JP5672586B2 - Touch panel sensor, laminate for manufacturing touch panel sensor, and method for manufacturing touch panel sensor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a touch panel sensor including a first electrode portion and a second electrode portion each having a predetermined pattern, a laminate (blanks) for producing the touch panel sensor, and a method for manufacturing the touch panel sensor.

  Today, touch panel devices are widely used as input means. The touch panel device includes a touch panel sensor, a control circuit that detects a contact position on the touch panel sensor, wiring, and an FPC (flexible printed circuit board). In many cases, the touch panel device is used together with the display device as an input means for various devices including a display device such as a liquid crystal display or a plasma display (for example, a ticket vending machine, an ATM device, a mobile phone, a game machine). ing. In such a device, the touch panel sensor is disposed on the display surface of the display device, thereby enabling the touch panel device to perform a very direct input to the display device. The area | region which faces the display area of the display apparatus among touch panel sensors is transparent, This area | region of a touch panel sensor comes to comprise the active area which can detect a contact position (approach position).

  The touch panel device can be classified into various types based on the principle of detecting a contact position (approach position) on the touch panel sensor. In recent years, capacitive touch panel devices have attracted attention because they are optically bright, have good design properties, have a simple structure, and are superior in function. In a capacitively coupled touch panel device, a strange capacitance is newly generated when an external conductor (typically a finger) whose position is to be detected contacts (approaches) the touch sensor via a dielectric. The position of the object on the touch panel sensor is detected using the change in capacitance. The capacitive coupling method includes a surface type and a projection type. The projection type is attracting attention because it is suitable for multi-touch recognition (multi-point recognition) (for example, Patent Document 1).

  A projected capacitively coupled touch panel sensor includes a dielectric and first and second electrode portions formed in different patterns on both sides of the dielectric (for example, Patent Document 2). Typically, each of the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion has conductors arranged in a lattice pattern, and is generated when an external conductor (typically a finger) contacts or approaches the touch panel sensor. The position of the conductor is detected based on an electromagnetic change or a change in capacitance.

  Such a projected capacitive coupling type touch panel sensor generally includes a first base film on which a first electrode portion is formed and a second base film on which a second electrode portion is formed. It is produced by bonding with an adhesive layer.

Special table 2007-533044 JP-A-4-264613

  By the way, in recent years, reduction in thickness and improvement in optical characteristics have been demanded. However, in the touch panel sensor manufactured by the above-described manufacturing method, since two films are bonded together, not only the thickness is increased, but the number of interfaces that can exert an optical action on transmitted light is increased. End up. As a result, the transmittance of the image light from the display device is lowered, and the image quality of the image displayed by the display device is deteriorated.

  Further, in order to improve the detection accuracy of the contact position (approach position) in the projected capacitive coupling type touch panel sensor, it is also necessary to accurately position the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion with respect to each other. However, in the touch panel sensor manufactured by the manufacturing method described above, that is, in the touch panel sensor manufactured by bonding two films on which the electrode portions are formed, the first base film and the second base film are used. It is difficult to accurately position each other.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a method in which electrode portions are formed in a desired pattern on both surfaces of a single substrate film using a photolithography technique. In this method, far ultraviolet rays that do not pass through the base film are employed as light for exposing the resist film formed on both sides of the base film, and the base film has a function of shielding the far ultraviolet rays. A film is used. Thereby, two resist films can be simultaneously exposed in different patterns, and electrode portions having different patterns can be formed on both surfaces of one base film.

  However, the light emitted from the exposure light source used in actual production includes a lot of light that can be transmitted through the base film, that is, light having a wavelength component other than far ultraviolet rays. Moreover, the resist film used in normal production has not only far ultraviolet light but also sensitivity to light having a wavelength component other than far ultraviolet light, such as ultraviolet light and visible light. Therefore, when adopting the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, in actuality, it is necessary to take special measures for irradiating the resist film with only far ultraviolet light. Otherwise, it becomes impossible to accurately expose the two resist films with different patterns by light other than far ultraviolet rays that can pass through the base film.

  Measures to ensure that only the far ultraviolet light is irradiated to the resist film include using a filter that cuts light other than the wavelength components other than the far ultraviolet light together with the exposure light source, an excimer laser that emits only the far ultraviolet light, etc. The use of a special light source can be mentioned. However, when a filter that cuts light other than wavelength components other than far ultraviolet rays is used, only a part of the light emitted from the exposure light source can be used. For this reason, not only the energy efficiency of the exposure light source is lowered, but also the exposure time is prolonged and the production efficiency is also lowered. On the other hand, a special light source that emits only far ultraviolet rays is used for patterning with extremely high accuracy and is extremely expensive.

  From the above, under the present circumstances, it is possible to realize at low cost that only the far ultraviolet rays are irradiated and the two resist layers provided on both sides of the base film are exposed with different desired patterns with high accuracy. Is difficult. That is, it is difficult to apply the method disclosed in Patent Document 1 to actual production of a commercially available touch panel sensor due to problems in manufacturing cost.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and is a method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor including a first electrode portion and a second electrode portion each having a predetermined pattern, the first electrode portion It is another object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing method that can accurately position the second electrode portion with respect to each other. Moreover, this invention aims at providing the laminated body which can be used suitably for such a method. Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide a touch panel sensor manufactured by such a method.

A method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor according to the present invention includes:
A base film having translucency, a first conductive layer having translucency provided on one surface of the base film, and a surface on the other side of the base film. One side of a laminate having a light-transmitting second conductive layer and a light-blocking light-shielding layer provided on at least one of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer Forming a photosensitive first photosensitive layer on the surface, and forming a photosensitive second photosensitive layer on the other surface of the laminate;
The step of simultaneously exposing the first photosensitive layer and the second photosensitive layer in different patterns with a first mask disposed on the first photosensitive layer and a second mask disposed on the second photosensitive layer. When,
Developing and patterning the first photosensitive layer and the second photosensitive layer;
Etching the light shielding layer using the patterned photosensitive layer as a mask, and patterning the light shielding layer;
Etching the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer using the patterned photosensitive layer and the light shielding layer as a mask, and patterning the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer in different patterns; ,
A step performed after patterning the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, the step of removing the patterned first photosensitive layer and the second photosensitive layer;
A step performed after the step of removing the first photosensitive layer and the second photosensitive layer, and the step of removing the patterned light shielding layer.

  In the step of exposing the first photosensitive layer and the second photosensitive layer of the touch panel sensor manufacturing method according to the present invention, the positioning mark provided on the first mask and the positioning mark provided on the second mask are used as a reference. The first mask and the second mask may be positioned with respect to each other.

  In the laminate used in the method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor according to the present invention, a first light shielding layer is laminated on the first conductive layer, and a second light shielding layer is laminated on the two conductive layers. Also good.

