JP2011204037A - Method for manufacturing touch panel sensor integrated color filter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor integrated color filter without arranging a protective film for complicating a process on the front surface of a touch panel sensor even if a cleavage pattern is required in a transparent electrode of a color filter.SOLUTION: The method for manufacturing the touch panel sensor integrated color filter includes steps for; forming at least the connection transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor by an ITO not to be eroded by a weak acid including an oxalic acid as a main component; film-forming the transparent electrode of the color filter as the amorphous ITO; performing etching by using the weak acid where the oxalic acid such as an oxalic acid aqueous solution is included as the main component; and obtaining the low-resistant transparent electrode by annealing and crystallizing the amorphous ITO.

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a color filter with an integrated touch panel sensor, and more particularly, a touch panel sensor portion is formed on one surface of a transparent substrate, a color filter portion is formed on the other surface, and the color The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a color filter integrated with a touch panel sensor, in which a transparent electrode subjected to pattern processing is formed in the filter portion.

  Today, touch panel devices are widely used as input means to mobile phones, game machines, tablet PCs, car navigation systems, automatic ticket vending machines, ATM devices, and the like. The touch panel device is incorporated on a display surface of a display device such as a liquid crystal display or a CRT, and an operator can perform input operations such as cursor movement and selection on the display surface using a finger or a touch pen. This touch panel device includes a touch panel sensor, a control circuit for detecting a contact position with the touch panel sensor, wiring, and the like.

  The touch panel sensor is a transparent panel having a surface that senses an input operation by an operator, that is, the approach or contact of a human finger or a touch pen. This touch panel sensor is arranged so that the approach / contact detection surface covers the display area of the display device, detects an approach / contact event of the operator's finger or touch pen, and sends these signals to the control device. The control device processes these signals and outputs a predetermined signal to the control device on the display device side so that the display device performs display corresponding to the input operation.

There are several types of touch panel devices including resistance type, capacitance type, infrared type, surface acoustic wave type, electromagnetic type, near field imaging type, etc. Capacitive touch panel devices are attracting attention as a method (multi-touch) that can detect the approach and contact of the touch panel.
In a capacitive touch panel device, a capacitance change due to electrostatic coupling between the arranged transparent electrodes and the operator's finger, and the position on the touch panel using the induced current generated thereby. Detect coordinates.
Typically, a capacitive touch panel sensor includes an X-axis transparent electrode and a Y-axis transparent electrode, and the X and Y-axis transparent electrodes are insulated from each other and installed in the touch panel sensor, and are connected to a control circuit. The

In the conventional touch panel sensor, the X-axis transparent electrode and the Y-axis transparent electrode are formed on two separate substrates, and the two substrates are bonded to each other with an insulating material interposed therebetween. This is disadvantageous in reducing the thickness of the sensor, and it is difficult to align the X-axis and Y-axis transparent electrodes with high accuracy, which is also disadvantageous in terms of sensitivity and positional accuracy of the touch sensor.
Therefore, in order to eliminate such drawbacks, there has been proposed a capacitive touch panel sensor having a structure in which X-axis and Y-axis transparent electrodes are arranged on the same plane as shown in FIG. 1).

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the aforementioned capacitive touch panel sensor.
The touch panel sensor 100 includes a transparent substrate 101 made of a glass substrate, a transparent resin film, or the like, a plurality of X-axis transparent electrodes 103 and Y-axis transparent electrodes 104 disposed in an effective area 102 corresponding to a display screen of the touch panel, and an X-axis transparent electrode. 103 and an insulating layer (not shown) that insulates the Y-axis transparent electrode 104, and is disposed around the transparent substrate 101. The X-axis transparent electrode 103 and the Y-axis transparent electrode 104 and a control circuit (not shown) The wiring conductor 105 to be connected is included at least.
In FIG. 5, the X-axis transparent electrode 103 is connected on the same plane, but the Y-axis transparent electrode 104 intersects the X-axis transparent electrode 103 in order to avoid a short circuit with the X-axis transparent electrode 103. And is connected by a connecting transparent electrode 106.

6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the touch panel sensor shown in FIG. As described above, the Y-axis transparent electrode 104 is divided at a portion intersecting with the X-axis transparent electrode 103, and the first axis is provided between the X-axis transparent electrode 103 and the Y-axis transparent electrode 104 to prevent a short circuit. An insulating layer 107 is formed. The first insulating layer 107 is formed so as to cover the X-axis transparent electrode 103 at a portion intersecting with the X-axis transparent electrode 103. The connected transparent electrode 106 is formed so as to straddle the first insulating layer 107, and electrically connects the divided Y-axis transparent electrode 104. The connecting transparent electrode 106 is usually formed of the same material as the Y-axis transparent electrode 104, typically, polycrystalline ITO (indium tin oxide).
Note that the second insulating layer 108 in FIG. 6 is usually made of the same material as the first insulating layer 107 and is formed at the same time as the first insulating layer 107 is formed. It is formed so as to cover the axial transparent electrode 104. The second insulating layer 108 may be removed.

Here, the X-axis transparent electrode 103 and the Y-axis transparent electrode 104 are formed of a transparent conductive material, and usually polycrystalline ITO is used.
The manufacturing method of the X-axis transparent electrode 103 and the Y-axis transparent electrode 104 is generally a photolithography method in which a polycrystalline ITO film is formed by sputtering using a mixed gas of argon and oxygen while heating the substrate. Then, after forming a desired pattern, a method of etching unnecessary ITO with aqua regia is used. Here, the temperature of the substrate heating is usually 200 ° C. to 250 ° C. for ITO crystallization (Patent Documents 2 and 3).

