JP2006321976A - Black conductive composition, black electrode and method for forming the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a black conductive composition, a black electrode produced from such a composition and to provide a method for producing such an electrode. <P>SOLUTION: The flat panel display including the application example of an alternating current display panel is provided. The composition comprises conductive metal oxides selected from oxides of two or more kinds of elements selected from Ba, Ru, Ca, Cu, Sr, Bi, Pb and a rare earth metal and a photocrosslinkable polymer. The composition is especially useful for producing a photoimageable black electrode for flat panel display applications. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is directed to a black conductive composition, a black electrode made from such a composition, and a method of forming such an electrode. Specifically, the present invention is directed to applications in flat panel displays, including applications in alternating current display panels. Furthermore, the present invention provides a conductive metal oxide selected from oxides of two or more elements selected from Ba, Ru, Ca, Cu, Sr, Bi, Pb, and rare earth metals, and a photocrosslinkable polymer And a composition utilizing the above. These compositions are particularly useful for making photoimageable black electrodes for flat panel display applications.

  Creating smaller and cheaper electronic devices and providing higher resolution for performance has become a trend in this industry, so a new photoimageable can be made to manufacture such devices. It has become necessary to develop materials. Photopatterning technology provides uniform and finer line and spatial resolution when compared to traditional screen printing methods. Optical patterning methods such as DuPont's FODEL (registered trademark) printing system, as seen in Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3, use an organic medium capable of forming an optical image. Cover completely (print, spray, coat, or laminate) with the imageable thick film composition and dry. An image of the pattern is generated by exposing the photoimageable thick film composition to actinic radiation through a photomask having a pattern. The exposed substrate is then developed. The unexposed portions of the pattern are washed away, leaving the photoimaged thick film composition on the substrate, which is then fired to remove the organic material and sinter the inorganic material. Such photo-patterning methods exhibit a line resolution of about 30 microns, depending on substrate smoothness, inorganic particle size distribution, exposure and development variables. Such techniques have proven useful in manufacturing flat panel display applications such as plasma display panels.

  The resolution and brightness of the image of an AC plasma display panel (PDP) device depends on the electrode width, the interconnect conductor pitch, and the transparency of the dielectric layer. When these materials are deposited by conventional patterning techniques such as screen printing, sputtering, or chemical etching methods, it is difficult to obtain fine line and spatial resolution to form electrodes and interconnect conductor patterns. Furthermore, to improve the contrast of the display, it is essential to reduce the reflection of external light from the electrodes and conductors arranged on the front glass substrate. This reduction in reflection can be most easily achieved by making the electrodes and conductors black when viewed through the front plate of the display.

Compositions such as those described in Kakinuma, US Pat. No. 6,057,089, include: (a) carboxyl group-containing photosensitive polymer ... (b) diluent, (c) photopolymerization initiator; (d) inorganic powder, and (E) a photosensitive composition comprising a stabilizer. The photosensitive composition used for the black matrix further contains a black pigment. When the paste needs to have a black color tone, it is formed of a metal oxide containing one or more members selected from Fe, Co, Cu, Cr, Mn, and Al as its main component. Further black pigments can be incorporated. Such black pigments disclosed by Kakinuma can have electrical conductivity in their pure state, but some of them often break down in black conductive, low softening point glasses and are essential in their calcined form. Thus, a non-conductive coating is obtained. In a two-layer structure (eg a black conductive layer is adjacent to a layer of conductive tin oxide SnO ₂ or indium tin oxide ITO patterned on the front panel, and a more conductive layer, typically Is a layer made of finely pulverized Ag particles formed on the top of the black conductive layer), the conductive SnO ₂ or ITO layer patterned from the bus electrode due to the high conductivity of the black conductive layer The flow of electrons going is improved.

  Other black pigments disclosed by Kakinuma, especially graphite and / or carbon black, decompose during firing in air, resulting in a loss in both conductivity and the ability to contrast the black conductive layer.

US Pat. No. 4,912,019 US Pat. No. 4,925,771 US Pat. No. 5,049,480 US Pat. No. 6,342,322 US Pat. No. 5,851,732 US Pat. No. 6,075,319 US Pat. No. 3,583,931 U.S. Pat. No. 3,380,831 U.S. Pat. No. 2,927,022 U.S. Pat. No. 2,760,863 U.S. Pat. No. 2,850,445 U.S. Pat. No. 2,875,047 US Pat. No. 3,970,096 US Pat. No. 3,074,974 US Pat. No. 3,970,097 US Pat. No. 3,145,104 US Pat. No. 3,427,161 US Pat. No. 3,479,185 US Pat. No. 3,549,367 U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,162 Introduction to Solid State Physics, Third Edition, Charles Kittel. Ed. P. 253

  The present invention is directed to a photoimageable thick film composition containing a photocrosslinkable polymer used in photopatterning methods. The compositions of the present invention are particularly useful in flat panel display applications such as PDP devices made by using photoimageable thick film compositions used in photopatterning processes, which As described in Patent Documents 5 and 6, a black electrode exists between the substrate and the conductor electrode array. In particular, the photoimageable composition of the present invention utilizes metal oxides of two or more rare earth metals, such metal oxides having metallic or semi-metallic conductivity. Is.

The present invention provides (I) fine particles of an inorganic substance selected from (a) oxides of two or more elements selected from Ba, Ru, Ca, Cu, Sr, Bi, Pb, and rare earth metals. A conductive metal oxide having a metallic or semi-metallic conductivity and a surface to weight ratio of 2 to 20 m ² / g; and (b) a glass transition temperature of 300 to 600 ° C. The inorganic material containing an inorganic binder having a surface area to weight ratio of 10 m ² / g or less and at least 85% by weight of the particles having a size in the range of 0.1 to 10 μm. An aqueous developable photocrosslinkable polymer wherein the particles are (II) (a) a copolymer, interpolymer, or mixtures thereof, each of the copolymer or interpolymer being (1) a C _1-10 alkyl Acry A non-acidic comonomer comprising a rate, C _1-10 alkyl methacrylate, styrene, substituted styrene, or combinations thereof; and (2) an acidic comonomer comprising an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid-containing moiety, 2-20% react with a reactive molecule having first and second functional units, provided that the first functional unit is a vinyl group and the second functional unit reacts with the carboxylic acid moiety. A comonomer capable of forming a bond, having an acid content of at least 10% by weight of the total polymer weight, a glass transition temperature in the range of 50 to 150 ° C., and a weight average molecular weight in the range of 2000 to 250,000. A copolymer comprising a comonomer that forms a copolymer, an interpolymer, or a mixture thereof, and (b) optional light Intended is a composition dispersed in an organic medium comprising an initiation system and (c) an organic solvent. See the definition of metal / metalloid at the beginning of Non-Patent Document 1.

  The present invention is further directed to an article comprising a layer of the above composition wherein the organic material has been substantially removed and the inorganic material has been sintered. Another embodiment includes an electrode formed from the composition.

  The composition of the present invention uses a photocrosslinkable polymer in combination with an inorganic substance such as conductive particles dispersed in an organic medium and a glass frit. The main components of the photoimageable composition are discussed below.

I. Inorganic substances A. Conductive metal oxide particles (oxides with metallic or semi-metallic conductivity)
The conductive black composition of the present invention contains fine particles of an inorganic substance containing an oxide of two or more elements selected from Ba, Ru, Ca, Cu, Sr, Bi, Pb, and a rare earth metal. . Specifically, these oxides are metal oxides having metallic or semi-metallic conductivity. The rare earth metals include scandium (Sc) and yttrium (Y) (atomic numbers 21 and 39), La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb And lanthanide elements including Lu (atomic number 57 to 71). Preferred oxides are oxides of two or more elements selected from Ba, Ru, Ca, Cu, La, Sr, Y, Nd, Bi, and Pb.

