# US 2019/0174635 A1 · Apparatus for applying of a conductive pattern to a substrate

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- Number: US 2019/0174635 A1
- Document ID: US20190174635A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/258,892
- Filed: 2019-01-28
- Published: 2019-06-06
- Earliest claimed: 2016-07-28
- Assignees: Landa Labs (2012) Ltd.
- Applicants: Landa Labs (2012) Ltd.
- Inventors: Benzion LANDA; Haim TOUITOU; Stanislav THYGELBAUM; Naomi ELFASSY
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190174635A1

## CPC

- H05K 3/207: {using a prefabricated paste pattern, ink pattern or powder pattern}
- B41M 1/12: Stencil printing; Silk-screen printing
- H05K 1/0393: {Flexible materials (H05K1/038 takes precedence; specific organic compositions are classified in H05K1/0313 and subgroups)}
- H05K 1/092: {Dispersed materials, e.g. conductive pastes or inks}
- H05K 3/3485: Application of solder paste, slurry or powder (using printing techniques to form the desired conductive pattern of the printed circuit by applying conductive material H05K3/12)
- H05K 3/386: {by the use of an organic polymeric bonding layer, e.g. adhesive}
- H10F 71/107: {Continuous treatment of the devices, e.g. roll-to roll processes or multi-chamber deposition}
- H10F 77/1698: {the metallic or insulating substrates being flexible}
- H10F 77/211: {for photovoltaic cells}
- H10F 77/215: {Geometries of grid contacts}
- H10F 77/311: {for photovoltaic cells}
- H05K 1/0284: {Details of three-dimensional rigid printed circuit boards (H05K1/119 takes precedence; shaping of the substrate H05K3/0014)}
- H05K 1/165: {incorporating printed inductors}
- H05K 2201/0195: Dielectric or adhesive layers comprising a plurality of layers, e.g. in a multilayer structure
- H05K 2201/0338: Layered conductor, e.g. layered metal substrate, layered finish layer or layered thin film adhesion layer
- H05K 2201/035: Paste overlayer, i.e. conductive paste or solder paste over conductive layer
- H05K 2201/0391: Using different types of conductors
- H05K 2201/10098: Components for radio transmission, e.g. radio frequency identification [RFID] tag, printed or non-printed antennas
- H05K 2203/0139: Blade or squeegee, e.g. for screen printing or filling of holes
- H05K 2203/1105: Heating or thermal processing not related to soldering, firing, curing or laminating, e.g. for shaping the substrate or during finish plating
- H05K 2203/1131: Sintering, i.e. fusing of metal particles to achieve or improve electrical conductivity
- H05K 2203/1476: Same or similar kind of process performed in phases, e.g. coarse patterning followed by fine patterning
- H05K 2203/1545: Continuous processing, i.e. involving rolls moving a band-like or solid carrier along a continuous production path
- Y02E 10/50: Photovoltaic [PV] energy
- Y02E 10/52: PV systems with concentrators
- H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- B41M: PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; COLOUR PRINTING, (correction of typographical errors B41J; processes for applying transfer pictures or the like B44C1/16; fluid media for correction of typographical errors by coating C09D10/00; printing textiles D06P)
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

An apparatus is disclosed for transferring a pattern of a composition containing particles of an electrically conductive material and a thermally activated adhesive from a surface of a flexible web to a surface of a substrate. The apparatus comprises: respective drive mechanisms for advancing the web and the substrate to a nip through which the web and the substrate pass at the same time and where a pressure roller acts to press the surfaces of the web and the substrate against one another, a heating station for heating at least one of the web and the substrate prior to, or during, passage through the nip, to a temperature at which the adhesive in the composition is activated, a cooling station for cooling the web after passage through the nip, and a separating device for peeling the web away from the substrate after passage through the cooling station, to leave the pattern of composition adhered to the surface of the substrate.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus for transferring a pattern of a composition containing particles of an electrically conductive material and a thermally activated adhesive from a surface of a flexible web to a surface of a substrate, the apparatus comprising
i. respective drive mechanisms for advancing the web and the substrate to a nip through which the web and the substrate pass at the same time, a pressure roller serving to press the surfaces of the web and the substrate against one another during passage through the nip,
ii. a heating station for heating at least one of the web and the substrate prior to, or during, passage through the nip, to a temperature at which the adhesive in the composition is activated when the surfaces are in contact with one another,
iii. a cooling station for cooling the web after passage through the nip, and
iv. a separating device for peeling the web away from the substrate after passage through the cooling station to leave the pattern of composition adhered to the surface of the substrate.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drive mechanism for the web comprises a web supply roll, a web take-up roll and drive rollers for continuously driving the web from the supply roll to the take-up roll via the nip, and wherein the substrate drive mechanism comprises a stack of substrates and an indexing mechanism for feeding substrates individually from the stack to the nip in synchronism with the movement of the web.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the drive mechanism for the web further comprises a web guide to inhibit lateral movement of the web.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the substrate indexing mechanism comprises an alignment device with abutments for ensuring correct alignment of edges of the substrate along mutually orthogonal axes.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the substrate indexing mechanism includes an analyzer for detecting defects in substrates drawn from the stack and an ejector for rejecting substrates found to contain defects.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the drive mechanism of the web includes a sensor for detecting the position of patterns on the web and a dancer roller to enable the speed and/or tension of the web relative to the nip to be increased or decreased, in order to ensure correct positioning of each pattern relative to reference edges of the surface of the substrate.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heating station is a substrate heating station for heating only the substrate.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heating station for heating to the temperature is for heating the substrate to a first temperature prior to passage through the nip, and for heating the nip to a second temperature, the second temperature being lower than the first temperature.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling station includes a circulating endless cooling belt making thermal contact with the web after passage through the nip.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the cooling belt is formed of a silicone material.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising an air blower for blowing air onto the cooling belt.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling station includes an air blower for blowing air onto the web after passage through the nip.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling station includes a heat sink and a roller for ensuring contact between the web and the heat sink or between the substrate and the heat sink.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling station cools the web to a temperature of at most 60° C., when reaching the separating device.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a sintering station wherein sufficient energy is applied to sinter the electrically conductive material and render electrically conductive the composition transferred to the substrate.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising at least one finishing station to perform a further process on the substrate prior to discharge from the apparatus.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus serves to apply patterns of composition at the same time to opposite surfaces of a substrate having the form of a plate or wafer, the apparatus adapted to advance two webs each web having a respective drive mechanism, tension control mechanism, and web cooling station, and the nip being defined between two pressure rollers each serving to press a respective one of the webs against a respective surface of the substrate.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is adapted to transfer patterns of composition from a web carrying a plurality of patterns, spaced from one another along the length of the web, wherein the apparatus transfers each pattern onto a respective one of a plurality of substrates.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is adapted to transfer patterns of composition from a web to a flexible substrate.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is adapted to transfer patterns of composition from a web to a non-planar substrate.