Electrical components and methods and systems of manufacturing electrical components

Abstract

A method of manufacturing an electrical component includes providing an electrically insulating substrate having an outer surface, applying a coated structure on the outer surface and irradiating the coated structure with an electron beam to form an electrical conductor on the substrate. The irradiating may include heating the coating layer to melt the coating layer to form the electrical conductor. The coating layer may have a low binder concentration and a high metal concentration. The irradiating may include vaporizing substantially all the binder leaving a substantially pure metallic layer to form the electrical conductor. The coating layer may be irradiated until non-metallic material of the coating layer is completely removed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of manufacturing an electrical component, the method comprising:
 providing an electrically insulating substrate having an outer surface;   applying a coated structure on the outer surface; and   irradiating the coated structure with an electron beam to form an electrical conductor on the substrate.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said irradiating the coating layer comprises heating the coating layer to melt the coating layer to form the electrical conductor. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the coating layer includes metal precursors, said irradiating the coating layer comprises irradiating the coating layer to chemically reduce the metal precursors to metals to form the electrical conductor. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising preheating the coating layer to a temperature below a melting point of the coating layer prior to irradiating the coating layer, said irradiating the coating layer comprises heating the coating layer to a temperature above the melting point of the coating layer. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said applying a coating layer comprises applying a coating layer having a combination of binder and metal concentrations, said irradiating the coating layer comprises vaporizing substantially all the binder leaving a substantially metallic layer to form the electrical conductor. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said applying a coating layer comprises applying a coating layer having a metal precursor, said irradiating the coating layer comprises reacting the metal precursors with the electrons of the electron beam to transform the coating layer into a conductive structure. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said irradiating the coating layer comprises irradiating different portions of the coating layer differently to form a resistor in the electrical conductor. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said irradiating the coating layer comprises controlling operating parameters of the electron beam based on the properties of the coating layer. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said irradiating the coating layer comprises irradiating the coating layer until non-metallic material of the coating layer is completely removed. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said applying a coating layer comprises printing the coating layer directly on the outer surface of the substrate. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising electrically grounding the coating layer during the irradiating process. 
     
     
         12 . An electrical component comprising:
 an electrically insulating substrate having an outer surface;   a coating layer selectively applied to the outer surface, the coating layer being configured in a pre-processing state and in a post-processing state after irradiating with an electron beam, the coating layer being transformed from the pre-processing state to the post-processing state, wherein an electron beam at least partially penetrates the coating layer during the irradiating process to transform the coating layer.   
     
     
         13 . The electrical component of  claim 12 , wherein a non-metallic material content of the coating layer is higher at the pre-processing state than the post-processing state, at least some of the non-metallic material being removed during the irradiating process by the electron beam. 
     
     
         14 . The electrical component of  claim 12 , wherein the coating layer has a low binder concentration when applied to the substrate, substantially all of the binder being removed during the irradiating process by the electron beam. 
     
     
         15 . The electrical component of  claim 12 , wherein the material of the coating layer is mixed on a nanometer scale during the irradiating process by the electron beam. 
     
     
         16 . The electrical component of  claim 12 , wherein the substrate is non-metallic, the coating layer being printed on the substrate and processed with the electron beam on the substrate. 
     
     
         17 . The electrical component of  claim 12 , wherein the electron beam is used to irradiate the material of the coating layer to achieve electrical conductivity within the layer. 
     
     
         18 . An electrical component forming system comprising:
 a chamber;   an irradiation source generating electron beams;   an electrically insulating substrate positioned in the chamber, the substrate having a coating layer selectively applied to the substrate, the electron beams at least partially penetrating the coating layer to form an electrical conductor on the substrate.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the coating layer is configured in a pre-processing state and in a post-processing state after irradiating with the electron beam, the coating layer being transformed from the pre-processing state to the post-processing state, wherein an electron beam at least partially penetrates the coating layer during the irradiating process to transform the coating layer. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the coating layer has a low binder concentration when applied to the substrate, substantially all of the binder being removed during the irradiating process by the electron beam.