JP2016151992A - Transparent electrode structure, manufacturing method for transparent electrode, touch panel, and organic el device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve transparency and low resistance without going through a photolithographic process.SOLUTION: A transparent electrode structure comprises a transparent electrode layer 1 and an auxiliary electrode layer 2 laminated together, where the transparent electrode layer has a transparent electrode pattern 3 of a predetermined form and the auxiliary electrode layer has a plurality of conductive thin lines 5, which are in electrical contact with the transparent electrode pattern 3 and are segmented, formed using a metal mask having a plurality of slits that are segmented to correspond to the conductive thin lines 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a transparent electrode, and more particularly, to a transparent electrode structure, a transparent electrode manufacturing method, a touch panel, and an organic EL device that can achieve transparency and low resistance without passing through a photolithography process.

  The conventional transparent electrode structure has a single-layer structure formed by sputtering a metal oxide on a transparent substrate, for example, and then patterning it into a predetermined shape through a photolithography process. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  In addition, as another transparent electrode structure, there is one having a structure of a mesh conductor (mesh conductor) provided in a mesh shape by intersecting a plurality of thin conductor wires corresponding to a transparent electrode pattern (for example, a patent) Reference 2).

  As another transparent electrode structure, a transparent electrode material made of a metal oxide or the like is formed by sputtering, for example, and then patterned into a predetermined shape through a photolithography process, and the transparent electrode pattern is formed. Auxiliary fine line pattern formed through a photolithography process in which a photosensitive conductive material applied to a necessary portion is exposed and developed using a photomask having a fine line pattern provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the electrode pattern There is also a structure having a laminated structure (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

JP 2011-197754 A JP 2014-056461 A JP, 2014-174607, A

  However, in such a conventional transparent electrode structure, the transparent electrode structure described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the wiring resistance is increased although the transparent conductive film is a metal oxide and has excellent transparency. . Therefore, when applied as a transparent electrode of a capacitive touch panel, there is a problem that detection sensitivity is deteriorated. In addition, when applied to a transparent electrode for an organic EL device, there is a problem that uneven light emission occurs.

  Since the transparent electrode structure described in Patent Document 2 is formed of only a plurality of conductor thin wires, increasing the mesh aperture ratio to improve the transparency makes the conductor thin wires thinner and increases the wiring resistance. There is. On the other hand, if the conductor fine wire is thickened to reduce the wiring resistance, there is a problem that the transparency is deteriorated. As described above, in the transparent electrode structure described in Patent Document 2, it is difficult to achieve both reduction in resistance and permeability of the electrode.

  In addition, since the transparent electrode has a mesh-like conductor structure in which fine conductor wires are arranged in a mesh pattern, the transparent electrode crosses the mask base material such as a metal sheet or a resin film in a mesh pattern corresponding to the fine conductor wires. A slit cannot be formed, and a film formation mask corresponding to the mesh conductor cannot be produced. Therefore, a transparent electrode cannot be formed by film formation such as sputtering using a film formation mask. Therefore, the manufacture of the transparent electrode described in Patent Document 2 requires a photolithography process as described above, and there is a problem that the manufacturing process becomes complicated.

  The transparent electrode structure described in Patent Document 3 is a laminate of a transparent electrode pattern made of a metal oxide and an auxiliary fine line pattern provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the transparent electrode pattern. It is possible to achieve both low resistance. However, since the auxiliary fine line pattern is a closed loop surrounding the outer periphery of the transparent electrode pattern, the mask base material is made to correspond to the auxiliary fine line pattern as in the case of the mesh conductor of Patent Document 2. Therefore, a closed loop slit cannot be formed, and a film formation mask corresponding to the auxiliary fine line pattern cannot be produced. Therefore, the auxiliary fine line pattern cannot be formed by film formation using the film formation mask. Therefore, even in the production of the transparent electrode described in Patent Document 3, the formation of the auxiliary fine line pattern requires a photolithography process, and there is a problem that the production process of the transparent electrode becomes complicated.

  Accordingly, the present invention addresses such problems and provides a transparent electrode structure, a transparent electrode manufacturing method, a touch panel, and an organic EL device capable of reducing transparency and resistance without going through a photolithography process. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, a transparent electrode structure according to the present invention includes a transparent electrode layer having a transparent electrode pattern having a predetermined shape, and a plurality of conductor fine wires that are in electrical contact with and separated from the transparent electrode pattern. And an auxiliary electrode layer provided by using a film formation mask having a plurality of slits separated from each other in correspondence with the conductor thin wire.