The laminate according to the present invention comprises:
A laminate used to produce a touch panel sensor,
A base film as a single body having translucency;
A first conductive layer which is provided on the surface of one side of the base film and has translucency;
A second conductive layer provided on the surface of the other side of the base film and having translucency;
A light-shielding layer provided on at least one of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer and having a light-shielding property.

  In the laminate according to the present invention, a first light shielding layer may be provided on the first conductive layer, and a second light shielding layer may be provided on the second conductive layer.

The touch panel sensor according to the present invention includes:
A base film as a single body having translucency;
A first electrode portion having a first conductor provided in a predetermined pattern on one surface of the base film;
A second electrode portion having a second conductor provided in a predetermined pattern on the other surface of the base film,
The first conductor and the second conductor have translucency,
The inclination angle of the contour at at least one end of the first conductor and the second conductor is 45 ° or more.

  In the touch panel sensor according to the present invention, the first conductor includes a plurality of linear conductors arranged side by side on the one surface of the base film, and each linear conductor constituting the first conductor is A plurality of linear conductors extending in a direction intersecting with the arrangement direction, wherein the second conductors are arranged side by side in the other direction different from the one direction on the other surface of the base film. And each linear conductor constituting the second conductor may extend in a direction intersecting with the arrangement direction. In such a touch panel sensor according to the present invention, the one direction may be orthogonal to the other direction.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment according to the present invention, and schematically shows a touch panel device together with a display device. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the touch panel sensor of the touch panel device of FIG. 1 together with a display device. The cross section shown in FIG. 2 generally corresponds to the cross section taken along the line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a top view showing a touch panel sensor of the touch panel device. FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are diagrams showing specific examples of the base film included in the touch panel sensor. FIG. 5A is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the touch panel sensor of FIG. 3. FIG. 5B is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the touch panel sensor of FIG. 3. FIG. 5C is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the touch panel sensor of FIG. 3. FIG. 5D is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the touch panel sensor of FIG. 3. FIG. 5E is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the touch panel sensor of FIG. 3. FIG. 5F is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the touch panel sensor of FIG. 3. FIG. 5G is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the touch panel sensor of FIG. 3. FIG. 5H is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the touch panel sensor of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a method of manufacturing the touch panel sensor of FIG. FIG. 7A is a diagram for explaining the progress of etching in the step shown in FIG. 5F. FIG. 7B is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 7A, for explaining the progress of etching in the conventional manufacturing method. FIG. 8 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 and is a diagram for explaining a modification of the electrode portion.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In the drawings attached to the present specification, for the sake of illustration and ease of understanding, the scale, the vertical / horizontal dimension ratio, and the like are appropriately changed and exaggerated from those of the actual ones.

  Further, in the present case, the terms “sheet”, “film”, and “plate” are not distinguished from each other based only on the difference in names. Therefore, for example, a “sheet” is a concept that includes members and portions that can also be called films, plates, and the like.

  FIGS. 1-6 is a figure for demonstrating one Embodiment by this invention. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the touch panel device together with the display device, FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the touch panel device of FIG. 1 together with the display device, and FIG. 3 is a top view showing the touch panel sensor of the touch panel device. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of the touch panel sensor. 5A to 5H are diagrams for explaining a manufacturing method for manufacturing the touch panel sensor of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a method of manufacturing the touch panel sensor of FIG.

  The touch panel device 20 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is configured as a projection-type capacitive coupling method, and is configured to be able to detect a contact position of an external conductor (for example, a human finger) to the touch panel device. . In addition, when the detection sensitivity of the capacitively coupled touch panel device 10 is excellent, it is possible to detect which region of the touch panel device the external conductor is approaching just by approaching the external conductor. Can do. Along with such a phenomenon, the “contact position” used here is a concept including an approach position that is not actually in contact but can be detected.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the touch panel device 20 is used in combination with a display device (for example, a liquid crystal display device) 15 and constitutes an input / output device 10. The illustrated display device 15 is configured as a flat panel display. The display device 15 includes a display panel 16 having a display surface 16 a and a display control unit 17 connected to the display panel 16. The display panel 16 includes a display area A1 that can display an image and a non-display area A2 that is disposed outside the display area A1 so as to surround the display area A1. The display control unit 17 processes information regarding the video to be displayed, and drives the display panel 16 based on the video information. The display panel 16 displays a predetermined image on the display surface 16a according to a control signal from the display control unit 17. That is, the display device 15 plays a role as an output device that outputs information such as characters and drawings as video.

  On the other hand, the touch panel device 20 includes a touch panel sensor 30 disposed on the display surface 16 a of the display device 10 and a detection control unit 25 connected to the touch panel sensor 30. As shown in FIG. 2, the touch panel sensor 30 is bonded to the display surface 16 a of the display device 10 via an adhesive layer 19. As described above, the touch panel device 20 is configured as a projected capacitively coupled touch panel device, and plays a role as an input device for inputting information.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the touch panel device 20 further includes a protective cover 12 having translucency that functions as a dielectric on the viewer side of the touch panel sensor 30, that is, the side opposite to the display device 10. Have. The protective cover 12 is bonded onto the touch panel sensor 30 via the adhesive layer 14. The protective cover 12 functions as an input surface (touch surface, contact surface) to the touch panel device 20. That is, information can be input from the outside to the touch panel device 20 by bringing a conductor such as a human finger 5 into contact with the protective cover 12. The protective cover 12 forms the most observer side of the input / output device 10, and also functions as a cover for protecting the touch panel device 20 and the display device 15 from the outside in the input / output device 10.

  In addition, as the adhesive layers 14 and 19 described above, layers made of materials having various adhesive properties can be used. In this specification, “adhesion (layer)” is used as a concept including adhesion (layer).

  The detection control unit 25 of the touch panel device 20 is connected to the touch panel sensor 30 and processes information input via the protective cover 12. Specifically, the detection control unit 25 can specify the contact position of the conductor 5 with the protective cover 12 when the conductor (typically a human finger) 5 is in contact with the protective cover 12. The circuit (detection circuit) comprised in this is included. Further, the detection control unit 25 is connected to the display control unit 17 of the display device 15 and can transmit the processed input information to the display control unit 17. At this time, the display control unit 17 can create video information based on the input information and display a video corresponding to the input information on the display panel 16.

  Note that the terms “capacitive coupling” and “projection type” capacitive coupling have the same meaning as that used in the technical field of touch panels, and are used in this case. The “capacitive coupling” method is also referred to as “capacitance” method or “capacitance coupling” method in the technical field of touch panels. It is treated as a term synonymous with the “capacitive coupling” method. A typical capacitively coupled touch panel device includes a conductor layer, and an external conductor (typically a human finger) comes into contact with the touch panel, whereby the external conductor and the conductor layer of the touch panel device are contacted. A capacitor (capacitance) is formed between the two. Based on the change in the electrical state accompanying the formation of the capacitor, the position coordinates of the position where the external conductor is in contact on the touch panel are specified. The “projection type” capacitive coupling method is also referred to as “projection type” capacitive coupling method in the technical field of touch panel, and in this case, the term is synonymous with this “projection type” capacitive coupling method. handle. The “projection type” capacitive coupling method typically includes electrodes arranged in a lattice pattern, and can be contrasted with a “surface type” capacitive coupling method having film-like electrodes.

