Antenna structure, method for manufacturing antenna structure, and electronic device

Abstract

The present application provides an antenna structure, a method for manufacturing the antenna structure, and an electronic device. The antenna structure includes: a transparent substrate, an image elimination layer and an electrode layer arranged on the substrate. The electrode layer is in a grid shape, arranged on the image elimination layer, and includes a plurality of electrode strips arranged crosswise, with gaps arranged between adjacent electrode strips. In the above embodiment, the electrode layer is arranged in a grid shape, which is conducive to improving the performance of the antenna; the image elimination layer arranged between the substrate and the electrode layer can improve the transparency effect of the electrode layer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to an antenna structure, a method for manufacturing the antenna structure, and an electronic device. Background Art

[0002] Traditional electronic devices often place antennas for transmitting and receiving signals in the corner areas of the housing. Due to the small area of ​​the corner areas, the size of the antenna has to be designed to be smaller, which is not conducive to improving the antenna signal receiving and transmitting performance. Considering the public's aesthetic taste, the housings of many electronic devices tend to be designed to be transparent or translucent. This makes it increasingly difficult for industry technicians to place antennas in the main areas of the device housing, such as the central area of ​​the device housing or the wall of a building.

[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to improve the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0004] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present application, an antenna structure is provided, including:

[0005] Transparent substrate;

[0006] An image elimination layer is disposed on the substrate;

[0007] The electrode layer is in a grid shape and is arranged on the shadow elimination layer. It includes a plurality of electrode strips arranged crosswise, and gaps are arranged between adjacent electrode strips.

[0008] In one embodiment, the shadow elimination layer includes one or more stacked structures, each stacked structure includes at least two sub-film layers, and each sub-film layer of the same stacked structure has a different refractive index;

[0009] Along the direction from the substrate to the electrode layer, the refractive index of each sub-film layer in the stacked structure decreases or increases successively.

[0010] In one embodiment, a material of one sub-layer in the stacked structure includes niobium pentoxide, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide or silicon nitride, and a material of another sub-layer in the stacked structure includes silicon dioxide or magnesium fluoride.

[0011] In one embodiment, the difference in reflectivity between the region where the electrode strips are located and the region where the gaps are located is less than 2%.

[0012] In one embodiment, the electrode strips of the electrode layer are evenly arranged on the image elimination layer.

[0013] In one embodiment, the plurality of electrode strips in the electrode layer include a plurality of first electrode strips extending along a first direction and a plurality of second electrode strips extending along a second direction, and the gaps are located between adjacent first electrode strips and between adjacent second electrode strips;

[0014] The first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0015] In one embodiment, it further includes:

[0016] The anti-reflection layer is disposed on the electrode layer, covers the electrode strips, and has openings, wherein the openings expose the gaps between the electrode strips.

[0017] In one embodiment, the electrode strips are black conductive electrodes formed by mixing black conductive paste and metal paste.

[0018] In one embodiment, it further includes:

[0019] The support layer is arranged on the shadow elimination layer and fills the gaps between the electrode strips and / or the anti-reflection layer.

[0020] In one embodiment, the material of the support layer includes resin.

[0021] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a method for manufacturing an antenna structure is provided, comprising:

[0022] providing a transparent substrate;

[0023] forming an image elimination layer on the substrate;

[0024] An electrode layer is formed on the image elimination layer. The electrode layer is in a grid shape and includes a plurality of electrode strips arranged crosswise, with gaps being arranged between adjacent electrode strips.

[0025] In one embodiment, the step of forming the electrode layer includes:

[0026] forming a whole metal layer on the image elimination layer;

[0027] forming a photoresist pattern on the metal layer;

[0028] Under the protection of the photoresist pattern, the metal layer is etched to remove the portion of the metal layer not protected by the photoresist pattern, and the remaining portion of the metal layer is used as the electrode strip.

[0029] In one embodiment, the method further includes removing the photoresist pattern, and then treating the upper surface of the electrode strip with a weak acidic or alkaline solution to form an anti-reflection layer.

[0030] In one embodiment, the step of forming the electrode layer includes:

[0031] forming a whole metal layer on the image elimination layer;

[0032] forming a photoresist pattern having an opening on the metal layer, wherein the opening exposes a portion of the metal layer;

[0033] electroplating to form a metal pillar over the metal layer in the opening;

[0034] The photoresist pattern is removed, and the portion of the metal layer not covered by the metal column is removed by etching, and the metal column and the metal layer therebelow serve as electrode strips.

[0035] In one embodiment, a coating process is used to form the support layer, and the support layer fills the gaps between the electrode strips.

[0036] In one embodiment, the step of forming the electrode layer includes:

[0037] forming a whole metal layer on the image elimination layer;

[0038] coating a photosensitive agent on the metal layer, wherein the material of the photosensitive agent includes silver halide;

[0039] Exposure and development are performed to reduce the silver ions in the silver halide in the photosensitive agent irradiated with light into elemental silver, and the photosensitive agent area not irradiated with light is removed; wherein the elemental silver obtained by reduction forms the electrode strips, and the photosensitive agent area removed after development corresponds to the gap between the electrode strips.