  On the other hand, the substrate is heated at a lower temperature, or without heating the substrate, an amorphous ITO film is formed by sputtering, and then annealed to crystallize the ITO, and then unnecessary with aqua regia There is also a method of obtaining a polycrystalline ITO pattern by etching ITO (Patent Documents 4 and 5).

Next, the color filter will be described. FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view showing an example of a conventional color filter.
As shown in FIG. 7, the color filter 200 is arranged between a transparent substrate 201 made of a glass substrate, a transparent resin film, or the like, and a light shielding body (black matrix) 202 and a light shielding body 202 arranged in a matrix on the transparent substrate 201. A plurality of colored bodies 203 provided and a transparent electrode 204 disposed thereon are included at least.
Note that a transparent protective film for protecting the colored body 203 in various processes may be provided between the colored body 203 and the transparent electrode 204 (not shown).

The light blocking body 202 is formed to prevent light leakage from the backlight of the liquid crystal display device and color mixing of the colored body 203. The color body 203 is a color filter pixel that adjusts the color of the backlight that has passed through the liquid crystal, and usually three types of color bodies of red, blue, and green are formed.
The transparent electrode 204 functions as a common electrode for adjusting the light transmittance by changing the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules. Typically, the transparent electrode 204 is made of polycrystalline ITO.

However, the conventional liquid crystal display device using the color filter as shown in FIG. 7 has a drawback that the viewing angle is narrow. Therefore, a method of widening the viewing angle by aligning liquid crystal molecules perpendicular to the color filter surface and forming a fixed incision pattern on the common electrode (Patterned Virtual Alignment mode; hereinafter referred to as PVA mode) has been proposed. (Patent Document 6).
In the above-described method (PVA mode), a transparent protective film (overcoat) is usually formed on the colored body, a thin film of a transparent electrode such as ITO is formed thereon, and then an incision pattern is formed by photolithography. Form.

Utility Model Registration No. 3144241 JP 2001-311954 A JP 2005-290458 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-194943 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-149884 JP 2003-287618 A

The touch panel sensor and the color filter described above are disadvantageous to making the entire touch panel device thinner and lighter when they are formed and superimposed on separate transparent substrates.
Therefore, a touch panel sensor-integrated color filter in which a touch panel sensor portion is formed on one surface of the common transparent substrate and a color filter portion is formed on the other surface has been used.

  However, when a conventional touch panel sensor-integrated color filter is used in the PVA mode liquid crystal display device as described above, the X-axis transparent electrode, the Y-axis transparent electrode, the connection transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor unit, and the color filter unit are transparent. Since the electrodes are made of polycrystalline ITO, which is the same material, there is a problem that if the ITO on one side is etched, the ITO on the other side is damaged.

  For example, a touch panel sensor integrated color filter in which a touch panel sensor as shown in FIG. 6 is formed on one surface of a common transparent substrate and a color filter as shown in FIG. 7 is formed on the other surface. In order to form an incision pattern in the transparent electrode of the color filter part, if the etching process is performed with aqua regia, even the connected transparent electrode exposed in the touch panel sensor part is etched with aqua regia.

  Therefore, for example, measures such as providing a protective film resistant to aqua regia etching on the surface of the touch panel sensor unit are required. However, the method of providing the protective film is not preferable because the process becomes complicated and the cost is increased.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a protective film that complicates the process is required even when an incision pattern is required for the transparent electrode of the color filter portion, such as a PVA mode liquid crystal display device. It aims at providing the manufacturing method which makes it possible to manufacture a touchscreen sensor integrated color filter, without providing in the surface of a touchscreen sensor part.

  As a result of various studies, the inventor of the present invention, in the touch panel sensor integrated color filter manufacturing method, after forming at least the connected transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor portion with ITO that is not eroded by a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid, The transparent electrode of the color filter portion is formed as amorphous ITO, etched using weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid, and then annealed to crystallize the amorphous ITO. The present invention has been completed by finding that the above-mentioned problems can be solved by using a resistive transparent electrode.

  That is, the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is a touch panel sensor integrated color filter having a touch panel sensor portion on one main surface of the transparent substrate and a color filter portion on the other main surface of the transparent substrate. In this manufacturing method, a polycrystalline ITO thin film layer is formed on one main surface of the transparent substrate and etched with a strong acid mainly composed of hydrohalic acid to form a transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor unit. After forming the transparent electrode of the process and the touch panel sensor part, an amorphous ITO thin film layer is formed on the other main surface of the transparent substrate and etched with a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid, and then And a step of crystallizing the amorphous ITO by annealing to form a transparent electrode in the color filter portion. A touch panel sensor integrated type color filter manufacturing method according to claim.

  The invention according to claim 2 of the present invention is characterized in that the polycrystalline ITO thin film layer forming the transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor portion is formed by sputtering film formation with substrate heating at 200 ° C. to 250 ° C. The touch panel sensor integrated color filter manufacturing method according to claim 1.

