A method for patterning all printed film layers

Abstract

This invention belongs to the field of semiconductor display device fabrication technology, specifically relating to a method for patterning a fully printed film layer. This invention combines printing with solution coating, allowing printing to be performed on only a portion of a large area while the majority is coated, achieving fully printed film layer patterning. This results in a short process time, high cycle time, and no need for expensive equipment. Furthermore, the method provided by this invention poses no risk of contamination at the film interface, protecting the interfacial properties of the film surface and ensuring the electrical performance of the device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of semiconductor display device fabrication technology, specifically relating to a method for patterning a fully printed film layer. Background Technology

[0002] As display technology continues to advance towards higher resolution, higher performance, and lower cost, thin-film transistors (TFTs), as core components of displays, play a crucial role. Compared to traditional vacuum evaporation methods, the all-solution method for fabricating TFTs reduces energy consumption and cost. TFTs are fabricated through the self-assembly or chemical reaction of material molecules in solution on a substrate. Furthermore, the all-solution method holds promise for fabricating larger-area displays, meeting the growing market demand. Simultaneously, the all-solution method allows for the convenient introduction of various functional materials, enabling the optimization and control of TFT performance.

[0003] Currently, in the process of fabricating thin-film transistors using the all-solution method, there are two main approaches to achieve patterning of each film layer in the device: the first approach uses the traditional photolithography method, the specific process of which is as follows... Figure 1 As shown, the first method involves coating a substrate with photoresist, pre-baking, exposure, development, and post-baking, followed by etching the film layer to obtain the target pattern. The second method uses a printing method, the specific process of which is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, the film solution is directly printed onto a designated area through a nozzle, and then the printed solution is cured at high temperature, which can realize the direct and targeted preparation of film patterns.

[0004] However, because the full solution method involves printing a large area of ​​film, especially for insulating layers, which are only opened at electrical contact holes and other areas are coated on the entire surface, the printing time is long in order to ensure printing accuracy and film quality, resulting in a low process cycle time. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a method for patterning all printed film layers, and the method provided by this invention has a high process cycle time.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0007] This invention provides a method for patterning an all-printed film layer, comprising the following steps:

[0008] A hydrophobic pattern is printed on the surface of a substrate using a hydrophobic solution and then cured to obtain a hydrophobic patterned substrate.

[0009] A hydrophilic dielectric layer solution is coated onto the surface of the hydrophobic patterned substrate, and then heated to obtain a dielectric layer substrate.

[0010] Preferably, the substrate is a substrate with a metal electrode array.

[0011] Preferably, the hydrophobic solution comprises one or both of fluorinated polyester solution and polyacrylic acid solution; the concentration of the hydrophobic solution is 1-30 wt%.

[0012] Preferably, the printing resolution is 5-10 mL / drop and the printing thickness is 50-1000 nm.

[0013] Preferably, when the substrate is a substrate with a metal electrode array, the printing position is at the center of a single metal electrode in the metal electrode array; the distance between the center point of the hydrophobic pattern and the edge of the metal electrode below it is 10 to 500 μm.

[0014] Preferably, the hydrophobic pattern is a contact hole array; the thickness of the hydrophobic pattern is 20-1000 nm.

[0015] Preferably, the curing temperature is 60–150°C, and the curing time is 1–60 min; the curing is carried out on a hot plate.

[0016] Preferably, the coating is spin coating; the spin coating is full-surface spin coating; the spin coating speed is 200-3000 rpm, the spin coating time is 15-120 s; the number of spin coatings is 1-10; and the target total thickness of the spin coating is 50-300 nm.

[0017] Preferably, the hydrophilic dielectric layer solution comprises an aluminum hafnium solution; the concentration of the hydrophilic dielectric layer solution is 0.05–1.0 mol / L.

[0018] Preferably, the heating temperature is 250–650°C and the heating time is 3–90 min.

[0019] This invention provides a method for patterning a fully printed film layer. This invention combines printing with solution coating, allowing printing to be performed on only a portion of a large area while the majority is coated, achieving fully printed film layer patterning. This method boasts short processing time, high cycle time, and eliminates the need for expensive equipment. Furthermore, the method provided by this invention poses no risk of contamination at the film interface, protecting the interfacial properties of the film surface and ensuring the electrical performance of the device. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating the process of achieving all-solution film patterning using traditional photolithography methods;

[0022] Figure 2 A process flow diagram for achieving all-solution film patterning using traditional printing methods;

[0023] Figure 3 A process flow diagram for patterning of the entire printed film layer provided by the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the hydrophobic first contact hole prepared in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the application of a hydrophilic dielectric layer solution to the entire surface in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the formation of a dielectric layer and the decomposition of the first contact hole to form a second contact hole in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a capacitance-voltage characteristic curve of the dielectric layer in Test Example 1 of the present invention;

[0028] Reference numerals: 1 is the substrate, 2 is the first contact hole, 3 is the second contact hole, 4 is the coated hydrophilic dielectric layer solution, and 5 is the dielectric layer. Detailed Implementation

[0029] This invention provides a method for patterning an all-printed film layer, comprising the following steps:

[0030] A hydrophobic pattern is printed on the surface of a substrate using a hydrophobic solution and then cured to obtain a hydrophobic patterned substrate.

