KR100836869B1 - Flexible input device manufacturing method using digital printing - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a flexible input device using digital printing, comprising a pair of transparent conductive coatings or conductive patterns disposed between upper and lower substrates, and a pair of low and vertically disposed between the transparent conductive coatings. A flexible input device comprising a resistive electrode pattern and a dot spacer, and a gap spacer formed on the lower substrate to be fixed to the upper substrate, wherein at least one of the low resistance electrode, the conductive pattern, the dot spacer, and the gap spacer is provided. The above coating or pattern is directly produced by digital printing on the upper or lower substrate or on the upper or lower substrate on which the pattern is formed. Materials and resistive / semiconductor materials in electronic circuits It can minimize waste, and can directly produce products from designed CAD data using digital printers, which not only reduces the total production cost but also can cope with small-volume, small-volume, custom-made products that were difficult to achieve with conventional analog printing. A method for manufacturing a flexible input device and an input device using the same.

Input device, digital printing

Description

Flexible input device manufacturing method using digital printing}

1 is a conceptual diagram of a flexible input device.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a flexible input device in which ITO is formed on an upper substrate plate and a lower substrate plate through sputtering, and manufactured by a method such as an electrode pattern and dot spacer screen printing.

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of a high transmissive flexible input device manufactured using digital printing according to the present invention.

4 is an exploded perspective view patterned through digital printing of a transparent conductive organic polymer ink for a highly transmissive touch panel according to the present invention.

5 is a conceptual view formed on a TFT-LCD / PDP / OLED display for a high transmissive touch panel manufactured according to the present invention.

6 is a conceptual diagram of a flexible keypad input device in which a self-luminous area such as organic or inorganic EL is digitally printed.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10: upper substrate 20: lower substrate

30: transparent conductive coating 35, 36: conductive pattern

40: low resistance electrode pattern 50: dot spacer

60: gap spacer 70: antireflection pattern

80: transparent electrode having formed pores 90: pores formed by solvent

100: antireflection pattern formed in the void

110: Black Matrix 120,121: digitally printed transparent electrode

131,132: dot spacer formed on the black matrix

220: lower electrode pattern 230: first insulating layer

240: upper electrode pattern 250: second insulating layer

260: self-light emitting driving electrode 270: third insulating layer

280: self-light emitting part composed of organic or inorganic EL

290: transparent conductive organic polymer electrode pattern

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a flexible input device using digital printing, comprising a pair of transparent conductive coatings or conductive patterns disposed between upper and lower substrates, and a pair of low and vertically disposed between the transparent conductive coatings. A flexible input device comprising a resistive electrode pattern and a dot spacer, and a gap spacer formed on the lower substrate to be fixed to the upper substrate, wherein at least one of the low resistance electrode, the conductive pattern, the dot spacer, and the gap spacer is provided. The present invention relates to a flexible input device manufacturing method by a digital printing technique, wherein the above coating or pattern is directly manufactured on the upper or lower substrate or on the upper or lower substrate on which the pattern is formed.

In general, a flexible input device is usually a touch panel or a touch screen, and the upper substrate is elastically deformed by an external force such as a touch screen, and the elastically deformed substrate is contacted with other substrates to sense current and finds an input point. As an input device for performing the operation of the present invention, a concept thereof will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the flexible input device includes an upper substrate 10 to which a user exerts force, and a lower substrate 20 positioned below the upper substrate 10 and the upper and lower substrates 10 and 20. It consists of a pair of transparent conductive coatings 30 positioned therebetween and a dot spacer 50 positioned between the pair of transparent conductive coatings 30.

When the user deforms the upper substrate 10 by applying a force, the pair of transparent conductive coatings 30 come into contact with each other so that current flows. At this time, by measuring the current that is energized by the electrode formed on the pair of transparent conductive coating 30 to recognize the contact point to calculate the input point to perform the task required by the user.

Meanwhile, in the case of the flexible input device, a transparent conductive coating or an electrode as described above is formed on an upper substrate which is a polymer film and a lower substrate composed of a polymer film or glass, which is disclosed in Korean Patent 10-2004-0017807. Metal oxides such as indium tin oxide (ITO), antimony tin oxide (ATO) and tin oxide (TO) are deposited on the upper substrate 10 and the lower substrate 20 through a vacuum deposition method such as sputtering. However, the entire deposition of such a metal oxide by sputtering or the like requires expensive deposition equipment, and has a disadvantage in that the manufacturing process is complicated and the manufacturing time is long. In addition, when a metal oxide layer as a transparent electrode, which is entirely coated on upper and lower substrates, is formed on a flexible substrate, defects may occur due to bending of the substrate, thereby causing a problem of losing its function as an electrode.

In order to solve this problem, Korean Patent 10-2005-004169, 10-2005-0057066 and the like have devised a method of forming a transparent conductive organic polymer layer instead of a metal oxide. However, when the transmissive input device is coupled to the screen display unit of a display device such as a TFT-LCD and functions as a touch panel, the front coated inorganic transparent metal oxide electrode or transparent conductive organic polymer electrode layer has a problem of reducing light transmittance.

In order to improve the permeability of the flexible input device, Korean Patent 10-2006-0002846 proposes a method of forming an arbitrary pore by laminating transparent electrodes and then performing a method such as laser or etching. There is a problem in that the porosity of h may be impaired in transparency by being located on the path of light.

In the pattern of the transparent electrode, the pattern of the electrode, and the formation of the gap spacer, Korean Patent 2002-0021126, 10-2004-0030385 may apply screen printing, printing methods such as offset / gravure / flexo, and the upper substrate. (10) It is suggested to use a roll coater as a hard coating protective layer to protect the upper part, but the digital printing such as inkjet or laser transfer method, which produces the product by directly printing the data drawings printed on the computer to a printing machine and printing them directly, Unlike the above, there is a problem in that it is not easy to apply to a small quantity order production by adding an additional process of performing master plate or screen making.

