CN114461086B

CN114461086B - Touch panel, electronic device and manufacturing method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN114461086B
Application number: CN202011236778.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 徐维佑; 黄薇臻; 张良亦; 陈汉威; 吴和虔
Original assignee: TPK Advanced Solutions Inc
Current assignee: TPK Advanced Solutions Inc
Priority date: 2020-11-09
Filing date: 2020-11-09
Publication date: 2023-11-10
Anticipated expiration: 2040-11-09
Also published as: CN114461086A

Abstract

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a touch panel, a touch device and a method of manufacturing the same. The touch panel comprises a substrate, a wire structure layer and a shading structure. The substrate comprises a visual area and a peripheral area, wherein the peripheral area surrounds outside the visual area. The wire structure layer is arranged on the visible area. The shading structure comprises a first material layer and a second material layer, wherein the optical density value of the shading structure is smaller than 4, the first material layer is arranged on the peripheral area, and the second material layer is arranged on the first material layer. Some embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a method for manufacturing a touch panel, so as to achieve the effects of saving cost and improving circuit offset.

Description

Touch panel, electronic device and manufacturing method thereof

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a touch panel and a method of manufacturing the same.

Background

In recent years, transparent wires are commonly used in many display or touch related devices because they allow light to pass therethrough and provide appropriate conductivity. In general, the transparent line may be various metal oxides, such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), indium Zinc Oxide (Indium Zinc Oxide, IZO), cadmium Tin Oxide (Cadmium Tin Oxide, CTO), or Aluminum-doped Zinc Oxide (AZO). However, these metal oxide films do not meet the flexibility requirements of the display device. Therefore, various flexible transparent lines, such as transparent lines made of materials such as nanowires, have been developed.

However, in the current touch panel, the material (e.g., ink) is expensive and the cost is high as a decorative layer (or blackened layer) for separating the peripheral area and the visible area. In addition, when a transparent line is manufactured, there is a case where the line is shifted. Therefore, how to reduce the cost of the decorative layer and to improve the problem of the line shift is one of the important subjects.

Disclosure of Invention

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a touch panel including a substrate, a conductive line structure layer, and a light shielding structure. The substrate comprises a visual area and a peripheral area, wherein the peripheral area surrounds outside the visual area. The wire structure layer is arranged on the visible area. The shading structure comprises a first material layer and a second material layer, wherein the optical density value of the shading structure is smaller than 4, the first material layer is arranged on the peripheral area, and the second material layer is arranged on the first material layer.

In some embodiments, the second material layer extends over the wire structure layer and over the region of the viewable area where the wire structure layer is not disposed.

In some embodiments, the peripheral lead structure layer is disposed on the peripheral region and electrically connected to the conductive line structure layer.

In some embodiments, portions of the first material layer are disposed on both sides of and contact the peripheral lead structure layer.

In some embodiments, the second material layer is disposed on the peripheral lead structure layer.

In some embodiments, the material of the substrate comprises polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polyimide, cyclic olefin polymer, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the catalyst layer is disposed between the wire structure layer and the substrate, between the peripheral lead structure layer and the substrate, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the material of the catalytic layer comprises metal nanoparticles.

In some embodiments, the wire structure layer and the peripheral lead structure layer comprise metal wires.

In some embodiments, the first material layer has a light refractive index that is different from the light refractive index of the second material layer.

In some embodiments, the dielectric constant of the second material layer is less than 3 farads/meter.

In some embodiments, the second material layer has a water absorption of no more than 0.2%, or a water permeability of less than 1500 grams per square meter per day.

In some embodiments, the cover plate is disposed on the second material layer.

In some embodiments, the cover sheet comprises a glass cover sheet, a polarizing plate, or a combination thereof.

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing a touch panel, comprising: providing a substrate, wherein the substrate comprises a visible area and a peripheral area; forming a first material layer on the visible area and the peripheral area, wherein the first material layer positioned in the visible area is divided into a plurality of first parts by a plurality of first grooves; forming a wire structure layer in the first grooves; removing the first material layer on the visible area; and disposing a second material layer on the conductive line structure layer, the visible region where the conductive line structure layer is not disposed, and the first material layer in the peripheral region, wherein an optical density value of an overlapping region of the first material layer and the second material layer is less than 4.

In some embodiments, the plurality of first grooves exposes a surface of the substrate.

