Effects of the binder polymer and powder type on the resolution and edge curl of a Silver electrode formed by a photolithographic process

Silver (Ag) electrodes with a high resolution and a low edge curl dimension for plasma display panels were successfully fabricated through a photolithographic process using photosensitive Ag pastes with several polymeric binders. The gap and line resolutions of the photosensitive Ag pastes were examined as a function of the molecular weights and acid values of the acrylic binders with carboxylic acid groups. The effect on the formation of edge curls was also investigated with dry- and wet-processed Ag powders. Ag electrode patterns with a line resolution of 20 μm, a gap resolution of 40 μm, and an edge curl dimension of 0.8 μm could be achieved with the developing process in 34.5 s (break point × 1.5) when the photosensitive Ag paste was prepared with the polymeric binder with a molecular weight of 23,320 g/ mol and an acid value of 94.98 mg of KOH/g of polymeric binder and with dry-processed Ag powder.