In particular, the screen printed pattern, as described in the Republic of Korea Patent 10-2006-0007799 it can be seen that there is a thickness uniformity, hardness, substrate adhesion due to residual solvent, ink properties change, soldering problems and the like.

The present invention is to solve the above-described problems, the light emitting pattern using an inorganic or organic polymer electrode, a dot spacer, a gap spacer, an electronic circuit portion, an organic or inorganic EL and the like configured on the upper substrate and the lower substrate constituting the input device The purpose is to reduce the manufacturing process and manufacturing cost by forming the wealth using digital printing techniques such as inkjet and laser transfer methods. In particular, in the case of a high transmissive input device, high transmittance can be achieved by partially patterning an inorganic or organic polymer electrode.

In the case of the non-transmissive input device, the structure of the electrode and the touch sensor under the upper substrate and the lower substrate, the pattern of the self-emitting organic or inorganic EL, or the fluorescent / phosphorescent material, and optionally the electronic circuit part are patterned by digital printing. The purpose is to reduce the processes and costs required for production.

The present invention can reduce the manufacturing process and its cost by forming a variety of electrodes, dot spacers, gap spacers, electronic circuit portion, self-luminous pattern portion using the organic or inorganic EL in the flexible input device by a digital printing technique Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described.

In FIG. 2, the flexible input device using the present invention is separated and illustrated.
When the digital printing technique is described, in general, printing using a medium having a pattern already formed, such as roll engraving, is called analog printing, whereas the digital printing technique is called an inkjet printer or a laser printer. Printing that does not require a specific medium (meaning that the pattern is already formed).
As shown in FIG. 2, the flexible input device includes an upper substrate 10 and a lower substrate 20, a transparent conductive coating 30, a low resistance electrode pattern 40, an upper substrate 10 and a lower substrate 20. It consists of a dot spacer 50 and a gap spacer 60, which can be selectively configured to maintain a gap between them. After describing the components in detail, another form of flexible input device according to the present invention will be described.

First, the upper substrate 10 will be described. The upper substrate 10 is generally made of a flexible substrate such as a polymer film, but can be easily deformed by pressure of a user's finger or a stylus pen. It is not limited by the specific mechanical / physical values of In general, the upper substrate 10 is preferably a polymer film made of a material having excellent optical properties such as transmittance, heat resistance, environment resistance, chemical resistance, and light resistance, and excellent flexibility and low cost. Such polymer films may include polyester PET films, polyethylenenapthalate PEN films, polycarbonate PC films, polyetherimide PEI films, polyethersulfone PES films, and the like. When it is necessary to limit the permeability to oxygen and moisture, a film of organic / inorganic lamination type may be used, such as Vitex's Barix ^TM film. It is not restricted by the configuration or the like. To describe the configuration of the film upper substrate 10 in detail, a hard coating having excellent wear resistance may be provided to prevent unintentional mechanical wear or scratches when the upper substrate is deformed through a user's finger or a stylus pen. In addition, the hard coating may be composed of an ultraviolet polymerizable material, a thermosetting material or a natural drying material, but is not limited by the material.

The lower substrate 20 may be composed of a flexible substrate such as a polymer film or a substrate made of a material such as non-flexible plastic or glass, but is not limited by the material used. For example, when the input device is configured on a display device such as TFT-LCD, PDP, OLED, PLED, SED, FED, the upper display substrate may be applied as the lower substrate.

That is, the upper substrate 10 or the lower substrate 20 is composed of at least one or more flexible substrates can be modified by the input means, for example, the user input means using a finger or a tool, the lower substrate ( 20 may also function as an input means for a display device, a fixed device, or a portable device. In other words, the lower substrate 20 may be in contact with the upper substrate 10 to function as an input means of the display device, the fixing device, or the portable device.

The transparent conductive coating 30 is conventionally formed on the upper substrate and the lower substrate by vacuum deposition such as sputtering of metal oxides such as indium tin oxide (ITO), antimony tin oxide (ATO) and tin oxide (TO). However, when used as a flexible input device, there is a problem that a defect occurs due to repeated mechanical stress, such as repeated bending, in the present invention, polypyrrole, polyaniline, polyacetylene, polythiophene, polyphenylene vinylene, polyphenylene sulfide, poly p conductive organic polymers such as -phenylene, polyheterocycle vinylene, and the materials disclosed in European Patent Publication No. EP-1-172-831-A2.

If the electrical conductivity of the conductive organic polymer or mixtures thereof does not meet the required electrical properties, metal oxides such as indium tin oxide (ITO), antimony tin oxide (ATO) and tin oxide (TO) are added or nominal diameters are added. Addition of dopants such as carbon and metal particles having excellent electrical conductivity such as silver and copper in nanoparticle state of 1 μm or less, and carbon nanotubes as disclosed in Korean Patent Nos. 10-2005-0001589 and 10-2005-0035191 Mixing to ensure that the required electrical conductivity is met. Here, the definition of the nominal diameter means the diameter when the diameter of the dominant particle size or the particle size analyzed by the particle size analyzer is converted into circular particles.

In addition, the conductive organic polymer may be mixed with a photopolymerizable or thermally polymerizable monomer or oligomer, a light or a thermal initiator, and prepared into a photopolymerizable or thermosetting ink. In addition, additives such as binders, surfactants, leveling agents, and cosolvent or liquid liquid carrier vehicles may be added to satisfy the required physical properties of the ink.