  The transparent electrode manufacturing method according to the present invention is a transparent electrode manufacturing method for forming a transparent electrode on a substrate, and a step of forming a transparent electrode layer having a transparent electrode pattern of a predetermined shape; A film formation mask having a plurality of slits that are separated from each other so as to correspond to the conductor thin wires on a surface of the transparent electrode layer, the conductor thin wires being in contact with the transparent electrode pattern and being separated. And providing an auxiliary electrode layer.

  Furthermore, the touch panel according to the present invention is a touch panel provided with a plurality of transparent electrodes on a transparent substrate, and the transparent electrode includes a transparent electrode layer having a transparent electrode pattern having a predetermined shape, and the transparent electrode pattern. A structure in which a plurality of fine conductor wires that are electrically contacted and divided are laminated with an auxiliary electrode layer provided using a film formation mask having a plurality of slits that are separated from each other in correspondence with the fine conductor wires. It is what you have.

  The organic EL device according to the present invention is an organic EL device including a transparent electrode formed on an organic EL substrate, and the transparent electrode includes a transparent electrode layer having a transparent electrode pattern having a predetermined shape. A film forming mask having a plurality of slits separated from each other in correspondence with the conductor thin wires on the transparent electrode layer and in contact with the transparent electrode pattern is formed on one surface of the transparent electrode layer. And an auxiliary electrode layer provided in a stacked structure.

  According to the present invention, the plurality of thin conductor wires that are in electrical contact with the transparent electrode pattern are separated from each other and do not form a closed loop, and thus have a plurality of slits separated from each other in correspondence with the fine conductor wires. A film mask can be formed. Therefore, the thin conductor wire can be formed by using a film formation mask, and unlike the prior art, the transparency and resistance of the transparent electrode can be reduced without going through a photolithography process. Therefore, the transparent electrode manufacturing process is simplified, and the manufacturing cost of the touch panel and the organic EL device can be reduced.

It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the transparent electrode structure by this invention, (a) is a principal part enlarged plan view, (b) is the OO line cross-sectional arrow view of (a). It is a principal part enlarged plan view which shows one structural example of the film-forming mask used for manufacture of the transparent electrode by this invention. It is a figure which shows one structural example of the touchscreen by this invention, (a) is a top view, (b) is a principal part enlarged plan view. It is a principal part enlarged plan view which shows the transparent electrode layer of the transparent electrode of the said touch panel. It is a figure which shows the 1st metal mask for forming the said transparent electrode layer, (a) is a top view, (b) is a principal part enlarged plan view. It is a figure which shows the 2nd metal mask for forming the auxiliary electrode layer of the transparent electrode of the said touch panel, (a) is a principal part enlarged plan view, (b) is an enlarged plan view of the area | region A of (a). is there. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the organic electroluminescent apparatus by this invention, (a) is a principal part expanded sectional view of the apparatus for a display, (b) is sectional drawing of the apparatus for illumination. It is a figure explaining the manufacturing method of the transparent electrode by this invention, and is explanatory drawing which shows the manufacturing process of a touch panel in a cross section. It is a figure which shows the 3rd metal mask used at the insulating-layer formation process in the manufacturing process of the said touch panel, (a) is a principal part enlarged plan view, (b) is a centerline sectional drawing of (a). It is a figure which shows the 4th metal mask used at the conductor formation process in the manufacturing process of the said touch panel, (a) is a principal part enlarged plan view, (b) is centerline sectional drawing of (a). It is a figure which shows the modification of the said 1st metal mask, (a) is a principal part enlarged plan view, (b) is an enlarged plan view which shows the principal part of the touchscreen corresponding to (a).

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an embodiment of a transparent electrode structure according to the present invention. FIG. 1A is an enlarged plan view of a main part, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line OO in FIG. This transparent electrode structure is intended to reduce the transparency and resistance of the transparent electrode, and has a structure in which a transparent electrode layer 1 and an auxiliary electrode layer 2 are laminated.

  The transparent electrode layer 1 has a transparent electrode pattern 3 having a predetermined shape. Even if the transparent electrode layer 1 is formed by applying a dispersion of a conductive material on a base material 4, a metal is formed on the base material 4. It may be formed by forming an oxide film.

  Here, the “predetermined shape” refers to the shape of a geometric pattern predetermined by design, such as first and second transparent electrode patterns 3A and 3B (see FIG. 3) of the touch panel described later. Moreover, it is a concept including a shape covering the entire surface of the organic EL substrate 4 as in the transparent electrode pattern 3 of the organic EL device.

  Examples of the conductive material include polyaniline, polypyrrole, polyacetylene, polythiophene, polyphenylene vinylene, polyphenylene sulfide, poly p-phenylene, graphene, PEDOT (poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)), and carbon nanotube.

