Abstract A method of fabricating electrical circuits by converting circuit material to non-conducting and semi-conducting compounds to vary the conductivity of the circuit material. In one form, a metal film is selectively converted to the metal oxide or a semiconducting compound of the metal at selected portions thereof to form circuit elements connected by non-converted portions or to separate selected strip portions of the metal film from each other. In another form, polyconducting material is formed in situ on a substrate by chemical action converting a selected portion of a conducting strip to a polyconducting compound. In the metal film conversion step, an oxidizing chemical is provided above a substrate or metal film and heat is selectively applied to a selected area or areas of the metal so as to create a chemical reaction between the metal and chemical at the temperature generated by the beam without substantially affecting and chemically converting other areas of the film. The same radiation, which may be generated as a beam, may also be used to erode portions of the metal film or deposite material onto selected areas of the substrate.
A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said electrical conducting material is metal and the portion thereof converted is selectively changed in composition by the selective application of heat thereto.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
51 words
A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein a radiation beam is controllably operated and made to intersect said selected cross sectional portion of said strip to heat same and effect the conversion thereof to said compound having different conducting characteristics than the metal comprising the remaining portion of said strip.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein said compound is a polyconducting material formed intermediate the ends of said strip and deviding the strip into two separate conducting portions, which are joined to said poly-conducting material.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
62 words
A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the conversion of said selected portion of said strip is effected by disposing a reaction material above said strip and causing said reaction material to react with the material of said strip to be converted to said compound thereof having different electrical conducting characteristics than the material of the remaining portion of the strip.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said reaction material is disposed as a thin film on said strip.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
63 words
A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said reaction material is disposed above a substantially larger area of said strip than the area thereof aligned with the portion to be converted to said compound having different elEctrical conducting characteristics than the strip and reaction is effected by exposing the area aligned with the portion of the strip to be converted to radiation.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
67 words
A method of selectively depositing material to a substrate comprising: disposing a thin film of material containing a metal radical above a substrate, selectively scanning said film with a radiation beam so as to selectively heat and cause predetermined portions of the film to deposit metal therefrom onto predetermined portions of said substrate and removing the remainder of the undeposited material of the film from the substrate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
78 words
A method in accordance with claim 8 wherein the film is composed of a metal hydride and contains a catalyst which reacts with the metal hydride at a temperature greater than that at which it is disposed on said substrate, said radiation being such as to raise the temperature of the scanned portion of the film to cause the metal of the hydride to become deposited onto the substrate by chemical reaction between the hydride and the catalyst.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
57 words
A method in accordance with claim 9 wherein said radiation is in the form of an intense beam of radiation such as generated by a laser or electron gun, further including relatively moving the beam and substrate to predeterminately scan the substrate with the beam and effect the deposition of metal onto predetermined areas of the substrate.