Conductive patterns in polymeric films
AssigneePhillips Petroleum Company
InventorsTimothy W. Johnson, Mark L. Stone
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Abstract
A method is described for producing electrically-conductive paths in poly(arylene sulfide) and other polymers exhibiting differing receptivity to chemical doping agents depending upon the crystallinity of the polymer structure. Conductivity is selectively induced in amorphous regions by contacting the amorphous regions with a doping agent in solution. Selected areas of crystalline polymers are made amorphous by heat or solvent treatment.
Claims22
A method for producing conductive paths on a poly(arylene sulfide) object comprising:
- altering the polymer morphology of selected areas of the object so as to produce in such areas relatively lesser polymer crystallinity;
- and
- selectively inducing electrical conductivity in said areas of lesser polymer crystallinity.
A method comprising:
- contacting selected areas of a poly(phenylene sulfide) film with a pulsed laser beam having an intensity of at least about 0.1 joules/cm so as to heat the selected areas to a temperature above the melting point of the poly(phenylene sulfide);
- cooling the selected areas so as to produce in the selected areas a crystallinity different from that of the non-heated areas of the poly(phenylene sulfide) film;
- chemically doping those areas of the thus-treated poly(phenylene sulfide) film having a relatively lower level of crystallinity with a doping agent effective to increase the electrical conductivity of the doped areas of the poly(arylene sulfide).
A method comprising:
- contacting selected areas of a poly(arylene sulfide) film with a pulsed laser beam so as to heat the contacted areas to a temperature above that of the melting temperature of the poly(arylene sulfide);
- simultaneously, contacting the opposite side of the film with a substrate having a temperature effective for reducing the temperature of the film at a rate which will freeze thus-heated areas in an amorphous polymeric state;
- and
- inducing electrical conductivity selectively in the thus-produced amorphous areas.
An article of manufacture comprising a poly(arylene sulfide) film, the film comprising (a) regions of amorphous poly(arylene sulfide), (b) regions of crystalline poly(arylene sulfide), and (c) a chemical doping agent present in the regions of amorphous poly(arylene sulfide).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.