Specialized metallurgical processes – compositions for use therei – Compositions – Consolidated metal powder compositions
Patent
1989-01-12
1991-01-15
Lechert, Jr., Stephen J.
Specialized metallurgical processes, compositions for use therei
Compositions
Consolidated metal powder compositions
75228, 419 23, 419 53, 419 54, 419 57, 419 58, 427123, 4273831, 4273833, 4273835, B22F 900
Patent
active
049850717
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a base metal thin film which can be widely used in a variety of electronic devices, a process for producing the same, and electronic devices using the same.
BACKGROUND ART
A variety of metal thin films have been widely used up to the present in various electronic devices such as resistors, electrodes and sensors. Among the metal thin films, those of noble metals can be easily produced by vacuum technologies including spattering and vacuum deposition as well as by coating followed by thermal decomposition of precious metal resinates. As to base metal thin films, however, application of vapor technology has been the sole means for their production. Although preparation of base metal thin films by means of plating has been studied in certain cases, it has been difficult to obtain a thin film having the thickness of 1 .mu.m or thinner which has a uniform thickness over a wide area of the thin film by such means. Further, a method for preparing a base metal thin film is known which comprises by forming an organometallic compound layer on a substrate and then heat treating said layer in an inert gas or reductive atmosphere [cf. for example, Solid State Technology, February, p.p. 49 (1974)], but such method has the disadvantage of leaving carbon residue in the resulting film.
The above-mentioned prior art methods for producing metal thin film by using vacuum technology have a number of problems, thus, such methods require an expensive production apparatus, also, they are poor in productivity because they are run by batch-wise production process. Further, thin film having large area can hardly be produced, because such method require a vacuum vessel.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The first object of the present invention is to provide a base metal thin film and a process for producing the same which is low in cost, excellent in productivity, capable of easily producing a thin film of large area, and free from the above-mentioned problems pertaining to the prior art production of base metal thin film. The second object of the present invention is to provide a variety of electronic devices taking advantage of the characteristic of the base metal thin film produced by the process set forth below.
For the purpose of to attain the above-mentioned objects, according to the present invention, a layer of compound which comprises an organic compound containing a base metal in the molecular structure is formed on a substrate by use of various conventional printing techniques, then the compound layer is thermally decomposed in an oxidative atmosphere into the layer of the oxide of said metal, and further the resulting layer of the oxide of said metal is heat-treated in a reductive atmosphere to form the intended thin film of said base metal.
The base metal thin films produced according to the process of the present invention do not differ in appearance from those produced by a conventional vacuum process and may be applied also in general uses including decorations and the like. However, the electric and other properties of the base metal thin film thus obtained can be regulated by controlling the conditions of heat treatment conducted in reductive atmosphere.
According to the process of the present invention, since it uses a printing technique in forming on a substrate a compound layer containing a base metal, patterned thin film may also be produced without difficulty. Further, it is well known that the cost of such printing apparatus are much lower than the cost of vacuum apparatuses.
Although it is already a well-known technique to laminate a layer of a compound containing a base metal onto a substrate and then thermally decompose the compound to form a thin film of base metal oxide, the present inventors have found that, contrary to previous expectation, a base metal thin film of excellent homogeneity can be obtained by heat treatment at a relatively low temperature when said thin film of base metal oxide is heat-treated in reductive atmosphere. This fact has never b
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Hasegawa Yo
Hayashi Chiharu
Isozaki Yasuhito
Okano Kazuyuki
Tabata Munehiro
Lechert Jr. Stephen J.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Nigohosian, Jr. Leon
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