  In this case, the transparent electrode layer 1 may be formed by, for example, spray coating a conductive material on the entire surface of the base material 4 with a certain thickness, depending on the use of the base material 4 on which the transparent electrode is formed, or A conductive material may be applied and formed in a state in which a mask having a through-opening having a predetermined shape is in close contact with the substrate 4.

  Examples of the metal oxide include tin oxide, indium oxide, antimony oxide, zinc oxide, cadmium oxide, indium tin oxide (ITO), and indium zinc oxide (IZO).

  Also in this case, the transparent electrode layer 1 is formed by applying a metal oxide to the entire surface of the substrate 4 by sputtering, vapor deposition, a CVD method (chemical vapor deposition method) or the like according to the use of the substrate 4 on which the transparent electrode is formed. It may be formed by forming a film with a constant thickness, or may be formed by forming a metal oxide film in a state in which a mask having a predetermined shape of a through-opening is in close contact with the substrate 4. .

  An auxiliary electrode layer 2 is provided on one surface of the transparent electrode layer 1. The auxiliary electrode layer 2 is for reducing the resistance of the transparent electrode pattern 3 of the transparent electrode layer 1, and is in electrical contact with the transparent electrode pattern 3 and has a plurality of divided portions having a width of about 1 μm to 50 μm. A conductor thin wire 5 is provided. In addition, although the auxiliary electrode layer 2 shows the case where it forms in the surface at the side of the base material 4 of the transparent electrode layer 1 in FIG.1 (b), the surface on the opposite side to the base material 4 of the transparent electrode layer 1 is shown. You may form in.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the auxiliary electrode layer 2 is a metal mask (film formation mask) comprising a metal sheet 6 made of a magnetic metal material and a plurality of slits 7 having the same shape and dimensions as the plurality of conductor thin wires 5. 8 is used to form a conductive material having a resistance smaller than that of the transparent electrode layer 1.

  In this case, the auxiliary electrode layer 2 is attracted by a magnet sheet (magnet) disposed on the back surface of the base material 4 and the metal mask 8 is closely fixed to the surface of the base material 4, for example, gold (Au), A conductive paste in which conductive powder such as silver (Ag), platinum (Pt), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), iridium (Ir), rhodium (Rh), aluminum (Al) is dispersed in an organic binder is applied. Metals such as gold (Au), silver (Ag), platinum (Pt), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), iridium (Ir), rhodium (Rh), aluminum (Al), etc. The material may be formed by sputtering or vapor deposition.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of the arrangement of the plurality of thin conductor wires 5 divided. The conductor wires 5 are not limited to this, and may have any shape and arrangement as long as a closed loop is not formed. .

The transparent electrode structure according to the present invention can be applied as a transparent electrode of a touch panel.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing a configuration example of a touch panel having a transparent electrode structure according to the present invention, in which FIG. 3A is a plan view and FIG. 3B is an enlarged plan view of a main part. In FIG. 3, the conductive wire 5 of the auxiliary electrode layer 2 is omitted because the drawing is complicated.

  The touch panel is provided with a plurality of transparent electrodes on a transparent substrate (hereinafter referred to as “transparent substrate”) 4, and the transparent electrode has a transparent electrode pattern 3 having a predetermined shape. 1 and a plurality of thin conductor wires 5 that are in electrical contact with the transparent electrode pattern 3 and divided are provided using a metal mask 8 having a plurality of slits 7 separated from each other in correspondence with the thin conductor wires 5. The auxiliary electrode layer 2 is laminated.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the transparent electrode pattern 3 includes a plurality of first transparent electrode patterns that are electrically connected by a connecting portion 9 and arranged in the X direction (first direction) in the same plane. A plurality of first transparent electrode pattern rows 10 having 3A, and a plurality of second transparent electrode patterns 3B arranged in a state of being separated by the connecting portion 9 in the Y direction (second direction) intersecting the X direction. A plurality of second transparent electrode pattern rows 11 are included.

  The transparent electrode layer 1 includes a plurality of first through-openings 12 corresponding to a plurality of first transparent electrode pattern rows 10 and a plurality of second transparent electrode pattern rows 11 as shown in FIG. Is formed using a first metal mask 14 having a plurality of second through openings 13 corresponding to the above.

  More specifically, the first metal mask 14 is partitioned by a thin metal wire 15 as shown in an enlarged view of the main part in FIG. 5B, and the connecting portion 9 and the plurality of first transparent electrode patterns 3A. And a plurality of second through-openings 13 corresponding to the plurality of second transparent electrode patterns 3B, and magnetic such as nickel, nickel alloy, invar or invar alloy It is formed of a metal sheet 6 made of a metal material.