[0040] In one embodiment, the step of forming the electrode layer includes:

[0041] Applying embossing adhesive on the image elimination layer to form an embossing adhesive film;

[0042] Using an embossing mold to form a groove on the surface of the embossed rubber film;

[0043] The conductive paste is filled in the groove by a coating process, and the electrode strip is formed after curing.

[0044] In one embodiment, the conductive paste includes black conductive paste and metal paste.

[0045] In one embodiment, the conductive paste includes metal paste; after forming the electrode strips, an anti-reflection material is further filled in the grooves to form an anti-reflection layer.

[0046] In one embodiment, the step of forming the electrode layer includes:

[0047] Applying embossing adhesive on the image elimination layer to form an embossing adhesive film;

[0048] Using an embossing mold to form a groove on the surface of the embossed rubber film;

[0049] Filling the groove with conductive paste by a coating process and curing the paste;

[0050] The solidified conductive paste is used as a seed layer and electroplating is performed to continue to deposit metal material on the solidified conductive paste in the groove to form the electrode strip.

[0051] In one embodiment, after the electrode strips are formed, an anti-reflection material is further filled in the grooves to form an anti-reflection layer.

[0052] In one embodiment, the electrode layer and / or the anti-reflection layer is formed by a screen printing process.

[0053] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present application, an electronic device is provided, comprising the antenna structure as described above.

[0054] In the above embodiments, the electrode layers are arranged in a grid shape, which is beneficial to improving the performance of the antenna; the shadow elimination layer provided between the substrate and the electrode layer can improve the transparency effect of the electrode layer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a grid antenna according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of some visual defects of the grid antenna and its improvement measures;

[0057] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the comparative effect of light reflection between a grid-shaped antenna without an annihilation layer and with an annihilation layer;

[0058] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an antenna structure according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an antenna structure according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an antenna structure according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of an antenna structure according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a method for manufacturing an antenna structure according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a method for manufacturing an antenna structure according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram of a method for manufacturing an antenna structure according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Fig.11 is a schematic diagram of a method for manufacturing an antenna structure according to yet another embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Fig.12 is a schematic diagram of a method for manufacturing an antenna structure according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Fig.13 is a schematic diagram of a method for manufacturing an antenna structure according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0068] Fig.14 and Fig.15 It is a schematic diagram of an antenna structure of another embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0069] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present application. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0070] The terms used in this application are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit this application. The singular forms of "a", "said" and "the" used in this application and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates other meanings. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0071] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used in the present application to describe various information, these information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the same type of information from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of the present application, the first information may also be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information may also be referred to as the first information. Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "at the time of" or "when" or "in response to determining".

[0072] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the absence of conflict, the features of the following embodiments can complement or combine with each other.

[0073] In order to solve the above problems, the present application proposes to make the electrode layer or electrode strip of the antenna structure into a metal grid, and make it on a transparent substrate (the substrate can be the housing of the device or the main supporting base or a part thereof), and make the electrode strip have a small line width and a large line distance between the electrode strips to make the antenna structure transparent. The "transparency" mentioned here mainly means that the user can still observe the internal objects through the antenna structure, the line of sight will not be blocked by the antenna structure, and the user cannot observe or hardly observe the metal such as the antenna strip.

[0074] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the electrode layer (metal structure) of the antenna structure of an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 The plurality of electrode strips 32 of the antenna structure are in a grid shape as a whole, including a plurality of first electrode strips 323 extending along a first direction and a plurality of second electrode strips 325 extending along a second direction. The first direction and the second direction may be perpendicular to each other.

[0075] In the above metal grid, the line spacing of adjacent electrode strips 32 in the first direction and the second direction is p, the line width of the electrode strip 32 is w, the thickness of the electrode strip 32 is h, and the grid angle between the first electrode strip 323 and the second electrode strip 325 extending in different directions is θ. The transmittance T of the electrode strip 32 arranged on the transparent substrate is related to the square resistance R s It is the main factor affecting the effect and performance of transparent antennas. Generally speaking, the line width w should be less than 10 microns (μm), and the aspect ratio (h / w), line spacing p and grid angle θ need to be combined with the transmittance and square resistance R s Integrated design.

[0076] The transmittance T can be calculated based on the metal ratio in the grid. When the grid angle θ is 90°, the metal ratio is: (2pw-w 2 ) / p 2 , then the transmittance is T = 1-(2pw-w 2 ) / p 2 =(pw) 2 / p 2 ,In order to ensure that the antenna is sufficiently transparent, it is recommended that the transmittance T ≥ 80%.

[0077] Similarly, the square resistance R s When the metal conductivity ρ is known, it can be calculated according to the metal proportion: R s =(ρ*p) / (h*w)=(ρ / h) / [(1+T-√T) / (1-√T)].

[0078] Although the grid-like electrode strips can achieve a very high transmittance, it is difficult to make them completely invisible within a certain observation range. This is mainly because the reflection and local patterning of the metal make it very easy to be observed at close range; and when the thickness of the metal layer is large, the side reflection will also have the same effect.

