Method for patterning all-printed film layer
By printing a hydrophobic solution to form a pattern on a thin-film transistor substrate and coating it with a hydrophilic dielectric layer, the problem of long patterning time in the all-solution method for preparing thin-film transistors is solved, achieving efficient film patterning and protection of electrical properties.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- SHANGHAI UNIV
- Filing Date
- 2025-08-20
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-23
AI Technical Summary
In the process of fabricating thin-film transistors using the all-solution method, existing technologies suffer from long printing times and low process cycle times in order to achieve patterning of each film layer in the device. In particular, when insulating layers and other film layers have openings at electrical contact holes, it is difficult to guarantee printing accuracy and quality.
The fully printed film patterning method is adopted. After printing a hydrophobic solution on the substrate surface to form a pattern and curing it, a hydrophilic dielectric layer solution is coated and heated. By utilizing the interface difference between the hydrophobic and hydrophilic solutions, partial area printing and full-surface coating of the film layer can be achieved to form a dielectric layer.
It achieves efficient film patterning, shortens process time, increases process cycle time, avoids the use of expensive equipment, and maintains the electrical properties and interface characteristics of the film.
Smart Images
Figure CN2025115917_23072026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
A method for patterning all printed film layers 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. Technical issues
[0003] Currently, in the all-solution method for fabricating thin-film transistors, there are two main approaches to achieve patterning of the various film layers: The first approach uses traditional photolithography, as shown in Figure 1, which involves coating a substrate with photoresist, pre-baking, exposure, development, and post-baking, followed by etching to obtain the target pattern. The second approach uses a printing method, as shown in Figure 2, where a film layer solution is directly printed onto a designated area using a nozzle, followed by high-temperature curing of the printed solution, enabling direct and targeted fabrication of film layer 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. Technical solutions
[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 includes one or both of fluorinated polyester solution and polyacrylic acid solution; the concentration of the hydrophobic solution is 1~30wt%.
[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 10~500 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 ℃, 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; 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 ℃ and the heating time is 3~90 min. Beneficial effects
[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 is a process flow diagram of the traditional photolithography method for patterning film layers using the all-solution method.
[0022] Figure 2 is a process flow diagram of the traditional printing method for patterning film layers using the all-solution method.
[0023] Figure 3 is a process flow diagram of the patterning of the fully printed film layer provided by the present invention.
[0024] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the hydrophobic first contact hole prepared in Example 1 of the present invention;
[0025] Figure 5 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 is a schematic diagram of the formation of the dielectric layer and the decomposition of the first contact hole to form the second contact hole in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0027] Figure 7 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. Embodiments of the present invention
[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 10~500 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℃, specifically 60℃, 80℃, 100℃, 120℃ or 150℃, 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 carried out 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 spin-coating number is preferably 1~10 times, specifically 3 times or 7 times; 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 comprises a hafnium alumina solution (HfAlO); the concentration of the hydrophilic dielectric layer solution is preferably 0.05~1.0 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℃, specifically 250℃, 300℃, 350℃, 400℃, 450℃, 500℃, 550℃, 600℃, or 650℃, 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 50~1000 nm, specifically 50 nm, 100 nm, 200 nm, 500 nm, 800 nm or 1000 nm.
[0044] The main process flow of the fully printed film layer patterning method provided by this invention is shown in Figure 3. After cleaning the substrate, a hydrophobic pattern is printed on the substrate surface using a hydrophobic solution, followed by curing to obtain a hydrophobic patterned substrate. Then, a hydrophilic dielectric layer solution is coated on the surface of the hydrophobic patterned substrate, followed by heating to form a dielectric layer. Simultaneously, the hydrophobic pattern completely decomposes, exposing the underlying material, thus successfully preparing a dielectric layer substrate.
[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. Example
[0046] (1) The substrate with the metal electrode array is placed in a glass cleaning machine and cleaned in sequence by brush, glass cleaning fluid, ultrasonic waves and high-pressure water, and then purged with nitrogen.
[0047] (2) On the substrate surface, a 3wt% fluorinated polyester solution is printed on the central area of each metal electrode surface. The printing resolution is 5 mL / drop and the printing thickness is 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 metal electrode below it is 60 μm. The substrate is placed on a hot plate at 120 °C and cured for 15 min to obtain a hydrophobic first contact hole, as shown in Figure 4. The thickness of the first contact hole is 250 nm.
[0048] (3) 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, as shown in Figure 5. Each spin-coating time was 30 s. 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. The substrate was baked at 600 ℃ for 60 min to completely solidify the HfAlO solution, completely decompose the PVDF-HFP film, and expose the metal electrode, as shown in Figure 6, thus obtaining the dielectric layer substrate.
[0049] The dielectric properties of Example 1 were tested using a capacitance-voltage characteristic parameter meter. The test frequency was 100 kHz, and the voltage test range was -1 V to 1 V. The results are shown in Figure 7.
[0050] As shown in Figure 7, at an annealing temperature of 600 °C, the unit capacitance of the HfAlO dielectric film is 84 nF / cm. 2 The film has good dielectric properties.
[0051] 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.
[0052] 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 for patterning an all-printed film layer, characterized in that, 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. A hydrophilic dielectric layer solution is coated onto the surface of the hydrophobic patterned substrate, and then heated to obtain a dielectric layer substrate.
2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The substrate is a substrate with a metal electrode array.
3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hydrophobic solution includes one or both of fluorinated polyester solution and polyacrylic acid solution; the concentration of the hydrophobic solution is 1~30wt%.
4. The method according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that, The printing resolution is 5~10 mL / drop, and the printing thickness is 50~1000 nm.
5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, 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 10~500 μm.
6. The method according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that, The hydrophobic pattern is a contact hole array; the thickness of the hydrophobic pattern is 20~1000 nm.
7. The method according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that, The curing temperature is 60~150 ℃, and the curing time is 1~60 min; the curing is carried out on a hot plate.
8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, 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; the target total thickness of the spin coating is 50~300 nm.
9. The method according to claim 1 or 8, characterized in that, The hydrophilic dielectric layer solution includes an aluminum oxide hafnium solution; The concentration of the hydrophilic dielectric layer solution is 0.05~1.0 mol / L.
10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heating temperature is 250~650 ℃, and the heating time is 3~90 min.