  In addition, the 1st through-opening 12 has the narrow part 16 corresponding to the said connection part 9, and the enlarged part 17 corresponding to 3 A of 1st transparent electrode patterns, as shown in FIG.5 (b). . In this case, when the support line 36 (see FIG. 11) made of the same metal material as the thin metal wire 15 is provided so as to cross the enlarged portion 17 in the Y direction, the shape of the first through opening 12 can be stably maintained. Can do.

Such a first metal mask 14 can be formed as follows.
First, a photoresist is applied on a flat surface on a metal base material to a thickness of about 10 μm to 20 μm, which is substantially the same as the thickness of the metal sheet 6.

  Next, the photoresist is exposed and developed using a photomask, and the first through-opening 12 and the second through-opening 12 corresponding to the first through-opening 12 and the second through-opening 13 to be formed are formed. An island pattern having the same shape and dimension as the through-opening 13 is formed in a state of being partitioned by grooves corresponding to the fine metal wires 15.

  Next, the metal base material is immersed in a plating bath of a magnetic metal material such as nickel, and the magnetic metal material is formed on the surface of the metal base material exposed outside the island pattern formation region by electroplating to a thickness of about 10 μm to 20 μm. Form.

  Thereafter, the metal base material is washed in a solvent or a photoresist stripping solution to dissolve and remove the photoresist, and then the metal sheet 6 of the magnetic metal material formed by plating from the metal base material is peeled off. Thereby, the first metal mask 14 shown in FIG. 5 having the first through opening 12 and the second through opening 13 partitioned by the fine metal wires 15 is completed.

  Further, the auxiliary electrode layer 2 corresponds to the first transparent electrode pattern row 10 and the second transparent electrode pattern row 11, the connecting portion 9 of the first transparent electrode pattern row 10, the first transparent electrode pattern 3 A, and the first transparent electrode pattern row 10. A plurality of thin conductive wires 5 as shown in FIG. 1A are in electrical contact with the second transparent electrode pattern 3B of the two transparent electrode pattern rows 11.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the auxiliary electrode layer 2 was formed by using a metal mask 8 in which a plurality of thin conductors 5 divided into a metal sheet 6 and a plurality of slits 7 having the same shape and dimension were formed. Is.

  Preferably, as shown in FIG. 6B, the metal mask 8 is a resin in which a plurality of first slits 18 having the same shape and dimensions as the conductor thin wires 5 are formed corresponding to the divided conductor thin wires 5. A film having a structure in which a film 19 and a metal sheet 6 made of a magnetic metal material provided with a through hole 20 having a size including the plurality of first slits 18 as shown in FIG. . Hereinafter, the metal mask 8 having such a laminated structure is referred to as a second metal mask 21.

The second metal mask 21 can be formed as follows.
First, a metal thin film is formed on a resin film 19 such as polyimide or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) having a thickness of about 5 μm to form a seed layer. Next, after applying a photoresist to a thickness of about 50 μm on the seed layer, exposure and development are performed using a photomask, and island patterns having the same shape and dimensions as the through holes 20 are formed at positions corresponding to the through holes 20. Form. Next, a magnetic metal material such as nickel is deposited on the seed layer exposed outside the island pattern by electroplating to form the metal sheet 6. Then, the island pattern is removed with a solvent or a photoresist stripping solution, and the seed layer corresponding to the island pattern is removed by etching. Thereby, the laminated body which laminated | stacked the resin film 19 and the metal sheet 6 is formed.

  Next, the resin film 19 in the through hole 20 of the metal sheet 6 is irradiated with ultraviolet laser light to ablate the film, thereby forming the first slit 18. In this way, the second metal mask 21 shown in FIG. 6 is completed. In this case, the resin film 19 of the second metal mask 21 is in close contact with the surface of the transparent substrate 4.

  In FIG. 3, reference numeral 22 denotes an insulating layer straddling the connecting portion 9 of the first transparent electrode pattern row 10 in the Y direction, and reference numeral 23 denotes a second transparent electrode pattern row straddling the insulating layer 22 in the Y direction. 11 shows a conductor that electrically connects 11 second transparent electrode patterns 3B. In FIG. 3, the XY at the position where the finger is touched is provided by being electrically connected to the end in the X direction of the first transparent electrode pattern row 10 and the end in the Y direction of the second transparent electrode pattern row 11. The drawing wiring for extracting the coordinate information to the outside is not shown.

The transparent electrode structure according to the present invention can be applied not only as a touch panel but also as a transparent electrode of an organic EL device.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an organic EL device having a transparent electrode structure according to the present invention.