In some embodiments, the step of removing the first material layer on the visible region includes exposing a surface of the substrate.

In some embodiments, the first material layer is disposed on the visible area and the peripheral area includes a plurality of second portions separated by a plurality of second grooves; and forming the wire structure layer in the first grooves, wherein the step comprises forming the peripheral wire structure layer in the second grooves at the same time and electrically connecting the wire structure layer.

In some embodiments, the step of disposing the second material layer on the wire structure layer, on the visible region where the wire structure layer is not disposed, and on the first material layer in the peripheral region includes disposing the second material layer on the peripheral lead structure layer.

In some embodiments, further comprising disposing a cover plate over the second material layer.

In some embodiments, the step of disposing the cover plate on the second material layer comprises: providing insulating glue; and adhering the cover plate to the second material layer by using insulating glue.

In some embodiments, after providing the substrate, further comprising: forming a catalytic layer on the visible area and the peripheral area, wherein the catalytic layer comprises metal nano particles; forming a first material layer on the catalytic layer in the visible area, wherein the first material layer is divided into a plurality of first parts by a plurality of first grooves, and the catalytic layer is exposed by the plurality of first grooves; and performing a reduction reaction on the catalytic layer to form a wire structure layer in the plurality of first grooves.

In some embodiments, the step of forming the first material layer on the catalytic layer in the visible region includes: simultaneously forming a first material layer on the catalytic layer in the peripheral area, wherein the first material layer in the peripheral area is divided into a plurality of second parts by a plurality of second grooves, and the catalytic layer is exposed by the plurality of second grooves; and performing a reduction reaction on the catalytic layer, wherein the step of forming the wire structure layer in the plurality of first grooves comprises forming a peripheral lead structure layer in the plurality of second grooves on the peripheral region at the same time, and the peripheral lead structure layer is connected with the wire structure layer.

One aspect of the disclosure relates to an electronic device, including a mobile device, a wearable device, or a vehicular device.

In some implementations, the mobile device includes a cell phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the wearable device includes a smart watch, smart glasses, smart clothing, smart shoes, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the vehicle device comprises an instrument panel, a tachograph, a rear view mirror, a vehicle window, a vehicle door, or a combination thereof.

Drawings

The present disclosure will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of the embodiments, taken together with the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1A-1G schematically depict a process for manufacturing a touch panel in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 2A-2E schematically depict a partial flow of manufacturing a touch panel in accordance with other embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a top view of a touch panel assembled with a flexible circuit board in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

fig. 4 schematically illustrates a top view of a touch panel assembled with a flexible circuit board according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[ symbolic description ]

100 touch panel

110 substrate

120 catalytic layer

130 shading structure

131 first material layer

132 second material layer

140 electrode structure

141 conductive line structure layer

142 peripheral lead structure layer

150 insulating glue

160 cover plate

200 flexible circuit board

A is a first groove

VA visual zone

Peripheral area PA

TE1 first touch sensing electrode

TE2 second touch sensing electrode

Detailed Description

It is to be understood that the various implementations or embodiments provided below may implement different features of the subject matter of this disclosure. Embodiments of specific components and arrangements are presented to simplify the present disclosure and are not limiting. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the recitation of a first feature being formed on a second feature described below includes the two being in direct contact, or the two being spaced apart by other additional features than being in direct contact. Furthermore, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or symbols in various embodiments. Such repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

The terms used in this specification generally have a general meaning in the art and in the context of the use. Examples of embodiments used in this specification, including any terms discussed herein, are illustrative only and do not limit the scope and meaning of the present disclosure or any exemplary terms. As such, the present disclosure is not limited to some embodiments provided in the present specification.

In addition, spatially relative terms, such as "lower," "upper," and the like, may be used for convenience in describing the relative relationship of one element or feature to another element or feature in the drawings. These spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The device may be otherwise positioned (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

In this document, the terms "a" and "an" may refer generally to one or more unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," and/or "having," when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence of other features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the present embodiments.

As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

The following describes the touch device according to the present invention in more detail, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

Fig. 1A-1G exemplarily depict a flow of manufacturing a touch panel according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Firstly, please refer to fig. 1A, a substrate 110 is provided, and a visual area VA and a peripheral area PA are defined on the substrate 110; next, the catalytic layer 120 is formed on the visible area VA and on a portion of the peripheral area PA.