[0031] A hydrophilic dielectric layer solution is coated onto the surface of the hydrophobic patterned substrate, and then heated to obtain a dielectric layer substrate.

[0032] This invention involves printing a hydrophobic pattern on the surface of a substrate using a hydrophobic solution and then curing it to obtain a hydrophobic patterned substrate. In this invention, the substrate is preferably cleaned before use; the cleaning standard is preferably a water contact angle of less than 15 degrees; the cleaning is preferably performed by sequentially subjecting the substrate to brush cleaning, glass cleaning fluid cleaning, ultrasonic cleaning, high-pressure water cleaning, and nitrogen purging; the cleaning equipment is preferably a glass cleaning machine.

[0033] In this invention, the substrate is preferably a substrate with a metal electrode array.

[0034] In this invention, the hydrophobic solution preferably includes one or both of fluorinated polyester solution (PVDF-HFP) and polyacrylic acid solution; the concentration of the hydrophobic solution is preferably 1 to 30 wt%, specifically 3 wt%, 10 wt%, or 20 wt%.

[0035] In this invention, the printing resolution is preferably 5 to 10 mL / drop, specifically 5 mL / drop, 6 mL / drop, 7 mL / drop, 8 mL / drop, 9 mL / drop or 10 mL / drop, and the printing thickness is preferably 50 to 1000 nm, specifically 50 nm, 100 nm, 200 nm, 300 nm, 500 nm, 700 nm, 850 nm or 1000 nm.

[0036] In this invention, when the substrate is a substrate with a metal electrode array, the printing position is preferably at the center of a single metal electrode in the metal electrode array; the distance between the center point of the hydrophobic pattern and the edge of the metal electrode below it is preferably 10 to 500 μm, specifically 10 μm, 20 μm, 50 μm, 100 μm, 200 μm, 300 μm, 400 μm or 500 μm.

[0037] In this invention, the hydrophobic pattern is preferably a contact hole array; the thickness of the hydrophobic pattern is preferably 20–1000 nm, specifically 20 nm, 50 nm, 100 nm, 250 nm, 500 nm, 750 nm, or 1000 nm. This invention can fabricate patterns of different sizes and shapes according to requirements, and the contact hole array exposes the metal electrode array on the substrate.

[0038] In this invention, the curing temperature is preferably 60–150°C, specifically 60°C, 80°C, 100°C, 120°C, or 150°C, and the curing time is preferably 1–60 min, specifically 1 min, 5 min, 10 min, 15 min, 30 min, 45 min, or 60 min; the curing is preferably performed on a hot plate. This invention, through curing, causes the solvent in the hydrophobic solution to evaporate, forming a hydrophobic pattern.

[0039] After obtaining the hydrophobic patterned substrate, the present invention coats the surface of the hydrophobic patterned substrate with a hydrophilic dielectric layer solution and then heats it to obtain a dielectric layer substrate. In the present invention, the coating is preferably spin-coating; the spin-coating is preferably full-surface spin-coating; the spin-coating speed is preferably 200-3000 rpm, specifically 200 rpm, 500 rpm, 1000 rpm, 1500 rpm, 2000 rpm, 2500 rpm or 3000 rpm; the spin-coating time is preferably 15-120 s, specifically 15 s, 30 s, 50 s, 70 s, 90 s, 100 s or 120 s; the number of spin-coating cycles is preferably 1-10, specifically 3 or 7; the target total thickness of the spin-coating is preferably 50-300 nm, specifically 150 nm or 250 nm; the spin-coating equipment is preferably a spin coater.

[0040] This invention involves coating a layer of hydrophilic dielectric solution onto the entire surface of a substrate and a hydrophobic pattern. Because the dielectric solution and the hydrophobic pattern have different hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties, the dielectric solution cannot be adsorbed on the surface of the hydrophobic pattern and flows to the substrate area, thereby ensuring that the hydrophobic pattern area is not covered by the dielectric layer.

[0041] In this invention, the hydrophilic dielectric layer solution preferably includes a hafnium alumina solution (HfAlO); the concentration of the hydrophilic dielectric layer solution is preferably 0.05 to 1.0 mol / L, specifically 0.1 mol / L, 0.3 mol / L, 0.5 mol / L or 0.8 mol / L.

[0042] In this invention, the heating temperature is preferably 250–650°C, specifically 250°C, 300°C, 350°C, 400°C, 450°C, 500°C, 550°C, 600°C, or 650°C, and the heating time is preferably 3–90 min, specifically 3 min, 5 min, 10 min, 20 min, 30 min, 50 min, 60 min, 70 min, or 90 min. This invention, through heating, on the one hand, causes the hydrophilic dielectric layer solution to solidify and form a dielectric layer, and on the other hand, completely decomposes the hydrophobic pattern on the substrate, exposing the underlying material.

