Through-Substrate Laser Patterning of Thin Conductive Films
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current laser patterning methods for thin films are limited in selectively modifying conductive layers without damaging adjacent layers or requiring multiple interruption steps, which complicates the process and reduces manufacturing flexibility, especially for large and varied applications like electrochromic windows.
Innovation Solution
A method involving selective laser irradiation through a transparent substrate to modify conductive layers, allowing for the creation of isolation regions with altered resistivity without ablating the top layers, thereby maintaining the integrity of other thin film layers and enabling flexible patterning post-deposition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If laser ablation is used for thin film patterning, then high resolution and high throughput are achieved, but debris, thermal damage, and bulging occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional top-down laser irradiation approach by irradiating the conductive layer from the bottom through the transparent substrate. This reversal allows the laser energy to selectively modify the conductive layer without passing through and damaging the top opaque layer, thereby achieving high throughput patterning while eliminating thermal damage to the surface layers and reducing debris generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent substrate serves as an intermediary medium that transmits laser energy to the conductive layer without absorbing it. This intermediary approach allows selective irradiation of the conductive layer while protecting the top opaque layer from direct laser exposure, thus preventing thermal damage and enabling high-speed processing.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional laser patterning is used, then conductive layers can be modified, but adjacent layers are damaged or require multiple interruption steps
Solution Approach 1:
By inverting the irradiation direction to bottom-up through the transparent substrate, the patent achieves precise patterning of the conductive layer without damaging adjacent opaque layers. This single-step approach eliminates the need for multiple interruption steps required by conventional top-down methods, thereby reducing process complexity while maintaining high patterning precision.
3Productivity
If top-down laser irradiation is used, then patterning can be achieved, but the top opaque layer is damaged or requires removal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reverses the conventional top-down irradiation approach to bottom-up irradiation through the transparent substrate. This allows the conductive layer to be patterned without damaging the top opaque layer, maintaining layer integrity while enabling high-speed processing. The transparent substrate acts as a window that delivers laser energy selectively to the conductive layer without affecting the opaque top layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent substrate functions as an intermediary that transmits laser energy to the conductive layer while protecting the opaque top layer from direct exposure. This intermediary approach enables high-productivity patterning while preserving the integrity of the opaque layer, eliminating the need for post-processing removal or repair.
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 allows for precise modification of conductive layers with minimal disruption to adjacent layers, enhancing manufacturing flexibility and reducing defects, enabling the production of large, fully coated sheets that can be patterned as needed for diverse applications.
Implementation Method 1
irradiating a portion of the conductive layer through the substrate layer by using a laser
Implementation Method 2
produce a modified region such that the modified region of the conductive layer irradiated by the laser undergoes a physical or chemical modification
Implementation Method 3
the modified region of the conductive layer irradiated by the laser undergoes a physical or chemical modification and has a resistivity of about 1 kΩ-cm or greater
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of a composite structure are provided, the composite structure including: a substrate layer, a conductive layer and an overlayer. The conductive layer is disposed between the overlayer and the substrate layer. The substrate layer may comprise a material that is optically transparent over at least a part of the electromagnetic spectrum from 180 nm to 20 μm. The conductive layer includes a thickness of 10 nm or greater, a resistivity of 10 Ω-cm or less, and is an optically translucent or opaque over at least a part of the electromagnetic spectrum from 180 nm to 20 μm.