In some embodiments, the substrate 110 may be a flexible transparent substrate, and the material may be selected from transparent materials such as polyvinyl chloride (polyvinyl Chloride; PVC), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (polyethylene terephthalate; PET), polyethylene naphthalate (polyethylene naphthalate; PEN), polycarbonate (PC), polystyrene (PS), polyimide (PI), cyclic Olefin Polymers (COP), and the like, so that the bending flexibility effect may be achieved.

The catalytic layer 120 is mainly used for catalyzing the deposition of the metal wire structure layer 141 (as shown in fig. 1D). The catalytic layer 120 may be an insulating layer filled with catalytic particles, for example, the catalytic layer 120 may be an acryl resin or an epoxy resin, in which nano-conductive particles or catalytic nano-metal particles may be filled, dispersed in the resin, so that the catalytic layer 120 is an insulator. In one embodiment, the nanoparticles are silver particles, palladium particles, copper particles, silver/palladium particles, or copper/palladium particles, but are not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the catalytic layer 120 has a thickness of less than about 1 micron, for example, about 10 nm to 1 micron, and may specifically comprise a value of 10 nm, 50nm, 100nm, 200 nm, 300 nm, 400 nm, 500nm, 600 nm, 700 nm, 800 nm, 900 nm, 1 micron, or any interval of the foregoing. In an embodiment, the catalytic layer 120 may be formed by printing, and is printed on the area of the substrate 110 where the conductive line structure layer 141 is to be formed, but not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the peripheral area PA is disposed outside the visual area VA, for example, the peripheral area PA is disposed around (i.e., covers right, left, upper and lower) the visual area VA. In other embodiments, the peripheral area PA is disposed in the L-shaped area on the left and lower sides of the viewing area VA.

Next, please refer to fig. 1B, a first material layer 131 is formed on the catalytic layer 120, wherein the first material layer 131 is located on the visible area VA and the peripheral area PA, and in the visible area VA, the first material layer 131 is separated into a plurality of first portions by the first grooves a, exposing the catalytic layer 120. It should be emphasized that in this step, the first groove a formed by the blank area of the first material layer 131 not disposed on the catalytic layer 120 is used to pre-locate the position of the circuit structure to be formed, so as to avoid the skew offset of the circuit. The position of the first groove A can be adjusted according to the setting requirement of the wire structure and the elasticity. In some embodiments, the position of the first groove a may be reserved at the step of forming the first material layer 131; it is also possible to form the first groove a by forming a flat first material layer 131 without grooves and then removing part of the first material layer 131. In some embodiments, in the step of forming the first material layer 131 on the visible area VA and the peripheral area PA, the first material layer 131 located in the peripheral area PA may also be separated into a plurality of second portions by second grooves (not shown). In some embodiments, the first material layer 131 is an insulating substance. In some embodiments, the first material layer 131 may be transparent, such as a peelable glue.

Next, please refer to fig. 1C, a conductive line structure layer 141 is formed in the first recess a (fig. 1B) on the view area VA. That is, portions of the first material layer 131 are located at both sides of the conductive line structure layer 141 in the view area VA and contact the conductive line structure layer 141. In some embodiments, the conductive line structure layer 141 may be formed simultaneously with the formation of the peripheral lead structure layer 142 (fig. 3) in a second recess (not shown), and electrically connected to the conductive line structure layer 141 of the view area VA. Such that portions of the first material layer 131 are located on both sides of the peripheral lead structure layer 142 of the peripheral region PA and contact the peripheral lead structure layer 142. Thus, in some embodiments, the portion of the catalytic layer 120 on the viewing area VA is located between the wire structure layer 141 and the substrate 110; the catalytic layer 120 at the upper portion of the peripheral region PA is located between the peripheral lead structure layer 142 and the substrate 110.