[0079] like Figure 2 As shown, when the thickness of the electrode strip is thin, taking the incident angle of visible light θ=0° as an example, the metal area where the electrode strip is located has a higher reflectivity, and the transmittance of the non-metal area is higher. Correspondingly, the electrode strip can be surface treated or a conductive material with lower reflectivity can be used to make the electrode strip. By reducing the reflectivity and increasing the scattering rate, the light reflectivity of the metal area can be effectively reduced. When the electrode strip is thicker (aspect ratio>1:1), taking the incident angle of visible light θ=45° as an example, the side reflectivity of the electrode strip is higher, which will also increase the visibility of the electrode strip. Correspondingly, using a conductive material with lower reflectivity to make the electrode strip can effectively reduce the light reflectivity of the side of the electrode strip.

[0080] The reflectivity of the metal area where the electrode strip is located is quite different from that of the non-metal area. By preparing an anti-shadow layer (a film layer with high and low refractive indices stacked alternately) on the substrate surface, the reflectivity of the metal area can be reduced, thereby reducing its visibility. An electrode strip with a reflectivity of 10.08% (transmittance of 89.92%) was selected for simulation. When the incident angle of visible light θ = 0°, the reflectivity of the electrode strip is as follows: Figure 3 By choosing a SiO layer with a thickness of 189 nm, 2 The TiO layer has a thickness of 115.3 nm. 2 The shadow elimination layer is prepared by an alternating stacking structure of film layers, and a SiO2 film is arranged between the transparent substrate and the grid-shaped electrode strips. 2 (189nm) / TiO 2 (115.3nm) / SiO 2 (189nm) / TiO 2 (115.3nm) / SiO 2 (189nm) / TiO 2 After the annihilation layer (115.3nm) is applied, the reflectivity of the grid antenna is as follows: Figure 3 As shown by the middle dotted line, within the range of 420 to 770 nm, the reflectivity of the transparent electrode decreases from 10.08% to 7.30%, effectively reducing visibility.

[0081] In summary, without changing the specifications of the grid antenna, the following are the main solutions to further improve the transparency of the antenna structure: (1) preparing an anti-reflection layer on the surface of the electrode strip to reduce the reflection of the metal surface; (2) using a conductive material doped with black material to make the electrode strip to reduce the reflection; (3) adding a shadow elimination layer between the substrate and the electrode layer where the electrode strip is located to reduce the reflectivity difference between the metal area and the non-metal area, thereby reducing the overall reflectivity.

[0082] Based on the above improvement ideas, an embodiment of the present application provides a transparent antenna structure that can be used to receive and / or send 3G, 4G, 5G, Wifi, Bluetooth, GPS and other signals, and can be used as a vehicle antenna, an indoor building antenna, and an antenna in the transportation field. Figure 4 As shown, the antenna structure includes:

[0083] A transparent substrate 1;

[0084] An image elimination layer 2 is arranged on the substrate 1;

[0085] The electrode layer 3 is in a grid shape and is disposed on the shadow elimination layer 2 . The electrode layer 3 includes a plurality of electrode strips 32 that are cross-arranged, and gaps K are disposed between adjacent electrode strips 32 .

[0086] Among them, the substrate 1 can be a rigid transparent substrate, such as glass, etc.; it can also be a colorless transparent flexible substrate, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), colorless polyimide (CPI), cycloolefin polymer (COP), polycarbonate (PC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), triacetyl cellulose (TAC), etc.

[0087] The shadow elimination layer 2 may be composed of two layers of film alternately stacked. The two layers of film alternately stacked may be collectively referred to as a stacked structure. Each stacked structure includes at least two sub-film layers, and each sub-film layer of the same stacked structure has a different refractive index; along the direction from the substrate to the electrode layer, the refractive index of each sub-film layer in the stacked structure decreases or increases in sequence.

[0088] By adjusting the material type and thickness of each film layer, the reflectivity difference between the reflective transmission position of the metal side of the routing area and the non-routing area can be reduced. The setting of the above-mentioned shadow elimination layer 2 can reduce the reflectivity difference between the above-mentioned two areas to less than 2%, so that the setting of the above-mentioned transparent antenna structure has almost no effect on the visual effect of the display panel. The material of the high refractive index film layer can be selected from niobium pentoxide (Nb 2 O 5 ), titanium dioxide (TIO 2), etc., zinc oxide (ZnO) and silicon nitride (SiNx) with a slightly lower refractive index can also be used. The material of the low refractive index film layer can be silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ), magnesium fluoride (MgF 2 )wait.

[0089] Along the direction from the substrate 1 to the electrode layer 3, the refractive index of each sub-film layer in the stacked structure decreases or increases in sequence. Specifically, when the refractive index of the substrate 1 is high, the sub-film layers are stacked in a manner in which the refractive index decreases in sequence; when the refractive index of the substrate 1 is high, the sub-film layers are stacked in a manner in which the refractive index increases in sequence.

[0090] The grid pattern shape of the electrode layer 3 can be as follows Figure 1 As shown. The electrode strips 32 of the electrode layer 3 can be arranged on the shadow elimination layer 2 in a manner as uniform as possible. The plurality of electrode strips 32 in the electrode layer 3 include a plurality of first electrode strips 323 extending along a first direction and a plurality of second electrode strips 325 extending along a second direction, and the gaps K are located between adjacent first electrode strips 323 and between adjacent second electrode strips 325. The first direction and the second direction can be perpendicular to each other.

