JPWO2019150563A1 - Manufacturing method of touch panel sensor base material and touch panel sensor base material set - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material and a touch panel sensor base material set that can improve the quality of the touch panel sensor base material and also improve the yield even when manufacturing a large area touch panel sensor base material. The subject is a leader wiring pattern portion (22) composed of at least one sensor base material (1) having a sensor pattern portion (S) composed of a plurality of sensor channels (12) and a plurality of wires (22). At least one wiring base material (2) having W) is prepared, and then the sensor channel (12) of the sensor base material (1) and the wiring (22) of the wiring base material (2) are electrically connected. As described above, the problem is solved by a method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material that connects the sensor base material (1) and the wiring base material (2).

Description

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material and a touch panel sensor base material set. More specifically, the quality of the touch panel sensor base material can be improved and the yield can be improved even when a large area touch panel sensor base material is manufactured. The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material and a touch panel sensor base material set that can be improved.

The touch panel sensor is mounted on, for example, a mobile terminal or the like, and is used to detect a position touched by a user.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-153128 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 3-38982

Patent Documents 1 and 2 propose a technique for increasing the area of a displayed image with respect to an image display device. However, since the touch panel sensor is often mounted on a relatively small device such as a mobile terminal, a technique for increasing the area has not been sufficiently established.

Conventionally, when manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material, a sensor channel and a lead wire connected to the sensor channel are formed on one base material.

In such a prior art, there is room for further improvement from the viewpoint of quality improvement and yield improvement, particularly in the case of manufacturing a large-area touch panel sensor base material.

Therefore, the subject of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material and a touch panel sensor base material set, which can improve the quality of the touch panel sensor base material and also improve the yield, particularly even when manufacturing a large area touch panel sensor base material. Is to provide.

Further, other problems of the present invention will be clarified by the following description.

The above problems are solved by the following inventions.

1. 1.
At least one sensor base material having a sensor pattern portion composed of a plurality of sensor channels and at least one wiring base material having an outlet wiring pattern portion composed of a plurality of wirings are prepared.
Next, a method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material that connects the sensor base material and the wiring base material so that the sensor channel of the sensor base material and the wiring of the wiring base material are electrically connected.
2. 2.
The sensor base material and the wiring base material are arranged so that the plurality of sensor channels and the plurality of wirings have a one-to-one correspondence.
Next, the method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to 1, wherein the sensor channel of the sensor base material and the wiring of the wiring base material are electrically connected by a conductive member.
3. 3.
The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to 1 or 2, wherein at least one selected from the sensor channel of the sensor base material and the wiring of the wiring base material is plated.
4.
The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to the above 3, wherein the plating treatment is electrolytic plating.
5.
A sensor substrate precursor in which a plurality of sensor channels and a bus line for plating electrically connected to the plurality of sensor channels are formed is prepared.
Next, the plurality of sensor channels are electrolytically plated by supplying power to the plurality of sensor channels via the plating bus line.
Next, the method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to 4 above, wherein a region of the sensor base material precursor where the plating bus line is provided is cut off to manufacture the sensor base material.
6.
4. The sensor channel of the sensor base material, and at least one selected from the wiring of the wiring base material are formed by an inkjet method and then plated, according to any one of 3 to 5 above. Manufacturing method of touch panel sensor base material.
7.
The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to any one of 1 to 6, wherein the method for manufacturing the sensor channel of the sensor base material and the method for manufacturing the wiring of the wiring base material are different.
8.
The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to any one of 1 to 7, wherein the wiring of the wiring base material is manufactured by laser treatment.
9.
The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to any one of 1 to 7, wherein the wiring of the wiring base material is manufactured by a photolithography process.
10.
The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to any one of 1 to 7, wherein the wiring of the wiring base material is manufactured by a screen printing process.
11.
The touch panel sensor base material according to any one of 1 to 10, wherein at least one selected from the sensor channel of the sensor base material and the wiring of the wiring base material is manufactured by roll-to-roll processing. Method.
12.
The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to any one of 1 to 11, wherein the sensor base material has the sensor pattern portions on both sides.
13.
The wiring base material includes a strip-shaped portion extending from one end of the wiring base material in a strip shape.
The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to any one of 1 to 12, wherein the plurality of wirings extend to the end of the band-shaped portion along the longitudinal direction of the band-shaped portion.
14.
13. The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to 13, wherein the wiring base material is cut so as to form a strip-shaped portion before connecting the wiring base material to the sensor base material.
15.
A base material set for configuring a touch panel sensor.
At least one sensor base material having a sensor pattern portion composed of a plurality of sensor channels,
A touch panel sensor base material set composed of at least one wiring base material having a lead wiring pattern portion composed of a plurality of wires.
16.
The sensor channel of the sensor substrate is composed of a plurality of conductive thin wires.
The touch panel sensor base material set according to the above 15, wherein the average line width variation of the plurality of conductive thin wires has a standard deviation of 0.5 or less.
17.
The touch panel sensor base material set according to 15 or 16, wherein the average resistance variation of the plurality of sensor channels provided on the same surface of the sensor base material has a standard deviation of 1 or less. 18.
The touch panel sensor base material set according to any one of 15 to 17, wherein the sensor channel of the sensor base material has a plating film.
19.
The touch panel sensor base material set according to any one of 15 to 18, wherein the sensor channel of the sensor base material and the wiring of the wiring base material are electrically connected by a conductive member.
20.
The touch panel sensor base material set according to any one of 15 to 19, wherein the sensor base material has the sensor pattern portions on both sides.

According to the present invention, a method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material and a touch panel sensor base material set capable of improving the quality of the touch panel sensor base material and improving the yield even in the case of manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material having a particularly large area can be provided. Can be provided.

The figure explaining the sensor base material and the wiring base material used in the manufacturing method of the touch panel sensor base material which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The figure explaining the configuration example of the sensor channel The figure explaining the connection between a sensor base material and a wiring base material The figure explaining the method of plating a sensor channel. The figure explaining an example of the sensor base material precursor The figure explaining an example of a plating apparatus A diagram illustrating another example of a sensor substrate precursor. A diagram illustrating another example of a sensor substrate precursor. A diagram illustrating another example of a sensor substrate precursor. The figure explaining an example of the wiring base material precursor The figure explaining the manufacturing method of the touch panel sensor base material which concerns on 2nd Embodiment The figure explaining the manufacturing method of the touch panel sensor base material which concerns on the modification of 2nd Embodiment The figure explaining the manufacturing method of the touch panel sensor base material which concerns on 3rd Embodiment The figure explaining the manufacturing method of the touch panel sensor base material which concerns on 4th Embodiment The figure explaining the manufacturing method of the touch panel sensor base material which concerns on 5th Embodiment The figure explaining an example of a conductive member The figure explaining another example of a conductive member The figure explaining another example of a conductive member

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail.

In the method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material of the present invention, at least one sensor base material having a sensor pattern portion composed of a plurality of sensor channels and at least one wiring base material having an outlet wiring pattern portion composed of a plurality of wirings are used. Then, the sensor base material and the wiring base material are connected so that the sensor channel of the sensor base material and the wiring of the wiring base material are electrically connected. As a result, even when a touch panel sensor base material having a large area is manufactured, the quality of the touch panel sensor base material can be improved and the yield can be improved.

1. 1. First Embodiment The touch panel sensor manufacturing method according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. In the present embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 1, a sensor base material 1 and a wiring base material 2 are prepared.

[Sensor base material]
The sensor base material 1 is composed of a base material 11 and a plurality of sensor channels 12 provided on the base material 11. The sensor pattern portion S is composed of the plurality of sensor channels 12. The sensor pattern portion S forms a region effective for sensing in the touch panel sensor.

〔Base material〕
The base material 11 may be any material that can hold a plurality of sensor channels 12 on the surface in a state of being insulated from each other, and examples thereof include a resin base material (also referred to as a film), a glass base material, and a ceramic base material.