  As well shown in FIG. 2, the touch panel sensor 30 includes a base film 32, a first electrode portion 40 provided on a surface 32 a on one side (observer side) of the base film 32, And a second electrode portion 45 provided on the surface 32b on the other side of the base film 32 (the display device 15 side). The first electrode portion 40 includes a first conductor 41 arranged in a predetermined pattern on the surface 32a on one side (observer side) of the base film 32. The second electrode portion 45 has a second conductor 46 arranged in a predetermined pattern on the surface 32b on the other side (the display device 15 side) of the base film 32. As described above, the touch panel sensor 30 is disposed on the display panel 16 of the display device 15. The base film 32, the first conductor 41, and the second conductor 46 have translucency, and the observer can observe the image displayed on the display device 15 through these. .

  The base film 32 functions as a dielectric in the touch panel sensor 20 and can be composed of, for example, a PET film (polyethylene terephthalate film).

  In this Embodiment, the base film 32 is formed with the film as a single body. Here, “single body” means that two or more cannot be separated. Therefore, the film as a single body does not include a joined body of a plurality of films joined through an adhesive layer. On the other hand, a base film including a film main body and a functional film formed on one surface or both surfaces of the film main body so as not to be separated (but can be removed) by sputtering, for example, It corresponds to the film which consists of a single body here. FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B show an example of a base film composed of a functional film and a film body.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4A, the base film 32 includes a film main body 33 made of resin (for example, PET), and an index matching film 34 formed on one or both surfaces of the film main body 33. Have. The index matching film 34 includes a plurality of high refractive index films 34a and low refractive index films 34b arranged alternately. According to the index matching film 34, the electrode portions 40 and 45 on the base film 32 are provided even if the refractive index of the film body 33 of the base film 32 and the electrode portions 40 and 45 are greatly different. It is possible to prevent the reflectance from changing greatly between the region where the light is present and the region where the light is not provided.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4B, the base film 32 includes a film body 33 made of a resin (for example, PET) and a low refractive index film 35 formed on one or both surfaces of the film body 33. And have. According to the low refractive index film 35, the electrode portions 40 and 45 on the base film 32 are provided even if the film body 33 of the base film 32 and the electrode portions 40 and 45 have greatly different refractive indexes. It is possible to prevent the spectral characteristics of the transmittance from greatly changing between the region where the light is applied and the region where the light is not provided, and to realize uniform transmittance in each wavelength region.

  The first conductor 41 and the second conductor 46 are made of a conductive material (for example, ITO (indium tin oxide)) and configured to detect the contact position of the outer conductor 5 with the protective cover 12. The detection control unit 25 is electrically connected to the detection circuit. As shown in FIG. 3, the first conductor 41 is composed of a plurality of linear conductors arranged in one direction along the film surface of the base film 32. The second conductor 46 is composed of a plurality of linear conductors arranged side by side in the other direction along the film surface of the base film 32 intersecting with the one direction. In the present embodiment, one direction that is the arrangement direction of the first conductors 41 and the other direction that is the arrangement direction of the second conductors 46 are orthogonal to each other on the film surface of the base film 32.

  As shown in FIG. 3, each of a large number of first conductors 41 included in the first electrode portion 40 extends linearly in a direction intersecting with the arrangement direction (the one direction). Similarly, each of the multiple second conductors 46 included in the second electrode portion 45 extends linearly in a direction intersecting with the arrangement direction (the other direction). In particular, in the illustrated example, each first conductor 41 included in the first electrode portion 40 extends linearly along a direction (the other direction) orthogonal to the arrangement direction (the one direction), Each second conductor 46 included in the two-electrode portion 45 extends linearly along a direction (the one direction) orthogonal to the arrangement direction (the other direction).

  In the present embodiment, the first conductor 41 included in the first electrode portion 40 includes a line portion 42 that extends linearly and a bulging portion 43 that bulges from the line portion 42. In the illustrated example, the line portion 42 extends linearly along a direction that intersects the arrangement direction of the first conductors 41. The bulging portion 43 is a portion that bulges from the line portion 42 along the film surface of the base film 32. Therefore, the width of the first conductor 41 is thicker at the portion where the bulging portion 43 is provided. As shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, the first conductor 41 has an outer contour having a substantially square shape in plan view at the bulging portion 43.

  The second conductor 46 included in the second electrode portion 45 is configured similarly to the first conductor 41 included in the first electrode portion 40. That is, the second conductor 46 included in the second electrode portion 45 has a line portion 47 extending linearly and a bulging portion 48 bulging from the line portion 47. In the illustrated example, the line portion 47 extends linearly along a direction that intersects with the arrangement direction of the second conductors 46. The bulging portion 48 is a portion that bulges from the line portion 47 along the film surface of the base film 32. Therefore, the width of the second conductor 46 is thicker at the portion where the bulging portion 48 is provided. As shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, the second conductor 46 has an outer contour having a substantially square shape in plan view at the bulging portion 48.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, when observed from the normal direction of the film surface of the base film 32 (that is, in plan view), each first conductor 41 included in the first electrode portion 40 has a second It intersects with a number of second conductors 46 included in the electrode part 45. As shown in FIG. 3, the bulging portion 43 of the first electrode portion 40 is disposed on the first conductor 41 between the intersections of two adjacent second conductors 46. Similarly, when observed from the normal direction of the film surface of the base film 32, each of the second conductors 46 included in the second electrode portion 45 includes a large number of first conductors 41 included in the first electrode portion 40. Intersects. The bulging portion 48 of the second electrode portion 45 is also disposed on the second conductor 46 between the intersections of the two adjacent first conductors 41. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the bulging portion 43 of the first conductor 41 included in the first electrode portion 40 and the bulging portion 48 of the second conductor 46 included in the second electrode portion 45 are based on It arrange | positions so that it may not overlap, when it observes from the normal line direction of the film surface of the material film 32. FIG. That is, when observed from the normal direction of the film surface of the base film 32, the first conductor 41 included in the first electrode portion 40 and the second conductor 46 included in the second electrode portion 45 are each conductive. They intersect only at the line portions 42 and 47 of the bodies 41 and 46.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an external lead wire 36 having conductivity is formed on one surface 32 a and the other surface 32 b of the base film 32. One or two external lead wires 36 are provided for each of the conductors 41 and 46 of the electrode portions 40 and 45 depending on the contact position detection method. The external lead wire 36 is made of a conductive material. Then, one end of the corresponding external lead wire 36 is electrically connected to both ends of each conductor 41, 46 (see FIG. 3). Each external lead-out line 36 is electrically connected at the other end to a detection circuit of the detection control unit 25 configured to detect a contact position of the external conductor with respect to the display surface 12. That is, the conductors 41 and 46 of the electrode portions 40 and 45 are electrically connected to the detection circuit that detects the contact position via the external lead wire 36. The external lead-out line 36 extends on the base film 32 in the non-display area A2 and does not extend in the display area A1. Therefore, the external lead-out line 36 does not need to be formed from a light-transmitting material, and can be formed from a highly conductive metal such as silver or copper.