In some embodiments, the conductive line structure layer 141 and the peripheral lead structure layer 142 formed of metal lines (i.e., conductive lines of metal material) may be formed through catalysis of the catalytic layer 120 by electroless plating. Specifically, the plating solution is applied to the catalytic layer 120 by means of a suitable reducing agent without an applied current, so that metal ions in the plating solution are reduced to metal and plated (or deposited) on the surface thereof under the catalysis of the metal catalyst of the catalytic layer 120, which is also called electroless plating (electroless plating) or autocatalytic plating (autocatalytic plating). For example, if the wire structure layer 141 and the peripheral lead structure layer 142 are to be composed of copper, the main component of the plating solution may be a copper sulfate solution, and the composition thereof may include, but is not limited to: copper sulfate (copper sulfate) at a concentration of 5g/L, ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) at a concentration of 12g/L, formaldehyde (formaldehyde) at a concentration of 5g/L, the pH of the electroless copper plating solution is adjusted to about 11 to 13 with sodium hydroxide (sodium hydroxide), the bath temperature is about 30 to 50 ℃, and the soaking reaction time is 5 to 15 minutes. During the reaction, copper in the plating solution may nucleate on the catalytic layer 120 having catalytic/activating ability and then continue to grow into a copper film by self-catalysis of copper. One skilled in the art can select appropriate plating solutions and materials for the catalytic layer 120 according to the materials of the conductive line structure layer 141 and the peripheral lead structure layer 142 to be obtained. In some embodiments, the conductive line structure layer 141 and the peripheral lead structure layer 142 are made of a metal with better conductivity, such as a single-layer metal structure, for example, a silver layer, a copper layer, etc.; or a conductive structure in the form of a multi-layer alloy, such as molybdenum/aluminum/molybdenum, copper/nickel, titanium/aluminum/titanium, molybdenum/chromium, etc.

In another embodiment, a thickening step, such as a plating process, may be added to increase the thickness of the conductive line structure layer 141 and the peripheral lead structure layer 142, wherein the plating solution composition may include, but is not limited toNot limited to: copper sulfate (copper sulfate) at a concentration of 200g/L, sulfuric acid (sulfuric acid) at a concentration of 80g/L, chloride ion (chloride ion) at a concentration of 50mg/L, pH adjusted to about 3 to 5, and current density of about 1 to 10A/dm ² The plating bath temperature is about 25 to 45 ℃. The sequence of the electroless plating process and the electroplating process can be adjusted according to the actual requirement, and is not limited to this, for example, the electroless plating process is performed first, then the electroless plating process is performed, or the electroless plating process is performed first, then the electroplating process is performed, and only the electroplating process or the electroless plating process can be used. In other embodiments, the thickening step may be another electroless plating process, such as an electroless copper plating process using a plating solution having a composition different from that of the plating solution described above, to increase the thickness of the conductive line structure layer 141 and the peripheral lead structure layer 142.

Next, please refer to fig. 1D, the first material layer 131 on the view area VA is removed. That is, in the view area VA, the catalytic layer 120 is exposed in the gaps between the wires of the wire structural layer 141. This step is to avoid that in the subsequent process, if the first material layer 131 remains in the visual area VA, the light shielding effect formed when the first material layer 131 and the second material layer 132 overlap once the second material layer 132 is covered on the first material layer 131 on the visual area VA affects the visual appearance of the visual area VA.

With continued reference to fig. 1E, the second material layer 132 is disposed on the conductive line structure layer 141, on the visible area VA where the conductive line structure layer 141 is not disposed (i.e. covers the layer structures on the visible area VA), and on the first material layer 131 of the peripheral area PA. In some embodiments, the second material layer 132 further extends over the peripheral lead structure layer 142 of the peripheral region PA.

It should be emphasized that the optical density value of the first material layer 131 and the second material layer 132 in the present disclosure is less than 4, such as 1, 2, 3, 4, or a value in any of the foregoing intervals. The optical density is calculated as od=log (incident light/transmitted light) or od=log (1/transmittance), which is the logarithm of the ratio of incident light to transmitted light. That is, the smaller the optical density, the higher the proportion of light absorbed. The light shielding structure 130 formed by overlapping the first material layer 131 and the second material layer 132 has an optical density of less than 4, and can be used as a decorative layer of the visible area VA and the peripheral area PA. In some embodiments, the second material layer 132 is transparent, so as to avoid interference with the visual effect of the visual area VA when covering the visual area VA and the conductive line structure layer 141. In some embodiments, the light refractive index of the first material layer 131 is different from the light refractive index of the second material layer 132, so that the light transmission can be blocked when the two layers overlap, thereby achieving a shading effect with the sum of optical densities smaller than 4. In some embodiments, the light shielding structure 130 may be formed for the decoration layer between the visible area VA and the peripheral area PA even though the first material layer 131 and the second material layer 132 are transparent.