The same applies to the conductive patterns 35 and 36 and the low resistance electrode pattern 40 which will be described later, and the components will be described later.

The present invention uses the digital printing technique as described above, and the ink used therein will be described. The present invention is not limited by the constituents of the inkjet ink for conductive coatings or patterns, as long as the ink can be made of ink of physical properties suitable for inkjet printing using conductive organic polymers and additives. In the present invention, inkjet printing refers to piezo type drop-on-demand inkjet printing using piezoelectric elements, thermal type drop-on-demand inkjet printing using micro heaters, and drop-on-demand inkjet driving actuators using electrostatic force. Printing, electrostatic inkjet printing (Electro-Static Deposition) to transfer the charged particles dispersed on the ink using the electrostatic force to the substrate or transfer the ink itself to the substrate.

The present invention is not limited by the constituents of the aerosol printing inks for conductive coatings or patterns, as long as they can be made of inks suitable for aerosol printing using conductive organic polymers and additives.

The present invention is not limited by the constituents of the dispenser ink for the conductive coating or pattern, as long as it can be made of an ink of a physical nature suitable for dispensing through the dispenser using conductive organic polymers and additives.

In the case of the photopolymerizable ink using the conductive organic polymer and the additive, after coating or patterning is performed on the substrate through the inkjet printing, aerosol printing, or dispensing, the coating or pattern may be formed by light irradiation or laser irradiation. As far as possible, the present invention is not limited by the composition of the ink for the conductive coating or pattern.

The present invention provides laser printing for conductive coatings or patterns as long as it can be prepared in a toner form suitable for laser printing when used in the form of a solid powder through surface treatment or mixing with other materials using conductive organic polymers and additives. It is not limited by the components of the toner.

When using a conductive organic polymer and additives in the form of a solid powder through surface treatment or mixing with other materials, a powder bed is formed on a substrate and then solidified after surface melting or total melting by laser irradiation. As long as it can be made in powder form suitable for SLS (Selective Laser Sintering), the present invention is not limited by the composition of SLS powder for conductive coating or pattern.

When used in the form of a transfer film using a conductive organic polymer and additives, the present invention is not limited by the components of the laser transfer film for the conductive coating or pattern, as long as it can be produced in the form of a film suitable for laser transfer. Do not.

The present invention is directed to a ribbon suitable for transfer through a thermal transfer or sublimation printer for a conductive coating or pattern, as long as it can be manufactured in the form of a ribbon suitable for transfer through a thermal transfer or sublimation printer using a conductive organic polymer and an additive. It is not limited by the ingredients. Here, a thermal transfer or sublimation printer is a substrate which sublimates a dye or pigment of an ink film by applying heat to a ribbon coated with a sublimable dye or pigment and a component including an additive necessary for thermal transfer or sublimation, thereby adsorbing and printing a substrate. It means a printer using printing.
That is, when the conductive organic polymer is a solid powder, any one of laser printing or digital printing of SLS (selective laser sintering) is used.
When the conductive organic polymer is manufactured in the form of a transfer film or ribbon using metal nanoparticles or is coated on the transfer film or ribbon, digital printing of any one of laser transfer, thermal transfer, or a sublimation printer is used.
The same applies to the conductive patterns 35 and 36 and the low resistance electrode pattern 40 which will be described later, and the components will be described later.

Hereinafter, the low resistance electrode pattern 40 formed on the transparent conductive coating 30 will be described.

The low resistance electrode pattern 40 is generally made of metal nanoparticles having excellent electrical conductivity such as silver and copper.

In addition to the metal nanoparticles above, metal precursors as described in US Patent 2003-0207568 A1 may be mixed.

In addition to the metal nanoparticles having excellent electrical conductivity, a conductive organic polymer may be added to give flexibility to the low resistance electrode pattern.

In addition, low-resistance metal nanoparticles and photopolymerizable or thermally polymerized monomers or oligomers may be mixed with light or thermal initiators to produce a photopolymerizable or thermosetting ink. In addition, additives such as binders, surfactants, leveling agents, and cosolvent or liquid liquid carrier vehicles may be added to satisfy the required physical properties of the ink.

The present invention is not limited by the constituents of the inkjet ink for the low resistance electrode pattern as long as the material for the low resistance electrode pattern can be made with ink of a physical property suitable for inkjet printing.

The present invention is not limited by the constituents of the aerosol printing ink for the low resistance electrode pattern, as long as the material for the low resistance electrode pattern 40 can be made of ink of a physical property suitable for aerosol printing.

Further, the present invention is not limited by the constituents of the dispenser ink for the low resistance electrode pattern 40 as long as the material can be made of ink of a physical property suitable for dispensing through the dispenser.

In addition, when the material is made of photopolymerizable ink, as long as the coating or pattern is formed on the substrate through the inkjet printing, aerosol printing, or dispensing, the coating or pattern can be formed by light irradiation or laser irradiation. The present invention is not limited by the constituents of the ink for the low resistance electrode pattern 40.

When the material for the low resistance electrode pattern 40 is used in the form of a solid powder through surface treatment or mixing with other materials, the present invention provides a low resistance electrode pattern as long as it can be manufactured in a toner form suitable for laser printing. It is not limited by the components of the toner for laser printing.

On the other hand, when the material for the low resistance electrode pattern 40 is used in the form of a solid powder through surface treatment or mixing with other materials, the surface melting by laser irradiation after forming a powder bed on the substrate or transparent conductive coating Alternatively, the present invention is not limited by the constituents of the SLS powder for the conductive coating or the pattern, as long as it can be prepared in powder form suitable for SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) to solidify after total melting to form a pattern.