  Next, a method of manufacturing the touch panel sensor 30 configured as described above according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5H. 5A to 5H, FIG. 5A shows the touch panel sensor (laminated body) being manufactured in a cross section corresponding to the cross section taken along the line VV in FIG. Moreover, in each figure of FIG. 5A-FIG. 5H, a figure (b) is a top view which shows the touch panel sensor (laminated body) in preparation from one side (the upper side in the paper surface of each figure (a)).

  First, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 5A, a laminate (also referred to as blanks) 50 as a base material for manufacturing the touch panel sensor 30 is prepared (step S1). By performing processing (processing) such as film formation and patterning on the laminated body 50, the touch panel sensor 30 can be obtained.

  As shown in FIG. 5A (a), the laminate 50 prepared in the present embodiment is laminated on a transparent base film 32 and a surface 32a on one side of the base film 32 so as to be transparent. The first conductive layer 52a having light properties, the second conductive layer 52b having light transmissivity laminated on the surface 32b on the other side of the base film 32, and the light shielding property laminated on the first conductive layer 52a. And a light shielding layer 54 having the same.

  As described above, a resin film such as a PET film can be used as the base film 32. Also, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a resin film main body 33 such as PET, and functional films 34 and 35 formed on one or both surfaces of the film main body 33. A base film 32 having the following may be used.

  As will be described later, the first conductive layer 52a and the second conductive layer 52b are patterned to form a first electrode portion 40 and a second electrode portion 45 having translucency, respectively. Therefore, the first conductive layer 52a and the second conductive layer 52b are formed from a material having translucency and conductivity. As a specific example, the first conductive layer 52a and the second conductive layer 52b can be configured as ITO films formed on the surfaces 32a and 32b of the base film 32 by sputtering.

  The light shielding layer 54 is a layer having a light shielding property against light used for exposure of photosensitive layers 56a and 56b described later, that is, a layer having a property of not transmitting the exposure light. However, in the present embodiment, not only the exposure light of the photosensitive layers 56a and 56b but also a layer having a light shielding property against light in other wavelength regions, more specifically, visible light that can be included in natural light. It is formed as a layer having a light shielding property against ultraviolet rays, infrared rays and the like. If such a layer is used as the light shielding layer 54, it can be expected that the exposure light is more reliably shielded. Various materials are known as the material for the light shielding layer 54, and metals such as aluminum, molybdenum, silver, chromium, and copper are used in consideration of cost and ease of processing. it can. The light shielding layer 54 made of metal can be formed on the surface of one side of the first conductive layer 52a (the side opposite to the base film 32) by sputtering.

  In addition, the sheet-like laminated body 50 may be prepared, or the elongate web-like laminated body 50, for example, the laminated body 50 wound up by the roll, may be prepared. However, in consideration of production efficiency, a laminate 50 prepared in a different place and wound around a roll is prepared, and the web-like laminate 50 is supplied by rewinding the roll laminate 50. It is preferable that the steps described below are performed on the web-like laminate 50 to which the following steps are supplied. Alternatively, the base film 32 is drawn out from a roll around which the base film 32 is wound, or an intermediate laminate composed of the base film 32 and the first and second conductive layers 52a and 52b is wound up. The intermediate laminate is drawn out from the roll, the laminate 50 is produced from the base film 32 or the intermediate laminate, and each process described below is performed on the produced laminate 50. It is also preferable to be done.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 5B, the first photosensitive layer 56 a is formed on the surface 50 a on one side of the multilayer body 50, and the second photosensitive layer 56 is formed on the surface 50 b on the other side of the multilayer body 50. The layer 56b is formed (step S2). The first photosensitive layer 56a and the second photosensitive layer 56b have photosensitivity to light in a specific wavelength range, for example, ultraviolet rays. Specifically, the photosensitive layers 56a and 56b can be formed by coating a photosensitive material on the surface of the laminate 50 using a coater.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 5C, the first photosensitive layer 56a and the second photosensitive layer 56b are simultaneously exposed (step S3).

  Specifically, first, as shown in FIG. 5C (a), the first mask 58a is disposed on the first photosensitive layer 56a, and the second mask 58b is disposed on the second photosensitive layer 56b. The first mask 58a has a predetermined pattern corresponding to the pattern of the first conductor 41 of the first electrode portion 40 to be formed, and the second mask 58b is the second pattern of the second electrode portion 45 to be formed. It has a predetermined pattern corresponding to the pattern of the two conductors 46. The pattern of the first mask 58a and the pattern of the second mask 58b are different from each other.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5C (a), in this state, exposure light (for example, ultraviolet rays) corresponding to the photosensitive characteristics of the first photosensitive layer 58a and the second photosensitive layer 58b is used as masks 58a and 58b. The photosensitive layers 56a and 56b are irradiated. As a result, the first photosensitive layer 56a and the second photosensitive layer 56b are simultaneously exposed in different patterns.

  In the illustrated example, the first photosensitive layer 56a and the second photosensitive layer 56b are positive photosensitive layers. Accordingly, the first photosensitive layer 56a is irradiated with exposure light in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the portion removed by etching to form the first conductor 41 of the first electrode portion 40, and the second photosensitive layer 56b is Then, exposure light is irradiated in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the portion removed by etching to form the second conductor 46 of the second electrode portion 45. As shown in FIG. 5C (a), the exposure light applied to the first photosensitive layer 56a passes through the first photosensitive layer 56a, is applied to the laminate (blanks) 50, and is applied to the second photosensitive layer 56b. The exposure light passes through the second photosensitive layer 56b and is applied to the stacked body 50.