  The organic EL device includes a transparent electrode formed on an organic EL substrate 4, and the transparent electrode has a transparent electrode pattern 3 having a predetermined shape as shown in FIG. On one surface of the layer 1 and the transparent electrode layer 1, a plurality of conductor thin wires 5 that are in electrical contact with the transparent electrode pattern 3 and divided are provided with a plurality of slits 7 that are separated from each other in correspondence with the conductor thin wires 5. The auxiliary electrode layer 2 provided by using the metal mask 8 is laminated.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 7A, the organic EL substrate 4 includes a plurality of organic EL layers 24R, 24G, and 24B corresponding to the three primary colors of red, green, and blue. Even if it is a base material for display apparatuses, as shown in FIG.7 (b), the base material for illumination apparatuses comprised including the organic electroluminescent layer 24 which emits monochromatic light may be sufficient.

  In FIG. 7, the organic EL layers 24, 24R, 24G, and 24B have a structure in which a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, and an electron transport layer are stacked. 7 shows an example in which the transparent electrode is disposed on the organic EL base material 4 side of the organic EL layers 24, 24R, 24G, and 24B, but the organic EL layers 24, 24R, 24G, and 24B are organic. A transparent electrode may be disposed on the side opposite to the EL substrate 4. Alternatively, transparent electrodes may be disposed on both sides of the organic EL layers 24, 24R, 24G, and 24B. In FIG. 7, the code | symbol 25 shows a cathode electrode (cathode).

Next, the manufacturing method of the transparent electrode comprised in this way is demonstrated with reference to FIG. In addition, the manufacturing method of a transparent electrode is demonstrated through the manufacture description of a touch panel here.
The touch panel includes a first step (FIG. 8A) for forming the auxiliary electrode layer 2 corresponding to the first and second transparent electrode pattern rows 10 and 11 to be formed on the transparent substrate 4, and an auxiliary. A second step (FIG. 8B) for forming a transparent electrode layer 1 having a plurality of first and second transparent electrode pattern rows 10 and 11 on the electrode layer 2, and connection of the first transparent electrode pattern row 10 A third step (FIG. 8C) for forming the insulating layer 22 across the portion 9 in the Y direction, and the second transparent electrode pattern 3B of the second transparent electrode pattern row 11 across the insulating layer 22 in the Y direction. The fourth step (FIG. 8D) for forming the electrically connecting conductor 23 is performed. Hereinafter, each step will be described in detail.

First, the first step of forming the auxiliary electrode layer 2 is performed.
Specifically, a magnet sheet (not shown) is arranged on the back surface of the transparent base material 4 such as transparent glass or transparent film, and a plurality of divided conductor wires as shown in FIG. The metal sheet 6 provided with a resin film 19 having a plurality of first slits 18 having the same shape and dimensions as the conductor thin wire 5 and a through hole 20 having a size including the plurality of first slits 18 is provided. The second metal mask 21 having a laminated structure is positioned and arranged with respect to the transparent substrate 4 so that the resin film 19 is on the transparent substrate 4 side.

  Since the second metal mask 21 is formed of the metal sheet 6 made of magnetic metal material, the second metal mask 21 is attracted by the magnet sheet disposed on the back surface of the transparent substrate 4 to be transparent. The substrate 4 is fixed in close contact with the surface of the substrate 4.

  In this way, the integrated body in which the transparent base material 4 is sandwiched between the magnet sheet and the second metal mask 21 is, for example, the substrate holder in the chamber of the sputtering apparatus, the second metal mask 21 side is, for example, the copper (Cu) target side, It is installed in such a way.

  Next, after the chamber is closed, the air in the chamber is exhausted. When the degree of vacuum in the chamber reaches a predetermined value, a certain amount of rare gas such as argon (Ar) gas is introduced into the chamber.

  Subsequently, for example, a DC high voltage is applied between the substrate holder and the target holder. Thereby, plasma of argon (Ar) gas is generated and sputtering is started. The sputtered particles of copper (Cu) bounced off from the target surface by being bounced by argon (Ar) ions pass through the first slit 18 of the second metal mask 21 and are deposited on the surface of the transparent substrate 4.

  Sputtering is stopped when a certain time has elapsed since the start of sputtering and the thickness of the copper (Cu) film formed on the transparent substrate 4 reaches a predetermined value. Thereby, on the transparent base material 4, as shown in FIG. 8A, it corresponds to the transparent electrode pattern 3 (the connecting portion 9 and the first transparent electrode pattern 3 </ b> A and the second transparent electrode pattern 3 </ b> B) to be formed. Thus, the auxiliary electrode layer 2 having the plurality of thin conductor wires 5 is formed.