The ratio of the surface area to the weight of the metal oxide of the present invention is in the range of 2 to 20 m ² / g. In one embodiment, the range is 5 to 15 m ² / g. In other embodiments, the surface area to weight ratio range is 6 to 10 m ² / g.

B. Optional Conductive Particles The conductive black composition of the present invention can further contain a multi-element oxide based on RuO ₂ and / or ruthenium as the conductive metal oxide component.

Ruthenium-based multi-element oxides are one type of pyrochlore oxide that is a multicomponent compound of Ru ⁺⁴ , Ir ⁺⁴ , or mixtures thereof (M ″), represented by the general formula:

_{(M x Bi 2-x)} (M 'y M "2-y) O 7-z
Wherein M is selected from the group consisting of yttrium, thallium, indium, cadmium, lead, copper, and rare earth materials;
M ′ is selected from the group consisting of platinum, titanium, chromium, rhodium, and antimony;
M ″ is ruthenium, iridium, or a mixture thereof;
x is 0 to 2, but in the case of monovalent copper, x ≦ 1,
y is 0 to 0.5, but when M ′ is rhodium, or when platinum is a plurality of platinum, titanium, chromium, rhodium, or antimony, y is 0 to 1,
z is 0 to 1, but when M is divalent lead or cadmium, this is at least equal to about x / 2. )
Ruthenium pyrochlore oxides are found in detail in U.S. Patent No. 6,057,028, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Preferred ruthenium multielement oxides include bismuth ruthenate Bi ₂ Ru ₂ O ₇ , lead ruthenate Pb ₂ Ru ₂ O ₆ , Pb _1.5 Bi _0.5 Ru ₂ O _6.5 , PbBiRu ₂ O _6.75 , and GdBiRu ₂ O ₆ . These substances can be easily obtained in pure form. They are not adversely affected by the glass binder and are stable even when heated to about 1000 ° C. in air.

  The ruthenium oxide and / or ruthenium pyrochlore oxide is 4 to 50% by weight, preferably 6 to 30%, more preferably 5 to 15%, most preferably 9%, based on the total weight of the composition containing the organic medium. Use at a rate of ~ 12%.

  Optionally, the composition of the present invention can further comprise noble metals including gold, silver, platinum, palladium, copper, and mixtures thereof. These conductive metals can optionally be added to the black composition. Virtually any form of metal powder, including spherical particles and flakes (rods, cones, and plates) can be used in the practice of the present invention. Preferred metal powders are gold, silver, palladium, platinum, copper, or combinations thereof. The particles are preferably spherical. It has been found that the dispersions of the present invention should not contain a significant amount of solids having a particle size of less than 0.1 μm. In the presence of small sized particles, the coating or layer may be fired to remove the organic medium, and when the inorganic binder and metal solids are further sintered, complete combustion of the organic medium may be properly obtained. difficult. When this dispersion is used to make a thick film paste, usually deposited by screen printing, its maximum particle size should not exceed the thickness of the screen. It is preferable that at least 80% by weight of the conductive solid content is included in the range of 0.5 to 10 μm.

  The black electroconductive composition of this invention can be used for the black electrode layer of the two-layer structure of a bus electrode. Typically, the bus electrode includes a highly conductive metal layer and a black electrode as an underlying layer (between the bus electrode and the transparent substrate). The compositions of the present invention are suitable for such applications. The black electrode layer of the present invention contains the conductive metal oxide described in the above (A) as a necessary component. In addition to the conductive metal oxide of (A) above, the black electrode layer may optionally contain optional conductive metal particles as described in (B). If the black electrode layer comprises the conductive metal particles of (B), especially optional noble metals including gold, silver, platinum, palladium, copper, and mixtures thereof, a single layer structure can be used ( That is, the highly conductive metal layer and the black electrode layer are combined into one layer).

Furthermore, the ratio of the surface area to the weight of the optional conductive metal particles preferably does not exceed 20 m ² / g, preferably does not exceed 10 m ² / g, more preferably does not exceed 5 m ² / g. . If metal particles with a surface area to weight ratio greater than 20 m ² / g are used, the sintering properties of the accompanying inorganic binder are adversely affected. Obtaining proper combustion is difficult and blisters can appear.

Although not required, copper oxide is often added to improve adhesion. The copper oxide should be present in the form of fine particles, preferably in the size range of about 0.1 to 5 microns. When present as Cu ₂ O, the copper oxide comprises about 0.1 to about 3% by weight of the total composition, preferably about 0.1 to 1.0%. Part or all of Cu ₂ O can be replaced with a molar equivalent of CuO.

C. Inorganic binder The conductive powder already described herein is finely dispersed in an organic medium and is accompanied by an inorganic binder, optionally other metal oxides such as powders or solids, ceramics, and fillers Accompanied by.

The function of the inorganic binder, generally glass frit, used in the present invention is to bond the particles to each other and to the substrate after firing. Examples of inorganic binders include glass binders (frits), metal oxides, and ceramics. Many of the glass binders useful in the composition are conventional in the art. Some examples include borosilicate glass and aluminosilicate glass. Some examples further include independently, such as B ₂ O ₃ , SiO ₂ , Al ₂ O ₃ , CdO, CaO, BaO, ZnO, SiO ₂ , Na ₂ O, Li ₂ O, PbO, and ZrO. Or a combination of oxides that can be used in combination to form a glass binder. Typical metal oxides useful for thick film compositions are conventional in the art and can be, for example, ZnO, MgO, CoO, NiO, FeO, MnO, and mixtures thereof.

  The most preferably used glass frit is a borosilicate frit such as a lead borosilicate frit, bismuth, cadmium, barium, calcium, or other alkaline earth borosilicate frit. The preparation of such glass frits is well known, for example, melting glass components in the form of component oxides together and pouring such molten composition into water to form the frit. It is in. A lot of ingredients can, of course, be any compound that yields the desired oxide under the normal conditions of frit production. For example, boron oxide is obtained from boric acid, silicon dioxide is produced from flint, and barium oxide is produced from barium carbonate or the like. The glass is preferably milled in a ball mill with water so that the frit particle size is reduced and a substantially uniform size frit is obtained. The fine particles are then allowed to settle in water and separated, and the supernatant liquid containing the fine particles is removed. Other classification methods can be used as well.

  In one embodiment, the glass binder is an amorphous glass frit based on Pb-free Bi. Other possible lead-free low-melting glasses are compositions based on P or based on Zn-B. However, glass based on P does not have good water resistance, and glass based on Zn-B is difficult to obtain in an amorphous state, and therefore glass based on Bi is preferred. Bi glass can be produced so as to have a relatively low melting point without adding an alkali metal, and there is almost no problem in producing powder. In the present invention, Bi glass having the following characteristics is most preferable for the lead-free composition.

(I) Composition of lead-free glass 55 to 85% by weight Bi ₂ O ₃
0 to 20% by weight SiO ₂
0-5 wt% Al ₂ O ₃
2 to 20% by weight B ₂ O ₃
0-20% by weight ZnO
0 to 15% by weight One or more of oxides selected from BaO, CaO and SrO (up to 15% by weight in the case of a mixture of oxides)
One or more oxides selected from 0 to 3 wt% Na ₂ O, K ₂ O, Cs ₂ O, and Li ₂ O (up to a total sum of 3 wt% in the case of a mixture of oxides)
(II) Softening point: 400-600 ° C
In this specification, “softening point” means the softening point determined by differential thermal analysis (DTA).