The material of the film is not particularly limited, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin, polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) resin, polybutylene terephthalate resin, cellulose-based resin (polyacetyl cellulose, cellulose diacetate, cellulose triacetate, etc.), polyethylene resin. , Polypropylene resin, methacrylic resin, cyclic polyolefin resin, polystyrene resin, acrylonitrile- (poly) styrene copolymer (AS resin), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS resin), polyvinyl chloride resin , Poly (meth) acrylic resin, polycarbonate resin, polyester resin, polyimide resin, polyamide resin, polyamideimide resin, cycloolefin polymer (COP) resin and the like. By using these materials, good insulation and transparency can be imparted to the film. Further, particularly by using a synthetic resin material, good flexibility can be imparted to the film. The film made of the synthetic resin material may be stretched or unstretched.

The thickness of the base material 11 is not particularly limited, and can be, for example, about 1 μm to 10 cm, and further about 20 μm to 300 μm.

The base material 11 may be subjected to a surface treatment that changes the surface energy. Further, the base material 11 may be a laminated body, or may have a hard coat layer, an antireflection layer, or the like.

In the present embodiment, the base material 11 is rectangular, but the shape of the base material 11 is not limited to this, and any shape can be imparted.

[Sensor channel]
In this embodiment, the sensor channel 12 is an electrode for detecting touch in the touch panel sensor. The detection method of the touch panel sensor is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a resistive film method, a capacitance method, and an optical sensor method.

A plurality of sensor channels 12 are arranged at equal pitches in the sensor pattern portion S.

The sensor channel 12 is formed of a conductive material in a strip shape having a predetermined width (also referred to as a channel width). The length and width of the sensor channel 12 are not particularly limited, and can be appropriately set according to the purpose, application, and the like.

The conductive material constituting the sensor channel 12 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include metal fine particles, metal oxide fine particles, carbon fine particles, and a conductive polymer. Examples of the metal constituting the metal fine particles include Au, Pt, Ag, Cu, Ni, Cr, Rh, Pd, Zn, Co, Mo, Ru, W, Os, Ir, Fe, Mn, Ge, Sn, Ga, etc. In and the like can be mentioned. Among these, Au, Ag and Cu are preferable, and Ag is particularly preferable. The average particle size of the metal fine particles can be, for example, 1 to 100 nm, more preferably 3 to 50 nm. The average particle size is the volume average particle size and can be measured by "Zetasizer 1000HS" manufactured by Malvern. Examples of the metal oxide fine particles include indium tin oxide (ITO) and tin oxide. Examples of carbon fine particles include graphite fine particles, carbon nanotubes, fullerenes and the like. The conductive polymer is not particularly limited, but a π-conjugated conductive polymer can be preferably mentioned. Examples of the π-conjugated conductive polymer include polythiophenes and polyanilines. The π-conjugated conductive polymer may be used together with a polyanion such as polystyrene sulfonic acid.

The sensor channel 12 may be made of a conductive material solidly applied on the base material 11, but in the present embodiment, the sensor channel 12 is formed on the base material 11 as shown in FIG. 2A. It is composed of a plurality of conductive thin wires 13 arranged two-dimensionally.

The sensor channel 12 shown in FIG. 2A is composed of a mesh pattern composed of a plurality of conductive thin wires 13. Not limited to this example, the pattern of the sensor channel 12 may be, for example, a stripe pattern, a random pattern, or the like.

Further, the pattern of the sensor channel may be a pattern composed of a combination of a plurality of conductive thin lines forming a geometric figure. FIG. 2B shows an example of a sensor channel composed of a pattern composed of a plurality of conductive thin lines forming a geometric figure.

In the example of FIG. 2B, the sensor channel 12 is composed of a plurality of conductive thin wires 13 forming a quadrangle. The pattern of the sensor channel 12 is formed by two-dimensionally arranging a plurality of conductive thin wires 13 forming a quadrangle in the direction of two diagonal lines of the quadrangle.

The line width of the conductive thin wire 13 constituting the sensor channel 12 is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 50 μm or less, 20 μm or less, preferably 10 μm or less, 7 μm or less, and further 5 μm or less. By reducing the line width of the conductive thin wire 13 to 10 μm or less, it is possible to obtain an effect that the sensor channel 12 composed of the conductive thin wire 13 and the pattern (here, the mesh pattern) composed of the conductive thin wire 13 is hard to be visually recognized. .. The lower limit of the line width of the conductive thin wire 13 is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of imparting stable conductivity, it can be, for example, 1 μm or more.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the sensor base material 1 has the sensor pattern portions S on both sides. That is, the sensor base material 1 includes a plurality of sensor channels 12 constituting the sensor pattern portion S on both sides of the base material 11. The sensor channels 12 on both sides face each other via the base material 11. When the sensor pattern portions S are formed on both surfaces of one base material 11 as in the present embodiment, the effect of omitting the step of laminating the base materials can be obtained. Further, as will be described in detail later, the sensor pattern portion S can be made into two layers by laminating a base material having the sensor pattern portion on one side.

The longitudinal direction of the sensor channel 12 on the surface of the base material 11 is parallel to the long side (side oriented in the lateral direction in FIG. 1) of the base material 11. Further, a plurality of sensor channels 12 on the surface of the base material 11 are arranged side by side in the short side (sides oriented in the vertical direction in FIG. 1) of the base material 11.

The longitudinal direction of the sensor channel 12 on the back surface of the base material 11 is parallel to the short side (side oriented in the vertical direction in FIG. 1) of the base material 11. Further, a plurality of sensor channels 12 on the back surface of the base material 11 are arranged side by side in the long side (sides oriented in the lateral direction in FIG. 1) of the base material 11.

By orienting the sensor channel 12 on the front surface and the sensor channel 12 on the back surface in a direction in which they intersect with each other, the sensor pattern portion S can detect the position in the XY coordinate system.

Here, a case where 10 sensor channels 12 are arranged side by side on the front surface of the base material 11 and 15 sensor channels 12 are arranged side by side on the back surface of the base material 11 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. Any number of sensor channels 12 can be arranged side by side according to the above and the intended use. In particular, when the area of the sensor pattern portion S is increased, for example, 20 or more, 30 or more, and even 40 or more sensor channels 12 can be arranged side by side on each surface. The upper limit of the number of sensor channels 12 to be installed is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 500 or less.

The distance α between the sensor channels 12 adjacent to each other is not particularly limited, but is preferably reduced to, for example, 150 μm or less, 100 μm or less, and further 50 μm or less. As a result, the sensor channels 12 can be arranged in a dense state, and the sensor sensitivity can be improved. It is also preferable to reduce the interval α to, for example, 30 μm or less, and further to 25 μm or less. As a result, the sensor sensitivity can be improved, and the gap (insulating portion) between the sensor channels 12 can be prevented from being visually recognized. The lower limit of the interval α is not particularly limited as long as it can insulate between the sensor channels 12, but for example, by setting it to 5 μm or more, 10 μm or more, and further 15 μm or more, even if dust or the like adheres between the sensor channels 12. Good insulation can be maintained.

The sensor channel 12 may be provided up to one end of the base material 11 (the connection portion to which the wiring base material 2 is connected later), but a gap β is provided between the end of the sensor channel 12 and one end of the base material 11. It is preferable to provide it. By providing the interval β, it is possible to prevent the sensor channel 12 from being directly exposed at one end of the base material 11 which is the connection portion to which the wiring base material 2 is connected, and to prevent the occurrence of an unintended short circuit. When the interval β is provided, the value is not particularly limited, and can be, for example, 0.5 mm to 10 mm, and further 1 mm to 6 mm.

〔conductor〕
In the present embodiment, the sensor substrate 1 includes a conductor 14 extending from the end of the sensor channel 12 to one end of the base material 11 outside the sensor pattern portion S. One end of the base material 11 is a connection portion to which the wiring base material 2 is later connected, and at this connection portion, the plurality of conductors 14 are electrically connected to the plurality of wirings 22 of the wiring base material 2.