In addition, it should be noted that, since the first material layer 131 and the second material layer 132 in some embodiments of the present disclosure use the principle of different refractive indexes of light, materials with lower cost can be selected, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced by replacing the expensive ink used for the decoration layer.

In some embodiments, the dielectric constant of the second material layer 132 is less than 3 farads/meter, which may be 0 to 2.9 farads/meter (e.g., 0 farads/meter, 0.5 farads/meter, 1 farads/meter, 1.5 farads/meter, 2 farads/meter, 2.5 farads/meter, 2.6 farads/meter, 2.7 farads/meter, 2.8 farads/meter, 2.9 farads/meter, or a value between any of the preceding intervals). In some embodiments, the water absorption of the second material layer 132 is not higher than 0.2%, and may be 0, 0.1, 0.2, or a value between any of the foregoing intervals. In some embodiments, the water permeability of the second material layer 132 is less than 1500 grams per square meter per day, and may be 0 to 1499 (e.g., 0, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1499, or a value between any of the foregoing intervals). It should be emphasized that, by utilizing the characteristics of low water absorption, low water permeability, and low dielectric constant of the second material layer 132, when the second material layer 132 is disposed on the conductive line structure layer 141 or the peripheral lead structure layer 142, the second material layer can serve as a protection layer to reduce the chance of the line contacting with moisture, thereby reducing the problems of electrostatic discharge (Electrostatic Discharge, ESD) and electron migration caused by too high moisture in the conductive line structure layer 141 or the peripheral lead structure layer 142.

In some embodiments, the second material layer 132 may be a transparent photoresist or a transparent ink, and the values of parameters of two examples (transparent ink) of the second material layer 132 are shown.

Table one, a performance parameter table of the second material layer

	Example 1	Example two
			Thickness (micron)	150	200
Water absorption (%)	0.1	0.2
			Dielectric constant (Farad/meter)	2.56	2.85
Permeability (g/square Mitian)	50	1350

Next, please refer to fig. 1F, an insulating adhesive 150 is used to adhere the cover 160 to the second material layer 132, and cover the visible area VA and the peripheral area PA to form the touch panel 100. In some embodiments, the insulating paste 150 may be an optical paste, but is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the cover plate 160 may be a glass cover plate, a polarizing plate, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, a light shielding material may be coated on a portion of the surface of the cover plate 160 corresponding to the peripheral area PA to shield the peripheral area PA.

In other simplified embodiments of the present disclosure, please refer to the touch panel 100' of fig. 1G, the second material layer 132 may cover only the first material layer 131 located on the peripheral area PA adjacent to the view area VA, to form the light shielding structure 130, as a decoration layer, without extending the conductive line structure layer 141 covering the view area VA and the peripheral lead structure layer 142 of the peripheral area PA (see fig. 3 for the peripheral lead structure layer 142).

Next, please refer to fig. 2A to fig. 2E. Fig. 2A-2E provide further embodiments of the present disclosure, and the conductive line structure layer 141 and the peripheral lead structure layer 142 of fig. 2A-2E are formed without catalysis by the catalytic layer 120, compared to the method of forming the conductive line structure layer 141 and the peripheral lead structure layer 142 by catalysis by the catalytic layer 120 in fig. 1A-1G, which further simplifies the process.

Specifically, please refer to fig. 2A, the main steps of forming the first material layer 131 on the substrate 110 are similar to those of fig. 1B, in which in fig. 2A, the first material layer 131 is located on the substrate 110, and the catalytic layer 120 is not required between the first material layer 131 and the substrate 110.