  However, the laminate 50 has a light shielding layer 54 that shields exposure light. Therefore, the light from the exposure light source that has passed through the first photosensitive layer 56a is blocked by the light shielding layer 54 and does not reach the second photosensitive layer 56b. Similarly, the light from the exposure light source that has passed through the second photosensitive layer 56b. Is shielded by the light shielding layer 54 and does not reach the first photosensitive layer 56a. That is, since the exposure light irradiated in a predetermined pattern for exposing the first photosensitive layer 56a is shielded by the light shielding layer 54, the exposure light of the predetermined pattern is irradiated on the second photosensitive layer 56b. Absent. Similarly, since the exposure light irradiated in a predetermined pattern for exposing the second photosensitive layer 56b is shielded by the light shielding layer 54, the exposure light of the predetermined pattern is irradiated on the first photosensitive layer 56a. There is no. As a result, in the exposure step S3, the first photosensitive layer 56a and the second photosensitive layer 56b can be simultaneously exposed with a desired pattern with high accuracy.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 5D, the exposed first photosensitive layer 56a and second exposed layer 56b are developed (step S4). Specifically, a developer corresponding to the first photosensitive layer 56a and the second photosensitive layer 56b is prepared, and the first photosensitive layer 56a and the second photosensitive layer 56b are developed using this developer. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5D, portions of the first photosensitive layer 56a and the second photosensitive layer 56b irradiated with light from the exposure light source without being shielded by the first mask 58a and the second mask 58b. Are removed, and the first photosensitive layer 56a and the second photosensitive layer 56b are patterned into a predetermined pattern.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 5E, the light shielding layer 54 is etched using the patterned first photosensitive layer 56a as a mask (step S5). By this etching, the light shielding layer 54 is patterned into a pattern substantially the same as the pattern of the first photosensitive layer 56a. For example, when the light shielding layer 54 is made of aluminum or molybdenum, phosphoric acid acetic acid (water) in which phosphoric acid, nitric acid, acetic acid, and water are mixed at a ratio of 5: 5: 5: 1 is used as an etching solution. it can. When the light shielding layer 54 is made of silver, phosphoric acid acetic acid (water) obtained by blending phosphoric acid, nitric acid, acetic acid, and water in a ratio of 4: 1: 4: 4 can be used as an etching solution. Further, when the light shielding layer 54 is made of chromium, an etching solution in which cerium ammonium nitrate, perchloric acid, and water are mixed at a ratio of 17: 4: 70 can be used.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 5F, the first conductive layer 52a is etched using the patterned first photosensitive layer 56a and the light shielding layer 54 as a mask, and the patterned second photosensitive layer 56b is used as a mask. Then, the second conductive layer 52b is etched (step S6). For example, by using ferric chloride as an etching solution, the first conductive layer 52a made of ITO is patterned into a pattern substantially the same as the pattern of the first photosensitive layer 56a and the light shielding layer 54, and the second made of ITO. The conductive layer 52b is patterned in substantially the same pattern as the pattern of the second photosensitive layer 56b. That is, both the first conductive layer 52a and the second conductive layer 52b are etched simultaneously.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 5G, the first photosensitive layer 56a patterned and remaining on the light shielding layer 54, and the second photosensitive layer patterned and remaining on the second conductive layer 52b. 56b is removed (step S7). For example, by using an alkaline solution such as 2% potassium hydroxide, the remaining first photosensitive layer 56a is removed, the patterned light-shielding layer 54 is exposed, and the remaining second photosensitive layer 56b is formed. The removed second patterned conductive layer 52b is exposed. The exposed second conductive layer 52 b has a predetermined pattern and constitutes the second electrode unit 45.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 5H, the light shielding layer 54 that has been patterned and remains on the first conductive layer 52a is removed (step S8). When the light shielding layer 54 is removed, the patterned first conductive layer 52a is exposed. The exposed first conductive layer 52 a has a predetermined pattern and constitutes the first electrode unit 40. Thereby, the touch panel sensor 30 which has the base film 32 and the 1st and 2nd electrode parts 40 and 45 is formed. For removing the light shielding layer 54, an etching solution that can be used in step S5 of etching the light shielding layer 54 described above can be used.

  Finally, by forming the external lead line 36 that is electrically connected to the first electrode part 40 and the second electrode part 45 by, for example, screen printing, the touch panel sensor 30 having the external lead line 36 shown in FIG. 3 is obtained. .

  As described above, the base material 32, the laminated body 50, or the base material such as the intermediate film made of the base film 32 and the first and second conductive layers 52a and 52b is in the form of web and roll. When prepared in a wound state, the web-shaped base material may be fed out from the roll, and the above-described steps may be performed on the fed-out base material. In this case, a large number of touch panel sensors 30 are formed in a state of being connected to each other through the base film 32. The web-shaped touch panel sensor 30 thus manufactured may be wound on a roll while being overlapped with a protective slip sheet for convenience of handling (conveyance, shipping, etc.). The touch panel sensor 30 wound on the roll can be fed out from the roll and cut into sheets as needed.

  In addition, when winding the web-shaped touch panel sensor 30 on a roll, the web-shaped touch panel sensor 30 may be wound by placing a slip sheet on both sides, or only one side of the web-shaped touch panel sensor 30 may be wound. An interleaving paper may be arranged and wound up. Further, the web-like touch panel sensor 30 may be wound around a roll in a state where some of the steps described above are not performed, for example, in a state where the external lead-out line 36 is not formed. . In this case, if necessary, the web-shaped touch panel sensor 30 is rewound from the roll, and unprocessed processing (for example, formation of the external lead-out line 36) or cutting processing is performed on the rewound touch panel sensor 30. Etc. may be applied.

  According to the manufacturing method described above, the first photosensitive layer 56a and the second photosensitive layer 56b are exposed simultaneously. In the double-sided simultaneous exposure process of the photosensitive layer, an alignment mark (positioning mark) 58c is provided on each of the first mask 58a and the second mask 58b, so that the first mask 58a and the second mask 58b are moved relative to each other. For example, positioning can be performed with extremely high accuracy on the order of microns, and extremely easily (and therefore in a short time). As a result, in the touch panel sensor 30, both the first electrode part 40 and the second electrode part 45 are positioned on the base film 32 with high accuracy and efficiency.

  On the other hand, when the first photosensitive layer 56a and the second photosensitive layer 56b are sequentially exposed one by one, the first electrode portion 40 and the second electrode portion 45 cannot be manufactured accurately and easily. If it is going to produce both the 1st electrode part 40 and the 2nd electrode part 45 with sufficient precision, one of the 1st electrode part 40 and the 2nd electrode part 45 is formed on the base film 32 with an alignment mark, and this The mask used for forming the other of the first electrode part 40 and the second electrode part 45 is positioned with respect to the alignment mark formed on the base film 32. That is, at least the exposure process and the development process need to be performed separately for each of the first photosensitive layer 56a and the second photosensitive layer 56b. For this reason, the 1st electrode part 40 and the 2nd electrode part 45 cannot be formed easily efficiently in a short time.

  Further, for example, the first electrode portion 40 and the second electrode portion 45 can be exposed while positioning the first mask 58a and the second mask 58b with reference to the end portion of the base film 32 without using the alignment mark. It is. According to this method, the exposure process and the development process for the first photosensitive layer 56a and the second photosensitive layer 56b can be performed simultaneously. However, the positioning accuracy of the first electrode portion 40 and the second electrode portion 45 depends on the outer shape accuracy of the base film 32. Generally, according to this method, the positioning accuracy of the first electrode portion 40 and the second electrode portion 45 can be expected only in units of several tens of microns at the maximum.