In the present embodiment, the plurality of conductors 14 are provided in the region corresponding to the above-mentioned interval β at an arrangement pitch equal to the arrangement pitch of the sensor channel 12.

The conductor 14 is made of a conductive material and has a structure different from that of the sensor channel 12. In the present embodiment, the conductor 14 is different in structure from the sensor channel 12 in that the conductor 14 is provided narrower than the channel width of the sensor channel 12. The case where the conductor 14 has a structure different from that of the sensor channel 12 is not limited to the case where the shape such as the width is different. For example, when the conductor 14 is formed of a conductive material different from the sensor channel 12, or This includes the case where the conductor 14 has a resistance value (for example, a sheet resistance value) different from that of the sensor channel 12.

In the present embodiment, the case where the conductor 14 is one wiring is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the conductor 14 may have a mesh pattern similar to, for example, the sensor channel 12. Further, instead of the mesh pattern, various patterns such as a pattern formed by combining a plurality of conductive thin lines forming a geometric figure, a stripe pattern, and a random pattern may be used. Further, the conductor is not limited to the one having a pattern, and may be composed of a conductive material imparted in a solid shape.

In any form, the conductor 14 is preferably provided narrower than the channel width of the sensor channel 12. As a result, the conductor 14 exposed at one end of the base material 11 which is the connection portion to which the wiring base material 2 is connected is narrower than the width of the sensor channel 12, so that the comparison with the case where the sensor channel 12 is exposed at the one end. Therefore, the occurrence of an unintended short circuit is prevented.

[Wiring base material]
As shown in FIG. 1, the wiring base material 2 is composed of a base material 21 and a plurality of wirings 22 formed on the base material 21. The plurality of wires 22 are electrically connected to each of the plurality of sensor channels 12 included in the sensor base material 1. The lead-out wiring pattern portion W is formed on the base material 21 by the plurality of wirings 22.

In this embodiment, two wiring base materials 2 are prepared. One wiring base material 2 has a wiring 22 that is electrically connected to the sensor channel 12 on the surface of the sensor base material 1. The other wiring base material 2 has a wiring 22 that is electrically connected to the sensor channel 12 on the back surface of the sensor base material 1.

In the wiring base material 2, one end of the wiring 22 extends to one end of the base material 21, and the other end of the wiring 22 extends to a predetermined position on the base material 21 (here, the other end of the base material 21).

One end of the base material 21 on which one end of the wiring 22 is arranged is a connection portion to which the sensor base material 1 is later connected, and in this connection portion, the plurality of wirings 22 are each a plurality of conductors 14 of the sensor base material 1. As a result, it is electrically connected to the plurality of sensor channels 12 via the plurality of conductors 14. At the connection portion between the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2, the arrangement pitch of the plurality of conductors 14 of the sensor base material 1 and the arrangement pitch of the plurality of wirings 22 of the wiring base material 2 are in the same relationship.

On the other hand, a connection portion 3 to which an external connection component (not shown later) is connected is formed at the other end of the base material 21 on which the other end of the wiring 22 is arranged. At the connection portion 3, the other end of the wiring 22 is electrically connected to the external connection component. Examples of the external connection component include a component for electrically connecting a plurality of wirings 22 of the wiring base material 2 to an external circuit (not shown), and specific examples thereof include an FFC and an FPC. .. The method of electrically connecting the wiring 22 of the wiring base material 2 and the external wiring provided in the external connection component is not particularly limited, and may be connected by, for example, a conductive adhesive or an anisotropic conductive film (ACF). it can. The conductive adhesive is not particularly limited, and for example, an adhesive containing conductive particles can be used.

The arrangement pitch of the plurality of wirings 22 at the connection portion 3 between the wiring base material 2 and the external connection component is smaller than the arrangement pitch at the connection portion between the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2. Further, in the connection portion 3 between the wiring base material 2 and the external connection component, the line width and line spacing (also referred to as Line &Space; L / S) of the plurality of wirings 22 are also the same as that of the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2. It is narrower than the L / S at the connection site.

That is, in the present embodiment, in the lead wiring pattern portion W, the arrangement pitch and L / S of the plurality of wirings 22 are relatively large at the connection portion between the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2, and the wiring base material 2 There is a relatively small relationship at the connection portion 3 with the external connection component.

[Connection between sensor base material and wiring base material]
Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2 are connected.

When connecting the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2, the sensor channel 12 of the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base are in a state where one end of the sensor base material 1 and one end of the wiring base material 2 are butted against each other. The wiring 22 of the material 2 can be electrically connected. Here, the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2 are arranged so that the plurality of sensor channels 12 and the plurality of wirings 22 have a one-to-one correspondence.

In the present embodiment, at the connection portion between the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2, a plurality of conductors 14 extending from the plurality of sensor channels 12 and a plurality of wirings 22 having the same number as the conductors 14 have the same pitch. The sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2 are aligned with each other so as to face each other. At this time, one or both of the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2 may be provided with a marker (not shown) for aligning both base materials with each other.

In order to ensure the electrical connection between the sensor channel 12 and the wiring 22, it is preferable to provide the conductive member 4 to the connection portion.

When the conductor 14 is connected to the sensor channel 12 as in the present embodiment, it is preferable that the conductive member 4 is provided so as to come into contact with both the conductor 14 and the wiring 22. When the conductor 14 is omitted and the sensor channel 12 extends to one end of the sensor substrate 1, the conductive member 4 can be provided so as to contact both the sensor channel 12 and the wiring 22.

The conductive member 4 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a conductive paste (for example, a metal paste) and a conductive ink. These imparting methods are not particularly limited, and can be imparted by a printing method such as an inkjet method. The conductive paste and the conductive ink can be fixed in contact with both the conductor 14 and the wiring 22 by drying and / or curing. Other examples of the conductive member 4 will be described in detail later.

In the present embodiment, since the sensor channels 12 are provided on both sides of the sensor base material 1, the sensor base material is such that the sensor channels 12 on both sides and the wiring 22 of the wiring base material 2 are electrically connected. 1 and the wiring base material 2 are connected. In the present embodiment, the wiring 22 of the wiring base material 2 provided with the wiring 22 on the surface is electrically connected to the sensor channel 12 on the surface of the sensor base material 1, and the wiring 22 of the wiring base material 2 is electrically connected to the back surface of the sensor base material 1. By electrically connecting the wiring 22 of the wiring base material 2 provided with the wiring 22 on the back surface to the sensor channel 12, the sensor channels 12 and the wiring 22 on both sides of the sensor base material 1 are electrically connected. Is connected to.

As described above, the wiring base material 2 includes a connection portion 3 for connecting an external connection component (not shown). The connection between the wiring base material 2 and the external connection component may be performed after connecting the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2, but it should be performed before connecting the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2. Is preferable. This is because the wiring base material 2 before being connected to the sensor base material 1 has a relatively small area, so that it is excellent in handleability when connecting an external connection component and can realize a highly accurate connection.

In the present embodiment, since the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2 are prepared as separate bodies, the effect of improving the yield can be obtained as described below.

First, in the conventional technique, the sensor pattern portion and the drawer wiring pattern portion are formed on one base material, but in this case, even if the sensor pattern portion is a good product, the drawer wiring pattern portion is a defective product. If there is, the whole base material becomes defective, and the sensor pattern portion having a relatively high formation cost is wasted. If the sensor pattern portion has a large area, the cost loss becomes even greater.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, for example, a plurality of sensor base materials 1 and a plurality of wiring base materials 2 can be prepared, and good products can be selected and connected from these. As a result, the effect of preventing the occurrence of defective products and improving the yield can be obtained.

From the viewpoint of more preferably exerting the effect of improving the yield, the continuity state of one or both of the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2 is inspected before connecting the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2. Is preferable. As a result, a good product having a good conduction state can be reliably selected, and the yield can be further improved.