The glass binder used in the present invention has a D ₅₀ (that is, a point where 1/2 of the particles are smaller than the specified size and 1/2 is larger than the specified size) as measured by Microtrac. It is preferable that it is 10-10 micrometers. The D _{50 of the} glass binder is more preferably 0.5 to 1 μm. Usually, in industrially preferred processes, glass binders are culleted by mixing raw materials such as oxides, hydroxides, carbonates, etc., melting, quenching and mechanically pulverizing (wet, dry). ), Followed by drying in the case of wet micronization. Thereafter, if necessary, classification is performed to obtain a desired size. The glass binder used in the present invention desirably has an average particle size smaller than the thickness of the black conductive layer to be formed.

II. Organic Medium The main purpose of the organic medium is to serve as a vehicle to disperse the finely divided solids of the composition in a form that can be easily attached to a ceramic or other substrate. is there. Thus, the organic medium must first be able to disperse the solids with adequate stability. Secondly, the rheological properties of the organic medium must be such that it gives good dispersion properties to the dispersion. The main components of the medium are as follows.

A. Photocrosslinkable organic polymer The polymer binder is important in the composition of the present invention. This binder is wet developable and gives high resolution.

This binder is a photocrosslinkable polymer binder. The binder is made of a copolymer, an interpolymer, or a mixture thereof, each of which is (1) a C _1-10 alkyl acrylate, a C _1-10 alkyl methacrylate, styrene, a substituted styrene, or these A non-acidic comonomer comprising a combination of: (2) an acidic comonomer comprising an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid-containing moiety, wherein 2-20% of the carboxylic acid-containing moiety has first and second functional units The first functional unit includes a comonomer that reacts with a reactive molecule, wherein the first functional unit is a vinyl group and the second functional unit is capable of forming a chemical bond by reacting with a carboxylic acid moiety. Examples of vinyl groups include, but are not limited to, methacrylate groups and acrylate groups. Examples of the second functional unit include, but are not limited to, epoxides, alcohols, and amines. The resulting copolymer, interpolymer, or mixture thereof has an acid content of at least 10% by weight of the total polymer weight, a glass transition temperature of 50-150 ° C., and a weight average molecular weight in the range of 2000-250,000, All ranges are included in this.

  The presence of an acidic comonomer component in the composition is important in this technique. Acidic functional groups provide the ability to be developed with aqueous base solutions such as 0.4-2.0% aqueous sodium carbonate. If the acidic comonomer is present at a concentration of less than 10%, the composition cannot be washed out completely with an aqueous base. If the acidic comonomer is present at a concentration greater than 30%, the composition is not very durable under the development conditions and partial development occurs in the image area. Suitable acidic comonomers include ethylenically unsaturated monocarboxylic acids such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, crotonic acid, and ethylenically unsaturated dicarboxylic acids such as fumaric acid, itaconic acid, citraconic acid, vinyl succinic acid, maleic acid, and These hemiesters, optionally these anhydrides and mixtures thereof are included. A methacrylic polymer is preferred to an acrylic polymer because it burns more cleanly in a low oxygen atmosphere.

  When the non-acidic comonomers are the alkyl acrylates or alkyl methacrylates described above, these non-acidic comonomers preferably constitute at least 50% by weight of the polymer binder, preferably 70-75%. If the non-acidic comonomer is styrene or substituted styrene, these non-acidic comonomers may constitute 50% by weight of the polymer binder, with the remaining 50% by weight being an acid anhydride such as a hemiester of maleic anhydride. preferable. A preferred substituted styrene is α-methylstyrene.

  Although not preferred, the non-acidic portion of the polymer binder can contain up to about 50% by weight of other non-acidic comonomers in place of the alkyl acrylate, alkyl methacrylate, styrene, or substituted styrene portions of the polymer. Examples include acrylonitrile, vinyl acetate, and acrylamide. However, since it is more difficult to burn them completely, it is preferred to use less than about 25% by weight of such monomers in the total polymer binder. The use of a single copolymer or combination of copolymers as a binder is permitted as long as each of these meets the various criteria described above. In addition to the above copolymers, other polymer binders can be added in small amounts. Examples of these are polyolefins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, polyisobutylene and ethylene-propylene copolymers, polyvinyl alcohol polymers (PVA), polyvinyl pyrrolidone polymers (PVP), copolymers of vinyl alcohol and vinyl pyrrolidone, and lower grades such as polyethylene oxide. Mention may be made of polyethers which are alkylene oxide polymers.

  Acidic comonomers provide the polymer with reactive sites for introducing reactive molecules such as photocrosslinkable functional units. This is achieved by using 2-20% of the carboxylic acid containing moiety that reacts with the reactive molecule containing the vinyl unit, as shown in the following figure. The final polymer has repeating units as shown. These polymers are well known to those skilled in the art.

Wherein R ₁ , R ₂ and R ₄ are a methyl group or hydrogen, or a mixture thereof;
R ₃ is a linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl group that can contain aromatic groups or other atoms, such as oxygen;
R ₅ is alkyl (C ₁ -C ₁₀ ). )

  The polymers described herein can be produced by those skilled in the art of acrylate polymerization by commonly used solution polymerization techniques. Typically, such acidic acrylate polymers comprise a relatively low boiling point □-or □ -ethylenically unsaturated acid (acidic comonomer) and one or more copolymerizable vinyl monomers (non-acidic comonomer). Mix in an organic solvent (75-150 ° C.) to obtain a 10-60% monomer mixture solution, then add a polymerization catalyst and heat the mixture to the reflux temperature of the solution under standard pressure to polymerize the monomers. Is generated. After the polymerization reaction is completely completed, the resulting acidic polymer solution is cooled to room temperature.

  Reactive molecules, free radical polymerization inhibitors, and catalysts are added to the cooled polymer solution described above. The solution is stirred until the reaction is complete. Optionally, the solution can be heated to increase the rate of reaction. After the reaction is complete and the reactive molecules are chemically bonded to the polymer backbone, the polymer solution is cooled to room temperature, a sample is collected, and the polymer viscosity, molecular weight, and acid equivalent are measured.

  Furthermore, the weight average molecular weight of the polymer binder is in the range of 2000-250,000, and any range is included therein. The molecular weight of the polymer binder will depend on the application. Weights less than 10,000 are generally useful for paste compositions and, if higher than 10,000, are generally useful for tapes or sheets. Polymers having a molecular weight of less than 10,000 generally have a low film forming ability. They can be used for tape formation, but generally need to be mixed with other compatible high molecular weight polymers to form films or tapes.

  The total polymer in the composition is in the range of 5 to 70% by weight with respect to the total composition, and any range is included therein.