  Further, in the invention according to claim 3 of the present invention, the strong acid mainly composed of hydrohalic acid used for etching the transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor unit is hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, hydroiodic acid, An aqua regia, an aqueous solution containing iodine in hydrochloric acid, or an aqueous solution containing ferric chloride in hydrochloric acid, an aqueous solution containing oxalic acid used for etching the transparent electrode of the color filter as a main component The touch acid sensor-integrated color filter manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the weak acid is an oxalic acid aqueous solution.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a touch panel sensor integrated color filter having a touch panel sensor portion on one main surface of the transparent substrate and a color filter portion on the other main surface of the transparent substrate. In this manufacturing method, an amorphous ITO thin film layer is formed on one main surface of the transparent substrate, etched with a weak acid containing oxalic acid as a main component, and then annealed, whereby the amorphous state Forming a transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor part by crystallizing the ITO of the touch panel sensor part, and forming an amorphous ITO thin film layer on the other main surface of the transparent substrate after forming the transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor part The amorphous ITO is formed by etching with a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid and then annealing. A step is crystallized to form a transparent electrode on the color filter unit, a touch panel sensor integrated type color filter manufacturing method characterized by comprising a.

In the invention according to claim 5 of the present invention, the amorphous ITO thin film layer forming the transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor portion is heated by using an ITO target having a SnO ₂ ratio of 1 to 10% by weight. The touch panel sensor integrated color filter manufacturing method according to claim 4, wherein the touch filter is integrated with the color filter.

  Further, in the invention according to claim 6 of the present invention, the annealing temperature for crystallizing the transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor unit is 140 to 250 ° C. It is a manufacturing method of the color filter integrated with a touch panel sensor.

In the invention according to claim 7 of the present invention, the amorphous ITO thin film layer forming the transparent electrode of the color filter portion is heated by using an ITO target having a SnO ₂ ratio of 1 to 10% by weight. The touch filter sensor-integrated color filter manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the touch filter is integrated with the color filter.

  In the invention according to claim 8 of the present invention, the annealing temperature for crystallizing the transparent electrode of the color filter portion is 140 to 250 ° C. It is a manufacturing method of the color filter integrated with a touch panel sensor.

According to the present invention, a touch panel sensor integrated color filter that is advantageous in reducing the thickness and weight of the entire apparatus is used when a transparent electrode of a color filter portion requires an incision pattern as in a PVA mode liquid crystal display device. However, it can be manufactured without providing a protective film that complicates the process on the surface of the touch panel sensor portion.
That is, according to the present invention, since the transparent electrode of the color filter portion is etched using a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid, the crystallized ITO exposed on the surface of the touch panel sensor portion (for example, the connection) The transparent electrode) is not eroded, and therefore the step of providing a protective film can be omitted.

It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the example of the touchscreen sensor integrated color filter which concerns on this invention. It is typical process drawing which shows an example of the manufacturing method of the touchscreen sensor integrated color filter which concerns on this invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic process diagram illustrating an example of a method for manufacturing a color filter integrated with a touch panel sensor according to the present invention following FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a schematic process diagram illustrating an example of a method for manufacturing a color filter integrated with a touch panel sensor according to the present invention following FIG. 3. It is a schematic plan view which shows the example of the conventional touch panel sensor. It is AA sectional drawing of the touch-panel sensor shown in FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the example of the conventional color filter.

  Hereinafter, the touch panel sensor integrated color filter of the present invention and the manufacturing method thereof will be described in detail.

[Touch filter integrated color filter]
First, the touch panel sensor integrated color filter according to the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a touch panel sensor integrated color filter according to the present invention. In the touch panel sensor-integrated color filter 1 shown in FIG. 1, a touch panel sensor unit 20 is formed on one surface and a color filter unit 30 is formed on the other surface with a transparent substrate 2 made of a glass substrate or the like interposed therebetween. The color filter portion is formed with a patterned third transparent electrode 34.

[Touch panel sensor]
The configuration of the touch panel sensor unit 20 according to the present invention may be basically the same as the configuration of a conventional touch panel sensor. Here, the description is based on an example of a capacitive touch panel sensor having a structure in which the transparent electrodes of the first transparent electrode corresponding to the X-axis transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode corresponding to the Y-axis transparent electrode are arranged on the same plane. To do. In this case, the plan view of the touch panel sensor unit may be the same as that shown in FIG.

  However, the transparent electrode (at least the connected transparent electrode) of the touch panel sensor unit according to the present invention is a transparent electrode made of a polycrystalline ITO thin film formed by sputtering film formation with substrate heating at 200 ° C. to 250 ° C. as in the prior art. In addition to the above, there may be a transparent electrode made of an ITO thin film crystallized by annealing an amorphous ITO thin film formed by sputtering film formation without heating the substrate.

  The above-mentioned polycrystalline ITO or ITO crystallized by annealing is not etched with a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid such as an oxalic acid aqueous solution. Therefore, even in the step of etching the transparent electrode (third transparent electrode) of the color filter section described later with an oxalic acid aqueous solution or the like, the transparent electrode (at least the connected transparent electrode) of the touch panel sensor section is not etched, and the touch panel sensor section Steps such as providing a protective film on the surface can be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the touch panel sensor unit 20 includes, for example, a first transparent electrode 22 corresponding to an X-axis transparent electrode, a second transparent electrode 23 corresponding to, for example, a Y-axis transparent electrode, a first transparent electrode 22 and a first transparent electrode 22 2 A first insulating layer 24 that insulates the transparent electrode 23 and a wiring conductor 21 that is disposed in the periphery of the transparent substrate 2 and connects the first transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent electrode 23 to a control circuit (not shown). Is included.