The inspection of the continuity state is not particularly limited, and a known method can be used. Examples thereof include a confirmation inspection of no disconnection and a confirmation inspection of no short circuit. These inspections can be performed, for example, by measuring the resistance value using a tester or the like. In the resistance value measurement using a tester, a known device that scans the measurement terminal based on the drawing data and automatically measures the disconnection or short circuit can be used. It is preferable to carry out these inspections on both the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2 from the viewpoint of further improving the yield.

In the present embodiment, the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2 are prepared as separate bodies, and the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2 are mutually prepared when the sensor channel 12 is formed and the wiring base material 22 is formed. Not connected. Therefore, the manufacturing method of the sensor channel 12 and the manufacturing method of the wiring 22 can be suitably different. That is, since the base materials are separate, it is possible to prevent the wiring base material 2 from being affected by the process for forming the sensor channel 12 on the sensor base material 1, and for forming the wiring 22 on the wiring base material 2. It is also possible to prevent the sensor base material 1 from being affected by the treatment. Thereby, the optimum manufacturing method can be suitably selected and implemented for each of the sensor channel 12 and the wiring 22. Further, even when a large-area touch panel sensor base material is manufactured, the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2 before being connected to each other have a small area as compared with those after the connection, so that the sensor channel 12 It is excellent in handleability when forming the wiring 22 and the wiring 22, and the degree of freedom when selecting a manufacturing method is also improved. Due to these effects, the quality of the manufactured touch panel sensor base material can be improved.

The manufacturing method for forming the sensor channel 12 and the wiring 22 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include printing processing such as an inkjet method and screen printing, plating processing such as electrolytic plating and electroless plating, laser processing, and photolithography processing. From these, the optimum manufacturing method can be selected for each of the sensor channel 12 and the wiring 22.

Since the sensor channel 12 of the sensor base material 1 may have a complicated pattern such as a mesh pattern as described above, it is preferable to select a manufacturing method capable of supporting high-precision patterning such as an inkjet method. In the inkjet method, the coffee stain phenomenon can be used to form the conductive thin wire 13 having a line width narrower than the ink application width.

On the other hand, since the wiring 22 of the wiring base material 2 can have a relatively simple configuration in comparison with the sensor channel 12, a manufacturing method having excellent manufacturing efficiency such as laser processing, photolithography processing, screen printing processing, etc. is selected. It is preferable to do so.

[Plating process]
At least one selected from the sensor channel of the sensor base material and the wiring of the wiring base material is preferably manufactured by plating. In this case, the sensor channel or wiring can be manufactured by pre-forming a pattern corresponding to the sensor channel or wiring on the base material with a conductive material and subjecting the pattern to electroplating. When patterning the conductive material, a printing process can be preferably used, and the inkjet method is particularly preferable.

The method of plating the sensor channel will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 4A is a diagram for explaining a preferable example of the plating treatment, and FIG. 4B is a diagram for explaining a comparative example.

As shown in FIG. 4A, in a preferred example of the plating process, first, a plurality of sensor channels 12 and a plating bus line 5 electrically connected to the plurality of sensor channels 12 are formed. Prepare the sensor base material precursor 1'.

On the front and back of the sensor base material precursor 1', the plating bus line 5 is commonly provided for the plurality of sensor channels 12. Each sensor channel 12 is connected to the plating bus line 5 via a plating lead wire 14'connected to one end of the sensor channel 12.

The plurality of plating lead wires 14'corresponding to the plurality of sensor channels 12 can be designed to favor the plating process, and in the present embodiment, the lengths of the plurality of plating lead wires 14'are equal. It is designed to be. As a result, the resistance values of the plurality of lead wires 14'for plating are equal.

When plating the sensor channel 12, at least the region of the sensor substrate precursor 1'where the sensor channel 12 is provided is immersed in a plating bath (not shown) provided with an anode, and the plating bath is used. Line 5 is connected to the cathode (not shown). As a result, power is supplied from the plating bus line 5 to the plurality of sensor channels 12 via the plating lead-out wiring 14', and the plurality of sensor channels 12 are electrolytically plated. Electroplating forms a plating film on the sensor channel 12. In the present embodiment, since the sensor channel 12 is composed of a plurality of conductive thin wires 13, a plating film can be formed on the conductive thin wires 13 by electrolytic plating.

Since the resistance values of the plurality of plating lead wires 14'are equal, the current supplied from the bus line 5 to the plurality of sensor channels 12 via the plurality of plating lead wires 14'is made uniform, and the plurality of sensor channels 12 The amount of plating applied to the coating (thickness of the plating film) is also made uniform. This makes it possible to prevent the occurrence of uneven plating.

By preventing plating unevenness, the standard deviation of the average line width variation of the plurality of conductive thin wires 13 constituting the plurality of sensor channels 12 can be reduced, and the standard deviation can be preferably set to 0.5 or less. ..

Further, the standard deviation of the average resistance variation of the plurality of sensor channels 12 can be reduced, and the standard deviation is preferably set to 1 or less. This effect is exhibited not only when the sensor channel 12 is formed by a plurality of conductive thin wires 13, but also when, for example, the sensor channel 12 is formed of a solid film of a conductive material.

Thereby, the sensor sensitivity can be improved. Further, when the sensor channel 12 is composed of the conductive thin wires 13 as shown in FIG. 2, the occurrence of plating unevenness is prevented, thereby preventing some of the conductive thin wires 13 from becoming excessively thick. Therefore, the effect of making the sensor channel 12 less visible can be well maintained.

After electrolytic plating, the sensor base material precursor 1'is cut along the one-point chain line C, and the region of the sensor base material precursor 1'where the plating bus line 5 is provided is cut off. In this way, the sensor base material 1 similar to that shown in FIG. 1 can be manufactured.

It is preferable that the region where the plating bus line 5 is provided is cut so as to cut the plating lead wire 14'. As a result, a part of the plating lead wiring 14'can be left at the end of the sensor channel 12. A part of the plating lead-out wiring 14'remaining on the sensor base material 1 can be used as the conductor 14 shown in FIG. 1 and can be used for connection with the wiring base material 2.

On the other hand, the comparative example of FIG. 4B shows a case where the sensor channel 12 and the wiring 22 are provided on one base material 101. In this case, in order to perform electrolytic plating on the plurality of sensor channels 12, a plating bus line 5 connected to the wiring 22 connected to one end of the sensor channels 12 is provided. The plating bus line 5 is provided so as to be in contact with the ends of the plurality of wiring 22 so that the wiring 22 is not damaged when the plating bus line 5 is later removed.

At this time, since the ends of the plurality of wirings 22 are concentrated in the connection portion 3 for connection with the external connection component, the lengths of the plurality of wirings 22 vary from wiring to wiring 22. That is, the wiring 22 provided on the sensor channel 12 near the connection portion 3 is relatively short, and the wiring 22 provided on the sensor channel 12 far from the connection portion 3 is relatively long. As a result, the resistance values of the plurality of wirings 22 vary depending on the variation in length.

Due to the variation in the resistance values of the plurality of wirings 22, the current supplied from the bus line 5 to the plurality of sensor channels 12 via the plurality of wirings 22 varies, and the amount of plating applied to the plurality of sensor channels 12 also varies. As a result, uneven plating occurs, the sensor channel 12 near the connection portion 3 is excessively plated, and the sensor channel 12 far from the connection portion 3 is insufficiently plated.

As described above, in the comparative example, the occurrence of uneven plating cannot be prevented, and there is a limit to the improvement of the sensor sensitivity. Further, when the sensor channel 12 is composed of the conductive thin wire 13 as shown in FIG. 2, some of the conductive thin wire 13 becomes excessively thick due to the occurrence of plating unevenness, and the sensor channel 12 is easily visible. turn into.

In the present embodiment, the sensor channel and the wiring may be subjected to a plurality of plating treatments with different plating metals. A plurality of metal layers can be laminated on the conductive material constituting the sensor channel or the wiring by a plurality of plating treatments. When laminating a plurality of metal layers, by laminating a first metal layer made of copper and a second metal layer made of nickel or chromium in order on the conductive material, the effect of improving the conductivity by copper and nickel or It is possible to obtain the effect of improving the weather resistance and the effect of eliminating the tint of chromium.

