KR101029490B1 - Capacitive touch sensor integrated with window panel and mathod for manufacturing thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention, the window panel substrate of a transparent material, a non-conductive opaque decorative layer disposed on one edge of the window panel substrate so that the transparent window area is partitioned on the window panel substrate, the window A transparent first conductive electrode pattern disposed over the window region of the panel substrate and the upper portion of the decorative layer, the first conductive circuit wiring disposed at the upper edge of the first conductive electrode pattern, the first conductive electrode pattern and the first conductive circuit wiring A transparent insulating layer disposed above, a transparent second conductive electrode pattern disposed above the insulating layer, and a second conductive circuit wiring disposed on an upper edge of the second conductive electrode pattern. The window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention has a thin thickness and excellent resolution.

Description

CAPACITIVE TOUCH SENSOR INTEGRATED WITH WINDOW PANEL AND MATHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a capacitive touch sensor, and more particularly to a capacitive touch sensor of a window panel.

Touch sensors are widely used as input devices in portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistance), and MP3s. Resistive and capacitive methods are known for touch sensors. Capacitive touch sensors have excellent durability and have multi-touch functions, which are widely applied to mobile phones.

1 is a perspective view of a mobile phone 100 is equipped with a conventional capacitive touch sensor assembly 110, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the touch sensor assembly 110 is installed inside the mobile phone (100). .

The conventional mobile phone 100 includes an upper case 101, a touch sensor assembly 110, and a lower case 102. The upper case 101 is provided with a support portion 101a at an opening in the center thereof, and a touch sensor assembly 110 is installed at the support portion 101a. In addition, the switch 120 is installed on the front of the upper case 101. The lower case 102 is provided with a display device 140 such as an LCD and a main PCB 150. The display device 140 is disposed under the touch sensor assembly 110. Although not shown, a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) for signal transmission is connected to the touch sensor assembly 110 and the main PCB 150. In addition, the speaker 130 is installed on the upper case 101, the microphone 140 is installed on the side.

Recently, the structure of the front surface of the touch sensor is designed to be the same height as the front of the upper case for easy assembly and beautiful design. That is, the support 101a is formed at the edge of the central opening of the upper case 101 so as to be shortened by the thickness of the touch sensor assembly 110. Typically, the front surface of the touch sensor assembly 110 is divided into a transparent window area W in which an image output to the display device 140 is visible, and a decoration area D surrounding the window area W. FIG. The window area W is a part that receives a touch input. The decorative area D serves as a position to print a trademark or logo of a mobile phone maker, and at the same time, conceals an opaque conductive wiring pattern at the edge of the touch sensor.

3 illustrates a process for manufacturing a conventional touch sensor assembly 200. As shown, the touch sensor assembly 200 includes a window panel 211 and a touch sensor 220 attached to the bottom of the window panel 211.

As the window panel 211, a tempered glass plate or a transparent acrylic plate is usually used. An opaque decorative layer 212 is applied to the bottom surface of the window panel 211 (FIG. 3H). The opaque decorative layer 212 may be formed by printing using a silkscreen method or by depositing a non-conductive material.

The process of manufacturing the capacitive touch sensor 220 is as follows. First, a transparent conductive film 215 is coated on the upper surface of the substrate 216 made of glass or PET film. Coating of the transparent conductive film 215 is formed by sputtering or depositing indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), cadmium tin oxide (CTO), or the like (FIG. 3 (b)). . Next, a portion of the coated transparent conductive film 215 is removed to form a transparent electrode pattern 215 (FIG. 3C). The transparent electrode pattern 215 may be formed using a known photolithography process or by laser processing.

Next, conductive circuit wiring 214 for applying electrical connection with the transparent electrode pattern 215 is applied (Fig. 3 (d)). The application of the conductive circuit wiring 214 is performed by the silkscreen printing method with conductive ink. Next, an adhesive material 213 (PSA) for bonding with the window panel substrate 211 is coated, and the window panel substrate 211 and the touch sensor 220 are combined. Next, the FPCB 218 for electrically connecting the touch sensor 200 is connected to an end of the conductive wiring pattern 214 with an anisotropic conductive film (ACF).

Finally, the capacitive touch sensor 220 manufactured as described above and the window panel 211 printed with the decorative layer 212 are bonded to complete the touch sensor assembly 200. In this case, the opaque conductive wiring pattern 214 of the touch sensor 220 or the dead zone of the touch sensor 220 may be disposed under the decorative area D.

However, the touch sensor assembly 200 manufactured by the above process has the following problems.

