Roll-to-Roll Processes for the Manufacturing of Patterned Conductive Electrodes on Flexible Substrates

Abstract

AbstractSimple, cost-effective roll-to-roll processes for the manufacturing of patterned conductor films have been developed. The technique involves printing proprietary masking patterns, depositing conductive material, and stripping away undesired areas. In one approach, a pattern is printed on the plastic substrate with a masking coating. Then, conductive material is deposited on the patterned substrate and the undesired areas are stripped away, leaving behind the patterned electrode structures. In another approach, a first masking pattern is printed, followed by a second masking coating which is repelled by the first masking layer and forms the negative pattern. The first masking pattern is stripped off, a conductive layer is deposited, and the second masking pattern is stripped off, leaving a high resolution conductor pattern on the web. No photolithographic exposure, development or chemical etching is needed. These processes are useful for producing rolls of electrodes with features as small as 25 microns for the roll-to-roll manufacturing of flexible display applications.