Next, please refer to fig. 2B, a conductive line structure layer 141 is formed in the first recess a. In some embodiments, the conductive line structure layer 141 may be formed simultaneously with the formation of the peripheral lead structure layer 142 (fig. 3) in a second recess (not shown), and electrically connected to the conductive line structure layer 141 of the view area VA. In some embodiments, a metal nanowire (metal nanowire) layer including a metal nanowire may be used as the wire structure layer 141 and the peripheral lead structure layer 142. In some embodiments, the metal nanowire (metallic nanowire) layer may include, for example, a silver nanowire (silver nanowire) layer, a gold nanowire (gold nanowire) layer, or a copper nanowire (copper nanowire) layer. The following describes specific methods for forming a metal nanowire layer, including: the dispersion or slurry (ink) with the metal nanowires is formed on the substrate 110 by a coating method, and the metal nanowires are formed on the surface of the substrate 110 without the first material layer 131 (i.e. the first groove a, the second groove (not shown) or both the first and second grooves, which can be selectively adjusted according to the requirement of visual line design), and dried, so that the metal nanowires are covered on the surface of the substrate 110, and the metal nanowire layer disposed on the substrate 110 is formed. Then, after the solvent or the like in the dispersion or the slurry (ink) is volatilized, the metal nanowires are distributed and fixed on the surface of the substrate 110 in a random manner to form a metal nanowire layer, and the metal nanowires are contacted with each other to provide a continuous current path, thereby forming a conductive network (conductive network). In some embodiments, the dispersion may be water, an alcohol, a ketone, an ether, a hydrocarbon, or an aromatic solvent (benzene, toluene, xylene, etc.). In one embodiment, the dispersion may also include additives, surfactants or binders such as, but not limited to, carboxymethyl cellulose (carboxymethyl cellulose; CMC), 2-hydroxyethyl cellulose (hydroxyethyl Cellulose; HEC), hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose; HPMC), sulfonates, sulfates, disulfonates, sulfosuccinates, phosphates, or fluorosurfactants, and the like. It will be appreciated that the dispersion or slurry containing the metal nanowires may be formed on the surface of the substrate 110 in any manner, such as, but not limited to: screen printing, spray head coating, roller coating and other processes. In one embodiment, a roll-to-roll (RTR) process may be used to apply a dispersion or slurry containing metal nanowires to the surface of a continuously supplied substrate 110.

It should be noted that "metal nanowires" as used herein is a collective term that refers to a collection of metal wires comprising a plurality of elemental metals, metal alloys, or metal compounds (including metal oxides), wherein the number of metal nanowires included does not affect the scope of the disclosure as claimed. And at least one cross-sectional dimension (i.e., the diameter of the cross-section) of the single metal nanowire is less than about 500nm, preferably less than about 100nm, and more preferably less than about 50nm. In some embodiments, the metal nanostructures of a "wire" have a predominantly high aspect ratio, e.g., between about 10 and 100,000. In detail, the aspect ratio (length: diameter of the cross section) of the metal nanowire may be greater than about 10, for example greater than about 50, or greater than about 100, but is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the metal nanowires may be any metal, including, but not limited to, silver, gold, copper, nickel, and gold-plated silver. Other terms such as silk, fiber, tube, etc. are also within the scope of the present disclosure as long as they have the dimensions and high aspect ratio described above.

The flow of the following fig. 2C to 2D is similar to that of fig. 1D and 1E, and will not be repeated here.

Fig. 2E illustrates an embodiment of forming the conductive line structure layer 141 in the view area VA, wherein the first material layer 131 is disposed on the peripheral area PA, the second material layer 132 is disposed on the first material layer 131 to form the light shielding structure 130, and the second material layer 132 covers the conductive line structure layer 141 and the view area VA.

Next, the cover 160 may be adhered to the second material layer 132 to form a touch panel, as in the steps similar to fig. 1F or 1G.

Next, please refer to FIG. 3. Fig. 3 is an assembly structure of the flexible circuit board 200 and the touch panel 100 after alignment, wherein the conductive line structure layer 141 and the peripheral lead structure layer 142 together form the electrode structure 140. In addition, the electrode pads (not shown) of the flexible circuit board 200 may be electrically connected to the peripheral lead structure layer 142 on the peripheral area PA of the substrate 110 through conductive adhesive (not shown), such as anisotropic conductive adhesive. In some embodiments, the touch electrodes formed by the conductive line structure layer 141 on the view area VA are arranged in a non-staggered manner. For example, the conductive line structure layer 141 is a strip-shaped electrode extending along the first direction D1, and does not generate the interlacing. In other embodiments, the conductive line structure layer 141 may have other shapes or extend in other directions, and should not limit the scope of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the electrode structure 140 is configured as a single layer, and the touch position is obtained by detecting the capacitance change of the touch electrode formed by each conductive line structure layer 141.

