Multicomponent Etchant for Simultaneous ITO and Silver Pattern Etching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing etchant compositions for metal patterns in display devices, such as LCDs and OLEDs, face challenges in simultaneously etching multilayer films with different materials, leading to impurity issues like silver particle contamination, which affects the reliability and efficiency of the manufacturing process.
Innovation Solution
An etchant composition comprising specific weight percentages of organic acid compounds, inorganic acid compounds, sulfonic acid compounds, hydrogen sulfate salt compounds, nitrogen-containing dicarbonyl compounds, amino acid derivative compounds, and an iron-containing oxidizing agent, which collectively etches metal layers with a multilayer structure, including ITO and Ag, while controlling etch rates and preventing impurity precipitation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional etchant compositions are used to etch metal patterns, then the etching process can be performed, but impurity issues such as silver particle contamination occur and manufacturing reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by carefully controlling the concentration ranges of multiple chemical components in the etchant composition. Specifically, it uses 1-5 wt% nitrogen-containing dicarbonyl compound and 1-5 wt% amino acid derivative compound, along with other components within specified ranges, to optimize the chemical environment during etching. This controlled parameter adjustment prevents impurity generation while maintaining effective etching performance, thereby improving manufacturing reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite etchant composition containing multiple organic and inorganic compounds working together. The formulation includes nitrogen-containing dicarbonyl compounds, amino acid derivatives, sulfonic acid compounds, and other chemicals in specific proportions. This composite approach creates a synergistic effect where each component contributes to different aspects of the etching process, effectively preventing silver particle contamination while maintaining high etching efficiency
2Productivity
If multilayer metal films are etched simultaneously, then processing time is reduced, but control of etch rates for different materials becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by designing an etchant composition with different components that selectively interact with different metal materials. The nitrogen-containing dicarbonyl compound and amino acid derivative compound, combined with other chemicals in specific concentrations, create localized chemical environments that optimize etching rates for each layer. This allows simultaneous etching of multilayer structures with different materials while maintaining precise control over individual etch rates
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses parameter changes by adjusting the concentration ratios of multiple chemical components to control the etching kinetics. By optimizing the content of nitrogen-containing dicarbonyl compounds (1-5 wt%), amino acid derivatives (1-5 wt%), and other components, the etchant achieves different etching speeds for different metal layers during simultaneous processing, thereby maintaining manufacturing precision while improving productivity
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
The etchant composition effectively reduces impurity occurrence, improves manufacturing reliability, and shortens the processing time and cost by simultaneously etching multilayered metal structures, thereby enhancing the performance and stability of display devices.
Implementation Method 1
0.1 wt % to 2 wt % of an iron-containing oxidizing agent compound
Implementation Method 2
etching the metal layer as a metal pattern using an etching solution composition
Data Source
AI summary
An etchant composition is presented. The composition includes: 18 wt % to 25 wt % of a first organic acid compound; 15 wt % to 20 wt % of a second organic acid compound; 8.1 wt % to 9.9 wt % of an inorganic acid compound; 1 wt % to 4.9 wt % of a sulfonic acid compound; 10 wt % to 20 wt % of a hydrogen sulfate salt compound; 1 wt % to 5 wt % of a nitrogen-containing dicarbonyl compound; 1 wt % to 5 wt % of an amino acid derivative compound; 0.1 wt % to 2 wt % of an iron-containing oxidizing agent compound; and a balance amount of water.