B. Photocurable Monomers Conventional photocurable methacrylate monomers can be used in the present invention. Depending on the application, it is not always necessary to include a monomer in the composition of the present invention. The monomer component is present in an amount of 1 to 20% by weight, based on the total weight of the dried photopolymerizable layer. Such preferred monomers include t-butyl acrylate and methacrylate, 1,5-pentanediol diacrylate and dimethacrylate, N, N-diethylaminoethyl acrylate and methacrylate, ethylene glycol diacrylate and dimethacrylate, 1,4-butane. Diol diacrylate and dimethacrylate, diethylene glycol diacrylate and dimethacrylate, hexamethylene glycol diacrylate and dimethacrylate, 1,3-propanediol diacrylate and dimethacrylate, decamethylene glycol diacrylate and dimethacrylate, 1,4-cyclohexanediol Diacrylate and dimethacrylate, 2,2-dimethylolpropane diacryl And dimethacrylate, glycerol diacrylate and dimethacrylate, tripropylene glycol diacrylate and dimethacrylate, glycerol triacrylate and trimethacrylate, trimethylolpropane triacrylate and trimethacrylate, pentaerythritol triacrylate and trimethacrylate, polyoxyethylated trimethylol Propane triacrylate and trimethacrylate, and compounds similar to those disclosed in US Pat. No. 6,057,056, 2,2-di (p-hydroxy-phenyl) -propanediacrylate, pentaerythritol tetraacrylate and tetramethacrylate, 2,2 -Di- (p-hydroxyphenyl) -propane dimethacrylate, triethyleneglycol Diacrylate, polyoxyethyl-2,2-di- (p-hydroxyphenyl) propane dimethacrylate, di- (3-methacryloxy-2-hydroxypropyl) ether of bisphenol-A, di- (2 of bisphenol-A -Methacryloxyethyl) ether, di- (3-acryloxy-2-hydroxypropyl) ether of bisphenol-A, di- (2-acryloxyethyl) ether of bisphenol A, di- (1,4-butanediol) 3-methacryloxy-2-hydroxypropyl) ether, triethylene glycol dimethacrylate, polyoxypropyltrimethylolpropane triacrylate, butylene glycol diacrylate and dimethacrylate, 1,2,4-butanetriol triacryle And trimethacrylate, 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol diacrylate and dimethacrylate, 1-phenylethylene-1,2-dimethacrylate, diallyl fumarate, styrene, 1,4-benzenediol Dimethacrylate, 1,4-diisopropenylbenzene, and 1,3,5-triisopropenylbenzene are included. Ethylenically unsaturated compounds having a weight average molecular weight of at least 300, such as alkylene, or polyalkylene glycol diacrylates prepared from alkylene glycols having 2 to 15 carbons, or polyalkylene ethers having 1 to 10 ether linkages Also useful are glycols and those disclosed in US Pat. No. 6,057,049, such as those having multiple free radical polymerizable ethylene linkages, particularly when present as terminal linkages. Particularly preferred monomers are polyoxyethylated trimethylolpropane triacrylate, ethylated pentaerythritol triacrylate, dipentaerythritol monohydroxypentaacrylate, and 1,10-decanediol dimethacrylate.

C. Photoinitiation systems Suitable photoinitiation systems are those that generate free radicals by exposure to actinic radiation at ambient temperature. These include substituted or unsubstituted polynuclear quinones, which are compounds having two endocyclic carbon atoms in a conjugated carbocyclic ring system, such as 2-benzyl-2- (dimethylamino) -1- (4 -Morpholinophenyl) -1-butanone, 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone, 9,10-anthraquinone, 2-methylanthraquinone, 2-ethylanthraquinone, 2-t-butylanthraquinone, octamethylanthraquinone, 1,4 Naphthoquinone, 9,10-phenanthrenequinone, benz (a) anthracene-7,12-dione, 2,3-naphthacene-5,12-dione, 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone, 1,4-dimethyl- Anthraquinone, 2,3-dimethylanthraquinone, 2-phenylanthraquinone, 2,3-diphenylan Rakinon, Retenkinon, 7,8,9,10 tetrahydronaphthyl tiger 5,12-dione, and 1,2,3,4 there is tetrahydrobenz (a) anthracene-7,12-dione. Other photoinitiators, i.e., some of them may become thermally active at temperatures as low as 85 ° C, but other photoinitiators that are also useful are described in US Pat. Benzoin, pivaloin, acyloin ethers, vicinal ketaldonyl alcohols such as benzoin methyl and ethyl ether; α hydrocarbon substituted aromatic acyloins including α-methyl benzoin, α-allyl benzoin, and α-phenyl benzoin, thioxanthone And / or thioxanthone derivatives, and suitable hydrogen donors thereof. Photoreductive dyes and reducing agents disclosed in Patent Documents 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 and phenazines, oxazines, and quinones as described in Patent Documents 17, 18, and 19 2,4,5-Triphenylimidazolyl dimers with classified dyes, Michler ketones, benzophenones, hydrogen donors, including leuco dyes, and mixtures thereof can be used as initiators. Along with the photoinitiator and the photoinhibitor, the sensitizer disclosed in Patent Document 20 is also useful. The photoinitiator or photoinhibitor system is present at 0.05 to 10% by weight, based on the total weight of the dried photopolymerizable layer.

D. Solvent The solvent component of the organic medium can be a mixture of solvents and is selected to give a complete solution containing the polymer and other organic components. The solvent should be inert (non-reactive) to the other components of the composition. In pastes that are screen printable and photoimageable, the solvent is sufficiently volatile so that the solvent can be evaporated from the dispersion by applying a relatively low level of heat at atmospheric pressure. Although, this solvent should not be so volatile that the paste dries quickly on the screen at normal room temperature during the printing process. Preferred solvents used in the paste composition should have a boiling point below 300 ° C., preferably below 250 ° C. under atmospheric pressure. Such solvents include aliphatic alcohols, esters of such alcohols, such as acetates and propionates; terpenes such as pine oil and α- or β-terpineol, or mixtures thereof; ethylene glycol monobutyl ether and butyl cellosolve Ethylene glycol and its esters such as acetate; carbitol esters such as butyl carbitol, butyl carbitol acetate and carbitol acetate, and Texanol® (2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol mono Other suitable solvents such as isobutyrate) are included. In the case of cast tape, the solvent has a lower boiling point than the solvent used in the screen printable paste. Such solvents include ethyl acetate, methanol, isopropanol, acetone, xylene, ethanol, methyl ethyl ketone, and toluene.

E. Other Additives Often the organic medium will also contain one or more plasticizers. Such plasticizers help ensure good lamination to the substrate and increase the developability of the unexposed areas of the composition. The choice of plasticizer is largely determined by the polymer that must be modified. Among the plasticizers that have been used in various binder systems are diethyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, butyl benzyl phthalate, dibenzyl phthalate, alkyl phosphate, polyalkylene glycol, glycerol, poly (ethylene oxide), hydroxyethylated alkylphenols, There are tricresyl phosphate triethylene glycol diacetate and polyester plasticizers. Additional ingredients known in the art may also be present in the composition, including suspending agents, stabilizers, mold release agents, dispersants, release agents, antifoaming agents, and wetting agents. A schematic disclosure of suitable materials is given in US Pat.

General Paste Preparation Typically, the thick film composition is formulated to have a paste-like consistency, which is referred to as a “paste”. In general, the paste is prepared by mixing the organic vehicle, monomer, and other organic components in a mixing vessel under a yellow light. Inorganic material is then added to the organic component mixture. The entire composition is then mixed until the inorganic powder is wetted by the organic material. The mixture is then roll milled using a three roll mill. The viscosity of the paste at this point can be adjusted with an appropriate vehicle or solvent to achieve the optimum viscosity for processing.

  Care should be taken in the paste composition preparation process and the part preparation process to avoid such contamination, since any contamination can cause defects.

General Firing Profile The compositions of the present invention can be processed by using a firing profile. The firing profile is well within the knowledge of those skilled in the art of thick film technology. Removal of the organic medium and sintering of the inorganic material depends on the firing profile. The profile will determine whether the media has been substantially removed from the finished product and whether the inorganic material has been substantially sintered in the finished product. As used herein, the term “substantially” means at least 95% media removal and inorganic material to such an extent as to provide at least appropriate resistivity or conductivity for the intended usage or application. This means that the sintering was performed.