[0091] The material of the electrode layer 3 can be silver, copper, nickel, etc. The electrode layer can be formed by coating a conductive paste (such as conductive silver paste, conductive copper paste) or by electroplating metal (such as copper or nickel).

[0092] Furthermore, an anti-reflection layer 4 may be provided on the electrode layer 3, the reflective layer 4 covers the electrode strips 32 and has an opening, the opening exposing the gaps K between the electrode strips 32. The anti-reflection layer 4 provided on the surface of the electrode layer 3 can reduce the reflection of the metal surface of the electrode strips, which is conducive to further improving the visual effect. The anti-reflection layer 4 can be made of a black material such as black carbon paste or black resin material, and its thickness is usually set to less than 1 micrometer (μm), and more preferably less than 100 nanometers (nm).

[0093] The electrode layer can also be made of a mixture of two or more materials. Figure 5 For example, the electrode strips 32' in the electrode layer 3' are all black conductive electrodes, which are formed by mixing black conductive paste (e.g., conductive carbon paste) and metal paste (e.g., conductive silver paste, conductive copper paste). Since the black conductive paste itself has a large resistivity, mixing it with the metal paste is beneficial to improving the electrode conductivity and antenna performance. Since the electrode strips 32' in the electrode layer 3' themselves have the property of suppressing reflection, it is not necessary to set an anti-reflection layer 4 on them.

[0094] A support layer 5 may be further provided. Figure 6 and Figure 7As shown, especially when the aspect ratio of the electrode line (the ratio of the thickness to the width of the electrode strip) is greater than or equal to 1:1. That is, when the aspect ratio is less than 1:1, it is preferred to use Figure 4 and Figure 5 Antenna structure; when the aspect ratio is greater than or equal to 1:1, it can be preferably used Figure 6 and Figure 7 Antenna structure. The support layer 5 is arranged on the shadow elimination layer 2 and fills the gap K between the electrode strips 32 and 32'. The formed support layer 5 can protect and support the electrode strips 32 and 32' and prevent the electrode strips 32 and 32' from falling off. Figure 4 The structure formed by filling the support layer 5 in the embodiment is as follows Figure 6 As shown, the support layer 5 fills both the gaps K between the electrode strips 32 and the openings in the anti-reflection layer 4. Figure 5 The structure formed by filling the support layer 5 in the embodiment is as follows Figure 7 shown.

[0095] The material of the support layer 5 can be a stamping glue formed before the electrode layer, or a filling coating formed after the electrode layer. Among them, the stamping glue is generally a polymer that can be cured by heat or ultraviolet light, and the specific material system that can be selected is (meth) acrylate system, epoxy resin system, vinyl ether system, sulfur-olefin system, organic-inorganic hybrid system, sol-gel doping system, etc. The filling coating can be a transparent resin of heat-curing or light-curing type, generally a resin of acrylic system.

[0096] The present application also provides a method for manufacturing an antenna structure. The manufacturing method can be used to manufacture Figures 4 to 7 The transparent antenna structure of the embodiment may at least include the following steps:

[0097] providing a transparent substrate;

[0098] Forming an image elimination layer on the substrate, wherein the image elimination layer includes at least one stacked structure, each stacked structure includes at least two sub-film layers, and each sub-film layer of the same stacked structure has a different refractive index;

[0099] An electrode layer is formed on the image elimination layer. The electrode layer is in a grid shape and includes a plurality of electrode strips arranged crosswise, with gaps being arranged between adjacent electrode strips.

[0100] Among them, each sub-film layer in the shadow elimination layer can be formed on the substrate by deposition, epitaxial growth and other methods.

[0101] The above-mentioned manufacturing method may further include the steps of manufacturing an anti-reflection layer and a support layer as required, wherein the step of manufacturing the support layer may be performed before the electrode layer or after the electrode layer.

[0102] Several embodiments of the above-mentioned manufacturing method are described in detail below. It is noted that, if not obviously excluded, the steps in the various embodiments can be combined with each other. For example, the step of manufacturing the electrode layer in one embodiment can be combined with the step of manufacturing the anti-reflection layer and / or the support layer in another embodiment. For another example, the step of manufacturing the anti-reflection layer in one embodiment can be used to replace the step of manufacturing the anti-reflection layer in another embodiment.

[0103] A method for manufacturing a transparent antenna structure according to an embodiment of the present application is as follows: Figure 8 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0104] Step 81: providing a transparent substrate, on which an image elimination layer has been formed;

[0105] The substrate may be a rigid substrate (eg, glass, etc.) or a flexible substrate (eg, PET, PI, COP, PEN, etc.).

[0106] Step 82: forming a whole metal layer on the image elimination layer;

[0107] The material of the metal layer can be selected from Al, Mo, Cu, Cr, Ni, Au, Ag, etc. The preparation process can be selected from gas phase method (vacuum evaporation method, sputtering method, epitaxial technology), liquid phase method (spin coating, scraper coating, screen printing, etc., generally suitable for metal slurry) and chemical vapor deposition (thermal decomposition process, reduction reaction method), etc.