In addition, when the material for the low resistance electrode pattern 40 is used in the form of a transfer film, as long as it can be produced in a film form suitable for laser transfer, the present invention is for laser transfer for the low resistance electrode pattern 40 It is not limited by the composition of the film.

In addition, as long as the material for the low resistance electrode pattern 40 can be manufactured in the form of a ribbon suitable for transfer through a thermal transfer or sublimation printer, the present invention provides a thermal transfer or sublimation printer for the low resistance electrode pattern. It is not limited by the components of the ribbon suitable for transfer.

The seed material for electroless plating is patterned through the inkjet printing, aerosol printing, dispensing, laser printing, SLS, laser transfer, thermal transfer or sublimation printer, and then precipitated or chemically reacted in a chemical reaction solution. It is also possible to apply the liquid onto the seed material through inkjet printing, aerosol printing, dispensing, spraying, etc. to form a low resistance electrode pattern by electroless plating. This is also applicable to the conductive patterns 35 and 36 which will be described later.

Hereinafter, the dot spacer 50 will be described.

The transparent conductive coating 30 described above or the conductive patterns 35 and 36 and the low resistance electrode pattern 40 to be described later, optionally, hard coating, anti-reflection (non-glare) coating (described later) or conductive In the upper substrate 10 and the lower substrate 20 having the patterns 35 and 36 formed thereon, a dot spacer 50 may be formed to maintain a minimum gap therebetween. The dot spacer 50 may be formed through one or more laminations through inkjet printing, aerosol printing, dispensing, laser printing, SLS, laser transfer, thermal transfer, or a sublimation printer. The acrylate, urethane acrylic Acrylate resins such as acrylates, epoxy acrylates, methacryl acrylates, acrylic acrylates, or photocurable resins such as polyvinyl alcohol, or thermosetting resins such as epoxy resins, phenol resins, acrylic resins, urethane resins, silicone resins, or Thermoplastic resins such as polyamides, polystyrenes, polyesters, polyurethanes, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymers can be used for the above inkjet printing, aerosol printing, dispensing, laser printing, SLS, laser transfer, thermal transfer. Or for sublimation printers As long as it can be formed by processing, the present invention relates to the composition of the material and the presence of such a liquid or solid phase, and to temperature control to adjust the viscosity in handling liquid materials such as inkjet printing and dispensing. It is not limited by the operating variables.

In addition, a liquid material constituting the dot spacer 50 or the gap spacer 60 described below is a piezo type drop-on-demand inkjet printing, a thermal type drop-on-demand inkjet printing using a micro heater, and electrostatic force. Drop-on-demand inkjet printing to drive actuators using digital printing, digital printing such as electrostatic inkjet printing, aerosol printing, and dispensers to transfer charged particles dispersed in ink onto a substrate using electrostatic forces or to transfer the ink itself to a substrate It is also possible to form a pattern by the.

On the other hand, before the dot spacer 50 is formed on a substrate, the surface is subjected to dry surface treatment such as atmospheric pressure plasma or corona treatment, or surface treatment using a surfactant or a liquid compound to obtain proper surface wettability (hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity). Properties can be carried out, and the mechanical and physical properties required for the formed dot spacers 50 can be satisfied by performing a subsequent process such as heat treatment or ultraviolet irradiation after the dot spacers 50 are formed.

Hereinafter, the gap spacer 60 will be described. The gap spacer 60 is for bonding the upper substrate 10 and the lower substrate 20, and the adhesive material is inkjet printing, aerosol printing, dispensing, laser printing, laser transfer, thermal transfer or sublimation printer. It can be formed through one or a plurality of stacking, and after the formation of the gap spacer to bond the upper substrate 10 and the lower substrate 20. When the gap spacer material is liquid, the surface properties can be modified by dry surface treatment such as atmospheric pressure plasma or corona treatment, or surface treatment using surfactants or liquid compounds to obtain proper surface wetting (hydrophobic or hydrophilic) with the substrate. After bonding the upper substrate 10 and the lower substrate 20 to each other, a subsequent process such as heat treatment or ultraviolet irradiation is performed to complete adhesion between the substrates.

The digital printing technique for forming the components as described above will be described.

In the digital printing technique, a digital pattern data stored in a computer storage device manufactured by a user through CAD or image software is used for inkjet printers, aerosol printers, dispensers, photocuring through laser irradiation, laser printers, and selective laser sintering (SLS). , Transfer to a printer, thermal transfer or sublimation printer using laser transfer (Laser Indueced Thermal Imaging or Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation Direct Write, etc.), and the transparent conductive coating 30 or conductive pattern 35 through the above printers. 36, the low resistance electrode pattern 40, the dot spacer 50 and the gap spacer 60, and an anti-reflection / non-glare coating or pattern directly on the upper and lower substrates 10 and 20. One or more flexible polymers can be formed on a patterned substrate, that is, through digital printing to realize the concept of CAD-to-Drawing. It characterized in that for producing a flexible input device using the name as the substrate.

This digital printing technique eliminates the need for additional patterned tools such as plate making, as in analog printing such as stencil printing, screen printing, offset printing, flexo printing, and gravure printing, which simplifies the manufacturing process and reduces manufacturing time. It is suitable for mass production of single product as well as small quantity order production.

As described above, the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a flexible input device using a digital printing technique. Hereinafter, another embodiment of the flexible input device, ie, an input device having high transparency, will be described with reference to FIG. 3. do.