  From these things, according to the manufacturing method of this Embodiment demonstrated above, the 1st electrode part 40 and the 2nd electrode part 45 can be positioned easily and accurately with respect to each other. Specifically, according to the present embodiment, when the touch panel sensor 30 is viewed from the top, that is, when the touch panel sensor 30 is observed from the normal direction, the bulging portion having a substantially square shape of the first electrode portion 40. The gap G (also referred to as a pattern gap, see FIG. 3) of the outer contour parallel to each other between 43 and the bulging portion 48 having a substantially square shape of the second electrode portion 45 should be 100 μm or less stably. I was able to. On the other hand, in the conventional method of bonding two films, the pattern gap G is 200 μm or more. As a result, according to the present embodiment, when the touch panel sensor 30 is observed from the normal direction to the entire region (also referred to as an active area) where the contact (approach) position can be detected, the first conductor 41 and the first conductor 41 The percentage of the region where at least one of the two conductors 46 is disposed can be 95% or more in percentage. When the touch panel sensor 30 is used on the display surface 16a of the display device 15 as in the present embodiment, the active area of the touch panel sensor 30 is usually in the display area A1 of the display device 15. It is set as a facing area.

  In addition, a transparent conductor typified by ITO or the like generally has a very large refractive index as compared with an inexpensive transparent resin suitably used for a base film. For this reason, the malfunction that the pattern of the transparent conductor on a base film will be visually recognized may arise.

  On the other hand, according to the manufacturing method of the present embodiment described above, the contour at the end of the conductor 41 of the electrode portion 40 is 45 ° or more and 90 ° with respect to the normal direction of the film surface of the substrate 32. An angle of less than can be made. That is, the conductors 41 of the electrode portions 40 and 45 are gently connected to the base film 32. Thereby, presence of the conductor 41 of the electrode part 40 can be made not conspicuous. In particular, when the inclination angle of the contour at the end portion of the conductor 41 made with respect to the normal direction of the film surface of the substrate 32 as described above is 45 ° or more, the conductor 41 of the electrode portion 40 is extremely effectively performed. Can be made invisible. As a result, when the touch panel sensor 30 of the touch panel device 20 is disposed on the display surface 16a of the display device 10, it is possible to extremely effectively prevent the image quality of the video displayed on the display device 10 from being deteriorated. It becomes.

  Hereinafter, when the electrode part 40 is formed by the manufacturing method described above, an estimation mechanism that increases the inclination angle θe of the contour at the end will be described mainly with reference to FIG. 7A. It is not limited to.

  In the conventional method of manufacturing a touch panel sensor by bonding two films, when an electrode is formed on a film using a photolithography technique, the photosensitive layer is directly disposed on the conductive layer forming the electrode. . On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the light shielding layer 54 is disposed on the first conductive layer 52 a that forms the first electrode portion 40. Generally, a photosensitive layer (resist layer) has high erosion resistance with respect to an etching solution (for example, ferric chloride) used for a transparent conductive layer. The erosion resistance to this etching solution is usually higher in the photosensitive layer than in the light shielding layer 54 made of metal or the like. Therefore, in step S6 of etching the conductive layer 52a, the conductive layer 52a is etched in the vertical direction (normal direction of the base film), and the light shielding layer 54 is in the horizontal direction (along the sheet surface of the base film 32). Direction). As the light shielding layer 54 is eroded in the lateral direction, a region where the conductive layer 52a is etched gradually expands. On the other hand, since the photosensitive layer has high erosion resistance with respect to the etching solution used in this step S6, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the photosensitive layer is not greatly etched in the lateral direction. For the reasons as described above, according to the touch panel sensor 30 manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the inclination angle at the end of the contour of the linear conductor 41 of the electrode unit 40 is increased compared to the conventional case. Specifically, it is estimated that the angle can be 45 ° or more.

  In this specification, the inclination angle θe at the end of the contour of the conductor of the electrode portion is a cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the linear conductor and parallel to the normal direction of the base film (see FIG. 7A). In the cross section shown), in the outer contour of the conductor, a straight line Le connecting the position P1 connected to the base film and the position P2 where the thickness starts to decrease, and the normal direction nd to the film surface of the base film The angle made by.

  The touch panel sensor 30 obtained as described above is bonded to the display device 15 via the adhesive layer 19, and the protective cover 12 is bonded to the touch panel sensor 30 via the adhesive layer 15. The input / output device 10 shown in FIG. Next, the operation when using the input / output device 10 will be described.

  First, in such an input / output device 10, an observer can observe an image through the protective cover 12 and the touch panel sensor 30 by displaying the image on the display panel 16 of the display device 15.

  In the input / output device 10, the touch panel sensor 30 and the protective cover 12 constitute a part of the touch panel device 20, and the external conductor 5, typically a human finger 5, contacts (approaches) on the protective cover 12. While being able to detect, the position where the outer conductor 5 contacted (approached) on the protective cover 12 can be detected.

  Specifically, first, when an external conductor (for example, a human finger) 5 comes into contact with the protective cover 12, the external conductor 5 and an electrode portion located near the contact position of the external conductor 5 with the protective cover 12. The electric conductors 41 and 46 of 40 and 45 function as electrodes, and an electric field is formed. At this time, the protective cover 12, the base film 32, and the like positioned between the outer conductor 5 and the conductors 41 and 46 function as a dielectric. That is, when the outer conductor 5 comes into contact with the protective cover 12, a capacitor having the outer conductor 5 and the electrode portions 40 and 45 as electrodes is formed.

  The detection circuit of the detection control unit 25 of the touch panel device 20 is connected to the conductors 41 and 46, and can detect the capacitance between the conductors 41 and 46 and the external conductor 5. Yes. Then, the detection control unit 25 detects a change in capacitance between the conductors 41 and 46 and the outer conductor 5, so that the outer conductor 5 is connected to any first conductor 41 of the first electrode unit 40. As well as which second conductor 46 of the second electrode portion 45 the outer conductor 5 faces.

  That is, the detection circuit of the detection control unit 25 identifies a linear conductor facing the outer conductor 5 of the first conductors 41 included in the first electrode units 40 arranged in the one direction. Thus, the position of the outer conductor 5 on the coordinate axis extending in the one direction can be specified. Similarly, the detection circuit of the detection control unit 25 specifies a linear conductor facing the outer conductor 5 of the second conductors 46 included in the second electrode unit 45 arranged side by side in the other direction. By doing so, the position of the outer conductor 5 on the coordinate axis extending in the other direction can be specified. In this way, by detecting the contact position of the external conductor 5 to the touch panel device 20 (protective cover 12) in two directions, the position coordinates of the contact position of the external conductor 5 to the surface of the touch panel device 20 can be obtained. It is possible to specify with high accuracy on the surface of the device 20. Note that various methods (principle) for detecting a contact position in a projected capacitively coupled touch panel are disclosed in various documents, and further description is omitted in this specification.