[Roll to roll processing]
In the above description, the case where one sensor base material 1 is produced from one sensor base material precursor 1'is mainly shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is preferable to produce a plurality of sensor base materials 1 from one sensor base material precursor 1'. In this case, roll-to-roll processing can be preferably used.

In the roll-to-roll process, for example, a long sensor base material precursor 1'wound in a roll shape is used, and the sensor base material precursor 1'drawn out from the roll on the upstream side is conveyed to the plating apparatus. , The plated sensor substrate precursor 1'can be wound on a roll on the downstream side.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the sensor base material precursor 1'used in the roll-to-roll process.

The sensor base material precursor 1'has a plurality of sensor pattern portions S composed of a plurality of sensor channels on the long base material 11. A plurality of sensor pattern portions S are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the sensor base material precursor 1'.

The plating bus line 5 extends along the longitudinal direction of the sensor substrate precursor 1'. For the plurality of sensor channels 12 on the back surface of the sensor base material precursor 1', the plating lead-out wiring 14' extends directly from the plating bus line 5 extending in the longitudinal direction and is connected to the sensor channel 12. For the plurality of sensor channels 12 on the surface of the sensor base material precursor 1', the plating lead wires 14'extend from the plating bus line 5 branched from the plating bus line 5 extending in the longitudinal direction, and the sensor channels 12' It is connected to the.

Next, an example of a plating apparatus used for roll-to-roll processing will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6A shows a plan view of the plating apparatus, and FIG. 6B shows a side view of the plating apparatus.

In FIG. 6, 6 is a plating bath, 7 is an anode, 8 is a cathode roll constituting a cathode, and 9 is a transport roll.

The plating apparatus spreads the same sensor base material precursor 1'similar to that shown in FIG. 5 over a plurality of transport rolls 9 and transports the sensor substrate precursor 1'in a predetermined transport direction α, while transporting both sides of the sensor substrate precursor 1'. A voltage is applied to the anodes 7 and 7 and the cathode rolls 8 and 8 arranged in the above from a power supply device (not shown) so that the sensor channel 12 of the sensor substrate precursor 1'is electrolytically plated in the plating bath 6. ing.

In the present embodiment, the sensor base material precursor 1'is elongated as described above, and is, for example, unwound from a roll-shaped winding body (not shown) and hung on a plurality of transport rolls 9.

In the example of FIG. 6, two cathode rolls 8 and 8 sandwich the sensor base material precursor 1', and electricity is applied to the plating bus line 5 (not shown in FIG. 6) on both sides of the sensor base material precursor 1'. It is provided so as to make contact with each other. As a result, the sensor channel 12 can be electrolytically plated by supplying power from the plating bus line 5 via the plating lead-out wiring 14'(not shown in FIG. 6). When electrolytic plating is applied to both sides of the sensor base material precursor 1', it is preferable to provide anodes 7 and 7 on both sides of the sensor base material precursor 1', respectively, as shown in FIG.

The cathode roll 8 is preferably arranged on the downstream side of the plating bath 6, but is not limited to this. The cathode roll 8 may be provided at any position as long as it can come into contact with the plating bus line 5. For example, the cathode roll 8 may be arranged on the upstream side of the plating bath 6 or may be arranged in the plating bath 6. Further, the cathode does not necessarily have to have the form of a roll, and may have various forms capable of contacting the plating bus line 5 on the sensor substrate precursor 1'.

The plating apparatus shown in FIG. 6 is configured to vertically transport the sensor base material precursor 1', but is not limited thereto. The electroplating apparatus may be, for example, one that horizontally conveys the sensor base material precursor 1'.

The plating apparatus shown in FIG. 6 is configured to continuously perform electrolytic plating while transporting the sensor base material precursor 1', but the present invention is not limited to this. The electrolytic plating apparatus does not necessarily have to have a transport mechanism, and may be configured to perform electrolytic plating in a batch manner.

After electrolytic plating, the sensor base material precursor 1'is cut along the one-point chain line C shown in FIG. 5, and the region of the sensor base material precursor 1'where the plating bus line 5 is provided is cut off. In this way, a plurality of sensor base materials 1 similar to those shown in FIG. 1 can be produced from one sensor base material precursor 1'.

In the above description, the case where the plating bus line 5 is provided to supply power for plating along the longitudinal direction of the elongated sensor base material precursor 1'is mainly shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. .. For example, in the example of FIG. 7, the plating bus lines are not provided for the plurality of sensor channels 12 on the surface of the sensor base material precursor 1'. In the present embodiment, the plurality of plating wirings 14'are one-to-one with a plurality of sensor channels 12 constituting one sensor pattern portion S and a plurality of sensor channels 12 constituting another sensor pattern portion S. It is provided as a plurality of bridged wirings that are electrically connected.

As a result, a feeding route is formed along the longitudinal direction of the elongated sensor base material precursor 1'via the plating wiring 14', so that the plating treatment by the roll-to-roll treatment described above can be suitably applied. become.

In the example of FIG. 7, the case where the lead wire for plating 14'is provided in a straight line is mainly shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the plating lead-out wiring 14'may have a planar conductive pattern 15. As for the pattern constituting the planar conductive pattern 15, the description of the pattern constituting the sensor channel 12 is incorporated.

By providing the planar conductive pattern 15, the length of the linear portion of the plating lead-out wiring 14'can be shortened. The shape of the linear plating lead wire 14'is significantly different from the shape of the sensor channel 12, but the shape of the planar conductive pattern 15 can be similar to the shape of the sensor channel 12. As a result, when the sensor channels 12 and the plating lead wires 14'are alternately arranged along the longitudinal direction of the elongated sensor substrate precursor 1', the change in shape becomes small, and particularly the sensor. Plating is likely to be applied evenly to the end of the channel 12.

In the examples of FIGS. 7 and 8, the plurality of sensor channels 12 constituting one sensor pattern unit S and the plurality of sensor channels 12 constituting the other sensor pattern unit S are individually electrically connected one-to-one. The case of connecting has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is not always necessary to handle the plurality of sensor channels 12 individually during the plating process. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the planar conductive pattern 15 shown in FIG. 8 is used with each of the plurality of lead wiring 14'for plating. It may be formed over a wide area so as to come into contact with each other. Here, the planar conductive pattern 15 is formed so as to be in direct contact with each of the plurality of sensor channels 12 constituting one of the sensor pattern portions S connected to each other.

In this way, by electrically connecting a plurality of sensor channels 12 adjacent to each other in the width direction (direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the sensor channels 12) by a planar conductive pattern 15 or the like, the plurality of sensor channels 12 can be connected. The flowing current can be made uniform, and plating can be applied evenly.

The case where the long sensor base material precursor 1'is plated by the roll-to-roll treatment has been mainly described above, but the configuration described here is the wiring base material precursor for manufacturing the wiring base material. The body can also be used as appropriate.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wiring substrate precursor suitable for roll-to-roll processing.

In the example of FIG. 10, the wiring base material precursor 2'has a plurality of drawer wiring pattern portions W composed of a plurality of wirings 22 on the long base material 21. A plurality of the plurality of drawer wiring pattern portions W are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the wiring base material precursor 2'. Further, a plurality of drawer wiring pattern portions W (two in the illustrated example) are also arranged in the width direction of the wiring base material precursor 2'. The wirings 22 constituting the drawer wiring pattern portion W adjacent to each other in the width direction are connected to each other at one end thereof.

The plating bus line 5 extends along the longitudinal direction of the wiring base material precursor 2'and is connected to the other ends of the plurality of wirings 22 constituting the plurality of extraction wiring pattern portions W.

Similar to the sensor base material precursor 1', the wiring base material precursor 2'can be suitably plated by a roll-to-roll treatment.

As described above, the manufacturing efficiency can be improved by manufacturing at least one selected from the sensor channel of the sensor base material and the wiring of the wiring base material by the roll-to-roll process. ..