The second transparent electrode 23 is divided at a portion intersecting the first transparent electrode 22, and a first insulating layer 24 is formed between the first transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent electrode 23 to prevent a short circuit. Has been. The first insulating layer 24 is formed so as to cover the first transparent electrode 22 at a portion where the first transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent electrode 23 intersect. The connected transparent electrode 26 is formed so as to straddle the first insulating layer 24 and electrically connects the divided second transparent electrode 23.
The second insulating layer 25 in FIG. 1 is made of the same material as the first insulating layer 24 and is formed at the same time as the first insulating layer 24 forming step. The first transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent layer It is formed so as to cover the electrode 23. The second insulating layer 25 may be removed.

[First and second transparent electrodes, connected transparent electrodes]
The 1st transparent electrode 22, the 2nd transparent electrode 23, and the connection transparent electrode 26 are normally formed with the same material. The first transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent electrode 23 are preferably made of the same material because they are formed on the same plane at the same time. In order to obtain uniform transparency and conductivity, the connecting transparent electrode 26 is also a first transparent electrode. This is because the same material as that of the transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent electrode 23 is preferable.

  As the material, a material having transparency and required conductivity is used. For example, indium tin oxide (ITO), zinc oxide, indium oxide, antimony-added tin oxide, fluorine-added tin oxide, aluminum-added zinc oxide, potassium-added zinc oxide, silicon-added zinc oxide, zinc oxide-tin oxide system, oxidation Examples thereof include metal oxides such as indium-tin oxide, zinc oxide-indium oxide-magnesium oxide, and materials in which two or more of these metal oxides are combined.

  However, considering the reliability and versatility of materials and processing techniques, the above materials are limited. Specifically, the first transparent electrode 22, the second transparent electrode 23, and the connecting transparent electrode 26 are crystallized to have low resistance. It will be composed of the ITO. In order to construct the first transparent electrode 22, the second transparent electrode 23, and the connecting transparent electrode 26 from ITO which has been crystallized to have a low resistance, a polycrystalline ITO film is formed by high-temperature film formation as in the conventional method. Similar to the method of etching with a strong acid containing hydrohalic acid as a main component and the method of forming the third transparent electrode of the color filter portion according to the present invention, an amorphous ITO film is formed by low temperature film formation. A method of crystallizing ITO by performing an etching process with a weak acid containing oxalic acid as a main component and then performing an annealing process can be used.

  More specifically, in the former method using high-temperature film formation, a sputtering method using a mixed gas of argon and oxygen while heating the substrate to 200 ° C. to 250 ° C. on one main surface of the transparent substrate is performed. The first transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent electrode are formed by a method in which a polycrystalline ITO film is formed, a desired pattern is formed by a photolithography process, and then unnecessary ITO is etched with a strong acid mainly composed of hydrohalic acid. 23, the connected transparent electrode 26 is formed.

The hydrohalic acid described above is, for example, hydrochloric acid, which is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride (HCl), hydrobromic acid, which is an aqueous solution of hydrogen bromide (HBr), or an aqueous solution of hydrogen iodide (HI). Hydroiodic acid and the like can be mentioned. The strong acid mainly composed of hydrohalic acid is, for example, aqua regia (HCl: HNO ₃ : H ₂ O = 1: 0.08) in addition to the aqueous solution described above. 1), volume ratio), and aqueous solutions obtained by adding iodine (I ₂ ) or ferric chloride (FeCl ₃ ) to hydrochloric acid. In general, aqua regia or an aqueous solution obtained by adding ferric chloride (FeCl ₃ ) to hydrochloric acid is often used.

  On the other hand, in the latter method using low temperature film formation, an amorphous ITO film is formed on one main surface of a transparent substrate by sputtering film formation without substrate heating, and a desired pattern is formed in a photolithography process. The first transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent electrode are obtained by etching the unnecessary ITO with a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid such as an oxalic acid aqueous solution and then annealing it at 140 to 250 ° C. to crystallize the ITO. 23, the connected transparent electrode 26 is formed.

Amorphous ITO can be formed by, for example, sputtering using an ITO target having a SnO ₂ ratio of 1 to 10% by weight and using a mixed gas of argon and oxygen without heating the substrate. Here, if the SnO ₂ ratio of the ITO target is excessively low, the density of the target cannot be increased. Therefore, the SnO ₂ ratio is preferably 1% by weight or more. Further, if the SnO ₂ ratio of the ITO target exceeds 10% by weight, an amorphous ITO thin film that can be crystallized by annealing at a low temperature for a short time cannot be formed. Therefore, the SnO ₂ ratio is 10% by weight or less. Preferably there is.

  The ITO thin film formed without heating the substrate as described above is in an amorphous state and can be etched with a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid such as an oxalic acid aqueous solution. However, since the amorphous ITO thin film has a high resistance, it is not preferable as a transparent electrode as it is. Therefore, an annealing process is performed after the etching process to crystallize the ITO to obtain a low-resistance transparent electrode. The amorphous ITO film formed by the above-described method can be easily crystallized, for example, at 140 to 250 ° C. for 5 to 40 minutes as an annealing process.

[Wiring conductor]
The wiring conductor 21 is for electrically connecting the first transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent electrode 23 and the control circuit, and is disposed in the peripheral portion of the transparent substrate 2.
Since the wiring conductor 21 is formed outside the display area, transparency is not necessary, but it is necessary to form the wiring conductor 21 from a material having a small resistance value. Therefore, the material of the wiring conductor 21 is preferably a material having higher conductivity than the transparent electrode material described above. For example, the wiring conductor 21 is formed of a metal thin film made of aluminum, silver, copper, or an alloy thereof, or a conductive paste such as a silver paste.