First, in the process of bonding the window panel substrate 211 and the touch sensor 220, bubbles 217 remain in the window area W, or foreign substances are mixed to cause a defect. The cause of the failure of bubbles is due to the height difference between the opaque decorative layer 212 printed on the lower surface of the window panel substrate 211 and the window region W in which the decorative layer 212 is not printed.

Second, when the window panel substrate 211 and the touch sensor 220 are bonded together, misalignment easily occurs. This occurs because of the difference in shrinkage and misalignment between the window panel substrate 211 and the touch sensor 220.

Third, a process for coupling the window panel substrate 211 and the touch sensor 200 and an investment in equipment necessary for this are necessary. As a result, the manufacturing process is lengthened, and thus the probability of defects is increased, and a lot of work manpower is required, thereby increasing the manufacturing cost.

Fourth, the strength of the window panel substrate 211 is sufficient to protect the display device. However, since a separate substrate 216 is used, the thickness of the touch sensor assembly 200 is increased and the material cost is increased. In addition, since the thickness of the touch sensor assembly 200 becomes thick, the touch sensitivity is lowered and the light transmittance is lowered.

Fifth, since one electrode pattern 215 detects the X coordinate and the Y coordinate of the touch position, resolution and detection speed decrease.

An object of the present invention is to provide a window panel-integrated capacitive touch sensor and a method of manufacturing the same.

Window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object is disposed on the edge of one surface of the window panel substrate so that a transparent window area is partitioned on the window panel substrate, the window panel substrate A non-conductive opaque decorative layer, a transparent first conductive electrode pattern disposed over the window region of the window panel substrate and an upper portion of the decorative layer, first conductive circuit wiring disposed at an upper edge of the first conductive electrode pattern, A transparent insulating layer disposed on the first conductive electrode pattern and the first conductive circuit wiring, a transparent second conductive electrode pattern disposed on the insulating layer, and an upper edge of the second conductive electrode pattern 2 conductive circuit wiring.

The window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include a scattering prevention layer disposed on the second conductive electrode pattern and the second conductive circuit wiring.

The non-conductive opaque decorative layer may be formed by screen printing non-conductive ink.

The non-conductive opaque decorative layer may include a non-conductive ink layer printed on the coating layer of the non-conductive metal alloy or the non-conductive metal oxide.

The non-conductive metal oxide may include titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) or silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ).

The non-conductive metal alloy may include tin or silicon aluminum alloy.

The first conductive electrode pattern and the second conductive electrode pattern may be formed of one selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), and cadmium tin oxide (CTO). .

The insulating layer may be formed of titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) or silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ).

The insulating layer may be formed of a transparent resin.

The insulating layer may be formed of an optical clear adhesive (OCA) or a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA).

Window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object is disposed on the edge of one surface of the window panel substrate so that a transparent window area is partitioned on the window panel substrate, the window panel substrate A non-conductive opaque decorative layer, a transparent first conductive electrode pattern disposed over the window region of the window panel substrate and an upper portion of the decorative layer, first conductive circuit wiring disposed at an upper edge of the first conductive electrode pattern, A transparent insulating layer disposed on the first conductive electrode pattern and the first conductive circuit wiring, a transparent second conductive electrode pattern disposed on the insulating layer, and a lower edge of the second conductive electrode pattern 2 conductive circuit wiring.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor, the method comprising: providing a window panel substrate made of a transparent material, wherein the window is partitioned on the window panel substrate; Providing a non-conductive opaque decorative layer at an edge of one side of the panel substrate, coating a transparent conductive electrode thin film on the window area and the decorative layer, removing a portion of the conductive electrode thin film to obtain a predetermined transparent first conductive Forming an electrode pattern, laminating a first conductive circuit wiring on an edge of the first conductive electrode pattern, laminating an insulating layer on the first conductive electrode pattern and the first conductive circuit wiring, and the insulating layer Coating a transparent conductive electrode thin film thereon, coated on the insulating layer Removing a portion of the conductive electrode thin film to form a predetermined transparent second conductive electrode pattern, and stacking a second conductive circuit wiring on an edge of the second conductive electrode pattern.

The method of manufacturing the window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include applying a scattering prevention layer on the second conductive electrode pattern and the second conductive circuit wiring.

The providing of the non-conductive opaque decorative layer may include coating a non-conductive metal alloy layer or a non-conductive metal oxide layer on one surface of the window panel substrate, wherein the non-conductive metal is partitioned so that the window region is partitioned on the window panel substrate. And applying a non-conductive ink to the decorative region on the alloy layer or the metal oxide layer, and removing the metal alloy layer or the non-conductive metal oxide layer coated on the window region by etching.

