KR101655485B1 - Touch panel and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A touch panel according to an embodiment includes a substrate; A transparent electrode formed on the substrate; And a wiring electrode electrically connecting the transparent electrode, wherein the wiring electrode includes a mesh-shaped portion.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a touch panel,

The present invention relates to a touch panel and a manufacturing method thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a touch panel has been applied to an image displayed on a display device in various electronic products by a method of touching an input device such as a finger or a stylus.

The touch panel can be largely divided into a resistance film type touch panel and a capacitive type touch panel. In the resistive touch panel, the glass and the electrode are short-circuited by the pressure of the input device and the position is detected. A capacitance type touch panel senses a change in electrostatic capacitance between electrodes when a finger touches them, thereby detecting the position.

In such a touch panel, a wiring electrode for connecting an electrode to an external circuit is formed, which may require a large area. At this time, when a wiring electrode having a large area is formed by a printing process, the loss of material is large and the printing quality may be deteriorated.

The embodiment attempts to provide a high-quality touch panel which can reduce the process cost.

A touch panel according to an embodiment includes a substrate; A transparent electrode formed on the substrate; And a wiring electrode electrically connecting the transparent electrode, wherein the wiring electrode includes a mesh-shaped portion.

A method of manufacturing a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: preparing a substrate; Forming a transparent electrode on the substrate; And printing a wiring electrode material on the substrate to form a wiring electrode, wherein the wiring electrode includes a mesh-shaped portion.

In the touch panel according to the embodiment, since the wiring electrode includes the mesh-like portion, the material and the process cost can be reduced when forming the wiring electrode with a large area. In addition, it is possible to secure a high-quality touch panel by improving the print quality.

Meanwhile, in the touch panel manufacturing method according to the embodiment, a touch panel including a mesh-shaped portion is provided.

1 is a schematic plan view of a touch panel according to an embodiment.
2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG.
3 is a plan view showing an enlarged view of a portion A in Fig.
4 to 7 are plan views of embodiments of the mesh features.

In the description of the embodiments, it is to be understood that each layer (film), area, pattern or structure may be referred to as being "on" or "under / under" Quot; includes all that is formed directly or through another layer. The criteria for top / bottom or bottom / bottom of each layer are described with reference to the drawings.

The thickness or the size of each layer (film), region, pattern or structure in the drawings may be modified for clarity and convenience of explanation, and thus does not entirely reflect the actual size.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, a touch panel according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a touch panel according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view cut along a line II-II in FIG.

1 and 2, the touch panel according to the embodiment defines a valid area AA for sensing the position of the input device and a dummy area DA located outside the valid area AA .

Here, the transparent electrode 30 may be formed on the effective area AA to sense the input device. The wiring electrode 40 connected to the transparent electrode 30 and the printed circuit board 50 connecting the wiring electrode 40 to an external circuit can do. The outer dummy layer 20 may be formed in the dummy area DA and the logo 20a may be formed on the outer dummy layer 20. [ The touch panel will be described in more detail as follows.

Referring to FIG. 2, an outer dummy layer 20 and a transparent electrode 30 may be formed on the substrate 10. The wiring 40 is connected to the transparent electrode 30 and the printed circuit board 50 can be connected to the wiring 40. The shatterproof film 70 may be formed while covering the transparent electrode 30, the wiring 40, and the printed circuit board 50.

The substrate 10 may be formed of various materials capable of supporting the outer dummy layer 20, the transparent electrodes 30, the wiring electrodes 40, and the like formed thereon. The substrate 10 may be a glass substrate or a plastic substrate, for example.

The outer dummy layer 20 is formed in the dummy area DA of the substrate 10. The outer dummy layer 20 may be formed by applying a material having a predetermined color so that the wiring electrodes 40, the printed circuit board 50, and the like are not visible from the outside. The outer dummy layer 20 may have a color suitable for a desired appearance, for example, black, including a black pigment. A desired logo (reference numeral 20a in FIG. 1) can be formed on the outer dummy layer 20 by various methods. The outer dummy layer 20 may be formed by vapor deposition, printing, wet coating, or the like.

Then, a transparent electrode 30 is formed. The transparent electrode 30 may be formed in various shapes to detect whether an input device such as a finger is contacted.

The transparent electrode 30 may include a transparent conductive material so that electricity can flow without disturbing the transmission of light. For this, the transparent electrode 30 includes various materials such as indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, copper oxide, and carbon nano tube (CNT) .

A wiring electrode 40 connected to the transparent electrode 30 in the dummy area DA of the substrate 10 and a printed circuit board 50 connected to the wiring electrode 40 are formed. Since the wiring electrode 40 is located in the dummy area DA, it can be made of a metal having excellent electrical conductivity. The wiring electrode 40 will be described later in detail.

As the printed circuit board 50, various types of printed circuit boards can be applied. For example, a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) or the like can be applied.

The scattering prevention film 70 may be formed while covering the transparent electrode 30, the wiring electrode 40, and the printed circuit board 50. The anti-scattering film 70 is formed to prevent scattering of debris when the touch panel is broken by an impact, and may be formed of various materials and structures. In the embodiment, it is exemplified that the scattering-prevention film 70 is located on the lower side of the substrate 10. However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the anti-scattering film 70 may be formed in various positions.

Hereinafter, the wiring electrodes will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 3 to 7. Fig.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an enlarged view of part A of FIG. 1, and FIGS. 4 to 7 are plan views of embodiments of a mesh part.

Referring to FIG. 3, the wiring electrode 40 includes a mesh-shaped portion 41.