[0108] Step S83: forming a photoresist pattern on the metal layer;

[0109] Specifically, a photoresist (photoresist) may be coated on the surface of the metal layer first, and then the photoresist may be patterned by ultraviolet exposure or laser direct writing technology.

[0110] Step S84: under the protection of the photoresist pattern, etching the metal layer to remove the metal layer portion not protected by the photoresist pattern, and the remaining metal layer portion serves as the electrode strip;

[0111] The etching process may be dry etching or wet etching.

[0112] Step S85: removing the remaining photoresist pattern, and then treating the upper surface of the electrode strip with a weak acid or weak alkaline solution to form an anti-reflection layer.

[0113] The solution treatment on the upper surface of the electrode strip can make the surface of the electrode strip rough and reduce the reflectivity.

[0114] Considering the production efficiency and cost factors, the above production method is preferably applicable to the production of antenna structures with a thickness not exceeding 2 micrometers (μm) and Figure 4A transparent antenna structure in an embodiment.

[0115] Another embodiment of the present application is a method for manufacturing a transparent antenna structure, such as Fig. 9 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0116] Step 91: providing a transparent substrate, on which an image elimination layer has been formed;

[0117] The substrate may be a rigid substrate (eg, glass, etc.) or a flexible substrate (eg, PET, PI, COP, PEN, etc.).

[0118] Step 92: forming a whole metal layer on the image elimination layer;

[0119] The thickness of the formed metal layer can be as small as possible, preferably less than 500 nanometers (nm). The material of the metal layer can be selected from Al, Mo, Cu, Cr, Ni, Au, Ag, etc. The preparation process can be selected from gas phase method (vacuum evaporation method, sputtering method, epitaxial technology), liquid phase method (spin coating, scraping, screen printing, etc., generally suitable for metal slurry) and chemical vapor deposition (thermal decomposition process, reduction reaction method), etc.

[0120] Step S93: forming a photoresist pattern having an opening on the metal layer, wherein the opening exposes a portion of the metal layer;

[0121] Specifically, a photoresist (photoresist) may be coated on the surface of the metal layer first, and then the photoresist may be patterned by ultraviolet exposure or laser direct writing technology.

[0122] Step S94: electroplating to form a metal column on the metal layer in the opening;

[0123] The electroplating material may be Cu, Ni, etc., and may be the same material as the metal layer below or different from the metal layer below. Due to the influence of the photoresist pattern, the electroplating material is mainly deposited on the metal layer in the opening.

[0124] Step S95: removing the photoresist pattern, and etching away the portion of the metal layer not covered by the metal column, and the metal column and the metal layer underneath serve as electrode strips.

[0125] Among them, the photoresist pattern can be removed by an ashing process. After the photoresist pattern is removed, due to the presence of the metal pillars, the entire upper surface is uneven, and there are grooves between adjacent metal pillars. During the etching process, since the metal layer is very thin, the part not covered by the metal pillars is easily removed. The removal of this part of the metal layer makes the antenna routing independent, that is, the electrode strips are no longer connected as a whole through the metal layer below.

[0126] Step S96: treating the upper surface of the electrode strip with a weak acidic or alkaline solution to form an anti-reflection layer.

[0127] The solution treatment on the upper surface of the electrode strip can make the surface of the electrode strip rough and reduce the reflectivity.

[0128] Step S97: forming a support layer by a coating process, wherein the support layer fills the gaps between the electrode strips.

[0129] Wherein, the support layer material may be a photocurable acrylic resin.

[0130] Considering the production efficiency and cost factors, the above production method is preferably applicable to the production of antenna structures with a thickness of not less than 2 micrometers (μm) and Figure 6 The transparent antenna structure in the embodiment. In addition, the depth-to-width ratio of the electrode strips in the electrode layer can be less than 1:1 or greater than or equal to 1:1.

[0131] Another embodiment of the present application is a method for manufacturing a transparent antenna structure, such as Fig.10 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0132] Step 101: providing a transparent substrate, on which an image elimination layer has been formed;

[0133] The substrate may be a rigid substrate (eg, glass, etc.) or a flexible substrate (eg, PET, PI, COP, PEN, etc.).

[0134] Step 102: coating a photosensitive agent on the metal layer, wherein the material of the photosensitive agent includes silver halide;

[0135] Specifically, the photosensitive agent is composed of silver halide crystals, gelatin, additives and other materials.

[0136] Step 103: exposing, developing and fixing, reducing the silver ions in the silver halide in the photosensitive agent irradiated with light to elemental silver, and removing the photosensitive agent area not irradiated with light;

[0137] Among them, ultraviolet exposure technology can be used to reduce the silver ions in the photosensitive agent silver halide to elemental silver. After development, the acidic stop solution can be added to the alkaline developer to cause a neutralization reaction, so that the development process is stopped suddenly. 2 S 2 O 3 Fixing is to remove the unreacted silver halide in the development process and fix the silver element obtained by development. The elemental silver obtained by reduction forms the electrode strips, and the photosensitive agent area removed after development corresponds to the gap between the electrode strips.