In the above description, the case where the plating process is performed as the roll-to-roll process is mainly shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is also preferable to arrange a patterning device for patterning the conductive material for forming the sensor channel 12 and the wiring 22 and a firing device for firing the patterned conductive material upstream of the plating device. .. Further, the plating apparatus is not essential in the roll-to-roll process and may be omitted as appropriate.

2. 2. 2nd Embodiment In the above description, one wiring base material 2 is used for a plurality of sensor channels 12 provided on the front surface of the sensor base material 1, and the plurality of sensor channels 12 provided on the back surface of the sensor base material 1 are used. On the other hand, the case where one wiring base material 2 is used is mainly shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. A plurality of wiring base materials 2 may be used for a plurality of sensor channels 12 provided on the front surface of the sensor base material 1 or for a plurality of sensor channels 12 provided on the back surface of the sensor base material 1.

As shown in FIG. 11, in the second embodiment, two wiring base materials 2 are used for a plurality of sensor channels 12 provided on the front surface of the sensor base material 1, and a plurality of wiring base materials 2 provided on the back surface of the sensor base material 1 are used. Two wiring base materials 2 are also used for the sensor channel 12.

Since each wiring base material 2 is in a state of being divided in the parallel direction of the plurality of sensor channels 12 to be connected, the wiring base material 2 is further smaller than that of the first embodiment, and is handled at the time of connection with the external connection component. The properties and handleability in cutting are further improved. Even if the sensor base material 1 becomes large, the wiring base material 2 can be kept small by increasing the number of divisions of the wiring base material 2.

Further, each wiring base material 2 may be provided with a part of wiring 22 corresponding to a part of the sensor channels 12 among the plurality of sensor channels 12 to be connected. That is, since the number of wirings 22 provided on the wiring base material 2 can be reduced, the space required for arranging the plurality of wirings 22 in parallel is also reduced. As a result, the wiring base material 2 can be made smaller not only in the side-by-side direction of the plurality of sensor channels 12 to which the wiring base material 2 is connected, but also in a direction orthogonal to the side-by-side direction (longitudinal direction of the sensor channel 12). Can be made smaller. By reducing the wiring base material 2 in the longitudinal direction of the sensor channel 12, not only the handleability is further improved, but also a narrow frame can be achieved.

In the example of FIG. 11, a case where a plurality of divided wiring base materials 2 are arranged side by side on one end side of the sensor channel 12 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in the modified example of FIG. 12, a plurality of divided wiring base materials 2 are connected to the sensor base material 1 so as to be alternately arranged on one end side and the other end side of the sensor channel 12. May be good.

In this way, the division of the wiring base material 2 improves the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the wiring base material 2 (the mounting position with respect to the sensor base material 1). As a result, the touch panel sensor can be designed with a higher degree of freedom so that the optimum incorporation can be realized according to the design of the device into which the touch panel sensor is incorporated.

3. 3. Third Embodiment In the above description, the case where one sensor base material 1 is used when manufacturing one touch panel sensor is mainly shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the third embodiment described below, a case where a plurality of sensor base materials 1 are used when manufacturing one touch panel sensor will be described.

As shown in FIG. 13, when a plurality of (two in the illustrated example) sensor base materials 1 are used, the plurality of sensor base materials 1 are connected so as to electrically connect the sensor channels 12 to each other. Is preferable.

In the example of FIG. 13, a plurality of sensor channels 12 on one surface (here, the back surface) of the front and back sensor channels 12 of the sensor base material 1 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the sensor channels 12 (vertical direction in FIG. 13). The plurality of sensor channels 12 of each sensor base material 1 are electrically connected to each other so as to extend to. In this way, the area effective for sensing in the touch panel sensor can be expanded.

When the sensor channels 12 of the plurality of sensor base materials 1 are electrically connected to each other, the sensor channels 12 may be directly connected to each other, but the same as those described for the connection between the sensor channels 12 and the wiring 22. It is preferable to connect via the conductor 14. By connecting via the conductor 14, a short circuit or the like can be prevented.

When the conductor 14 is provided, as shown in FIG. 13, the conductor 14 can be provided in the sensor channels 12 of both sensor base materials 1 of the sensor base materials 1 connected to each other. In this case, by providing the conductive member 4 so as to come into contact with both conductors 14, electrical connection can be reliably performed. As the conductive member 4, the same one as described for the connection between the sensor channel 12 and the wiring 22 can be used.

Further, although not shown, the conductor may be provided only in the sensor channel of one of the sensor base materials connected to each other. In this case, by providing the conductive member so as to come into contact with the conductor of one sensor base material and the sensor channel of the other sensor base material, electrical connection can be reliably performed.

4. Fourth Embodiment In the above description, in a state where a plurality of wiring base materials 2 are connected to the sensor base material 1, the wiring base material 2 in which the connection portion 3 of the external connection component is arranged on the surface is connected to the external connection component. The case where the portion 3 coexists with the wiring base material 2 arranged on the back surface is mainly shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the fourth embodiment described below, in a state where the plurality of wiring base materials 2 are connected to the sensor base material 1, the connection portions 3 of the external connection parts in the plurality of wiring base materials 2 are arranged on the same surface side. Is shown.

As shown in FIG. 14, the wiring 22 of the wiring base material 2 electrically connected to the sensor channel 12 on the surface of the sensor base material 1 is arranged on the surface of the wiring base material 2, and the wiring base material 2 is arranged. The connection portion 3 of the external connection component in 2 is arranged on the surface of the wiring base material 2.

On the other hand, the wiring 22 of the wiring base material 2 electrically connected to the sensor channel 12 on the back surface of the sensor base material 1 passes through the through hole 23 provided so as to penetrate the wiring base material 2. It is pulled out from the back surface of the base material 22 to the front surface. As a result, the connection portion 3 of the external connection component is arranged on the surface of the wiring base material 2.

As a result, in the present embodiment, with the plurality of wiring base materials 2 connected to the sensor base material 1, the connection portions 3 of the external connection parts in the plurality of wiring base materials 2 are arranged on the same surface side.

In the present embodiment, a case where a through hole penetrating the base material is used to draw the wiring from one surface of the wiring base material to the other side is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a known method is used. Can be done. For example, instead of the through hole, a half-split through hole or the like provided so as to cut out the end face of the wiring base material may be used. Further, the wiring may be folded back from one surface of the wiring substrate to the other surface at the end surface of the wiring substrate.

According to this embodiment, since the external connection parts can be connected to a plurality of wiring base materials from the same surface side, the manufacturing process can be simplified and the production efficiency can be improved.

Further, by arranging the external connection parts on the same surface side for all of the plurality of wiring base materials, it becomes easy to incorporate the touch panel sensor into the device, and it is possible to easily perform operations such as bonding at the time of assembly. ..

5. Fifth Embodiment In the above description, the case where the wiring base material 2 is provided with the connection portion 3 for connecting an external connection component such as FFC or FPC has been mainly described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the wiring base material 2 may be provided with a function as an external connection component. This will be described with reference to FIG.

In the example of FIG. 15, the wiring base material 2 includes a strip-shaped portion 24 extending in a strip shape from one end of the wiring base material 2. In the strip-shaped portion 24, a plurality of integrated wirings 22 extend along the longitudinal direction of the strip-shaped portion 24 to the end of the strip-shaped portion 24.

The band-shaped portion 24 can be used in place of external connection components such as FFC and FPC, and can be used to electrically connect a plurality of wirings 22 to an external circuit (not shown). A plurality of wirings 22 are arranged at the ends of the strips 24 at predetermined intervals, and the ends can be connected to an external circuit provided on a circuit board (not shown).

When the connecting portion on the circuit board has a connecting structure such as a pin or the like, it is preferable that the end of the strip-shaped portion 24 has a thickness sufficient for being pinched by the pin or the like. If the thickness of the end of the strip 24 is insufficient, one or more films are laminated on the surface opposite to the surface where the wiring 22 is provided at the end, and the thickness is suitable for pinching with a pin or the like. It is preferable to give the wiring.

