Microwave Firing Conductive Patterns Using Permeable Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conductive pattern formation methods, particularly microwave firing, often result in substrate deformation due to differential shrinkage between wiring and substrate, especially in flexible substrates like PET, leading to process defects and disconnections.
Innovation Solution
A method involving positioning the substrate between two microwave-permeable panels during firing to prevent deformation, using a conductive pattern-forming composition and printing methods like screen, gravure, or inkjet printing, while employing microwave firing for rapid and selective heating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If microwave firing is used to fire conductive patterns selectively, then firing speed is improved and substrate damage is prevented, but substrate deformation occurs due to differential shrinkage between wiring and substrate
Solution Approach 1:
A buffer layer is introduced between the conductive wiring and the substrate to act as a mediator that absorbs differential shrinkage stress. This buffer layer has a shrinkage rate between that of the wiring and the substrate, preventing substrate deformation while maintaining the rapid selective heating advantage of microwave firing.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer layer is specifically designed with thermal expansion and shrinkage properties that differ from both the wiring and substrate. During microwave firing, the buffer layer's thermal behavior compensates for the differential shrinkage between the conductive wiring and substrate, preventing deformation while allowing rapid selective heating to proceed.
2Stability of the object's composition
If conventional electric furnace firing is used, then uniform heating is achieved, but substrate damage occurs due to high temperature impact
Solution Approach 1:
The conventional electric furnace heating system is replaced with microwave irradiation. The microwave system selectively heats the conductive wiring through dielectric heating without uniformly heating the entire substrate, achieving the desired firing effect while avoiding high-temperature substrate damage. The buffer layer ensures uniform stress distribution during this selective heating process.
3Ease of manufacture
If photosensitive paste method is used to form conductive patterns, then pattern formation is achieved, but pitch accuracy and electrode width control are difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The photosensitive paste method involving screen printing, UV exposure, and chemical etching is replaced with a direct printing method using conductive paste. This substitution eliminates the multiple process steps and associated alignment errors, enabling direct formation of conductive patterns with high pitch accuracy and precise electrode width control through the printing process itself.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach prevents substrate deformation while maintaining the advantages of microwave firing, enabling high-quality conductive pattern formation with reduced defects and increased conductivity.
Implementation Method 1
the microwave firing is remarkable in that it is able to fire selectively by increasing only the temperature of metal wiring absorbing microwave
Implementation Method 2
positioning the substrate between two microwave-permeable panels during the firing process to absorb heat evenly
Data Source
AI summary
In a method for forming conductive patterns, a substrate is provided, and a pattern is formed on the substrate using a conductive pattern-forming composition and a printing method. The substrate with the pattern formed is positioned between two microwave-permeable panels and the pattern is fired using microwave. In a method for forming conductive patterns, the substrate is fixed by the microwave-permeable material during the firing of conductive patterns, and accordingly the deformation of substrate can be prevented and the firing process can be facilitated.