[0138] Step S104: treating the upper surface of the electrode strip with a weak acidic or alkaline solution to form an anti-reflection layer.

[0139] The solution treatment on the upper surface of the electrode strip can make the surface of the electrode strip rough and reduce the reflectivity.

[0140] Considering the production efficiency and cost factors, the above production method is preferably applicable to the production of antenna structures with a thickness of not less than 2 micrometers (μm) and Figure 4 The transparent antenna structure in the embodiment. In addition, the aspect ratio of the electrode strips in the electrode layer is preferably less than 1:1.

[0141] Another embodiment of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a transparent antenna structure. The method is particularly suitable for preparing Figure 6 and Figure 7 The transparent antenna structure in the embodiment. Fig.11 As shown, the manufacturing method comprises the following steps:

[0142] Step 111: providing a transparent substrate, on which an image elimination layer has been formed;

[0143] The substrate may be a rigid substrate (eg, glass, etc.) or a flexible substrate (eg, PET, PI, COP, PEN, etc.).

[0144] Step 112: coating an embossed adhesive on the image elimination layer to form an embossed adhesive film;

[0145] The thickness of the formed embossed adhesive film needs to be greater than the thickness (ie, height) of the electrode strips to be formed subsequently.

[0146] Step 113: using an embossing mold to form a groove on the surface of the embossed rubber film;

[0147] The imprinting mold may be a metal mold, a polymer mold, etc. The imprinted film may be cured by heat curing, UV curing, or a combination of heat and UV curing. The imprinting mold may be removed from the imprinted film by demoulding after curing.

[0148] Step 114: Fill the groove with conductive paste using a coating process, and form the electrode strip after curing.

[0149] Among them, in the preparation Figure 6 When the antenna structure is formed, the conductive paste can be made of conductive silver paste or conductive copper paste. The conductive paste can be filled in flush with the upper edge of the groove by a scraping process. After the residual paste on the surface is scraped off, the solvent and other substances in the paste can be volatilized by heat curing or light curing, so that the metal particles are melted and converted into a part of the continuous phase. Figure 7When forming the antenna structure, the filled conductive paste includes a small amount of black conductive paste (eg, carbon paste) and metal paste (eg, silver paste or copper paste).

[0150] for Figure 6 In the preparation of the antenna structure of the embodiment, after forming the electrode strips, the grooves may be further filled with anti-reflection materials. After filling, the excess residual slurry on the surface may be further scraped off. After curing, an anti-reflection layer is formed.

[0151] Another embodiment of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a transparent antenna structure. The method is particularly suitable for preparing Figure 6 and Figure 7 The transparent antenna structure in the embodiment. Fig.12 As shown, the manufacturing method comprises the following steps:

[0152] Step 121: providing a transparent substrate, on which an image elimination layer has been formed;

[0153] The substrate may be a rigid substrate (eg, glass, etc.) or a flexible substrate (eg, PET, PI, COP, PEN, etc.).

[0154] Step 122: coating an embossed adhesive on the image elimination layer to form an embossed adhesive film;

[0155] The thickness of the formed embossed adhesive film must be greater than or equal to the thickness (ie, height) of the electrode strips to be formed subsequently.

[0156] Step 123: forming a groove on the surface of the embossed rubber film by using an embossing mold;

[0157] The imprinting mold may be a metal mold, a polymer mold, etc. The imprinted film may be cured by heat curing, UV curing, or a combination of heat and UV curing. The imprinting mold may be removed from the imprinted film by demoulding after curing.

[0158] Step 124: filling the groove with conductive paste by a coating process and curing the conductive paste;

[0159] The thickness of the metal film layer formed by filling can be less than 1 micrometer (μm). After filling, the residual slurry on the surface can be scraped off, and the solvent and other substances in the slurry can be volatilized by heat curing or light curing to melt the metal particles and convert them into a part of the continuous phase. Figure 6 When the antenna structure is used, the conductive paste can be conductive silver paste or conductive copper paste. Figure 7 When forming the antenna structure, the filled conductive paste includes a small amount of black conductive paste (eg, carbon paste) and metal paste (eg, silver paste or copper paste).

[0160] Step 125: using the solidified conductive paste as a seed layer, electroplating is performed to continue to deposit metal material on the solidified conductive paste in the groove to form the electrode strip.

[0161] The electroplated material may be a metal material such as copper or nickel. The electroplating is performed until the metal material fills the groove or reaches a desired height. The metal material is deposited by electroplating, which is beneficial to reducing the square resistance of the antenna structure.

[0162] for Figure 6 In the preparation of the antenna structure of the embodiment, after forming the electrode strip, the groove may be further filled with an anti-reflection material. After filling, the excess residual slurry on the surface may be further scraped off. After curing, an anti-reflection layer is formed. The anti-reflection material may be a conductive carbon slurry.