In the above description, the case where the end of the strip-shaped portion 24 is used as a connection portion for directly connecting to an external circuit provided on the circuit board has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. The end of the band-shaped portion 24 may be used as a connection portion for connecting an external connection component such as an FFC or an FPC. In this case, it is possible to connect to an external circuit provided on the circuit board from the end of the strip-shaped portion 24 via an external connection component.

In the example of FIG. 15, the case where the strip-shaped portion 24 is extended from the side of the wiring base material 2 facing the side to which the sensor base material 1 is connected is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. The strip-shaped portion 24 may be extended from any side of the wiring base material 2, or may be extended from any corner of the wiring base material 2. In the example of FIG. 15, the case where the strip-shaped portion 24 is extended from the wiring base material 2 in a T shape is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the strip-shaped portion 24 may be extended in an L shape from the wiring base material 2.

The strip-shaped portion 24 can be formed by cutting the wiring base material 2. The cutting may be performed after the wiring base material 2 is connected to the sensor base material 1, but it is preferably performed before the wiring base material 2 is connected to the sensor base material 1. Since the wiring base material 2 before being connected to the sensor base material 1 has a relatively small area, the effect of improving the handleability of cutting can be obtained.

6. Other Examples of Conductive Members In the above description, the case where the conductive member 4 is applied as a conductive paste or a conductive ink has been mainly described, but the present invention is not limited to this. Hereinafter, other examples of the conductive member will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 18.

In the example of FIG. 16, as shown in FIG. 16A, there are a plurality of sheet-like bodies (four in this example) composed of the sheet-like support 41 and the conductive member 4 supported on the support 41. Use.

The support 41 is not particularly limited, and for example, those exemplified as the base material of the sensor base material can be used. Similar to the sensor channel 12, the conductive member 4 is composed of a plurality of conductive thin wires arranged in a mesh shape.

Next, as shown in FIG. 16B, the conductive member 4 comes into contact with the conductor 14 and the wiring 22 which face each other across the connection portion between the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2. The conductive member 4 is superposed on the connection portion. The conductive member 4 can be fixed to the connection portion by using, for example, a conductive adhesive or the like.

In the example of FIG. 17, as shown in FIG. 17A, a sheet-like body composed of one support 41 and a plurality of (four in this example) conductive members 4 supported on the support 41 is formed. Use.

Next, as shown in FIG. 17B, the conductive member 4 comes into contact with the conductor 14 and the wiring 22 facing each other with the connection portion between the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2 sandwiched between them. The conductive member 4 is superposed on the connection portion. The plurality of conductive members 4 are arranged on the support 41 at the same pitch as the plurality of conductors 14 or the plurality of wirings 22 so as not to come into contact with unintended wirings.

Also in the example of FIG. 17, when the conductive members 4 are superposed, for example, a conductive adhesive or the like can be used. The conductive adhesive can be used by defining a coating range for each conductive member 4 on the support 41. Further, the conductive members 4 may be overlapped with each other by using an adhesive tape as the support 41.

Also in the example of FIG. 18, as shown in FIG. 18A, a sheet-like body composed of one support 41 and a plurality of (four in this example) conductive members 4 supported on the support 41. Is used.

In this example, the support 41 has an area that can cover a part or all of the plurality of sensor channels 12. The support 41 can be, for example, a cover layer for protecting the sensor channel 12. Further, the support 41 may be, for example, a white layer for forming an image projection surface (screen) on the sensor channel 12. As the white layer, for example, a resin layer in which a white pigment is dispersed can be used.

By forming a screen on the sensor channel 3, an image from an image projection device (projector) (not shown) can be projected and displayed on the screen. In this way, a sensor film (for example, a touch screen) having both a sensor function and a screen function can be configured.

Next, as shown in FIG. 18B, the conductive member 4 comes into contact with the conductor 14 and the wiring 22 which face each other with the connection portion between the sensor base material 1 and the wiring base material 2 sandwiched between them. The conductive member 4 is superposed on the connection portion. In this state, the support 41 can cover a part or all of the plurality of sensor channels 12.

As shown in FIG. 18B, the base material 8 can cover and protect not only the sensor channel 12 but also the wiring 22. The end of the wiring can be exposed from the support 41 for connection with an external connection component or the like.

In the examples of FIGS. 16 to 18, the case where the conductive member supported on the support is composed of a plurality of conductive thin wires has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. The conductive member may be formed in a solid shape on the support.

In the examples of FIGS. 16 to 18, the case where the conductive member is supported on the support has been described, but when the conductive member is made of, for example, a metal foil and has sufficient strength, the support may be omitted. Good. Moreover, you may use a conductive non-woven fabric as a conductive member.

The conductive member described above can also be preferably used for the electrical connection between the sensor channel and the sensor channel as shown in FIG.

7. Touch panel sensor base material As described above, the touch panel sensor base material of the present invention has at least one sensor base material having a sensor pattern portion composed of a plurality of sensor channels and an extraction wiring pattern portion composed of a plurality of wirings. It is composed of at least one wiring base material, and the sensor channel of the sensor base material and the wiring of the wiring base material are electrically connected.

According to the touch panel sensor base material, as described above, the quality of the touch panel sensor base material can be improved and the yield can be improved even when the touch panel sensor base material having a particularly large area is manufactured.

8. Touch panel sensor base material set The touch panel sensor base material set of the present invention can be used to form a touch panel sensor, and comprises at least one sensor base material and at least one wiring base material described above. By connecting the sensor base material and the wiring base material so that the sensor channel of the sensor base material constituting the touch panel sensor base material set and the wiring of the wiring base material are electrically connected, the touch panel sensor base material is connected. Can be manufactured.

According to such a touch panel sensor base material set, as described above, the quality of the touch panel sensor base material can be improved and the yield can be improved even in the case of manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material having a particularly large area.

The touch panel sensor base material set may further include the above-mentioned conductive member. This makes it possible to efficiently manufacture a touch panel sensor having a good electrical connection between the sensor channel and the wiring.

9. Others In the above description, the case where the conductor is provided at one end of the two ends of the sensor channel has been mainly described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, conductors may be provided at both (one end and the other end) of the two ends of the sensor channel. Wiring substrates can be connected to both sides of the sensor substrate if conductors are provided at both ends of the sensor channel. In this case, the conductors provided at both of the two ends of the sensor channel can be electrically connected to the wiring of each wiring substrate. Further, even when the conductor is omitted, the wiring base material can be connected to both sides of the sensor base material. In this case, the two ends of the sensor channel can be electrically connected to the wiring of each wiring substrate.

In the above description, the case where the sensor base material has the sensor pattern portions on both sides is mainly shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. The sensor base material may have a sensor pattern portion on one side. Further, there may be further a step of forming the sensor pattern portion into a two-layer structure by laminating a sensor base material having the sensor pattern portion on one side. The sensor pattern portion having the two-layer structure in this way can suitably perform position detection in the XY coordinate system, similarly to the sensor pattern portions on both sides described above.

The method of forming the sensor pattern portion into a two-layer structure by laminating is not particularly limited as long as the insulation between the sensor pattern portions of each sensor base material to be laminated is maintained. In a preferable example of lamination, first, two units are prepared in which a sensor base material having a sensor pattern portion on one side and a wiring base material to which an external connection component is connected are connected. Next, the sensor pattern portion can have a two-layer structure by laminating the sensor base materials of the two units.

When laminating the sensor base materials of the two units, the surfaces on which the sensor channels are not provided may be laminated so as to face each other, or the surface of one of the sensor base materials on which the sensor channels are not provided may be laminated. The other sensor base material may be laminated so as to face the surface provided with the sensor channel. In particular, the latter form is preferable, and the effect that external connection parts can be arranged on the same surface side with respect to the wiring base material of each unit can be obtained.

