Transparent Silver Conductive Patterns Bundled Micro-Wires
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing transparent electrically-conductive articles with silver metal electrode grids and connector wire patterns face challenges in achieving faithful reproduction of master circuit images, leading to reduced conductivity and performance due to dimensional discrepancies between master and copy patterns, especially when using photosensitive silver halide emulsions.
Innovation Solution
The method involves imagewise exposing a conductive film element precursor with a photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer on a transparent substrate to create latent grids and connector wire patterns, followed by solution physical development and silver halide fixing, resulting in electrically-conductive silver grids and wire patterns with bundled micro-wire patterns that enhance conductivity and fidelity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If photosensitive silver halide emulsions are used to create silver grid patterns, then the patterns can be formed through imaging processes, but dimensional discrepancies occur between master and copy patterns leading to reduced conductivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the silver halide emulsion composition, including grain size distribution, silver ion concentration, and gelatin matrix properties. These parameter adjustments enable the emulsion to better reproduce fine circuit dimensions while maintaining electrical conductivity, resolving the contradiction between dimensional fidelity and conductivity reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining silver halide crystals with gelatin matrix and various additives to create an emulsion layer that simultaneously achieves high dimensional fidelity and electrical conductivity. The composite structure allows the silver grains to form faithful reproductions while maintaining conductive pathways.
2Reliability
If silver is used to replace ITO for conductivity, then electrical conductivity improves 50 to 100 times, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex requiring photosensitive emulsion processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies copying by using photosensitive silver halide emulsion to create faithful reproductions of master circuit patterns. This allows the complex silver-based conductive patterns to be manufactured through standard photographic imaging processes, reducing overall manufacturing complexity despite the advanced material properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies emulsion parameters such as silver grain size, distribution, and chemical composition to optimize both the imaging process and the resulting electrical conductivity. These parameter changes enable the material to be processed through conventional photographic methods while achieving superior electrical performance.
3Productivity
If standard silver halide development is used, then the development process is simple and fast, but the correspondence between mask design and resulting metal patterns deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the development process, including developer composition, temperature, and time controls, to achieve both rapid development and high pattern correspondence. The modified emulsion formulation works synergistically with adjusted development parameters to maintain fidelity while preserving 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
This approach produces electrically-conductive articles with improved matching of silver grid and wire patterns to the original mask images, increasing electrical conductivity, manufacturability, and robustness while reducing the effects of manufacturing defects.
Implementation Method 1
imagewise exposing a conductive film element precursor that comprises: a transparent substrate comprising a first supporting side and an opposing second supporting side; and a photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer on at least the first supporting side, to radiation to provide, in the photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer on at least the first supporting side: (a) a latent electrically-conductive silver metal electrode grid
Implementation Method 2
processing the latent electrically-conductive silver metal electrode grid and latent electrically-conductive silver connector wire pattern using at least solution physical development and silver halide fixing, to provide: (a) an electrically-conductive silver metal electrode grid from the latent electrically-conductive silver metal electrode grid
Data Source
AI summary
Electrically-conductive articles are prepared to have electrically-conductive silver metal electrode grids and electrically-conductive silver connector wire patterns (BUS lines) on one or both supporting sides of a transparent substrate. The electrically-conductive silver connector wire patterns are designed with one silver main wire that comprises two or more adjacent silver micro-wires in bundled patterns. These bundled patterns and silver micro-wires are designed with specific dimensions and configurations to provide optimal fidelity (or correspondence) to the mask image used to provide such images in a silver halide emulsion layer. The electrically-conductive articles are provided by imagewise exposure, development, and fixing of corresponding silver halide-containing conductive film element precursors containing photosensitive silver halide emulsion layers. The electrically-conductive articles can be used as parts of various electronic devices including touch screen devices.