[0163] Another embodiment of the present application is a method for manufacturing a transparent antenna structure. The method is suitable for preparing a mesh metal antenna with a line width greater than or equal to 20 microns (μm), but it is difficult to prepare an electrode strip with a larger thickness. The thickness of the prepared electrode strip is generally less than 5 microns (μm), so it is more suitable for preparing Figure 4 and Figure 5 The transparent antenna structure in the embodiment. Fig.13 As shown, the manufacturing method comprises the following steps:

[0164] Step 131: providing a transparent substrate, on which an image elimination layer has been formed;

[0165] The substrate may be a rigid substrate (eg, glass, etc.) or a flexible substrate (eg, PET, PI, COP, PEN, etc.).

[0166] Step 132: forming an electrode layer by screen printing process;

[0167] The conductive material may be screen-printed on the shadow-eliminating layer first, and then dried. The drying method may be thermal curing, light curing, etc. Figure 4 When the antenna structure is used, the conductive paste can be conductive silver paste or conductive copper paste. Figure 5 When forming the antenna structure, the filled conductive paste includes a small amount of black conductive paste (eg, carbon paste) and metal paste (eg, silver paste or copper paste).

[0168] for Figure 4 In the preparation of the antenna structure of the embodiment, after forming the electrode layer, an anti-reflection layer may be further formed on the electrode layer by a screen printing process.

[0169] The present application also provides another antenna structure, such as Fig.14 and Fig.15As shown, electrode layers 6 serving as the main structure of the antenna are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the transparent substrate 7, and the feeding points 8 of the upper and lower electrode layers 6 are both located at the edge of the electrode layer 6 for connecting to an external circuit. In practical applications, the entire antenna structure can be rigid or flexible and bendable. The area of ​​the substrate 7 can be larger than the area of ​​the electrode layer 6, and the excess space around the substrate 7 can be used to coat ink or install a frame for concealing the appearance. In practical applications, in order to ensure the working performance and transparent effect of the antenna, it is recommended to select a material with low loss, high thermal stability and good aging resistance as the transparent substrate. The figure only shows the substrate and the electrode layer, and the structure, position and manufacturing method of other film layers of the antenna structure, such as the shadow elimination layer, the anti-reflection layer, and the support layer, can be the same or similar to the previous embodiments.

[0170] The present application also provides an electronic device, which includes the above-mentioned transparent antenna structure. The electronic device can be any type of electronic device that requires an antenna as a wireless signal transceiver. The substrate of the antenna structure can be the housing of the electronic device (or a supporting substrate). Designing the housing to be transparent or translucent conforms to the public's aesthetic taste. The main part of the antenna structure, the electrode layer, is arranged in a grid-like manner in the main area or each area of ​​the substrate, so that the antenna can have a larger plane size. Compared with the traditional antenna that is set at the corner of the device housing and has to reduce the size, the antenna structure of each embodiment of the present application is no longer limited by size, but can be easily designed to have high performance. In the above-mentioned grid-like design, the line width of the opaque electrode strip is extremely small and is arranged in a relatively uniform manner, which makes the presence of the antenna strip not affect the light transmission performance of the device housing (i.e., the substrate) at all in human vision. In addition, the antenna structure will not be observed. If the user can observe the antenna on the transparent housing, on the one hand, it will affect the appearance and overall design of the device, and it is also easy to cause the user to feel unsafe, because the visible antenna is easy to cause concerns about electromagnetic radiation. Furthermore, the electrode strips of the antenna structure are designed to be close to the substrate (device housing), which helps the antenna to better send and receive wireless radiation signals.

[0171] In one embodiment, the electronic device has a display panel. The substrate and electrode layer of the antenna structure are located in the effective display area of ​​the display panel. Due to the above reasons, the antenna structure will not affect or hardly affect the visual effect of the display panel.

[0172] It should be noted that in the accompanying drawings, the sizes of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity of illustration. It is also understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being "on" another element or layer, it may be directly on the other element, or there may be an intermediate layer. In addition, it is understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being "under" another element or layer, it may be directly under the other element, or there may be more than one intermediate layer or element. In addition, it is also understood that when a layer or element is referred to as being "between" two layers or two elements, it may be the only layer between the two layers or two elements, or there may also be more than one intermediate layer or element. Similar reference numerals throughout the text indicate similar elements.

[0173] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present application after considering the specification and practicing the disclosure disclosed herein. The present application is intended to cover any modification, use or adaptation of the present application, which follows the general principles of the present application and includes common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not disclosed in the present application. The specification and examples are intended to be exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the present application are indicated by the following claims.

[0174] It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the precise structures that have been described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present application is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An antenna structure, characterized in that: include: Transparent substrate; An image elimination layer is disposed on the substrate; The electrode layer is in a grid shape and is arranged on the image elimination layer, and includes a plurality of electrode strips arranged crosswise, and gaps are arranged between adjacent electrode strips; wherein, The shadow elimination layer includes at least one stacked structure, each stacked structure includes at least two sub-film layers, and each sub-film layer of the same stacked structure has a different refractive index; When the refractive index of the sub-film layer close to the substrate is smaller than the refractive index of the substrate, the refractive index of each sub-film layer in the stacked structure decreases in sequence along the direction from the substrate to the electrode layer; When the refractive index of the sub-film layer close to the substrate is greater than the refractive index of the substrate, the refractive index of each sub-film layer in the stacked structure increases in sequence along the direction from the substrate to the electrode layer; The anti-reflection layer is disposed on the electrode layer, covers the electrode strips, and has openings, wherein the openings expose the gaps between the electrode strips.