  In the touch panel sensor 30 manufactured according to the manufacturing method described above, the first electrode portion 40 and the second electrode portion 45 are formed on both sides of the base film 32 as a single body. That is, a joined body of a plurality of films joined via an adhesive or the like is not used as a base film. As a result, the transmissivity of the touch panel sensor 30 as a whole can be improved. Furthermore, since the number of interfaces that can reflect ambient light (external light) such as illumination or image light can be reduced, reflection of ambient light is suppressed and the contrast of the image displayed on the display device 15 is improved. be able to. Accordingly, when the touch panel sensor 30 is disposed on the display surface 16 of the display device 10, it is possible to prevent the display image of the display device 10 from being greatly deteriorated. Furthermore, the total thickness of the touch panel sensor 30 and the input / output device 10 can be reduced.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, the 1st electrode part 40 and the 2nd electrode part 45 are arrange | positioned in a different position along the normal line direction of the touch panel sensor 30 (protective cover 12). Specifically, the second electrode portion 45 is disposed at a position separated from the protective cover 12 by the thickness of the base film 32 than the first electrode portion 40. However, as described above, in the present embodiment, the base film 32 is configured as a single film. The base film 32 is different from the base film disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-264613), and does not require a special function such as a deep ultraviolet light shielding function. Thereby, it can be comprised from a thin film. Therefore, when the outer conductor 5 comes into contact with the protective cover 12, a capacitor can be stably formed between the outer conductor 5 and the second conductor 46 of the second electrode portion 45. As a result, the contact position (touch position) of the outer conductor 5 with the protective cover 12 is not only determined by the first conductor 41 of the first electrode portion 40 but also by the second conductor 46 of the second electrode portion 45. It becomes possible to detect accurately with high sensitivity.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the first conductor 41 of the first electrode portion 40 has the line portion 42 and the bulging portion 43, and the second electrode portion 45 has the second portion. The conductor 46 has a line portion 47 and a bulging portion 48. In each conductor 41, 46, the width at the bulging portions 43, 48 is very thick compared to the width at the line portions 42, 47. And as mentioned above, the bulging part 43 of the 1st conductor 41 contained in the 1st electrode part 40 and the bulging part 48 of the 2nd conductor 46 contained in the 2nd electrode part 45 are base materials. It arrange | positions so that it may not overlap, when it observes from the normal line direction of the film surface of the film 32. FIG. For this reason, the first conductor 41 of the first electrode portion 40 has a wide area that can affect the detection accuracy of the contact position, and is between the outer conductor 5 and the second conductor 46 of the second electrode portion 45. There is no intervening. As a result, it is possible to prevent the capacitor from being effectively formed between the outer conductor 5 and the second electrode portion 45.

  Furthermore, as described above, the display control unit 17 of the display device 15 and the detection control unit 25 of the touch panel device 20 are connected. The detection control unit 25 can transmit information input when the outer conductor 5 contacts a predetermined position on the protective cover 12 to the display control unit 17. Based on the input information read by the detection control unit 25, the display control unit 17 can also display an image corresponding to the input information on the display panel 16 of the display device 15. In other words, the display function as the output unit and the touch position detection function as the input unit allow direct interaction of information between the user (operator) of the input / output device 10 and the input / output device 10. Exchange (for example, an instruction to the display device 10 by the user and execution of the instruction by the display device 10) can be realized.

  As described above, when the first electrode portion 40 and the second electrode portion 45 are patterned on the base film 32 through the simultaneous exposure process, the first conductor 41 and the first conductor 41 of the first electrode portion 40 The second conductors 46 of the two electrode portions 45 are positioned with high accuracy with respect to each other. As a result, both the first conductors 41 of the first electrode unit 40 and the second conductors 46 of the second electrode unit 45 can be accurately positioned with respect to the display device 15. In this case, the contact position of the outer conductor 5 with the protective cover 12 can be accurately detected with the display device 15 as a reference. As a result, the input corresponding to the video information displayed on the display device 15 can be detected with high resolution and high accuracy, whereby the user (operator) of the input / output device 10 and the input / output device 10 can be detected. Exchange of information in the form of dialogue between the two will be carried out very smoothly.

  According to the present embodiment as described above, the light shielding layer 54 having the light shielding property is disposed between the first photosensitive layer 56a and the second photosensitive layer 56b having the photosensitive property. Therefore, the first photosensitive layer 56a and the second photosensitive layer 56b can be exposed with different patterns with high accuracy, and thereby the first photosensitive layer 56a and the second photosensitive layer 56b can be exposed with different desired patterns. Patterning can be performed with extremely high accuracy. The exposure of the first photosensitive layer 56a and the exposure of the second photosensitive layer 56b are performed in a state where the first mask 58a is disposed on the first photosensitive layer 56a and the second mask 58b is disposed on the second photosensitive layer 56b. Done. In this case, the first mask 58a and the second mask 58b can be easily and accurately positioned with respect to each other, whereby the pattern of the first photosensitive layer 56a and the pattern of the second photosensitive layer 56b are extremely accurate with respect to each other. It can be positioned well. As a result, the first electrode unit 40 and the second electrode unit 45 of the obtained touch panel sensor 30 can be formed with a desired pattern with high accuracy, and the first electrode unit 40 and the second electrode unit 45 are formed with respect to each other. Positioning with high accuracy. Therefore, by using the touch panel sensor 30, it is possible to accurately detect the position on the plane where the outer conductor (typically, the finger) 5 approaches or comes into contact.

  Further, the first mask 58a and the second mask 58b can be easily positioned with respect to each other, and the exposure of the first photosensitive layer 56a and the exposure of the second photosensitive layer 56b can be performed simultaneously. Therefore, the touch panel sensor 30 can be manufactured extremely efficiently, and thereby the manufacturing cost of the touch panel sensor 30 can be significantly reduced.

  Furthermore, since the special function (for example, the light-shielding function with respect to the light of a specific wavelength range) is not requested | required of the base film 32, the film material as a normal single body used for the display apparatus etc. is used as the base film 32. Can be used. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a thick film or a laminate of a plurality of films bonded via an adhesive or the like as the base film. As a result, the distance between the first electrode portion 40 and the second electrode portion 45 is shortened, so that the detection sensitivity of not only the first electrode portion 40 but also the contact position or approach position by the second electrode portion 45 is improved. Can do. Moreover, the transmissivity of the touch panel sensor 30 can be improved, and when the touch panel sensor 30 is arranged on the display surface 16a of the display device 15, the display image of the display device 15 is greatly deteriorated. Can be prevented.