That is, when a flexible input device is configured on display devices such as TFT-LCD, PDP, OLED, PLED, SED, and FED, the transparent conductive organic polymer ink / toner / transfer film / ribbon is digitally formed to achieve high transparency. It is characterized by performing a partial pattern on a substrate using printing. In detail, since the transparent conductive coating 30 using the organic polymer layer is formed on the upper substrate 10 and the lower substrate 20 as a whole, as illustrated in FIG. There was a problem that optical performance is impaired.

In order to solve this problem, as shown in FIG. 3, in order to improve light transmittance, the conductive patterns 35 and 36 using the transparent conductive organic polymer layer are partially patterned to have the openings A using digital printing. It is characterized in that to increase the ratio of the area not covered with the conductive organic polymer layer to the area covered, that is, the opening ratio.

As illustrated in Fig. 4A, it is preferable to partially pattern the opening portion A to a line width of 100 mu m or less, preferably 50 mu m or less. According to a preferred embodiment, the surface quality of the surface is obtained through a dry surface treatment such as an atmospheric plasma or corona treatment or a surface treatment using a surfactant or a liquid compound to obtain an appropriate surface wettability (hydrophobic or hydrophilic) on the patterned substrate. I can do it. That is, in forming the conductive patterns 35 and 36 on the upper substrate 10 or the lower substrate 20, surface energy modification to partially hydrophilize the hydrophobized upper and lower substrates 10 and 20 through laser irradiation. It is possible to perform a fine pattern through.

On the other hand, when low-viscosity liquid ink is patterned by digital printing, the pattern cannot be patterned if the substrate is too hydrophobic. On the contrary, if the substrate is too hydrophilic, it is difficult to pattern the line width to 100 μm or less. The proper contact angle between the inks is determined by experiment.

When patterning low-viscosity liquid inks using digital printing, it is possible to heat the substrate to obtain a thinner line width, but the heating temperature should be limited to a temperature at which the optical and mechanical and physical properties of the substrate are not degraded.
That is, as described above, when the upper and lower substrates 10 and 20 are subjected to dry surface treatment such as atmospheric pressure plasma or corona treatment, or when the surface is treated using a surfactant or a liquid compound, or the upper and lower substrates 10 and 20. ) And the upper and lower substrates 10 and 20 are heated when the micropattern is formed, and the heating temperature should be limited to a temperature at which the optical and mechanical and physical properties of the substrate are not degraded.

By using an ultraviolet curable ink as the low viscosity liquid ink, a method of curing with ultraviolet rays before the low viscosity liquid ink spreads on the substrate may be used.

The liquid ink causes a phase change from liquid to solid at a temperature on the substrate, thereby preventing the liquid ink from spreading excessively on the substrate. To give a better understanding of phase change inks, a hypothetical example is paraffin wax, which exists in liquid form above a certain temperature (eg 120 ° C) and can be jetted from a piezo-type Drop-On-Demand inkjet printhead. The paraffin wax jetted and deposited on the substrate may cause a phase change from a liquid to a solid at a temperature above the substrate below the melting point, thereby avoiding excessive spreading of the ink on the substrate. When the ink containing the transparent conductive organic polymer is present as a solid at 40 ° C. or lower, and synthesized to be a liquid having a viscosity capable of inkjet printing, aerosol printing, and dispensing at a temperature above 40 ° C., this phase change is used. The desired line width can be patterned.

In the case of patterning using liquid ink, a high resolution pattern can be obtained by performing partial surface treatment on a substrate. For example, after the hydrophobic coating on the hydrophilic substrate, a portion of the hydrophobic coating is removed by laser irradiation or the like, and a liquid ink is applied after the line processing with a fine line width. The hydrophobic coating is then allowed to be removed as needed.

When the transparent conductive organic polymer ink is a photopolymer type, a fine pattern may be performed by irradiating a laser while or after performing a pattern on a substrate through inkjet printing, aerosol printing, or dispensing.

When a material containing a transparent conductive organic polymer is used in the form of a solid powder through surface treatment or mixing with other materials, the surface melting or total melting by laser irradiation after forming a powder bed on the upper and lower substrates 10 and 20 Fine patterns can be performed using SLS (Selective Laser Sintering), which is then solidified to form a pattern.

The shape of the pattern may have various shapes such as a zigzag shape and a grid shape as well as a straight line. In particular, when configured on a display device such as TFT-LCD, PDP, OLED, PLED, SED, FED, it is preferable that the shape of the pattern has a shape similar to or the same as the BM (Black Matrix) pattern so as not to invade the path of light. Do. In addition, the conductive patterns 35 and 36 may be disposed on the non-light emitting portion of the display to improve transmittance.

Meanwhile, in the present invention, the conductive patterns 35 and 36 are patterned to have a line width of 100 μm or less, preferably 50 μm or less, as shown in FIG. 4A, which is selective to minimize reflection prevention in the opening. Anti-Reflection / Non-Glare coating, preferably, anti-Reflection / Non-Glare pattern 70, as illustrated in FIG. 4B, is characterized by performing digital printing. .

In addition, the present invention is anti-reflection (Anti-Reflection / Non-Glare) coating, preferably by anti-reflection selectively inside the pores by digital printing on the pores 90 formed regularly using the coffee-ring effect to be described later (Anti-Reflection / Non-Glare) The pattern 100 is characterized by performing (refer to FIGS. 4C and 4D).