Next, a second step for forming the transparent electrode layer 1 is performed.
Specifically, a magnet sheet (not shown) is disposed on the back surface of the transparent base material 4 on which the auxiliary electrode layer 2 is formed, and a plurality of rows of first transparent electrodes as shown in FIG. A first metal mask 14 having a plurality of first through openings 12 corresponding to the pattern rows 10 and a plurality of second through openings 13 corresponding to the plurality of second transparent electrode pattern rows 11 is made of a transparent substrate. 4 and positioned.

  Since the first metal mask 14 is formed of the metal sheet 6 made of magnetic metal material, the first metal mask 14 is attracted by the magnet sheet disposed on the back surface of the transparent substrate 4 and is transparent. The substrate 4 is fixed in close contact with the surface of the substrate 4.

  As described above, the integrated body in which the transparent base material 4 is sandwiched between the magnet sheet and the first metal mask 14 is, for example, the first metal mask 14 side on the substrate holder in the chamber of the sputtering apparatus, for example, ITO ( (Indium tin oxide) It is installed on the target side.

  Next, after the chamber is closed, the air in the chamber is exhausted. When the degree of vacuum in the chamber reaches a predetermined value, a certain amount of rare gas such as argon (Ar) gas is introduced into the chamber.

  Subsequently, for example, a high frequency high voltage is applied between the substrate holder and the target holder. Thereby, plasma of argon (Ar) gas is generated and sputtering is started. The sputtered particles of ITO that are bounced by argon (Ar) ions and jump out of the target surface pass through the first through-opening 12 and the second through-opening 13 of the first metal mask 14 to assist the transparent substrate 4. Deposited on the electrode layer 2.

  Sputtering is stopped when a certain time has elapsed since the start of sputtering and the thickness of the ITO film formed on the transparent substrate 4 reaches a predetermined value. Thereby, on the transparent base material 4, as shown in FIG.8 (b), the connection part 9 and 1st transparent electrode pattern 3A of the 1st transparent electrode pattern row | line | column 10 of multiple rows covering the auxiliary electrode layer 2, And the transparent electrode layer 1 which has the 2nd transparent electrode pattern 3B of the 2nd transparent electrode pattern row | line | column 11 is formed. In this way, the transparent electrode according to the present invention having a structure in which the auxiliary electrode layer 2 and the transparent electrode layer 1 are laminated is formed.

Next, a third step for forming the insulating layer 22 is performed.
Specifically, a magnet sheet (not shown) is disposed on the back surface of the transparent substrate 4 on which the transparent electrode is formed, and the surface of the transparent substrate 4 corresponds to the connecting portions 9 of the plurality of first transparent electrode pattern rows 10. Then, a third metal mask 27 having a third through-opening 26 straddling the connecting portion 9 in the Y direction is positioned and arranged with respect to the transparent substrate 4.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the third metal mask 27 includes a resin film 28 having a third through-opening 26 and a first through-hole having a size including the third through-opening 26. A metal sheet 30 made of a magnetic metal material provided with 29 is laminated. The third through-opening 26 has a width of about 48 μm in the X direction and a length of about 160 μm in the Y direction, for example. In this case, the third metal mask 27 is disposed on the transparent substrate 4 so that the resin film 28 is on the transparent substrate 4 side.

  Since the third metal mask 27 is formed of a metal sheet 30 of magnetic metal material, the third metal mask 27 is attracted by a magnet sheet (not shown) disposed on the back surface of the transparent substrate 4. Then, it is fixed in close contact with the surface of the transparent substrate 4.

As described above, the integrated body in which the transparent base material 4 is sandwiched between the magnet sheet and the third metal mask 27 is, for example, the substrate holder in the chamber of the sputtering apparatus on the third metal mask 27 side, for example, SiO _2. (Silicon dioxide) Installed so as to be on the target side.

  Next, after the chamber is closed, the air in the chamber is exhausted. When the degree of vacuum in the chamber reaches a predetermined value, a certain amount of rare gas such as argon (Ar) gas is introduced into the chamber.

Subsequently, for example, a high frequency high voltage is applied between the substrate holder and the target holder. Thereby, plasma of argon (Ar) gas is generated and sputtering is started. The sputtered particles of SiO _{2 that} are bounced by the argon (Ar) ions and jump out of the target surface pass through the third through opening 26 of the third metal mask 27 and pass through the first transparent electrode pattern row 10 of the transparent substrate 4. Is deposited on the connecting portion 9.

Sputtering is stopped when a certain time has elapsed since the start of sputtering and the film thickness of SiO _{2 formed} on the transparent substrate 4 reaches a predetermined value. Thus, as shown in FIG. 8 (c), on the coupling section 9 of the first transparent electrode pattern row 10 of the transparent substrate 4, SiO ₂ insulating layer 22 is formed.

