210 is induced, and any one of the polymer structures obtained by the phase separation is removed to form a mask pattern 200. Next, in step (d), an etching process is performed using the mask pattern 200 as an etching mask, and then in step (e), the mask pattern 200 is removed using a stripping process. Therefore, the embossed antibacterial pattern 400 remains on the substrate 100 in step (f).

[0123] Fig. 10A and 10B is shown by the corresponding Figure 5 SEM image of the surface of the sample obtained by the 5C process. Fig. 10A is a SEM image showing the surface of a PS pattern according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, and Fig. 10B is a SEM image showing the surface of a PMMA substrate according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0124] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a sputtering process was performed on a glass substrate having a thickness of about 150 μm. During the sputtering process, a copper target was used to form a spherical embossed antibacterial pattern on the glass substrate. The pattern had an average diameter of 50 nm and an average height of 50 nm and was spaced apart from each other at intervals of 50 nm.

[0125] Table 1 shows the data of the antibacterial activity test of the Examples and Comparative Examples of the present disclosure.

[0126] [Table 1]

[0127]

[0128] Comparative Example 1 is a substrate that has not undergone antibacterial treatment, and Comparative Example 2 is a commercially available antibacterial copper film. As shown in Table 1, the examples according to the present disclosure exhibited good antibacterial activity. In addition, the change in antibacterial activity over time was measured, and it was determined that the antibacterial activity had only a small change.

[0129] In addition, the embodiments of the present disclosure exhibit a pencil hardness of 7H. Due to this hardness, when the antibacterial layer is applied to a touch panel or an operation button of an electronic device, the surface of the touch panel or the operation button can be physically protected due to the increased hardness, and can exhibit good antibacterial activity. In addition, since it has good folding characteristics, it can be well suited for a cover window of a flexible display.

[0130] As described above, the object of the present disclosure is to provide a cover window having an antibacterial pattern regularly and evenly distributed over its entire area. Therefore, the cover window has long-lasting and excellent antibacterial properties over its entire area.

[0131] In addition, due to the formation of the embossed antibacterial pattern and the inlaid antibacterial pattern, the antibacterial property is improved and the bonding strength between the substrate and the antibacterial material is increased. Therefore, the manufactured cover window exhibits improved wear resistance and long-lasting antibacterial properties.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an antimicrobial cover window, the method comprising: The first step is to prepare the substrate; The second step is to form a mask pattern on the substrate (100) using a patterning process; A third step is to form an antibacterial layer on the substrate on which the mask pattern is formed; as well as The fourth step is to remove the mask pattern to produce an antibacterial pattern formed on the substrate. wherein the antibacterial pattern is an embossed pattern protruding from the upper surface of the substrate or a mosaic pattern embedded in a gravure pattern etched into the substrate, and The antibacterial pattern has a lateral width in the range of 50 nm to 5000 nm, an average interval in the range of 50 nm to 5000 nm, and an average height in the range of 0.5 nm to 500 nm. 2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein after the fourth step, a step of controlling a surface shape of the antibacterial pattern is performed. 3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the patterning process in the second step is any one selected from nanoimprint lithography (NIL), electron beam lithography, polymer blend lithography (PBL), and block copolymer processing (BCP). 4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the antibacterial pattern is made of one material selected from the group consisting of silver, platinum, copper and titanium dioxide, or a mixture of two or more materials. The method of claim 1 , wherein the antimicrobial pattern has a pencil sharpness ranging from 3H to 9H. 6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein a hard mask layer is deposited on the substrate on which the mask pattern is formed in the second step, and the mask pattern is removed so that a hard mask pattern is formed on the substrate. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a glass plate or a polymer film.

8. An antimicrobial cover window manufactured by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising: substrate; and forming an antibacterial pattern on the substrate, wherein the antibacterial pattern is an embossed pattern protruding from the upper surface of the substrate or a mosaic pattern embedded in a gravure pattern etched into the substrate, and The antibacterial pattern has a lateral width in the range of 50 nm to 5000 nm, an average interval in the range of 50 nm to 5000 nm, and an average height in the range of 0.5 nm to 500 nm. 9 . The antimicrobial cover window of claim 8 , wherein a surface of the antimicrobial pattern is roughened by a surface shape control process.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the antibacterial pattern is made of one material selected from the group consisting of silver, platinum, copper and titanium dioxide, or a mixture of two or more materials. 11 . The antimicrobial cover window of claim 8 , wherein the antimicrobial pattern has a pencil sharpness ranging from 3H to 9H.

12. The antimicrobial cover window according to claim 8, wherein the substrate is a glass plate or a polymer film.

13. A method of manufacturing an antimicrobial cover window, the method comprising: (a) preparing a substrate; (b) forming an antibacterial layer on the substrate; (c) forming a mask pattern on the antibacterial layer using a patterning process; (d) performing an etching process using the mask pattern as an etching mask; as well as (e) removing the mask pattern to produce an antibacterial pattern formed on the substrate, wherein the antibacterial pattern is an embossed pattern protruding from the upper surface of the substrate or a mosaic pattern embedded in a gravure pattern etched into the substrate, and The antibacterial pattern has a lateral width in the range of 50 nm to 5000 nm, an average interval in the range of 50 nm to 5000 nm, and an average height in the range of 0.5 nm to 500 nm.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein after step (e), a surface shape control process is performed on the antibacterial pattern.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the patterning process in step (c) is any one selected from nanoimprint lithography (NIL), electron beam lithography, polymer blend lithography (PBL) and block copolymer processing (BCP).

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the antibacterial pattern is made of one material selected from the group consisting of silver, platinum, copper and titanium dioxide, or a mixture of two or more materials.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the antimicrobial pattern has a pencil sharpness ranging from 3H to 9H.

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