In addition, the present invention is characterized by improving the transmittance by forming a flexible and high elastic material with a refractive index similar to the substrate between the pattern gap of the transparent conductive organic polymer through a digital printing technique. These refractive indices formed on one or both of the upper and lower substrates are similar to those of the substrate, and flexible and highly elastic materials are in contact with each other to prevent a decrease in permeability due to the difference in refractive index between the substrates and air in the gaps between the substrates can do.
That is, anti-reflection / non-reflection by selectively using digital printing on the openings of the conductive patterns or the upper or lower substrates to prevent the upper and lower substrates from being in close contact with each other to improve transmittance. Glare) characterized in that the pattern.
At this time, the opening of the conductive pattern or the upper or lower substrate is formed in the gap to prevent the upper and lower substrates are in close contact with each other by using digital printing, the refractive index of the opening or the gap of the conductive pattern is the upper and lower 70% to 130% of the refractive index of the substrate and the elastic modulus of the opening or the gap of the conductive pattern is a material having a modulus of elasticity in the range of 50% to 150% of the elastic modulus of the upper or lower substrate It is preferable.

Meanwhile, according to the present invention, it is also possible to perform the random pattern 90 through digital printing as illustrated in FIG. 4C rather than the specific pattern as illustrated in FIG. 4B. As disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-2006-0002846, such voids are formed by laser ablation, photoresist using photolithography, inkjet printing or other patterning methods, followed by selective etching, or the addition of particles of appropriate size. There has been proposed a method in which a transparent conductive organic polymer layer is laminated on a substrate and then particles are removed from the substrate.

In the present invention, the solvent is transparent after random pattern through atomization printing technique such as electro-static deposition (ESD), spraying solvent on a transparent conductive organic polymer coating or pattern formed through digital printing in forming such voids. The conductive organic polymer coating or pattern is formed by using a coffee-ring phenomenon formed while evaporating with dissolution.

According to the present invention, when the formation of the pores should be regular, the solvent is arranged on the substrate coated or patterned with the transparent conductive organic polymer using digital printing such as inkjet printing, aerosol printing, and dispensing regularly, The solvent is formed by using a regular coffee-ring phenomenon formed by evaporating a transparent conductive organic polymer coating or pattern with dissolution.

In particular, it is known that Berend-Jan de Gans et. al . ("Polymer-Relief Micrustructures by Inkjet Etching", Advanced Materials, 2006; 18: 910-914.), But it is a feature of the present invention to apply a product manufactured by applying the disclosed method to a flexible input device It is done.

The present invention as described above can be applied to the following display devices. That is, when a flexible input device is configured on a display device such as TFT-LCD, PDP, OLED, PLED, SED, FED or a flexible display, the transparent conductive organic polymer patterns 120 and 121 are illustrated in FIG. 5. The shape of) takes the same or similar shape as the BM pattern so as not to invade the path of light. In addition to the stripe type as illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, when the BM pattern 110 is V-shaped, such as a TFT-LCD in IPS mode, the transparent conductive organic polymer patterns 120 and 121 take a V-shaped pattern, thereby It may be placed only on the BM pattern 110 that is not transmitted, thereby maintaining high permeability. The upper substrate 10 is generally composed of a flexible polymer film, but the lower substrate 20 may be the display screen itself. The dot spacer 131 may be formed through digital printing where the light is not transmitted, or the dot spacer 132 may be formed through digital printing on an area where light is transmitted to some extent. The low resistance electrode pattern 40 and the gap spacer 60 are formed outside the display through digital printing.

In addition, the flexible input device manufactured using the digital printing of the present invention is not only a display device such as TFT-LCD, PDP, OLED, PLED, SED, FED or a flexible display, but also a keyboard, kiosk, and fixed equipment. It is characterized by functioning as an input device required by the input device and portable devices such as a mobile phone, PDA, MP3 player. If desired, the pattern of text, images, braille, etc. may be patterned on the upper substrate 10 by using digital printing, and may be protected by hard coating after performing the pattern of digitally printed text, image, braille, and the like. have.

The above-described flexible device input device according to the present invention is characterized by further comprising the following self-luminous pattern area. 6, the keypad, which is one of the flexible input devices, includes a lower electrode pattern 220 and a first insulating layer 230 patterned by digital printing on the lower substrate 20. And the upper electrode pattern 240 and the second insulating layer 250, the self-light emitting part driving electrode 260, the third insulating layer 270, and the self-light emitting part 280 formed of an organic or inorganic EL patterned thereon. , A transparent conductive organic polymer electrode pattern 290 and an upper substrate 10.

At least one of the upper and lower substrates 10 and 20 is composed of a flexible polymer film. As illustrated in FIG. 6, when pressure is applied to the upper substrate 10 by the input means, the upper substrate 240 and the lower electrode 220 are flexibly deformed to change the electrical measurement value according to the contact. Key recognition is done.

The first insulating layer 230 covers all regions except for the contact portions of the upper electrode pattern 240 and the lower electrode pattern 220 or is selectively selected only at the interference position of the upper electrode pattern 240 and the lower electrode pattern 220. Can be configured through digital printing.

In addition, the first insulating layer 230 may be a film covering all regions except for the contact portion of the upper electrode pattern 240 and the lower electrode pattern 220.

On the other hand, when the light emitting region is patterned, the light emitting unit 280 composed of organic or inorganic EL, the transparent conductive organic polymer electrode pattern 290 at the upper portion, and the lower light emitting unit driving electrode 260 are patterned through digital printing. do.

As organic light emitting materials, tri (8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (III) (Alq3), Alq3 derivatives, poly (1,4-phenylenevinylene) and poly- (2-methoxy-5- ( Poly (1) such as 2'-ethylhexyloxy) -1,4-phenylenevinylene) (MEH-PPV) and poly (2,5-diethoxy-1,4-phenylenevinylene) (DEOPPV) , 4-phenylenevinylene) derivative (PPV derivative). In general, organic EL materials have low solubility in organic solvents, so that they are dissolved in an organic solvent using a precursor polymer, followed by a pattern through digital printing, followed by annealing at a temperature of 200 to 300 ° C. The organic EL material can be converted into a desired organic EL material. However, the present invention is not limited by the materials and components of organic materials as self-luminous materials.