With continued reference to fig. 3, in the view area VA, the second material layer 132 surrounds the periphery of the conductive line structure layer 141 and covers the conductive line structure layer 141 (see fig. 1E and fig. 2D); in the peripheral area PA, the second material layer 132 covers the first material layer 131 on the peripheral area PA adjacent to the view area VA, so as to form the light shielding structure 130 (as shown in fig. 1E and fig. 2D, the structure that the second material layer 132 covers the first material layer 131) as a decorative layer. In some embodiments, the second material layer 132 covers the wire structure layer 141 and the peripheral lead structure layer 142 (e.g., fig. 1E and 2D. In other embodiments, the wire structure layer 141, the peripheral lead structure layer 142, or both may directly cover the insulating glue 150 (e.g., fig. 1G).

With continued reference to fig. 4, fig. 4 is similar to the embodiment of fig. 3, and the main difference between the two diagrams is that: in fig. 4, the electrode structure 140 including the lead structure layer 141 and the peripheral lead structure layer 142 is configured in a double layer.

For convenience of description, the first touch sensing electrode TE1 and the second touch sensing electrode TE2 formed by the conductive line structure layer 141 are illustrated in fig. 4. Referring to fig. 4, the first touch sensing electrode TE1 is formed on one surface (e.g., the lower surface) of the substrate 110, and the second touch sensing electrode TE2 is formed on the other surface (e.g., the upper surface) of the substrate 110, so that the first touch sensing electrode TE1 and the second touch sensing electrode TE2 are electrically insulated from each other. The peripheral lead structure layer 142 connected to the first touch sensing electrode TE1 is formed on the lower surface of the substrate 110 corresponding to the first touch sensing electrode TE 1. Similarly, the peripheral lead structure layer 142 connected to the second touch sensing electrode TE2 is formed on the upper surface of the substrate 110 corresponding to the second touch sensing electrode TE 2. In fig. 4, the first touch sensing electrode TE1 is a plurality of elongated electrodes arranged along the first direction D1, and the second touch sensing electrode TE2 is a plurality of elongated electrodes arranged along the second direction D2. The extending directions of the strip-shaped first touch sensing electrode TE1 and the strip-shaped second touch sensing electrode TE2 are different and are staggered with each other. In other embodiments, the first touch sensing electrode TE1 and the second touch sensing electrode TE2 can be flexibly changed according to the requirement, and are not limited to the long shape.

The first touch sensing electrode TE1 and the second touch sensing electrode TE2 can be used for transmitting control signals and receiving touch sensing signals, respectively. From this, the touch position can be obtained by detecting a signal change (e.g., a capacitance change) between the first touch sensing electrode TE1 and the second touch sensing electrode TE 2. With this arrangement, the user can perform touch sensing at each point on the substrate 110.

In some embodiments, the touch panel 100 may further include a film layer covering the entire touch panel 100. That is, the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate 110 are respectively provided with a film layer covering the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate 110.

The touch panel 100 provided in the present disclosure may be assembled with other electronic components to form an electronic device, for example, the substrate 110 may be attached to a display element (e.g. a liquid crystal display element or an organic light emitting diode (Organic Light Emitting Diode; OLED) display element) by using an insulating adhesive 150 to prepare a display with touch function. In some embodiments, the touch panel 100 in some embodiments of the present disclosure may be further applied to electronic devices, including, but not limited to, mobile devices (cell phones, tablet computers, notebook computers, but not limited to), wearable devices (smart watches, smart glasses, smart clothing, and smart shoes, but not limited to), and vehicular devices (dashboards, event recorders, rearview mirrors, windows, doors, or combinations thereof, but not limited to).

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a touch panel including a novel light shielding structure and a method for manufacturing the same are provided, wherein the light shielding structure includes a first material layer and a second material layer, and the light shielding effect is achieved by the difference of light refractive indexes between the first material layer and the second material layer, so that the cost can be saved by replacing the expensive light shielding material used as a decorative layer between a visible region and a peripheral region. In addition, by utilizing the improvement of the manufacturing process, the positions of the circuits (such as the wire structure layer and the peripheral lead structure layer) to be formed can be preset when the first material layer is formed, so that the problem of wire skew is solved.

In addition, it is also worth emphasizing that in some embodiments, the second material layer has the characteristics of low dielectric constant, low water absorption, low water permeability and the like, and can be covered on the circuit, so that the problems of electrostatic discharge, electromigration and the like caused by too high water-gas content are solved, and the safety is improved.

While the present disclosure has been described in detail with respect to certain embodiments, other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the embodiments described herein.