[First and second insulating layers]
The first insulating layer 24 is provided to insulate the first transparent electrode 22 from the second transparent electrode 23 and the connecting transparent electrode 26. The first insulating layer 24 is formed so as to cover the first transparent electrode 22 at a portion where the first transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent electrode 23 intersect. The connected transparent electrode 26 is formed so as to straddle the first insulating layer 24 and electrically connects the divided second transparent electrode 23.

  The second insulating layer 25 is made of the same material as the first insulating layer 24 and is formed at the same time as the first insulating layer 24, and covers the first transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent electrode 23. Formed. And the 2nd insulating layer 25 prescribes | regulates the area where the connection transparent electrode 26 touches the 2nd transparent electrode 23, and has a function which prevents the short circuit of the connection transparent electrodes 26. The second insulating layer 25 may be removed in the final form.

The first insulating layer 24 and the second insulating layer 25 are made by a screen printing method or a photolithography method using an inorganic material such as a resin material having transparency and electric insulation or SOG (a coating type SiO ₂ material). It is formed. For example, it is formed by using a UV curable acrylic resin and performing processes such as coating, mask exposure, development, and baking.

[Color filter section]
Next, the color filter unit 30 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the color filter unit 30 is formed on a surface opposite to the surface on which the touch panel sensor unit 20 is formed with the transparent substrate 2 interposed therebetween, and is a light shielding body arranged in a matrix. (Black matrix) 31, a plurality of colored bodies 32 disposed between the light shielding bodies 31, and a patterned third transparent electrode 34 are included at least.
A transparent protective film 33 is preferably provided between the colored body 32 and the transparent electrode 34 in order to protect the colored body 32 from etching when patterning the third transparent electrode 34.

[Shading body]
The light shielding body 31 is provided to prevent light leakage from the backlight of the liquid crystal display device and color mixture of the colored body 32.
The light shielding body 31 is formed by forming a metal thin film of chromium or the like having a thickness of about 100 to 200 nm by sputtering, vacuum deposition, or the like, and patterning the thin film, and light shielding particles such as carbon fine particles or metal oxide. Forming a resin layer of polyimide resin, acrylic resin, epoxy resin, etc., and patterning this resin layer, and photosensitive resin containing light-shielding particles such as carbon fine particles and metal oxides A layer having a light shielding property such as a layer formed and patterned by patterning the photosensitive resin layer can be used.

[Colored body]
The color body 32 adjusts the color of the backlight that has passed through the liquid crystal as a color filter pixel, and usually three types of color bodies of red, blue, and green are formed.
Examples of the colorant used in the red colored body include perylene pigments, lake pigments, azo pigments, quinacridone pigments, anthraquinone pigments, anthracene pigments, and isoindoline pigments. These pigments or dyes may be used alone or in combination of two or more.
Examples of the colorant used for the blue colored body include copper phthalocyanine pigments, anthraquinone pigments, indanthrene pigments, indophenol pigments, cyanine pigments, dioxazine pigments, and the like. These pigments or dyes may be used alone or in combination of two or more.
Examples of the colorant used in the green colored body include phthalocyanine pigments such as halogen polysubstituted phthalocyanine pigments or halogen polysubstituted copper phthalocyanine pigments, triphenylmethane basic dyes, isoindoline pigments, and isoindolinones. And pigments. These pigments or dyes may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[Protective film]
A transparent protective film 33 is preferably provided between the colored body 32 and the third transparent electrode 34 in order to protect the colored body 32 from etching when patterning the third transparent electrode 34.
Examples of the material for the protective film include a transparent material made of an oxide or oxynitride of silicon, aluminum, zinc or tin, or an organic insulating film such as an acrylic resin.

[Third transparent electrode]
The third transparent electrode 34 functions as a common electrode for adjusting the light transmittance by changing the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules. As shown in FIG. 1, in the color filter with an integrated touch panel sensor according to the present invention, the liquid crystal molecules are oriented perpendicularly to the color filter surface, and a fixed incision pattern is formed on the common electrode to widen the viewing angle. In order to support (PVA mode), an incision pattern is formed in the third transparent electrode 34.

  Here, in the conventional manufacturing method, the transparent electrode is usually formed by depositing polycrystalline ITO by sputtering using a mixed gas of argon and oxygen while heating the substrate, and forming the ITO pattern in the photolithography process. A method of etching unnecessary ITO with aqua regia has been used. In addition, the temperature of said board | substrate heating is 200 to 250 degreeC normally for ITO crystallization.

  However, in the touch panel sensor integrated color filter in which the touch panel sensor unit 20 is formed on one surface of the common transparent substrate 2 and the color filter unit 30 is formed on the other surface, the above-described method is used. When the etching process is performed with aqua regia to form an incision pattern in the third transparent electrode 34 of the color filter unit 30, even the connected transparent electrode 26 exposed on the touch panel sensor unit 20 is etched with aqua regia. It will be.

Therefore, in the present invention, the third transparent electrode 34 of the color filter unit 30 is first formed as an amorphous ITO thin film and etched using a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid such as an oxalic acid aqueous solution. Thereafter, the amorphous ITO thin film is annealed and crystallized to form a low-resistance transparent electrode, thereby solving the above problem.
Amorphous ITO can be etched with weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid such as oxalic acid aqueous solution, but polycrystalline ITO and ITO crystallized by annealing are not etched with weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid Is to be used.