General Tape Preparation The composition of the present invention can be used in the form of a tape. If the composition is to be used in the form of a tape, a slip is prepared and used in tape casting. Slip is a general term used in the composition during tape making and is a properly dispersed mixture of inorganic powders dispersed in an organic medium. A common way to achieve good dispersion of inorganic powders in organic media is by using a conventional ball milling method. Ball milling consists of a ceramic milling jar and a milling medium (typically spherical or cylindrical alumina or zirconia pellets). Place the entire mixture in a milling jar and add milling media. After the jar is closed with a leak-proof lid, the jar is rolled to create a milling motion of the milling media inside the jar at a rotational speed that optimizes mixing efficiency. The length of rotation is the time required to obtain sufficiently dispersed inorganic particles to meet performance specifications. The slip can be attached to the substrate by a blade or bar coating method and then ambient or heat dried. The thickness of the coating after drying can range from 2-3 microns to tens of microns, depending on the application.

  The tape can be laminated with a cover sheet and then wound up as a wide stock roll. A terephthalate PET film coated with silicone, polypropylene, or polyethylene can be used as the cover sheet. The cover sheet is removed before being laminated to the final substrate.

Application Example of Flat Panel Display The present invention includes a black electrode formed from the above black conductive composition. The black electrodes of the present invention can preferably be used in flat panel display applications, and in particular in AC plasma display panel devices. The black electrode can be formed between the device substrate and the conductor electrode array.

  In one embodiment, the electrodes of the present invention are used in AC PDP applications as described below. It is understood that the compositions and electrodes of the present invention can be used in other flat panel display applications, and that the description in the AC PDP device is not intended to be limiting. An example of the black electrode of the present invention used in an AC plasma display panel will be described below. This description includes a two-layer electrode including a black electrode between the substrate and the conductor electrode (bus electrode). It is further understood that a single layer electrode can be formed if the black composition comprises an additional optional one or more noble metals, typically silver. Also, an outline of a method for fabricating an AC plasma display panel device will be given.

  The AC plasma display panel device includes a front and rear dielectric substrates having a gap, and an electrode array containing parallel first and second electrode complex groups in a discharge space filled with an ionized gas. The first and second electrode complex groups face each other so as to intersect each other with a discharge space at the center. A specific electrode pattern is formed on the surface of the dielectric substrate, and the dielectric material is coated on the electrode array on at least one side of the dielectric substrate. In this device, a conductor electrode array group connected to a bus conductor on the same substrate is attached to at least the electrode composite on the front dielectric substrate, and the black electrode of the present invention is interposed between the substrate and the conductor electrode array. Form.

  FIG. 1 illustrates the black electrode of the present invention in an AC PDP. FIG. 1 shows an AC PDP using the black electrode of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the AC PDP device includes the following components: a lower transparent electrode (1) formed on a glass substrate (5) and a black electrode (10 formed on the transparent electrode (1)). (The black conductive composition of the present invention is used for the black electrode (10)) and the bus electrode (7) formed on the black electrode (10) (the bus electrode (7) is made of Au, Ag, A photosensitive conductor composition containing conductive metal particles from a metal selected from Pd, Pt, and Cu or combinations thereof (which will be described in detail below). The black electrode (10) and the bus conductor electrode (7) are exposed as a pattern with actinic radiation to form a pattern, developed in a basic aqueous solution, baked at high temperature to remove organic components, and inorganic Sinter the material. The black electrode (10) and the bus conductor electrode (7) are patterned using the same or very similar images. Finally, a fired highly conductive electrode composite is obtained, which appears black on the surface of the transparent electrode (1), and when placed on the front glass substrate, reflection of external light is suppressed.

  As used herein, the term “black” means a dark color with a significant visual contrast against a white background. Therefore, this term is not necessarily limited to black, which means that no color exists. The degree of “blackness” can be measured with a colorimeter to determine the L value. The L value represents luminance, where 100 is pure white and 0 is pure black. Although shown in FIG. 1, the transparent electrode described below is not necessarily required when forming the plasma display device of the present invention.

If a transparent electrode is used, SnO ₂ or ITO is used to form this transparent electrode (1) by chemical vapor deposition or electrodeposition such as ion sputtering or ion plating. In the present invention, the components of the transparent electrode and the method of forming the transparent electrode are based on conventional AC PDP production techniques well known to those skilled in the art.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the AC PDP device of the present invention is based on a glass substrate having a dielectric coating layer (8) and a MgO coating layer (11) on the patterned and fired metallization.

  Conductor lines are uniform in line width, have no dents or breaks, and have high electrical conductivity, optical clarity, and good transparency between the lines.

  Next, a method for producing both a bus electrode and a black electrode on an optional transparent electrode on the glass substrate of the front plate of the PDP device will be illustrated.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the formation method of one Embodiment of this invention includes a series of processes ((A)-(E)).

(A) A photosensitive thick film composition for forming a black electrode on a transparent electrode (1) formed using SnO ₂ or ITO on a glass substrate (5) according to a conventional method known to those skilled in the art. A process of depositing a physical layer (10) and then drying the thick film composition layer (10) in a nitrogen or air atmosphere. The black electrode composition is the lead-free black conductive composition of the present invention (FIG. 2 (A)).

  (B) A photosensitive thick film conductor composition (7) for forming a bus electrode is attached to the first attached black electrode composition layer (10), and then the thick film composition layer (7). Is dried in a nitrogen or air atmosphere. The photosensitive thick film conductive composition is shown below (FIG. 2B).

  (C) The first deposited black electrode composition layer (10) and the second bus electrode composition layer (7) are transparent electrodes using exposure conditions that provide an accurate electrode pattern after their development. 1. Imagewise exposure with actinic radiation (typically an ultraviolet source) through a phototool or target (13) having a shape corresponding to the pattern of black and bus electrodes arranged to correlate with (1) ( FIG. 2 (C)).

  (D) In a basic aqueous solution such as a 0.4% by weight sodium carbonate aqueous solution or other alkaline aqueous solution, the first black conductive composition layer (10) and the second bus electrode composition layer (7). A process for developing the exposed portions (10a, 7a). This process removes the unexposed parts (10b, 7b) of the layer (10, 7). The exposed portions (10a, 7a) remain (FIG. 2D). Next, the developed product is dried.

  (E) Then, after the process (D), the component is fired at a temperature of 450 to 650 ° C. depending on the substrate material to sinter the inorganic binder and the conductive component (FIG. 2 (E)). .

  The formation method of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. For convenience, the numbers assigned to the parts in FIG. 3 are the same as those in FIG. The method of the second embodiment includes a series of processes (A ′ to H ′).

A '. On the glass substrate (5), on the transparent electrode (1) formed using SnO ₂ or ITO according to a conventional method known to those skilled in the art, a photosensitive thick film composition layer ( The process of depositing 10) and then drying this thick film composition layer (10) in a nitrogen or air atmosphere. The black electrode composition is the lead-free black conductive composition of the present invention (FIG. 3A).

  B '. The first deposited black electrode composition layer (10) is patterned into a black electrode pattern arranged to correlate with the transparent electrode (1) using exposure conditions that yield an accurate black electrode pattern after its development. Through a phototool or target (13) having a corresponding shape, exposure is carried out image-wise with actinic radiation (typically an ultraviolet source) (FIG. 3B).