Next, a fourth step for forming the conductor 23 is performed.
Specifically, a magnet sheet (not shown) is disposed on the back surface of the transparent substrate 4 on which the insulating layer 22 is formed, and the surface of the transparent substrate 4 is arranged in the X direction of the insulating layer 22 corresponding to the insulating layer 22. A fourth metal mask 32 having a second slit 31 that is narrower than the width and longer than the length in the Y direction is positioned and arranged with respect to the transparent substrate 4.

  More specifically, the fourth metal mask 32 is provided with a resin film 33 in which the second slit 31 is formed and a second through-hole 34 having a size including the second slit 31 as shown in FIG. A metal sheet 35 made of a magnetic metal material is laminated. The second slit 31 has a width in the X direction of about 8 μm (the width of the insulating layer 22 in the same direction is about 48 μm) and a length in the Y direction of about 230 μm (the length of the insulating layer 22 in the same direction). Has a size of about 160 μm). In this case, the fourth metal mask 32 is disposed on the transparent substrate 4 so that the resin film 33 is on the transparent substrate 4 side.

  Since the fourth metal mask 32 is formed of a metal sheet 35 of a magnetic metal material, the fourth metal mask 32 is attracted by a magnet sheet disposed on the back surface of the transparent substrate 4 and is transparent. The substrate 4 is fixed in close contact with the surface of the substrate 4.

  As described above, the integrated body in which the transparent base material 4 is sandwiched between the magnet sheet and the fourth metal mask 32 is, for example, a substrate holder in the chamber of the sputtering apparatus, and the fourth metal mask 32 side is, for example, copper ( Cu) It is installed so as to be on the target side.

  Next, after the chamber is closed, the air in the chamber is exhausted. When the degree of vacuum in the chamber reaches a predetermined value, a certain amount of rare gas such as argon (Ar) gas is introduced into the chamber.

  Subsequently, for example, a DC high voltage is applied between the substrate holder and the target holder. Thereby, plasma of argon (Ar) gas is generated and sputtering is started. The sputtered particles of copper (Cu) bounced off from the target surface by being bounced by argon (Ar) ions pass through the second slit 31 of the fourth metal mask 32 and are deposited on the insulating layer 22 of the transparent substrate 4. .

  Sputtering is stopped when a certain time has elapsed since the start of sputtering and the thickness of the copper (Cu) film formed on the transparent substrate 4 reaches a predetermined value. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8D, the conductor 23 is formed across the insulating layer 22 of the transparent base material 4 in the Y direction, and a plurality of second transparent electrode patterns in the second transparent electrode pattern row 11 are formed. 3B are electrically connected to each other in the Y direction.

  Thereafter, the conductive wiring is electrically connected to the X-direction end of the first transparent electrode pattern row 10 and the Y-direction end of the second transparent electrode pattern row 11, and sputtering of the conductor using, for example, a mask, screen The touch panel shown in FIG. 3 is completed by providing by printing or the like and further forming a protective film made of an insulating film so as to cover the surface of the transparent substrate 4.

  As shown in FIG. 11A, the first metal mask 14 is a metal that crosses the enlarged portions 17 of the plurality of first through openings 12 corresponding to the plurality of first transparent electrode pattern rows 10 in the Y direction. A support line 36 made of the same magnetic metal material as that of the thin wire 15 may be provided. Thereby, the shape of the 1st penetration opening 12 can be maintained stably.

  In addition, when the transparent electrode layer 1 is formed using the first metal mask 14 as shown in FIG. 11A, as shown in FIG. A high resistance portion 37 is generated that crosses the first transparent electrode pattern 3A in the Y direction. Therefore, in this case, the fourth metal mask 32 shown in FIG. 10 for forming the conductor 23 is made to correspond to the high resistance portion 37 in addition to the second slit 31. It is good to provide the 3rd slit which crosses in a X direction. Thereby, simultaneously with the formation of the conductor 23 using the fourth metal mask 32, the auxiliary conductor 38 can be formed across the high resistance portion 37 in the X direction as shown in FIG. 11B. The first transparent electrode pattern 3A divided into two by the high resistance portion 37 can be electrically connected.

  Alternatively, instead of electrically connecting the first transparent electrode pattern 3A divided by the high resistance portion 37 by the auxiliary conductor 38, the divided first transparent electrode pattern 3A is connected to the conductor thin wire of the auxiliary electrode layer 2. 5 may be electrically connected.