In the case of an inorganic material as a self-luminous material, it may be any one inorganic phosphor selected from the group consisting of GaAs-based phosphors, AlGaInP-based phosphors, AlInGaN-based phosphors, GaN-based phosphors, and mixtures thereof. However, the present invention is not limited by the materials and components of organic materials as self-luminous materials.

In order to prevent malfunction and short circuit through contact between the transparent conductive organic polymer electrode pattern 290 and the self-light emitting part driving electrode 260, the third insulating layer 270 drives the transparent conductive organic polymer electrode pattern 290 and the self-light emitting part of the upper part. In order to insulate between the electrodes 260, all areas except for the self-light emitting part 280 may be covered, or digital printing may be selectively performed only at the interference position between the transparent conductive organic polymer electrode pattern 290 and the self-light emitting part driving electrode 260. The position may be positioned between the self-light emitting part 280 and the self-light emitting part driving electrode 260, or between the transparent conductive organic polymer electrode pattern 290 and the self-light emitting part 280.

Optionally, the third insulating layer 270 covers all regions except the contact portion with the light emitting portion 280 to prevent interference between the transparent conductive organic polymer electrode pattern 290 and the light emitting portion driving electrode 260 thereon. Can be.

Optionally, a second insulating layer 250 for insulating between the upper electrode pattern 240 and the self-light emitting part driving electrode 260 may be formed by digital printing or inserted into a film.

An anti-reflection / non-glare layer as described above may optionally be patterned using digital printing on one or more of these component parts, and text, images, braille or the like may be patterned on the upper substrate 10. The pattern may be patterned using digital printing, and may be protected by hard coating after performing a pattern of digitally printed text, image, braille and the like.

delete

delete

The flexible input device produced through digital printing according to the present invention can minimize the waste of conductive materials, optionally organic or inorganic EL materials, and resistive / semiconductor materials of the electronic circuit part. It is possible to produce products directly using digital printers, which not only reduces the total production cost but also can cope with small-volume, small-volume, custom-made products that were difficult to achieve with conventional analog printing.

Claims (26)