  Note that various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment. Hereinafter, an example of modification will be described.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the light shielding layer 54 is formed on the first conductive layer 52a in the stacked body (blanks) 50 as a base material used for manufacturing the touch panel sensor 30 is shown. However, it is not limited to this. For example, the light shielding layer 54 may be formed on the second conductive layer 52b. In addition, the first light shielding layer may be formed on the first conductive layer 52a, and the second light shielding layer may be formed on the second conductive layer 52b. In this case, both the first light shielding layer and the second light shielding layer are patterned in the step S5 of patterning the light shielding layer described in the above embodiment, and the first light shielding layer and the second light shielding layer in the step S8 of removing the light shielding layer. Both layers will be removed. Also when manufacturing a touch panel sensor using such a laminated body, the same effect as embodiment mentioned above can be acquired. Further, when the first light shielding layer is formed on the first conductive layer 52 a and the second light shielding layer is formed on the second conductive layer 52 b, the first conductor 41 of the first electrode portion 40 has the first conductor 41. Not only the inclination angle θe at the end of the outer contour, but also the inclination angle θe at the end of the outer contour of the second conductor 46 of the second electrode portion 45 is large, and in particular, 45 ° or more and less than 90 °. According to such a touch panel sensor 30, the first electrode part 40 and the second electrode part 45 can be made invisible extremely effectively.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the light shielding layer 54 is composed of various metals has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the light shielding layer 54 may be composed of layers having various light shielding properties. . As a modification, the light shielding layer 54 may be formed from a resin layer containing carbon black. For example, a polyimide resin formed from a polyimide precursor such as polyamic acid can be employed as the resin forming the resin layer.

  When the light shielding layer 54 made of carbon black-containing resin is used, the light shielding layer 54 can be etched together with the photosensitive layers 56a and 56b by the developer in the step S4 of developing the positive photosensitive layers 56a and 56b. That is, the step S4 for developing and patterning the photosensitive layers 56a and 56b and the step S5 for patterning the light shielding layer 54 are performed in parallel.

  When the light shielding layer 54 made of a carbon black-containing resin is used, the patterned light shielding layer 56a, 56b is patterned together with the patterned photosensitive layers 56a, 56b using an alkaline solution in the step S7 of removing the photosensitive layers 56a, 56b. Layer 54 can also be removed. That is, in this case, the step S7 for removing the photosensitive layers 56a and 56b and the step S8 for removing the light shielding layer 54 are performed in parallel. However, in the above-described step S7 for removing the photosensitive layers 56a and 56b, by using dipropylene glycol or the like as an etching solution, the photosensitive layer on the light shielding layer 54 is removed without removing the light shielding layer 54 made of carbon black-containing resin. It is also possible to remove only 56a and 56b.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the first conductor 41 of the first electrode portion 40 has the line portion 42 and the bulging portion 43, and the second conductor 46 of the second electrode portion 45 is the line portion 47. The example which has the bulging part 48 was shown. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the bulging portions 43 and 48 are formed in a substantially square shape in plan view is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as an example, the bulging portions 43 and 48 may have a quadrangular shape such as a rhombus other than a square, a polygonal shape, a circular shape, or the like in plan view. The conductors 41 and 46 may not have the bulging portions 43 and 48 but may have a linear outline.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the first conductor 41 of the first electrode unit 40 and the second conductor 46 of the second electrode unit 45 are configured in the same manner has been described. I can't. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the first width of the first electrode unit 40 arranged such that the line width w2 of the second conductor 46 of the second electrode unit 45 is closer to the protective cover 12 (observer side surface). The conductor 41 may be thicker than the line width w1. According to such an example, when the outer conductor 5 comes into contact with the protective cover 12, the second conductor 46 of the second electrode portion 45 disposed at a position relatively far from the protective cover 12 (observer side surface). Thus, a capacitor can be stably formed between the outer conductor 5 and the outer conductor 5. Further, the outer conductor 5 in contact with the protective cover 12 is compared with the capacitance of the capacitor formed between the outer conductor 5 in contact with the protective cover 12 and the first conductor 41 of the first electrode portion 40. It can be prevented that the capacitance of the capacitor formed between the second electrode portion 45 and the second conductor 46 is lowered. As a result, the contact position (touch position) of the outer conductor 5 with the protective cover 12 is set not only in the direction parallel to the arrangement direction of the first conductors 41 of the first electrode part 40 but also in the second direction of the second electrode part 45. Even in a direction parallel to the arrangement direction of the conductors 46, it becomes possible to detect with extremely high sensitivity and accuracy. In addition, in the modification shown in FIG. 8, about the structure of another part, it can comprise similarly to embodiment mentioned above. In FIG. 8, parts that can be configured in the same way as the above-described embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the external lead line 36 is formed by screen printing has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, by patterning the first conductive layer 52a and the second conductive layer 52b using the photolithography technique in the same manner as the first electrode unit 40 and the second electrode unit 45, the first electrode unit 40 and the second electrode unit An external lead line may be formed integrally with 45.

  In addition, although the some modification with respect to embodiment mentioned above was demonstrated above, naturally, it is also possible to apply combining several modifications suitably.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Input / output device 15 Display device 20 Touch panel device 30 Touch panel sensor 32 Base film 32a Surface (surface on one side)
32b surface (surface on the other side)
33 Film body 34 Functional membrane (index matching membrane)
34a High refractive index film 34b Low refractive index film 35 Functional film (low refractive index film)
36 External Lead Wire 40 First Electrode Part 41 First Conductor 42 Line Part 43 Swelling Part 45 Second Electrode Part 46 Second Conductor 47 Line Part 48 Swelling Part 50 Laminated Body (Blanks)
52a First conductive layer 52b Second conductive layer 54 Light-shielding layer 56a First photosensitive layer 56b Second photosensitive layer 58a First mask (first photomask)
58b Second mask (second photomask)

Claims (1)

A manufacturing method of a touch panel sensor combined with a display device,
A transparent base film, a light- transmitting first conductive layer provided on one surface of the base film , a light-shielding layer provided on the first conductive layer and having a light-shielding property, Providing a laminate having a light-transmitting second conductive layer provided on the other surface of the base film;
Forming a first photosensitive layer having photosensitivity on one side of the laminate, and forming a second photosensitive layer having photosensitivity on the other side of the laminate;
Exposing the first photosensitive layer and the second photosensitive layer simultaneously with different patterns;
Developing and patterning the first photosensitive layer and the second photosensitive layer;
Patterning the first conductive layer by etching the light shielding layer and the first conductive layer using the patterned first photosensitive layer as a mask ;
Patterning the second conductive layer by etching the second conductive layer using the patterned second photosensitive layer as a mask , and
The display device includes a display area capable of displaying an image, and a non-display area disposed outside the display area,
By patterning the first conductive layer, a plurality of first conductors arranged in a predetermined pattern in a region corresponding to the display region of the display device on one side of the base film, and each first A plurality of external lead lines arranged in a region corresponding to the non-display region of the display device on one side of the base film and integrally connected to the conductors at the same time,
A plurality of second conductors arranged in a predetermined pattern in a region corresponding to the display region of the display device on the other side of the base film by patterning the second conductive layer, and each second A plurality of external lead lines that are respectively connected to the conductors and arranged in a region corresponding to the non-display region of the display device on the other side of the base film are integrally formed simultaneously. A method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor, characterized by:

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