2. The antenna structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of one sub-film layer in the stacked structure includes niobium pentoxide, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide or silicon nitride, and the material of another sub-film layer in the stacked structure includes silicon dioxide or magnesium fluoride.

3. The antenna structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The difference in reflectivity between the region where the electrode strips are located and the region where the gaps are located is less than 2%; and / or, The line width of the electrode strips is less than 10 microns.

4. The antenna structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electrode strips of the electrode layer are evenly arranged on the image elimination layer.

5. The antenna structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of electrode strips in the electrode layer include a plurality of first electrode strips extending along a first direction and a plurality of second electrode strips extending along a second direction, and the gaps are located between adjacent first electrode strips and between adjacent second electrode strips; The first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other.

6. The antenna structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electrode strips are black conductive electrodes, which are formed by mixing black conductive slurry and metal slurry.

7. The antenna structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: Also includes: The support layer is arranged on the shadow elimination layer and fills the gaps between the electrode strips and / or the anti-reflection layer.

8. The antenna structure according to claim 7, characterized in that: The material of the support layer includes resin.

9. A method for manufacturing an antenna structure, characterized in that: include: providing a transparent substrate; forming an image elimination layer on the substrate; An electrode layer is formed on the image elimination layer, wherein the electrode layer is in a grid shape and includes a plurality of electrode strips arranged crosswise, and gaps are arranged between adjacent electrode strips; Wherein, the shadow elimination layer comprises at least one stacked structure, each stacked structure comprises at least two sub-film layers, and each sub-film layer of the same stacked structure has a different refractive index; When the refractive index of the sub-film layer close to the substrate is smaller than the refractive index of the substrate, a stacked arrangement of sub-film layers with successively decreasing refractive indices is formed along the direction from the substrate to the electrode layer; When the refractive index of the sub-film layer close to the substrate is greater than the refractive index of the substrate, a stacked arrangement of sub-film layers with successively increasing refractive indices is formed along the direction from the substrate to the electrode layer; An anti-reflection layer is formed on the electrode strips.

10. The manufacturing method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The step of forming the electrode layer comprises: forming a whole metal layer on the image elimination layer; forming a photoresist pattern on the metal layer; Under the protection of the photoresist pattern, the metal layer is etched to remove the portion of the metal layer not protected by the photoresist pattern, and the remaining portion of the metal layer is used as the electrode strip.

11. The manufacturing method according to claim 10, characterized in that: The method also includes removing the photoresist pattern, and then treating the upper surface of the electrode strip with a weak acid or weak alkaline solution to form an anti-reflection layer.

12. The manufacturing method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The step of forming the electrode layer comprises: forming a whole metal layer on the image elimination layer; forming a photoresist pattern having an opening on the metal layer, wherein the opening exposes a portion of the metal layer; electroplating to form a metal pillar over the metal layer in the opening; The photoresist pattern is removed, and the portion of the metal layer not covered by the metal column is removed by etching, and the metal column and the metal layer therebelow serve as electrode strips.

13. The manufacturing method according to claim 12, characterized in that: A supporting layer is formed by a coating process, and the supporting layer fills the gaps between the electrode strips.

14. The manufacturing method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The step of forming the electrode layer comprises: forming a whole metal layer on the image elimination layer; coating a photosensitive agent on the metal layer, wherein the material of the photosensitive agent includes silver halide; Exposure and development are performed to reduce the silver ions in the silver halide in the photosensitive agent irradiated with light into elemental silver, and the photosensitive agent area not irradiated with light is removed; wherein the elemental silver obtained by reduction forms the electrode strips, and the photosensitive agent area removed after development corresponds to the gap between the electrode strips.

15. The manufacturing method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The step of forming the electrode layer comprises: Applying embossing adhesive on the image elimination layer to form an embossing adhesive film; Using an embossing mold to form a groove on the surface of the embossed rubber film; The conductive paste is filled in the groove by a coating process, and the electrode strip is formed after curing.

16. The manufacturing method according to claim 15, characterized in that: The conductive paste includes black conductive paste and metal paste.

17. The manufacturing method according to claim 15, characterized in that: The conductive paste includes metal paste; after forming the electrode strips, an anti-reflection material is further filled in the grooves to form an anti-reflection layer.

18. The manufacturing method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The step of forming the electrode layer comprises: Applying embossing adhesive on the image elimination layer to form an embossing adhesive film; Using an embossing mold to form a groove on the surface of the embossed rubber film; Filling the groove with conductive paste by a coating process and curing the paste; The solidified conductive paste is used as a seed layer and electroplating is performed to continue to deposit metal material on the solidified conductive paste in the groove to form the electrode strip.

19. The manufacturing method according to claim 18, characterized in that: After the electrode strips are formed, an anti-reflection material is filled in the grooves to form the anti-reflection layer.

20. The manufacturing method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The electrode layer and / or the anti-reflection layer is formed by a screen printing process.

21. An electronic device, characterized in that: Comprising the antenna structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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