  C '. In order to remove the unexposed part (10b) of the layer (10), the first black conductive composition layer (10) in a basic aqueous solution such as a 0.4% by weight sodium carbonate aqueous solution or other alkaline aqueous solution. A process of developing the exposed portion (10a) of FIG. 3 (FIG. 3C). Next, the developed product is dried.

  D '. Then, after the process (C ′), these parts are fired at a temperature of 450 to 650 ° C. depending on the substrate material to sinter the inorganic binder and the conductive component (FIG. 3D).

  E '. The photosensitive thick film composition layer (7) for forming the bus electrode is attached to the black electrode (10a) of the fired and patterned portion (10a) of the first photosensitive thick film composition layer (10). And then drying in a nitrogen or air atmosphere (FIG. 3E). The photosensitive thick film conductor composition will be described below.

  F '. The second deposited bus electrode composition layer (7) was aligned to correlate with the transparent electrode (1) and the black electrode (10a) using exposure conditions that yielded an accurate electrode pattern after its development. Through a photo tool or target (13) having a shape corresponding to the pattern of the bus electrode, exposure is carried out image-wise with actinic radiation (typically an ultraviolet ray source) (FIG. 3 (F)).

  G '. In order to remove the unexposed part (7b) of the layer (7), the second bus conductive composition layer (7) in a basic aqueous solution such as a 0.4% by weight sodium carbonate aqueous solution or other alkaline aqueous solution. A process of developing the exposed portion (7a) of FIG. 3 (G). Next, the developed product is dried.

  H '. Then, after the process (G ′), these parts are fired at a temperature of 450 to 650 ° C. depending on the substrate material to sinter the inorganic binder and the conductive component (FIG. 3 (H)).

  The third embodiment (not shown) includes a series of processes ((i) to (v)) shown below. This embodiment is particularly useful for single layer electrode applications.

  (I) A process of placing a black electrode composition on a substrate. This black electrode composition is the above-described black conductive composition of the present invention.

  (Ii) A process of placing the photosensitive conductive composition on the substrate. This photosensitive conductive composition will be described below.

  (Iii) A process of fixing the electrode pattern by exposing the black composition and the conductive composition image-wise with actinic radiation.

  (Iv) A process of developing the exposed black composition and conductive composition with a basic aqueous solution in order to remove areas not exposed to actinic radiation.

  (V) A process of firing the developed conductive composition.

  The front glass substrate assembly formed as described above can be used for AC PDP. For example, referring again to FIG. 1, after forming the transparent electrode (1) on the front glass substrate (5) in association with the black electrode (10) and the bus electrode (7), the front glass substrate assembly is assembled with the dielectric layer. Cover with (8) and then cover with MgO layer (11). Next, the front glass substrate (5) is combined with the rear glass substrate (6). Along with the formation of the cell barrier (4), several display cells screen-printed with phosphor are fixed on the back glass (6). The electrodes formed on the front substrate assembly intersect the address electrodes formed on the rear glass substrate. The discharge space formed between the front glass substrate (5) and the rear glass substrate (6) is sealed with a glass sealant, and at the same time, the mixed discharge gas is sealed in the space. The AC PDP device is assembled in this way.

Next, the bus conductive composition for bus electrodes will be described below.
The bus conductive composition used in the present invention may be a commercially available photosensitive thick film conductive composition. As described above, the bus conductive composition comprises (a) conductive metal particles of at least one metal selected from Au, Ag, Pd, Pt, and Cu, and combinations thereof; and (b) at least One inorganic binder, (c) a photoinitiator, and (d) a photocurable monomer. In one embodiment of the present invention, the bus conductive composition includes Ag.

  The conductive phase is the main component of the above composition comprising silver particles, typically in the range of 0.05 to 20 μm (microns), in random or flake form. Although the bus conductive composition is described herein in connection with one embodiment comprising silver particles, this is not intended to be limiting. When an ultraviolet polymerizable medium is used with this composition, the silver particles should have a particle size in the range of 0.3 to 10 microns. A preferred composition should contain 65 to 75 weight percent silver particles based on the total thick film paste.

  In addition to Ag, the silver conductive composition for forming the bus electrode contains 0 to 10% by weight of a glass binder and / or 0% of a refractory material that does not form glass or a precursor, if necessary. You may contain -10weight%. Examples of glass binders include the lead-free glass binders described above. Examples of refractory materials that do not form glass and precursors include alumina, copper oxide, gadolinium oxide, tantalum oxide, niobium oxide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, cobalt iron chromium oxide, aluminum, copper, and various commercially available inorganic pigments. It is.

  In addition to such main components, the purpose of adding the second, third, and more inorganic additives is to control the pattern shape, suppress or promote sintering during firing, maintain adhesion, Controlling the diffusion of metal components, preventing discoloration in the vicinity of the bus electrode, controlling resistance, controlling the thermal expansion coefficient, maintaining mechanical strength, and the like. The type and amount are selected as necessary within a range that does not significantly adversely affect the basic performance.

  Furthermore, the silver electroconductive composition may contain 10 to 30% by weight of a photosensitive medium in which the particulate material is dispersed. Such a photosensitive medium may be a solution of polymethyl methacrylate and a polyfunctional monomer. This monomer is selected from those with low volatility to minimize evaporation during the preparation of the silver conductive composition paste and during the printing / drying process prior to UV curing. The photosensitive medium may contain a solvent and an ultraviolet initiator. Preferred UV polymerizable media include polymers based on methyl methacrylate / ethyl acrylate in a 95/5 ratio (weight basis). The above-mentioned silver conductive composition has a viscosity of 10 to 200 Pa · s in the case of a free-flowing paste.

  Suitable solvents for such media are, but are not limited to, butyl carbitol acetate, Texanol®, and β-terpineol. Additional solvents that can be useful include those listed in the organic medium of section (G) above. Such media can be treated with dispersants, stabilizers, and the like.

Test Procedures Used in the Examples Black Thickness After Drying The dry film thickness of the black electrode was measured at four different points using a contact profilometer such as Tencor Alpha Step 2000.

Ag / black thickness after drying An Ag electrode was printed on the dried black electrode and then dried. The thickness of the black / Ag composite layer was measured by the same method as that for the black electrode.

Line Resolution The imaged sample is examined using a zoom microscope with a minimum magnification of 20 × and an eyepiece magnification of 10 ×. The finest group of lines that are completely intact with no short circuit (connection between lines) or open circuit (complete break in the line) is the line resolution defined for the sample.

4 Mil Line Thickness The film thickness after firing is measured with respect to the 4 mil line width used for resistivity measurements. The measurement is performed using a contact profilometer.

4 mil line edge curl When measuring the film thickness of a 4 mil line, protrusions in the shape of devil's corners may be observed on the edge, and the length of the devil's corners is called edge curl. If the edge curl is large, after the transparent dielectric material is formed by printing, laminating, or coating and then fired, air bubbles can easily enter and lead to dielectric breakage, so edge curl is undesirable. Most preferably, there is no edge curl, that is, the edge curl is 0 μm. Even with current lead-containing conductive compositions, the edge curl has been found to be about 1-3 μm.

Peeling The degree of lift that occurs at the corners of the pattern after firing is observed under a microscope and classified as no, low, medium, medium-high (or medium-high), and high. It is observed that currently available lead-containing conductive compositions have a low level of corner lift. Most preferably, there are no corner lifts.

Blister formation The degree of blister formation after firing is observed under a microscope and is classified into low, low medium, medium, medium high, and high levels. Low and medium levels of blister formation are observed with currently available lead-containing conductive compositions. Most preferred is no blister formation.