  In the above description, the case where the transparent electrode structure according to the present invention is applied to a transparent electrode of a touch panel or an organic EL device has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the transparent electrode such as a solar cell or a liquid crystal display device is also applied. Can be applied.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Transparent electrode layer 2 ... Auxiliary electrode layer 3 ... Transparent electrode pattern 3A ... 1st transparent electrode pattern 3B ... 2nd transparent electrode pattern 4 ... Base material 5 ... Conductor thin wire 6 ... Metal sheet 7, 18 ... Slit 8 ... Metal mask (Deposition mask)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 ... Connection part 10 ... 1st transparent electrode pattern row | line | column 11 ... 2nd transparent electrode pattern row | line | column 12 ... 1st through-opening 13 ... 2nd through-opening 14 ... 1st metal mask (metal mask)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 19 ... Resin film 20 ... Through-hole 21 ... 2nd metal mask (film-forming mask)
24, 24R, 24G, 24B ... Organic EL layer

Claims (14)

A transparent electrode layer having a transparent electrode pattern of a predetermined shape;
Auxiliary electrode layer provided by using a film forming mask having a plurality of slits separated from each other corresponding to the conductor thin wires, a plurality of conductor fine wires that are in electrical contact with the transparent electrode pattern and divided;
A transparent electrode structure characterized by being laminated. A transparent electrode manufacturing method for forming a transparent electrode on a substrate,
Forming a transparent electrode layer having a transparent electrode pattern of a predetermined shape;
A film formation mask having a plurality of slits that are separated from each other so as to correspond to the conductor thin wires on a surface of the transparent electrode layer, the conductor thin wires being in contact with the transparent electrode pattern and being separated. Providing an auxiliary electrode layer, and
A method for producing a transparent electrode, comprising:   The said transparent electrode layer is formed by apply | coating the dispersion liquid of an electroconductive material on the said base material, The manufacturing method of the transparent electrode of Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The method for producing a transparent electrode according to claim 2, wherein the transparent electrode layer is formed by forming a metal oxide film on the substrate.   The said transparent electrode layer is formed using the metal mask which provided the through-opening with the same dimension as the said transparent electrode pattern in the metal sheet, The any one of Claims 2-4 characterized by the above-mentioned. A method for producing a transparent electrode.   6. The transparent electrode according to claim 2, wherein the film-formation mask is provided with a plurality of the slits having the same shape and dimension as a plurality of the thin conductor wires on a metal sheet. Production method.   The film-formation mask is formed by laminating a plurality of the conductor wires and a resin film in which a plurality of slits having the same shape and dimensions are formed, and a metal sheet in which a through hole having a size including at least one slit is formed. The method for producing a transparent electrode according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein   The metal sheet is formed of a magnetic metal material, and is attracted and fixed onto the base material by being attracted by a magnet disposed on the back surface of the base material. A method for producing the transparent electrode according to claim 1. A touch panel comprising a plurality of transparent electrodes on a transparent substrate,
The transparent electrode includes a transparent electrode layer having a transparent electrode pattern having a predetermined shape, and a plurality of conductor thin wires that are in electrical contact with the transparent electrode pattern and separated from each other in correspondence with the conductor thin wires. A touch panel having a structure in which an auxiliary electrode layer provided using a film formation mask having a plurality of slits is laminated.   The transparent electrode layer includes a plurality of first transparent electrode pattern rows having a plurality of first transparent electrode patterns that are electrically connected by a connecting portion and arranged in a first direction in the same plane, and the first direction. 10. The touch panel according to claim 9, further comprising a plurality of second transparent electrode pattern rows having a plurality of second transparent electrode patterns arranged in a state of being divided at the connecting portion in a second direction intersecting with the connecting portion.   The transparent electrode layer includes a plurality of first through openings corresponding to a plurality of rows of the first transparent electrode pattern rows, and a plurality of second through openings corresponding to a plurality of rows of the second transparent electrode pattern rows. The touch panel according to claim 10, wherein the touch panel is formed using a metal mask. An organic EL device comprising a transparent electrode formed on an organic EL substrate,
The transparent electrode has a transparent electrode layer having a transparent electrode pattern of a predetermined shape, and a plurality of conductor fine wires that are electrically in contact with and separated from the transparent electrode pattern on one surface of the transparent electrode layer, An organic EL device having a structure in which an auxiliary electrode layer provided using a film formation mask having a plurality of slits separated from each other in correspondence with a thin conductor wire is laminated.   13. The organic EL device according to claim 12, wherein the organic EL substrate is a substrate for a display device having a plurality of organic EL layers corresponding to three primary colors of red, green, and blue.   13. The organic EL device according to claim 12, wherein the organic EL substrate is a substrate for an illumination device having an organic EL layer that emits monochromatic light.