In the above description, the description of "front surface" and "back surface" of the base material is for convenience to distinguish one surface of the base material from the other surface formed on the back side when viewed from the one surface. It is merely a description, and does not limit the product provided with the touch panel sensor so that the "front surface" is oriented toward the front surface side and the "back surface" is oriented toward the back surface side. In the product provided with the sensor film, the "front surface" may be oriented toward the back surface side and the "back surface" may be oriented toward the front surface side.

In the above description, the configuration described for one embodiment or one example can be appropriately applied to other embodiments or other examples.

Examples of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to such examples.

(Example 1)
First, a sensor base material precursor 1'similar to that shown in FIG. 4 (a) was prepared. The plurality of conductive thin wires 13 constituting the sensor channel 12 were formed by an inkjet method. The size of the sensor pattern portion S formed by the plurality of sensor channels 12 is 60 inches (width: about 1300 mm, height: about 750 mm).

Next, power is supplied from the plating bus line 5 of the sensor base material precursor 1'to the plurality of sensor channels 12 via the plurality of plating leader wires 14', and electrolytic plating (copper plating) is performed in a copper plating bath. Was given.

The line width of the conductive thin wire 13 before plating and the line width of the conductive thin wire 13 after plating were measured at 10 points randomly selected from a plurality of sensor channels 12 constituting the sensor pattern portion S. Table 1 shows these measurements, means and standard deviations. The line width (μm) of the conductive thin wire is the end in the width direction (thickness direction) of the thin wire observed by using an optical microscope (“Digital Microscope VHX-5000” manufactured by KEYENCE CORPORATION) at a magnification of 5000 times. The distance between departments.

In addition, the sheet resistance of the sensor channel 12 after plating was measured at 10 points randomly selected from the plurality of sensor channels 12 constituting the sensor pattern portion S. Table 2 shows these measurements, means and standard deviations. The sheet resistance (Ω / □) is a value measured using "Loresta-AX" manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Analytech.

(Comparative Example 1)
A sensor substrate precursor 101 similar to that shown in FIG. 4 (b) was prepared. The sensor pattern portion S was formed in the same manner as in Example 1.

Next, electroplating (copper plating) was performed in a copper plating bath by supplying power to a plurality of sensor channels 12 from the plating bus line 5 of the sensor base material precursor 101 via the plurality of wirings 22.

The line width of the conductive thin wire 13 before plating and the line width of the conductive thin wire 13 after plating were measured at 10 points randomly selected from a plurality of sensor channels 12 constituting the sensor pattern portion S. Table 1 shows these measurements, means and standard deviations.

In addition, the sheet resistance of the sensor channel 12 after plating was measured at 10 randomly selected locations from the plurality of sensor channels 12 constituting the sensor pattern portion S. Table 2 shows these measurements, means and standard deviations.

(Example 2)
A long sensor substrate precursor 1'similar to that shown in FIG. 5 was prepared. The plurality of conductive thin wires 13 constituting the sensor channel 12 were formed by an inkjet method. The size of the sensor pattern portion S formed by the plurality of sensor channels 12 is 60 inches (width: about 1300 mm, height: about 750 mm). Five sensor pattern portions S were formed along the longitudinal direction of the sensor base material precursor 1'.

Then, using the same plating apparatus as that shown in FIG. 6, from the plating bus line 5 of the sensor substrate precursor 1'to the plurality of sensor channels 12 via the plurality of plating lead wires 14'. Power was supplied and electrolytic plating (copper plating) was performed in a copper plating bath.

For one sensor pattern portion S, the line width of the conductive thin wire 13 before plating was measured at 10 points randomly selected from a plurality of sensor channels 12. The measured values were substantially the same in the other four sensor pattern units S. Further, for each of the five sensor pattern portions S (No. 1 to 5), the line width of the conductive thin wire 13 after plating was measured at 10 points randomly selected from the plurality of sensor channels 12. Furthermore, the sheet resistance of the sensor channel 12 after plating was measured at 10 randomly selected sites. Table 3 shows these measurements, means and standard deviations.

(Example 3)
The sensor base material precursor 1'plated in Example 1 was cut along the alternate long and short dash line C shown in FIG. 4 (a) to obtain a sensor base material 1 similar to that shown in FIG. ..

Next, the obtained sensor base material 1 was connected to a wiring base material 2 similar to that shown in FIG. At that time, the conductor 14 extending from the sensor channel 12 of the sensor base material 1 and the wiring 22 of the wiring base material 2 were connected by the conductive member 4.

When a metal paste (conductive paste) is applied as the conductive member 4, a copper foil tape is attached as the conductive member 4, or a conductive mesh pattern similar to the sensor channel is attached as the conductive member 4. It was also confirmed that the sensor channel 12 and the wiring 22 are stably electrically connected.

1: Sensor base material 11: Base material 12: Sensor channel 13: Conductive wire 14: Conductor S: Sensor pattern part 2: Wiring base material 21: Base material 22: Wiring 23: Through hole 24: Band-shaped part W: Drawer wiring Pattern part 3: Connection part of external connection parts 4: Conductive member 41: Support

Claims (20)

At least one sensor base material having a sensor pattern portion composed of a plurality of sensor channels and at least one wiring base material having an outlet wiring pattern portion composed of a plurality of wirings are prepared.
Next, a method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material that connects the sensor base material and the wiring base material so that the sensor channel of the sensor base material and the wiring of the wiring base material are electrically connected. The sensor base material and the wiring base material are arranged so that the plurality of sensor channels and the plurality of wirings have a one-to-one correspondence.
The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to claim 1, wherein the sensor channel of the sensor base material and the wiring of the wiring base material are electrically connected by a conductive member. The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one selected from the sensor channel of the sensor base material and the wiring of the wiring base material is plated. The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to claim 3, wherein the plating treatment is electrolytic plating. A sensor substrate precursor in which a plurality of sensor channels and a bus line for plating electrically connected to the plurality of sensor channels are formed is prepared.
Next, the plurality of sensor channels are electrolytically plated by supplying power to the plurality of sensor channels via the plating bus line.
The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to claim 4, wherein the region of the sensor base material precursor where the plating bus line is provided is cut off to manufacture the sensor base material. The sensor channel of the sensor base material and at least one selected from the wiring of the wiring base material are formed by an inkjet method and then plated, according to any one of claims 3 to 5. The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor substrate according to the description. The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the method for manufacturing the sensor channel of the sensor base material and the method for manufacturing the wiring of the wiring base material are different. The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the wiring of the wiring base material is manufactured by laser treatment. The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the wiring of the wiring base material is manufactured by a photolithography process. The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the wiring of the wiring base material is manufactured by a screen printing process. The touch panel sensor base material according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein at least one or more selected from the sensor channel of the sensor base material and the wiring of the wiring base material is manufactured by roll-to-roll processing. Production method. The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the sensor base material has the sensor pattern portions on both sides. The wiring base material includes a strip-shaped portion extending from one end of the wiring base material in a strip shape.
The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the plurality of wirings extend to the end of the band-shaped portion along the longitudinal direction of the band-shaped portion. The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor base material according to claim 13, wherein the wiring base material is cut so as to form the strip-shaped portion before connecting the wiring base material to the sensor base material. A base material set for configuring a touch panel sensor.
At least one sensor base material having a sensor pattern portion composed of a plurality of sensor channels,
A touch panel sensor base material set composed of at least one wiring base material having a lead wiring pattern portion composed of a plurality of wires. The sensor channel of the sensor substrate is composed of a plurality of conductive thin wires.
The touch panel sensor base material set according to claim 15, wherein the average line width variation of the plurality of conductive thin wires is 0.5 or less with a standard deviation. The touch panel sensor base material set according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the average resistance variation of the plurality of sensor channels provided on the same surface of the sensor base material has a standard deviation of 1 or less. The touch panel sensor base material set according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the sensor channel of the sensor base material has a plating film. The touch panel sensor base material set according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the sensor channel of the sensor base material and the wiring of the wiring base material are electrically connected by a conductive member. The touch panel sensor base material set according to any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein the sensor base material has the sensor pattern portions on both sides.

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