L value of Ag / black two layers After firing, the blackness viewed from the back of the glass substrate is measured. For blackness, the color (L ^* ) is measured using a calibrated colorimeter (Minolta CR-300) using a standard white plate. L ^* represents lightness, where 0 is pure black and 100 is pure white.

L value of single (black only) layer A glass substrate free of ITO coating is coated with a black electrode as in (1) above and dried. Each of the processes (2), (3), and (4) is omitted, and the dry black electrode thus obtained is fired under the same conditions as in the process (5) to obtain a single solid fired black electrode. Form a layer. After firing, the blackness viewed from the back of the glass substrate is measured using a colorimeter (Minolta CR-300) under the conditions used in the case of the L value of the above Ag / black two layers. , 0 is pure black and 100 is pure white.

Black resistance (Ω)
In this evaluation, the resistance of the black electrode is measured. This method is used to confirm the conductivity of the black layer after firing. Using the test part described above (single layer L value), the resistance of the black electrode fired film is measured using a resistance meter having a probe distance of about 4 cm. Using this device, the maximum resistance that can be measured is 1 GΩ.

Black / Ag resistivity (mΩ / 5 μm ² )
This is the sheet resistance value (mΩ / 5 μm ² ) per unit of the film thickness (5 μm) after firing. This value is equal to twice the so-called specific resistance (μΩ · cm). When using the current lead-containing black conductive composition (DuPont DC243 paste) and Ag electrode (DC209), this value has been found to be about 11-13 mΩ / 5 μm ² . The lower this value, the better.

Glossary of materials used in the examples Organic component Monomer A: Monomer TMPEOTA (trimethylolpropane ethoxytriacrylate)
Solvent A: Solvent, Texanol
Organic additive A: additive, malonic acid Organic additive B: additive BHT

Bi glass frit A
SiO ₂ 7.1 weight% SA: 2.5~3.3m ² / g
Al ₂ O ₃ 2.1
CaO 0.5 PSD D50: 0.7 to 0.83 μm
ZnO 12.0
B ₂ O ₃ 8.4
Bi ₂ O ₃ 69.9

Preparation of compositions used in the examples Preparation of photosensitive, wet developable pastes.

(A) Preparation of organic material Solvent and acrylic polymer are mixed, stirred and heated to 100 ° C. to achieve complete dissolution of the binder polymer. The resulting solution is cooled to 80 ° C., the remaining organic components are added, and the mixture is stirred to achieve complete dissolution of all solids. The material is then filtered through a 325-mesh screen and cooled.

(B) Preparation of Paste A paste is prepared by mixing an organic vehicle, one or more monomers, and other organic components in a mixing vessel under a yellow light. The inorganic material is then added to the mixture of organic components. The entire composition is then mixed until the inorganic powder is wetted by the organic material. This mixture is roll milled using a three roll mill. At this point, the viscosity of the paste can be adjusted by using an appropriate vehicle or solvent to obtain a viscosity for optimal processing.

  Care is taken to avoid such contaminated contamination during the paste composition preparation process and the preparation of the parts, as contaminated contamination can lead to defects.

(C) Preparation conditions (1) Formation of black electrode Depending on the composition and the desired thickness after drying, a 200-400 mesh screen is used to attach the paste to the glass substrate by screen printing. The black paste of the example was attached to a glass substrate by screen printing using a 350 mesh polyester screen. A partial product to be tested as a two-layer structure was prepared on a glass substrate on which a transparent electrode (thin film ITO) is formed (the partial product to be tested as a single-layer (black only) structure has no ITO coating) Prepared on a glass substrate). Subsequently, the partial product was dried at 80 ° C. for 20 minutes in a warm air circulating furnace to form a black electrode having a dry film thickness of 2 to 6 μm.

  The part to be tested as a single layer (black only) structure was then fired (see process 5).

  The parts to be tested as a two-layer structure were then processed as shown below (see processes 2-5).

(2) Formation of Bus Conductive Electrode Next, Ag conductive paste capable of forming an optical image was overprinted on the two-layer part by screen printing using a 325 stainless steel mesh screen. In the following examples, this photoimageable Ag conductive paste is a photosensitive Ag containing 0.5% by weight of bismuth glass frit A and 70% by weight of Ag powder (average particle size: 1.3 μm). It is a paste. The part is dried again at a temperature of 80 ° C. for 20 minutes. The dry film thickness is 6-10 μm. The dry film thickness for the two-layer structure is 10-16 μm.

(3) Ultraviolet pattern exposure The two-layer parts were exposed through a photo tool using a parallel ultraviolet light source (illuminance: 5-20 mW / cm ² , exposure energy: 400 mj / cm ² , contact exposure).

(4) Development The exposed part was developed using a conveyor-installed spray processor containing a 0.5 wt% aqueous sodium carbonate solution as a developer solution. The temperature of the developer solution was maintained at 30 ° C. and the developer solution was sprayed at 10-20 psi. The part was subjected to a development time of 20 seconds (corresponding to 3 to 4 times TTC). The developed part was dried by blowing off excess water with a forced air stream.

(5) Firing The dried parts were then fired in a belt furnace in an air atmosphere using a 2.5 hour profile reaching a peak temperature of 550 ° C. or 500 ° C. for 10 minutes.

  In the following examples, the electrode preparation conditions are as shown in the above (1) to (5).

Application Examples 1-10
The Ag conductive paste used in these examples was Ag paste A. The black conductive composition was prepared with a range of black conductive oxide powder.

In Examples 2 to 10, a conductive oxide powder having a low specific surface area to weight ratio (<1 m ² / g) was used. In Example 1, the same conductive oxide powder as in Example 2 was used, but the ratio of specific surface area to weight was remarkably large (13 m ² / g). All the compositions used contained the same glass binder (Bi glass frit A). The details of the black paste composition tested are shown in Table 1. Using the above processes (1) to (5), a test part of a bus electrode-black electrode two-layer structure and a test part of a single-layer black electrode were prepared and investigated for various characteristics. All parts were fired to a peak temperature of 550 ° C. unless otherwise indicated.

  The photosensitive Ag paste used for the upper-layer Ag electrode contained 70% Ag powder (average particle size: about 1.3 μm) and 0.5% Bi glass frit A.

  The results are shown in Table 2.

  The optical properties (as determined by the line resolution) of all examples (1-10) are similar to the control example (DC243 / DC209).

  In all properties, Example 1 functions similarly to the control example (DC243 / DC209).

  Comparing Examples 1 and 2, when the ruthenic acid Ba conductive SA is high, the black color and the conductivity are improved.

  Some examples (5-10) showed high levels of blister formation when fired at 550 ° C. When fired at 500 ° C., the level of blister formation was significantly reduced.

Application Examples 11 to 19
Another example was prepared based on the following black conductive powder.

  Examples 11 to 15 contained 14% by weight of conductive oxide. In Examples 16-19, the conductivity level was doubled to 28 wt%.

  Table 3 shows the detailed compositions of Examples 11 to 19.

  All of Examples 2-10 used low conductivity of SA, their L value was high and the conductivity of black only was> 1 GΩ. Examples 11-19 are either by using a black conductivity with a higher SA and / or using a higher level of black conductivity in the paste and / or using a thicker black electrode. Designed to show that L value and black conductivity can be improved.

  Therefore, Examples 11 to 19 were tested with a single layer (black only) configuration.

  All examples show that the L value decreases as the thickness of the black electrode increases, except when the L value is already low (<10). All the examples show that the L value decreases when the conductivity level in the black electrode increases, unless the L value is already low (<10).

