US 12,309,939 B2
Methods of making metal patterns on flexible substrate
Henrik B. van Lengerich, St. Paul, MN (US); Matthew S. Stay, Bloomington, MN (US); Caleb T. Nelson, Woodbury, MN (US); David J. Tarnowski, Mahtomedi, MN (US); David J. Rowe, Roseville, MN (US); and Edwin L. Kusilek, Baldwin, WI (US)
Assigned to 3M Innovative Properties Company, St. Paul, MN (US)
Filed by 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY, St. Paul, MN (US)
Filed on Feb. 29, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/591,060.
Application 18/591,060 is a division of application No. 17/252,826, granted, now 11,950,372, previously published as PCT/IB2019/055466, filed on Jun. 27, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/691,459, filed on Jun. 28, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2024/0206076 A1, Jun. 20, 2024
Int. Cl. H05K 3/04 (2006.01); H05K 1/02 (2006.01); H05K 3/00 (2006.01)
CPC H05K 3/048 (2013.01) [H05K 1/028 (2013.01); H05K 3/0014 (2013.01); H05K 2201/09036 (2013.01); H05K 2203/0769 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of forming a metal pattern, the method comprising:
providing a patterned surface, the patterned surface including one or more recessed features and one or more plateau features adjacent to the recessed features;
coating the patterned surface with a liquid solution to at least partially fill the recessed features;
solidifying the liquid solution to form a releasable solid layer in the recessed features;
providing a transfer layer to adhere to the patterned surface;
removing the transfer layer from the patterned surface to form a patterned construction on the transfer layer, the releasable solid layer being transferred from the patterned surface to the transfer layer and forming
(a) one or more protrusive features of the patterned construction, wherein the protrusive features of the patterned construction correspond to the recessed features of the patterned surface, and
(b) recesses which correspond to the plateau features of the patterned surface;
providing a metal layer on the patterned construction of the transfer layer; and
removing the releasable solid layer along with the metal layer thereon from the protrusive features of the patterned construction to form a metal pattern corresponding to the recesses of the patterned construction on the transfer layer.