Amorphous ITO can be formed by, for example, sputtering using an ITO target having a SnO ₂ ratio of 1 to 10% by weight and using a mixed gas of argon and oxygen without heating the substrate. Here, if the SnO ₂ ratio of the ITO target is excessively low, the density of the target cannot be increased. Therefore, the SnO ₂ ratio is preferably 1% by weight or more. Further, if the SnO ₂ ratio of the ITO target exceeds 10% by weight, an amorphous ITO thin film that can be crystallized by annealing at a low temperature for a short time cannot be formed. Therefore, the SnO ₂ ratio is 10% by weight or less. Preferably there is.

  The ITO thin film formed without heating the substrate as described above is in an amorphous state and can be etched with a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid such as an oxalic acid aqueous solution. However, since the amorphous ITO thin film has a high resistance, it is not preferable as a transparent electrode as it is. Therefore, an annealing process is performed after the etching process to crystallize the ITO to obtain a low-resistance transparent electrode. The amorphous ITO film formed by the above-described method can be easily crystallized, for example, at 140 to 250 ° C. for 5 to 40 minutes as an annealing process.

[Method for manufacturing color filter with touch panel sensor]
Next, the manufacturing method of the color filter integrated with a touch panel sensor according to the present invention will be described.
1. First Embodiment A touch panel sensor integrated color filter manufacturing method according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a polycrystalline ITO thin film layer formed on one main surface of a transparent substrate, and halogenated such as aqua regia. A process of forming a transparent electrode on the touch panel sensor unit by etching with a strong acid containing hydrogen acid as a main component, and after forming the transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor unit, an amorphous state is formed on the other main surface of the transparent substrate. An ITO thin film layer is formed, etched with a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid such as an oxalic acid aqueous solution, and then annealed to crystallize the amorphous ITO to form a transparent electrode on the color filter portion. The amorphous ITO is etched with a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid such as an oxalic acid aqueous solution. However, polycrystalline ITO utilizes the characteristic that it is not etched by a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid such as an oxalic acid aqueous solution.
The manufacturing method of the other components is not particularly limited as long as the touch panel sensor integrated color filter having the above-described configuration can be obtained.

  2 to 4 show an example of a method for manufacturing a color filter integrated with a touch panel sensor according to the present invention. First, a transparent substrate 2 made of a material such as glass is prepared, and a wiring conductor 21 made of a metal material is formed on one surface thereof (FIG. 2A). A method for forming the wiring conductor 21 is not particularly limited, and a known method can be used. For example, a metal thin film is formed on the transparent substrate 2 by a sputtering method, and the wiring conductor 21 having a desired shape is formed by a photolithography method. Form.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, the first transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent electrode 23 made of polycrystalline ITO are formed on the surface on which the wiring conductor 21 is formed.
The polycrystalline ITO that forms the first transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent electrode 23 is formed by a sputtering method using a mixed gas of argon and oxygen while heating the substrate to 200 ° C. to 250 ° C. Then, after the pattern is formed by photolithography, it is processed into a desired shape by a method of etching unnecessary ITO with a strong acid mainly composed of hydrohalic acid such as aqua regia.

Next, an insulating film for forming the first insulating layer 24 and the second insulating layer 25 is formed so as to cover the first transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent electrode 23 (FIG. 2C). ), Pattern processing is performed to form the first insulating layer 24 and the second insulating layer 25 having desired shapes (FIG. 2D).
The method for forming the first transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent electrode 23 is not particularly limited, and a known method can be used. For example, a UV curable acrylic resin is applied, and a desired shape is formed by photolithography. The first insulating layer 24 and the second insulating layer 25 can be formed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3E, a connected transparent electrode 26 made of polycrystalline ITO is formed on the surface on which the first insulating layer 24 and the second insulating layer 25 are formed.
As with the first transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent electrode 23 described above, the polycrystalline ITO forming the connected transparent electrode 26 is sputtered using a mixed gas of argon and oxygen while heating the substrate to 200 ° C. to 250 ° C. The film is formed by the method. Then, after the pattern is formed by photolithography, it is processed into a desired shape by a method of etching unnecessary ITO with a strong acid mainly composed of hydrohalic acid such as aqua regia.
Through the above steps, the touch panel sensor unit of the color filter integrated with the touch panel sensor according to the present invention is formed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3F, a light shielding body 31 is formed on the surface of the transparent substrate 2 opposite to the surface on which the touch panel sensor unit is formed.
A method for forming the light shielding body 31 is not particularly limited, and a known method can be used. For example, a chromium metal thin film having a thickness of about 100 to 200 nm is formed by sputtering, and the thin film is patterned to have a desired shape. The light shielding body 31 can be formed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3G, a plurality of colored bodies 32 are formed between the light shielding bodies 31.
A method for forming the colored body 32 is not particularly limited, and a known method can be used. For example, a colored photosensitive resin containing a pigment of each color is applied, and pattern exposure, development, and baking are performed to obtain a desired coloring. A body 32 can be formed. In the case of forming three kinds of colored bodies of red, blue and green, the above process is performed three times.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4H, a protective film 33 is formed so as to cover the colored body 32 described above. The method for forming the protective film 33 is not particularly limited, and a known method can be used. For example, an acrylic epoxy resin is applied and baked to form the desired protective film 33.

Next, an amorphous ITO thin film is formed on the surface on which the protective film 33 is formed (FIG. 4 (i)), patterned, and then annealed to form a third transparent electrode 34 (FIG. 4). 4 (j)). The amorphous ITO thin film forming the third transparent electrode 34 is formed by sputtering using an ITO target having a SnO ₂ ratio of 1 to 10% by weight and using a mixed gas of argon and oxygen without heating the substrate. Film. Subsequently, a pattern is formed by a photolithography method and processed into a desired shape by a method of etching unnecessary ITO with a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid such as an oxalic acid aqueous solution. Finally, the ITO is crystallized by annealing at 140 to 250 ° C. for 5 to 40 minutes to obtain a low resistance third transparent electrode 34.
The touch panel sensor integrated color filter 1 according to the present invention can be obtained as described above.