[0043] In this invention, the thickness of the dielectric layer on the dielectric substrate is preferably 50 to 1000 nm, specifically 50 nm, 100 nm, 200 nm, 500 nm, 800 nm or 1000 nm.

[0044] The method for patterning all printed film layers provided by this invention has the following main process flow: Figure 3As shown. In this invention, after cleaning the substrate, a hydrophobic pattern is printed on the substrate surface using a hydrophobic solution, and then cured to obtain a hydrophobic pattern substrate; then a hydrophilic dielectric layer solution is coated on the surface of the hydrophobic pattern substrate, and then heated to form a dielectric layer. At the same time, the hydrophobic pattern is completely decomposed, exposing the underlying material, and a dielectric layer substrate is successfully prepared.

[0045] To further illustrate the present invention, the following detailed description of the invention's solutions, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments, is provided, but should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0046] Example 1

[0047] (1) The substrate with the metal electrode array is placed in a glass cleaning machine and cleaned in sequence by a brush, glass cleaning fluid, ultrasonic waves and high-pressure water, and then purged with nitrogen.

[0048] (2) On the substrate surface, a 3wt% fluorinated polyester solution is printed onto the central region of each metal electrode surface at a resolution of 5 mL / drop and a thickness of 300 nm to form a contact hole array. The distance between the center point of the contact hole array pattern and the edge of the underlying metal electrode is 60 μm. The substrate is then cured on a hot plate at 120°C for 15 min to obtain hydrophobic first contact holes, specifically as follows: Figure 4 As shown, the thickness of the first contact hole is 250 nm.

[0049] (3) A spin coating was performed on the substrate and the surface of the first contact hole using a spin coater. A 0.3 mol / L HfAlO solution was used as the dielectric layer solution. The dielectric layer film was obtained by spin coating three times at a speed of 1000 rpm, with a film thickness of 150 nm. (Specific details are as follows...) Figure 5 As shown, each spin coating session lasted 30 seconds. Due to the different hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity between the HfAlO solution and the first contact hole, the HfAlO solution could not form a film on the surface of the first contact hole, while the HfAlO solution could cover other areas of the substrate surface. Baking at 600℃ for 60 minutes allowed the HfAlO solution to completely solidify, resulting in the complete decomposition of the PVDF-HFP film and the exposure of the metal electrodes, as detailed below. Figure 6 As shown, a dielectric substrate is obtained.

[0050] Test Example 1

[0051] The dielectric properties of Example 1 were tested using a capacitance-voltage characteristic parameter meter. The test frequency was 100kHz, and the voltage test range was -1V to 1V. The results are as follows: Figure 7 As shown.

[0052] according to Figure 7It can be seen that at an annealing temperature of 600℃, the unit capacitance of the HfAlO dielectric film is 84 nF / cm. 2 The film has good dielectric properties.

[0053] As can be seen from the above embodiments, the method provided by the present invention has a short process time, high process cycle, no need for expensive equipment, good dielectric properties of the film layer, and ensures the electrical performance of the device.

[0054] Although the above embodiments have provided a detailed description of the present invention, they are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Other embodiments can be obtained based on these embodiments without creative effort, and these embodiments all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method of patterning a full-printed film layer, characterized by, Includes the following steps: A hydrophobic pattern is printed on the surface of a substrate using a hydrophobic solution and then cured to obtain a hydrophobic patterned substrate. After coating the surface of the hydrophobic patterned substrate with a hydrophilic dielectric layer solution, the substrate is heated to form a dielectric layer and completely decompose the hydrophobic pattern, thus obtaining a dielectric layer substrate. The substrate is a substrate with a metal electrode array, and the printing position is at the center of a single metal electrode in the metal electrode array; the distance between the center point of the hydrophobic pattern and the edge of the metal electrode below it is 10~500μm; The hydrophobic pattern is a contact hole array that exposes the metal electrode array on the substrate; the thickness of the hydrophobic pattern is 20~1000nm. The hydrophobic patterned area is not covered by the dielectric layer, and the coating is spin-coating; the spin-coating is full-area spin-coating; the spin-coating speed is 200~3000rpm, the spin-coating time is 15~120s; the number of spin-coating cycles is 1~10; the target total thickness of the spin-coating is 50~300nm. The hydrophilic dielectric layer solution is an aluminum oxide hafnium solution; The concentration of the hydrophilic dielectric layer solution is 0.05~1.0 mol / L; The heating temperature is 250~650℃, and the heating time is 3~90min; The hydrophobic solution includes one or both of fluorinated polyester solution and polyacrylic acid solution; the concentration of the hydrophobic solution is 1~30wt%.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The printing resolution is 5~10mL / drop, and the printing thickness is 50~1000nm.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The curing temperature is 60~150℃, and the curing time is 1~60min; the curing is carried out on a hot plate.

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