Aluminum or other coating material is deposited on the surface of one side of a strip after which ink is deposited on preselected areas of the coated strip. The ink is then cured and the aluminum removed from the uncovered areas after which the ink is removed from the covered area of the aluminum.
A pattern is formed in rapid and continuous manner on aluminized polymer film by printing the aluminum surface with a sodium hydroxide-resistant material, which may be pigmented, contacting the non-overprinted areas of the aluminum with hot aqueous sodium hydroxide solution to dissolve the aluminum rapidly from the base polymeric film and leave unaffected the overprinted areas, and washing the spent sodium hydroxide solution from the film. The steps are carried on a continuous web of aluminized film and result in pattern of opaque areas and transparent areas, corresponding to the overprinted and non-overprinted areas of the film.
A method is disclosed for producing a high-resolution patterned layer on a substrate for use in making electronic devices. The method comprises micro-printing an inked pattern on a substrate with use of a rotatable stamp; passing the substrate to an apparatus for etching or depositing materials on the substrate, where the inked pattern guides the etching or deposition of material; and then optionally removing the inked pattern from the substrate with the application of heat, ultraviolet light, or wet chemical means. A high-quality transistor with a 2-micron channel length may be fabricated using the inventive method. The method is compatible with rapid, reel-to-reel patterning and useful for a range of applications.
A strip 20 has a drive margin 36 and a latent image of a pattern in a light sensitive coating 73 of a pattern portion 22 thereon. To avoid disturbing the pattern, the strip 20 is gripped by the drive margin 36 using a set 43 of pinch-drive rollers which drive the strip without disturbing the latent image. The strip 20 is driven through pattern development, cleaning and etching solution spray chambers 64, 66 and 108, respectively. One or more adjustable shields 78 are used to vary the time interval during which the strip 20 is sprayed by these solutions. By adjusting one or more shields 78 to suit changes in solution condition the time intervals for proper developing, cleaning and etching are coordinated for a speed at which the strip 20 is driven.