  According to the first embodiment of the touch filter sensor-integrated color filter manufacturing method according to the present invention, the transparent electrode of the color filter portion is etched using a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid such as an oxalic acid aqueous solution. Therefore, the polycrystalline ITO (for example, the connected transparent electrode) exposed on the surface of the touch panel sensor part does not erode, and an incision pattern is formed on the transparent electrode of the color filter part like a PVA mode liquid crystal display device. Even when necessary, a color filter integrated with a touch panel sensor can be manufactured.

2. Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor integrated color filter according to the present invention will be described.
In the second embodiment of the touch filter sensor integrated color filter manufacturing method according to the present invention, an amorphous ITO thin film layer is formed on one main surface of a transparent substrate, and etching is performed with a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid. Processing, and then annealing, to crystallize the amorphous ITO to form the transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor unit, and after forming the transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor unit, An amorphous ITO thin film layer is formed on the other main surface, etched with a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid such as an oxalic acid aqueous solution, and then annealed to crystallize the amorphous ITO. And a step of forming a transparent electrode on the color filter portion, TO can be etched with a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid such as an oxalic acid aqueous solution, but ITO that has been crystallized by annealing treatment utilizes the characteristic that it is not etched with a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid such as an oxalic acid aqueous solution. Is.
The manufacturing method of the other components is not particularly limited as long as the touch panel sensor integrated color filter having the above-described configuration can be obtained.

  In the second embodiment, the method of forming the first transparent electrode 22, the second transparent electrode 23, and the connection transparent electrode 26 of the touch panel sensor unit is different from the first embodiment described above, but other components The same manufacturing method as in the first embodiment described above may be used.

In the second embodiment, the first transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent electrode 23 shown in FIG. 2B are formed by forming an amorphous ITO thin film on the surface on which the wiring conductor 21 is formed. Then, after pattern processing, it is formed by annealing.
The amorphous ITO thin film forming the first transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent electrode 23 uses an ITO target having a SnO ₂ ratio of 1 to 10% by weight, and a mixed gas of argon and oxygen is used without heating the substrate. A film is formed by the sputtering method used. Subsequently, a pattern is formed by a photolithography method and processed into a desired shape by a method of etching unnecessary ITO with a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid such as an oxalic acid aqueous solution. Finally, the ITO is crystallized by annealing at 140 to 250 ° C. for 5 to 40 minutes to obtain the first transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent electrode 23 having low resistance.

  Similarly, in the second embodiment, the connection transparent electrode 26 shown in FIG. 3E is formed on the surface on which the first insulating layer 24 and the second insulating layer 25 are formed by using amorphous ITO. A thin film is formed, patterned, and then annealed.

  According to the second embodiment of the touch filter sensor-integrated color filter manufacturing method according to the present invention, the transparent electrode of the color filter portion is etched using a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid such as an oxalic acid aqueous solution. Therefore, the ITO exposed on the surface of the touch panel sensor portion is crystallized by annealing (for example, a connected transparent electrode), and the color filter portion is transparent like the PVA mode liquid crystal display device. Even when an incision pattern is required for the electrode, the touch panel sensor integrated color filter can be manufactured.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The above-described embodiment is an exemplification, and the technical idea described in the claims of the present invention has substantially the same configuration and exhibits the same function and effect regardless of the case. It is included in the technical scope of the invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples.
Example 1
In accordance with the manufacturing method described above, a color filter integrated with a touch panel sensor according to the present invention having a configuration as shown in FIG. 1 was manufactured.
First, AN glass manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. is prepared as the transparent substrate 2, and aluminum is formed on one surface thereof by sputtering, and phosphoric acid, acetic acid, and water are blended at a ratio of 4: 1: 4: 4. The wiring conductor 21 was formed by etching with phosphonitrate water.

  Next, a polycrystalline ITO thin film having a thickness of 20 nm is formed on the surface on which the above-described wiring conductor 21 is formed by sputtering using a mixed gas of argon and oxygen at a substrate temperature of 230 ° C., and desired by photolithography. The first transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent electrode 23 were formed by etching unnecessary ITO with aqua regia.

  Next, a positive photosensitive material PFI-27 manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. is applied so as to cover the first transparent electrode 22 and the second transparent electrode 23, and the first insulation having a desired shape is formed by photolithography. Layer 24 and second insulating layer 25 were formed.

  Next, a polycrystalline ITO thin film having a thickness of 20 nm is formed on the surface on which the first insulating layer 24 and the second insulating layer 25 are formed by a sputtering method using a mixed gas of argon and oxygen at a substrate temperature of 230 ° C. Then, a desired pattern was formed by photolithography, and unnecessary ITO was etched with aqua regia to form the connected transparent electrode 26.

  Next, chromium having a thickness of 150 nm was formed on the opposite surface of the transparent substrate 2 by a sputtering method, and a desired light-shielding body 31 was formed by a photolithography method. Subsequently, a colored photosensitive resin containing a red pigment was applied, pattern exposure, development, and baking were performed to form a red colored body 32. Blue and green colored bodies 32 were formed in the same manner. Further, an acrylic epoxy resin was applied and baked so as to cover the colored body 32 to form a desired protective film 33.

