Etching a substrate: processes – Forming or treating a sign or material useful in a sign
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-22
2001-10-09
Gulakowski, Randy (Department: 1746)
Etching a substrate: processes
Forming or treating a sign or material useful in a sign
C216S020000, C216S036000, C216S054000, C156S237000, C430S313000, C430S323000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06299785
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process for forming an electrode made of a conductive layer pattern on a substrate.
More specifically, it relates to a process for forming an electrode constituting electrode wires or protrusion electrodes for printed circuit boards, multi-layer circuit boards, multi-chip modules, LCDs and LSIs, which makes it possible to form a very fine pattern and which can substantially improve workability using a transfer film compared with the process of the prior art.
PRIOR ART
Recently, there has been arising a demand for smaller, finer and higher-density electrode wires and protrusion electrodes for printed circuit boards, multi-layer circuit boards, multi-chip modules, LCDs and LSIs.
As conventional processes for forming such electrodes, there have been known (1) an etching process which comprises forming a metal thin film by sputtering or vapor deposition, coating a resist, exposing and developing the resist film, and forming a metal thin film pattern with an etching solution, (2) a screen printing process which comprises screen-printing a non-photosensitive conductive paste composition on a substrate to form a pattern and heating the pattern, and (3) photolithography which comprises forming a photosensitive conductive paste composition film on a substrate, exposing the film to ultraviolet radiation through a photo mask, developing it to form a pattern on the substrate, and heating the pattern.
However, the above etching process has such problems that a vacuum device is required and that the process throughput is low.
The above screen printing process has such a problem that it has limits in the formation of a pattern of 100 &mgr;m or less in width and cannot achieve satisfactory resolution.
The above photolithography has such problems that the sensitivity of a conductive paste layer in a depth direction is unsatisfactory in forming a pattern as thick as 5 to 20 &mgr;m and that a material with a wide development margin cannot be obtained.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electrode formation process which makes it possible to form an electrode, having a very fine pattern which could not be attained by the above etching process, screen printing process and photography and having excellent surface uniformity, by a simple method.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel electrode formation process which makes it possible to form an electrode at a higher efficiency than the process of the prior art by a substantially improved workability.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.
According to the present invention, firstly, the above objects and advantages of the present invention are attained by a process for forming an electrode, which comprises:
(1) transferring a conductive paste layer supported on a base film to a substrate to form the conductive paste layer on the substrate;
(2) forming a resist film on the conductive paste layer transferred to the substrate;
(3) exposing the resist film through a mask to form a resist pattern latent image;
(4) developing the exposed resist film to form a resist pattern;
(5) etching exposed portions of the conductive paste layer to form a conductive paste layer pattern corresponding to the resist pattern; and
(6) thermosetting the pattern to form a conductive layer pattern.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5792589 (1998-08-01), Udagawa et al.
patent: 5916401 (1999-06-01), Gannon
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patent: 09-92137 (1997-09-01), None
Bessho Nobuo
Masuko Hideaki
Nemoto Hiroaki
Shimokawa Tsutomu
Gulakowski Randy
JSR Corporation
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Olsen Allan
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