As long as the upper substrate is applied from the outside and the lower substrate located below the lower substrate, and a pair of transparent conductive coating or conductive pattern disposed up and down between the upper and lower substrates, and between the transparent conductive coating A dot space disposed between the pair of low resistance electrode patterns and the transparent conductive coating in a plurality of protruding shapes to prevent the transparent conductive coatings or the low resistance electrode patterns from contacting each other; In the flexible input device consisting of a gap spacer to be fixed to the upper substrate, Digitized pattern data created by CAD or image software and stored in the computer's memory can be used for inkjet printers, aerosol printers, dispensers, photocuring through laser irradiation, laser printers, SLS (Selective Laser Sintering), and Laser Indueced Thermal. Imaging or Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation Direct Write, etc.), or at least one of thermal transfer or sublimation printers, and at least one of the low resistance electrode, conductive pattern, dot spacer, and gap spacer through the printer. At least one coating or pattern is produced directly on the upper or lower substrate or on the upper or lower substrate on which the pattern is formed by digital printing. The method of claim 1, The upper or lower substrate is composed of at least one flexible substrate can be modified by the input means, The lower substrate is in contact with the upper substrate and energized, thereby functioning as an input means, a flexible input device manufacturing method by a digital printing technique. The method of claim 1, The transparent conductive coating, the conductive pattern or the low resistance electrode pattern may include a cosolvent and a liquid carrier vehicle with at least one additive of a metal oxide, a metal nanoparticle, a metal precursor, carbon, a carbon nanotube, a binder, a surfactant, a leveling agent, and a softener. Using conductive organic polymer liquid material, including Piezo-type drop-on-demand inkjet printing, micro-heater type thermal drop-on-demand inkjet printing, electrostatic force to drive actuators, electrostatic force-distributed ink-jet printing A pattern for high transmittance is formed by electrostatic inkjet printing, aerosol printing, or digital printing of a dispenser, which transfers charged particles to the upper or lower substrate or transfers ink itself to the upper or lower substrate. Flexible input device manufacturing method by printing technique. The method of claim 3, When the material of the conductive organic polymer liquid is made of a photopolymerization ink, the pattern is formed on the upper or lower substrate using the digital printing, and then the pattern of the conductive organic polymer is formed by light irradiation or laser irradiation. Flexible input device manufacturing method using a digital printing method characterized in that. The method of claim 1, The transparent conductive coating, the conductive pattern, and the low resistance electrode pattern may be a solid powder or a transfer film composed of a conductive organic polymer containing any one of metal oxides, metal nanoparticles, metal precursors, carbon, carbon nanotubes, and light absorbing additives. Or ribbon form, When the conductive organic polymer is a solid powder, using digital printing of any one of laser printing or selective laser sintering (SLS), When the conductive organic polymer is in the form of a transfer film or ribbon, a flexible input device is manufactured by a digital printing technique, wherein a pattern for high transmittance is formed by using digital printing of any one of laser transfer, thermal transfer, or sublimation type printer. Way. The method of claim 1, The low-resistance electrode pattern or conductive pattern is cosolvent and liquid carrier with at least one additive of metal nanoparticles, metal precursors, carbon precursors, carbon, carbon nanotubes, binders, surfactants, leveling agents, softeners, and conductive organic polymers having excellent electrical conductivity. It is a liquid material in which metal nanoparticles including a vehicle are dispersed, Piezo-type drop-on-demand inkjet printing, micro-heater type thermal drop-on-demand inkjet printing, electrostatic force to drive actuators, electrostatic force-distributed ink-jet printing A method of manufacturing a flexible input device using a digital printing technique, wherein an electrode pattern is formed by at least one of electrostatic inkjet printing, aerosol printing, and a dispenser which transfers charged particles to a substrate or transfers ink itself to a substrate. The method of claim 6, When the liquid material is made of photopolymerizable ink, the pattern is formed on the upper or lower substrate, and then the low resistance electrode pattern is formed by light irradiation or laser irradiation. Input device manufacturing method. The method of claim 6, The low resistance electrode pattern or conductive pattern is in the form of a solid powder or a transfer film or a ribbon composed of metal nanoparticles containing at least one additive of a metal oxide, a metal precursor, carbon, carbon nanotubes, a conductive organic polymer, and a light absorbing agent. When the metal nanoparticles are solid powders, digital printing of any one of laser printing or selective laser sintering (SLS) is used. When the metal nanoparticles are in the form of a transfer film or a ribbon, a flexible input device is manufactured by a digital printing technique, wherein a pattern for high transmittance is formed by using digital printing of any one of laser transfer, thermal transfer, or sublimation printer. Way. The method of claim 1, Drop-On-Demand inkjet printing of the liquid material constituting the dot spacer and the gap spacer, thermal type Drop-On-Demand inkjet printing using a micro heater, and drop-on-demand driving an actuator using electrostatic force A pattern is formed by at least one of inkjet printing, at least one of electrostatic inkjet printing, aerosol printing, and dispenser, which transfers charged particles dispersed on the ink to the substrate using electrostatic force or transfers the ink itself to the substrate. Flexible input device manufacturing method by digital printing technique. The method of claim 1, A method of manufacturing a flexible input device using a digital printing technique, by using a transparent conductive organic polymer as the conductive pattern material and improving the transmittance by fine patterning to have an opening by using digital printing on the upper or lower substrate. The method of claim 10, In order to form the conductive pattern by fine patterning the liquid material of the transparent conductive organic polymer, When the upper or lower substrate is subjected to dry surface treatment such as atmospheric pressure plasma or corona treatment, or the surface treatment using a surfactant or a liquid compound, or when the upper or lower substrate is fine patterned, And heating the upper or lower substrate to adjust the wettability of the upper or lower substrate. The method of claim 10, When the liquid material of the transparent conductive organic polymer is a photopolymerization ink, curing using photopolymerization to limit the spreading of the ink on the upper or lower substrate, a flexible input device manufacturing method by a digital printing technique. The method of claim 12, And the photopolymerization is performed by partially irradiating a pattern of the ink with a laser. The method of claim 10, When the liquid material comprising the transparent conductive organic polymer as a component is a phase change ink, digital printing is characterized in that the ink is spread by changing the phase to a solid by lowering the temperature below the melting point on the upper or lower substrate. Flexible input device manufacturing method by the technique. The method of claim 10, In forming a conductive pattern on the upper and lower substrates, a flexible input device using a digital printing technique is performed by performing a fine pattern through surface energy modification that partially hydrophilizes the hydrophobized upper or lower substrate through laser irradiation. Manufacturing method. delete The method of claim 10, In order to improve transmittance, digital printing is selectively used in the openings of the conductive patterns or the upper or lower substrates to prevent the upper and lower substrates from coming into close contact with each other. Flexible input device manufacturing method by digital printing technique, characterized in that the anti-reflection (Non-Glare) pattern. The method of claim 10, By selectively using digital printing on the opening of the conductive pattern or the upper or lower substrate to prevent the upper and lower substrates from being in close contact with each other, The refractive index of the opening or the gap of the conductive pattern is in the range of 70% to 130% of the refractive index of the upper and lower substrates, The elastic input coefficient of the opening or the gap of the conductive pattern is a flexible input device by a digital printing technique, characterized in that the material having a modulus of elasticity in the range of 50% to 150% of the elastic modulus of the upper or lower substrate is a pattern Manufacturing method. The method of claim 10, The conductive pattern is a flexible input device manufacturing method by a digital printing method, characterized in that disposed on the BM pattern that does not transmit light on the display to improve the transmittance. The method of claim 9, The dot spacer is formed in the BM pattern area through which light on the display does not pass, And a dot spacer does not contribute to blocking light, thereby improving transmittance. delete The method of claim 1, At least one of text, an image, and Braille on the upper substrate is configured through digital printing. A device on an upper substrate to which a force is applied from the outside and a lower substrate positioned below the lower substrate, a lower electrode pattern formed on the lower substrate, a first insulating layer provided on the lower electrode pattern, and the first insulating layer An upper electrode pattern, a second insulating layer provided on the upper electrode pattern, a light emitting drive electrode disposed on the second insulating layer, a third insulating layer provided on the light emitting drive electrode, and A flexible input device comprising a self-light emitting portion composed of an organic or inorganic EL disposed on a third insulating layer and a transparent conductive organic polymer electrode pattern disposed on the self-emitting portion, And forming one of the upper and lower electrode patterns, the light emitting unit, the light emitting unit driving electrode, and the transparent conductive organic polymer electrode pattern by digital printing. The method of claim 23, wherein The first insulating layer is a flexible input device manufacturing method by a digital printing method, characterized in that formed by digital printing to cover all areas except the contact portion of the upper electrode pattern and the lower electrode pattern. The method of claim 1, When the driving electronic circuit unit of the flexible input device manufactures the flexible input device, the digital printing technique is characterized in that it is manufactured by using digital printing at the same time, individually manufactured, or manufactured by individual components and mounted or connected through wiring. Flexible input device manufacturing method. delete

Images