Next, on the surface on which the protective film 33 is formed, an ITO target having a SnO ₂ ratio of 5% by weight is used, and the substrate is not heated and a sputtering method using a mixed gas of argon and oxygen is performed to a thickness of 130 nm. After forming an amorphous ITO thin film, a desired pattern is formed by a photolithography method, unnecessary ITO is etched with an aqueous oxalic acid solution, and then annealed at 150 ° C. for 30 minutes to crystallize the ITO to form a third transparent electrode 34. did.

  A touch panel suitable for a PVA mode liquid crystal display device that requires an incision pattern in the transparent electrode of the color filter portion without causing erosion of the connected transparent electrode exposed on the surface of the touch panel sensor portion by the above manufacturing method. A sensor integrated color filter could be manufactured.

(Example 2)
The first transparent electrode 22, the second transparent electrode 23, and the connection transparent electrode 26 of the touch panel sensor unit are formed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that an amorphous ITO thin film is formed, patterned, and annealed. Similarly, a color filter integrated with a touch panel sensor according to the present invention was manufactured.

The first transparent electrode 22, the second transparent electrode 23, and the connected transparent electrode 26 of the touch panel sensor unit used an ITO target with a SnO ₂ ratio of 5 wt%, and used a mixed gas of argon and oxygen without heating the substrate. After forming an amorphous ITO thin film having a thickness of 20 nm by sputtering, a desired pattern is formed by photolithography, unnecessary ITO is etched with an aqueous oxalic acid solution, and then annealed at 150 ° C. for 30 minutes to crystallize the ITO. The 1st transparent electrode 22, the 2nd transparent electrode 23, and the connection transparent electrode 26 were formed.

  A touch panel suitable for a PVA mode liquid crystal display device that requires an incision pattern in the transparent electrode of the color filter portion without causing erosion of the connected transparent electrode exposed on the surface of the touch panel sensor portion by the above manufacturing method. A sensor integrated color filter could be manufactured.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Touch panel sensor integrated color filter 2 Transparent substrate 20 Touch panel sensor part 21 Wiring conductor 22 1st transparent electrode 23 2nd transparent electrode 24 1st insulating layer 25 2nd insulating layer 26 Transparent electrode for connection 30 Color filter part 31 Light-shielding body 32 Colored body 33 Protective film 34 Third transparent electrode 100 Touch panel sensor 101 Transparent substrate 102 Effective area 103 X-axis transparent electrode 104 Y-axis transparent electrode 105 Wiring conductor 106 Connecting transparent electrode 107 First insulating layer 108 Second insulating layer 200 Color filter 201 Transparent substrate 202 Shading body 203 Colored body 204 Transparent electrode

Claims (8)

In the manufacturing method of a touch panel sensor integrated color filter having a touch panel sensor part on one main surface of the transparent substrate and having a color filter part on the other main surface of the transparent substrate,
Forming a polycrystalline ITO thin film layer on one main surface of the transparent substrate and etching with a strong acid mainly composed of hydrohalic acid to form a transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor unit;
After forming the transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor part, an amorphous ITO thin film layer is formed on the other main surface of the transparent substrate, etched with a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid, and then annealed. A step of crystallizing the amorphous ITO to form a transparent electrode in the color filter portion;
A method for manufacturing a color filter integrated with a touch panel sensor.   2. The touch panel sensor integrated color according to claim 1, wherein the polycrystalline ITO thin film layer forming the transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor portion is formed by sputtering film formation with substrate heating at 200 ° C. to 250 ° C. 3. A method for manufacturing a filter.   The strong acid mainly composed of hydrohalic acid used for the etching process of the transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor part is hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, hydroiodic acid, aqua regia, aqueous solution obtained by adding iodine to hydrochloric acid, or hydrochloric acid A weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid used for etching processing of the transparent electrode of the color filter portion is an oxalic acid aqueous solution. A method for manufacturing a color filter with an integrated touch panel sensor according to claim 1. In the manufacturing method of a touch panel sensor integrated color filter having a touch panel sensor part on one main surface of the transparent substrate and having a color filter part on the other main surface of the transparent substrate,
An amorphous ITO thin film layer is formed on one main surface of the transparent substrate, etched with a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid, and then annealed to crystallize the amorphous ITO. And forming a transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor unit,
After forming the transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor part, an amorphous ITO thin film layer is formed on the other main surface of the transparent substrate, etched with a weak acid mainly composed of oxalic acid, and then annealed. A step of crystallizing the amorphous ITO to form a transparent electrode in the color filter portion;
A method for manufacturing a color filter integrated with a touch panel sensor. The amorphous ITO thin film layer forming the transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor part is formed by sputtering film formation without heating the substrate using an ITO target having a SnO ₂ ratio of 1 to 10% by weight. The manufacturing method of the color filter integrated with a touch panel sensor according to claim 4.   The method for producing a color filter with an integrated touch panel sensor according to any one of claims 4 to 5, wherein the temperature for annealing to crystallize the transparent electrode of the touch panel sensor section is 140 to 250 ° C. . The amorphous ITO thin film layer forming the transparent electrode of the color filter portion is formed by sputtering film formation without heating the substrate using an ITO target having a SnO ₂ ratio of 1 to 10% by weight. The manufacturing method of the touchscreen sensor integrated color filter in any one of Claims 1-6. The method for producing a color filter with an integrated touch panel sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a temperature of annealing treatment for crystallizing the transparent electrode of the color filter portion is 140 to 250 ° C. .

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