  In Examples 1-2 and 13-14, as the black conductive SA increases, the L value decreases.

  Examples 17-18 show that the black resistance decreases as the black electrode thickness increases.

  Examples 13-17 and 14-18 show that the black resistance decreases as the conductivity level in the black electrode increases.

  Examples 1 and 2 show that black resistance decreases as black conductive SA increases.

1 is an enlarged perspective view schematically showing an AC PDP device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. On the glass substrate (5), on the transparent electrode (1) formed using SnO ₂ or ITO according to conventional methods known to those skilled in the art, a photosensitive thick film composition layer ( Figure 10 shows the steps of depositing 10) and then drying the thick film composition layer (10) in a nitrogen or air atmosphere. A photosensitive thick film conductor composition (7) for forming a bus electrode is attached to the first attached black electrode composition layer (10), and then the thick film composition layer (7) is attached to nitrogen. Or it is a figure which shows the step dried in an air atmosphere. The first deposited black electrode composition layer (10) and the second bus electrode composition layer (7) are exposed to transparent electrode (1) using exposure conditions that yield an accurate electrode pattern after their development. Shows a step of imagewise exposure with actinic radiation (typically a UV source) through a phototool or target (13) having a shape corresponding to the pattern of black and bus electrodes arranged to correlate with It is. Exposed portions of the first black conductive composition layer (10) and the second bus electrode composition layer (7) in a basic aqueous solution such as 0.4% by weight sodium carbonate aqueous solution or other alkaline aqueous solution It is a figure which shows the step which develops (10a, 7a). It is a figure which shows the step which bakes a partial goods at the temperature of 450-650 degreeC according to a board | substrate material, and sinters an inorganic binder and an electroconductive component. On the glass substrate (5), on the transparent electrode (1) formed using SnO ₂ or ITO according to a conventional method known to those skilled in the art, a photosensitive thick film composition layer ( Figure 10 shows the steps of depositing 10) and then drying this thick film composition layer (10) in a nitrogen or air atmosphere. The first deposited black electrode composition layer (10) is patterned into a black electrode pattern arranged to correlate with the transparent electrode (1) using exposure conditions that yield an accurate black electrode pattern after its development. FIG. 6 shows image-wise exposure with actinic radiation (typically a UV source) through a phototool or target (13) having a corresponding shape. In order to remove the unexposed part (10b) of the layer (10), the first black conductive composition layer (10) in a basic aqueous solution such as a 0.4% by weight sodium carbonate aqueous solution or other alkaline aqueous solution. It is a figure which shows the step which develops the exposed part (10a). It is a figure which shows the step which bakes a partial goods at the temperature of 450-650 degreeC according to a board | substrate material, and sinters an inorganic binder and an electroconductive component. The photosensitive thick film composition layer (7) for forming the bus electrode is attached to the black electrode (10a) of the fired and patterned portion (10a) of the first photosensitive thick film composition layer (10). FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a step of drying in a nitrogen or air atmosphere. The second deposited bus electrode composition layer (7) was aligned to correlate with the transparent electrode (1) and the black electrode (10a) using exposure conditions that yielded an accurate electrode pattern after its development. FIG. 5 shows a step of imagewise exposure with actinic radiation (typically an ultraviolet source) through a phototool or target (13) having a shape corresponding to the pattern of bus electrodes. In order to remove the unexposed part (7b) of the layer (7), the second bus conductive composition layer (7) in a basic aqueous solution such as a 0.4% by weight sodium carbonate aqueous solution or other alkaline aqueous solution. It is a figure which shows the step which develops the exposed part (7a). It is a figure which shows the step which bakes a partial goods at the temperature of 450-650 degreeC according to a board | substrate material, and sinters an inorganic binder and an electroconductive component.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Transparent electrode 5 Glass substrate 7 Bus conductor electrode 7a Exposed part 7b Unexposed part 8 Dielectric layer 10 Black electrode (photosensitive thick film electrode layer)
10a Exposed part 10b Unexposed part 11 MgO layer 13 Photo tool (target)

Claims (15)

(I) Fine particles of an inorganic substance,
(A) having a metallic or semi-metallic conductivity selected from oxides of two or more elements selected from Ba, Ru, Ca, Cu, Sr, Bi, Pb and rare earth metals And a metal oxide having a surface to weight ratio of 2 to 20 m ² / g;
(B) The glass transition temperature is in the range of 300 to 600 ° C., the ratio of the surface area to the weight is 10 m ² / g or less, and at least 85% by weight of the particles have a size in the range of 0.1 to 10 μm. Fine particles of an inorganic substance containing an inorganic binder having
(II) (a) an aqueous developable photocrosslinkable polymer that is a copolymer, interpolymer, or mixture thereof, wherein each of the copolymer or interpolymer is (1) a C _1-10 alkyl acrylate, C ₁ A non-acidic comonomer comprising _{10 to 10} alkyl methacrylate, styrene, substituted styrene, or combinations thereof, and (2) an acidic comonomer comprising an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid-containing moiety, wherein 2 to 20% of the carboxylic acid-containing moiety Reacts with a reactive molecule having first and second functional units, where the first functional unit is a vinyl group, and the second functional unit reacts with the carboxylic acid moiety to form a chemical bond. A co-monomer that has an acid content of at least 10% by weight of the total polymer weight and has a glass transition temperature There is a range of 50 to 0.99 ° C., and the polymer and forms the copolymer weight average molecular weight in the range of 2,000 to 250,000, an interpolymer or mixtures thereof,
(B) A composition which is dispersed in an organic medium containing an organic solvent.   The metal oxide having a metallic or semi-metallic conductivity is an oxide of two or more elements selected from Ba, Ru, Ca, Cu, La, Sr, Y, Nd, Bi, and Pb The composition according to claim 1, wherein the composition is selected from:   The composition of claim 1, wherein the vinyl group is selected from a methacrylate group, an acrylate group, or a mixture thereof.   The composition of claim 1, wherein the second functional unit is selected from epoxides, alcohols, amines, or mixtures thereof. The composition of claim 1, wherein the inorganic material further comprises RuO ₂ , a ruthenium-based multi-element oxide, or a mixture thereof.   The composition of claim 1, wherein the inorganic material further comprises Au, Ag, Pd, Pt, Cu, or a mixture thereof.   The composition of claim 1, wherein the organic medium further comprises a photoinitiating system.   The composition according to claim 1, wherein the organic medium further comprises a photocurable monomer. The inorganic binder is 55 to 85% of Bi ₂ O ₃ , 0 to 20% of SiO ₂ , 0 to 5% of Al ₂ O ₃ , and B ₂ O based on the weight% of the whole glass binder composition. ₃ to 2 to 20%, ZnO to 0 to 20%, one or more oxides selected from BaO, CaO, and SrO to 0 to 15%, Na ₂ O, K ₂ O, Cs ₂ O, Li 0 to 3% of one or more oxides selected from ₂ O and mixtures thereof, wherein the glass binder composition is lead-free or substantially lead-free The composition of claim 1.   The composition according to claim 1, wherein the composition is in the form of a paste suitable for screen printing.   The sheet comprising a layer of the composition according to claim 1, wherein the composition is dried to remove the organic solvent.   The composition of claim 1, wherein the composition is heated so that the organic medium is substantially removed and the inorganic material is substantially sintered. Article comprising a layer of   A black electrode formed from the composition according to claim 1.   A single-layer black electrode formed from the composition according to claim 6. A flat panel display device comprising the electrode according to any one of claims 13 and 14.

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