The mesh-shaped portion 41 may be formed at a portion where the line width of the wiring electrode 40 is 1 mm or more.

The mesh-shaped portion 41 includes the mesh line 41a and the mesh opening 41b, and the line width of the mesh line 41a may be 10 [mu] m to 100 [mu] m. The mesh line 41a having a line width of 10 μm or less is not possible in the manufacturing process, and printing is not easy when the line width is larger than 100 μm.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the mesh opening 41b may be diamond-shaped.

Also, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the mesh opening 41b may have a rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal polygonal or circular shape.

However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the shape of the mesh opening 41b may have various shapes.

The wiring electrode 40 may be made of a metal such as silver (Ag), copper (Cu), and gold (Au), or an alloy thereof. However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and may include various materials having electrical conductivity.

Hereinafter, a manufacturing method of the touch panel according to the embodiment will be described in detail. For the sake of clarity and conciseness, parts that are the same as or slightly similar to those described above will not be described in detail and will be described in detail in different parts.

First, in preparing the substrate, a glass substrate or a plastic substrate can be prepared.

Then, a transparent electrode is formed on such a substrate. At this stage, the transparent electrode may be formed by vapor deposition or the like, for example, reactive sputtering. However, since the embodiment is not limited thereto, a transparent electrode may be formed by various methods.

Next, a wiring electrode material is printed on a dummy area (DA in FIG. 3, hereinafter the same) of the substrate. In this step, the wiring electrode material can be printed by various printing methods such as gravure off set, reverse off set, screen printing and gravure printing.

Gravure offset printing can be performed in such a manner that primary transfer is performed with a silicone rubber called a blanket after filling the paste with the pattern engraved therein, and the blanket and the substrate on which the conductive film is formed are brought into close contact with each other to perform secondary transfer.

Reverse offset printing can be performed in such a manner that a paste is applied to a roll-type blanket and then adhered to a cliche having irregularities to form a desired pattern on the blanket, and then the pattern formed on the blanket is transferred to the conductive film.

Screen printing can be performed by placing the paste on a screen having a pattern, then placing the paste directly on the substrate on which the conductive film has been formed through a screen in which the space is left empty by pushing the squeegee.

Gravure printing can be performed in such a manner that a blanket on which a pattern is formed is wound on a roll, the paste is filled in the pattern, and then the transferred film is transferred to the substrate on which the conductive film is formed.

In the present invention, not only the above schemes may be used individually but also the above schemes may be used in combination. It is also possible to use a printing method known to those skilled in the art.

In order to improve the printing property, it is preferable that the mesh line 41a is not parallel to the printing direction during the printing process of the wiring electrode. When the mesh line 41a is parallel to the printing direction, the printing paste may not be uniformly filled in the pattern grooves of the printing apparatus, resulting in printing defects. Therefore, it is preferable that the mesh line 41a is formed in a printing direction and a diagonal line. In particular, the printability of the mesh-shaped portion 41 having the diamond-shaped mesh opening 41b shown in Fig. 4 is the best.

The wiring electrode material may comprise a printable metal paste. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and may include a paste having conductivity.

The features, structures, effects and the like described in the foregoing embodiments are included in at least one embodiment of the present invention and are not necessarily limited to one embodiment. Further, the features, structures, effects, and the like illustrated in the embodiments may be combined or modified in other embodiments by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments belong. Therefore, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to these combinations and modifications.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It can be seen that various modifications and applications are possible. For example, each component specifically shown in the embodiments may be modified and implemented. It is to be understood that the present invention may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

40: wiring electrode
41:
41a: mesh wire
41b: mesh opening

Claims (14)

Board;
A transparent electrode formed on the substrate; And
And a wiring electrode electrically connecting the transparent electrode,
Wherein the wiring electrode includes a mesh-shaped portion. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the mesh-shaped portion is formed at a portion where the line width of the wiring electrode is 1 mm or more. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the mesh features comprise mesh lines and mesh openings,
Wherein the line width of the mesh line is 10 [mu] m to 100 [mu] m. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the mesh features comprise mesh lines and mesh openings,
Wherein the mesh opening portion includes at least one shape selected from the group consisting of a diamond shape, a polygonal shape, and a circular shape. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the wiring electrode includes at least one selected from the group consisting of silver (Ag), copper (Cu), and gold (Au). Preparing a substrate;
Forming a transparent electrode on the substrate; And
And forming a wiring electrode by printing a wiring electrode material on the substrate,
Wherein the wiring electrode includes a mesh-shaped portion. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the mesh-shaped portion is formed in a portion where the line width of the wiring electrode is 1 mm or more. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the mesh features comprise mesh lines and mesh openings,
And the line width of the mesh line is 10 m to 100 m. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the mesh line is formed in a printing direction and an oblique line. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the mesh features comprise mesh lines and mesh openings,
Wherein the mesh opening includes at least one shape selected from the group consisting of a diamond shape, a polygonal shape, and a circular shape. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the wiring electrode material comprises a metal paste. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the wiring electrode material includes at least one selected from the group consisting of silver (Ag), copper (Cu), and gold (Au). The method according to claim 6,
The step of forming the wiring electrodes may include a step of forming a wiring pattern on the touch panel including at least one of a group consisting of gravure off set, reverse off set, screen printing and gravure printing, ≪ / RTI > Touch panel;
The touch panel includes:
Board;
A transparent electrode formed on the substrate; And
And a wiring electrode electrically connecting the transparent electrode,
Wherein the wiring electrode includes a mesh-shaped portion.

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