Claims

1. A touch panel, comprising:

a substrate including a visual area and a peripheral area surrounding the visual area;

a wire structure layer arranged on the visible area; and

the light shielding structure comprises a first material layer and a second material layer, wherein the light refractive index of the first material layer is different from that of the second material layer, so that the light transmission is blocked when the first material layer and the second material layer are overlapped, the light density value of the light shielding structure is smaller than 4, the first material layer is only arranged on the peripheral area, the second material layer is transparent and arranged on the first material layer, and the second material layer extends to cover the wire structure layer and cover the area, in which the wire structure layer is not arranged, in the visible area.

2. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising:

and the peripheral lead structure layer is arranged on the peripheral region and is electrically connected with the lead structure layer.

3. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein a portion of the first material layer is disposed on both sides of and in contact with the peripheral lead structure layer.

4. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein the second material layer is disposed on the peripheral lead structure layer.

5. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a material comprising polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polyimide, cyclic olefin polymer, or a combination thereof.

6. The touch panel of claim 2, further comprising a catalytic layer disposed between the conductive line structure layer and the substrate, between the peripheral lead structure layer and the substrate, or a combination thereof.

7. The touch panel of claim 6, wherein the material of the catalytic layer comprises metal nanoparticles.

8. The touch panel of claim 6, wherein the conductive line structure layer and the peripheral lead structure layer comprise metal lines.

9. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the dielectric constant of the second material layer is less than 3 farads/meter.

10. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the water absorption rate of the second material layer is not higher than 0.2%, or the water permeability is less than 1500 g/sq m/day.

11. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising a cover disposed on the second material layer.

12. The touch panel of claim 11, wherein the cover comprises a glass cover, a polarizer, or a combination thereof.

13. A method of manufacturing a touch panel, comprising:

providing a substrate, wherein the substrate comprises a visible area and a peripheral area;

forming a first material layer on the visible area and the peripheral area, wherein the first material layer in the visible area is divided into a plurality of first parts by a plurality of first grooves;

forming a wire structure layer in the first grooves;

removing the first material layer on the visible area; and

and disposing a second material layer on the conductive line structure layer, the visible region without the conductive line structure layer, and the first material layer in the peripheral region, wherein the optical density value of the overlapping region of the first material layer and the second material layer is less than 4.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of first grooves expose a surface of the substrate.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein removing the first material layer over the visible region comprises exposing a surface of the substrate.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein:

forming the first material layer on the visible area and the peripheral area, wherein the first material layer in the peripheral area is divided into a plurality of second parts by a plurality of second grooves; and forming the wire structure layer in the first grooves, wherein the wire structure layer is electrically connected with the wire structure layer by forming a peripheral wire structure layer in the second grooves.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein disposing the second material layer on the conductive line structure layer, on the visible region where the conductive line structure layer is not disposed, and on the first material layer of the peripheral region comprises disposing the second material layer on the peripheral lead structure layer.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising disposing a cover plate over the second material layer.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein disposing the cover plate over the second material layer comprises:

providing an insulating adhesive; and

the cover plate is adhered to the second material layer by using the insulating adhesive.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising, after providing the substrate:

forming a catalytic layer on the visible region and the peripheral region, wherein the catalytic layer comprises metal nano particles;

forming the first material layer on the catalytic layer in the visible area, wherein the first material layer is divided into a plurality of first parts by a plurality of first grooves, and the catalytic layer is exposed by the plurality of first grooves; and

and performing a reduction reaction on the catalytic layer to form the wire structure layer in the plurality of first grooves.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein:

the step of forming the first material layer on the catalytic layer in the visible area includes:

simultaneously forming the first material layer on the catalytic layer in the peripheral region, wherein the first material layer in the peripheral region is divided into a plurality of second parts by a plurality of second grooves, and the catalytic layer is exposed by the plurality of second grooves; and

the step of performing the reduction reaction on the catalytic layer to form the conductive line structure layer in the plurality of first grooves includes:

and forming a peripheral lead structure layer in the second grooves on the peripheral region, wherein the peripheral lead structure layer is connected with the lead structure layer.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein disposing the second material layer on the conductive line structure layer, the visible region on which the conductive line structure layer is not disposed, and the first material layer on the peripheral region comprises disposing the second material layer on the peripheral lead structure layer.

23. An electronic device comprising the touch panel of claim 1.