Providing the non-conductive opaque decorative layer may include screen printing non-conductive ink.

Coating the conductive electrode thin film may include coating an oxide selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), and cadmium tin oxide (CTO) by sputtering. can do.

The stacking of the insulating layer may include coating titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) or silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) by vacuum deposition.

The stacking of the insulating layer may include coating a transparent resin on the first conductive electrode pattern and the first conductive circuit wiring by a printing method, and then drying the transparent resin with infrared rays or ultraviolet rays.

Method of manufacturing a window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, preparing a window panel substrate of a transparent material, the window so that the transparent window region is partitioned on the window panel substrate Providing a non-conductive opaque decorative layer at an edge of one side of the panel substrate, coating a transparent conductive electrode thin film on the window area and the decorative layer, removing a portion of the conductive electrode thin film to obtain a predetermined transparent first conductive Forming an electrode pattern, laminating a first conductive circuit wiring on an edge of the first conductive electrode pattern, preparing an insulating substrate of a transparent material, and coating a transparent conductive electrode thin film on the insulating substrate Removing a portion of the conductive electrode thin film coated on the insulating substrate Forming a predetermined transparent second conductive electrode pattern, laminating a second conductive circuit wiring on an edge of the second conductive electrode pattern, and a transparent adhesive layer on the first conductive electrode pattern and the first conductive circuit wiring Coating the insulating substrate on which the second conductive electrode pattern and the second conductive circuit wiring are provided such that the second conductive electrode pattern and the second conductive circuit wiring are disposed between the insulating substrate and the adhesive layer. Attaching to the adhesive layer.

The touch sensor according to the present invention does not need to use a separate substrate (ITO coated PET film or ITO coated glass substrate) because the touch sensor is integrally formed on the lower surface of the window panel substrate to provide a thin touch sensor. . That is, the present invention provides a touch sensor that is slimmer than the conventional touch sensor and excellent in light transmittance. In addition, the touch sensor according to the present invention can eliminate the substrate and the adhesive for attaching it can reduce the manufacturing cost.

In addition, the touch sensor according to the present invention, since the two conductive electrode patterns can be detected by separating the X coordinate and the Y coordinate for the touch position, the resolution is excellent and the detection speed is fast.

In addition, the touch sensor manufacturing method according to the present invention forms a capacitive touch sensor directly below the window panel substrate coated with a decorative layer, bubbles generated when attaching the touch sensor to the window panel substrate according to the conventional method It can eliminate the defects caused by the occurrence or the mixing of foreign materials. In addition, misalignment caused during the bonding process is fundamentally eliminated when manufactured according to the conventional method.

In addition, the method of manufacturing the touch sensor according to the present invention may omit the process of attaching the window panel substrate and the touch sensor, thereby shortening the production process, thereby reducing the occurrence of defects and the manufacturing cost. In addition, a separate device for attaching the window panel substrate and the touch sensor is not required, thereby reducing manufacturing costs due to facility investment.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the structure of the window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5 is a mobile phone to which the window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied It is shown.

As shown in FIG. 4, the touch sensor 310 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a window panel substrate 311, a decorative layer 312 stacked on an upper edge of the window panel substrate 311, and a window. The transparent first conductive electrode pattern 313 coated on the top surface of the panel substrate 311, the insulating layer 317 stacked on the first conductive electrode pattern 313, and the transparent second conductive layer stacked on the insulating layer 317. An electrode pattern 315. The first conductive electrode pattern 313 and the second conductive electrode pattern 315 are arranged not parallel to each other, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The touch sensor 310 is coupled to the upper case 301 so as to be flush with the front surface of the upper case 301 of the mobile phone 300.

 The first conductive circuit wiring 314 is disposed above the edge of the first conductive electrode pattern 313, and the second conductive circuit wiring 316 is disposed above the edge of the second conductive electrode pattern 315. In addition, a scattering prevention layer 318 is stacked on the second conductive electrode pattern 315.

As the window panel substrate 311, a transparent plastic plate such as acrylic or a tempered glass plate is used. In the case of using the plastic plate as the window panel substrate 311, the scattering prevention layer 318 may be omitted. An opaque decorative layer 312 coated with a non-conductive material is provided at the edge of the upper surface of the window panel substrate 311 so as to partition the transparent touch area W at the center of the window panel substrate 311. The decoration layer 312 constitutes a decoration area D of the window panel substrate 311.

In the present embodiment, the decorative layer 312 is a thin film non-conductive metal such as tin or silicon aluminum alloy, or non-conductive oxide (TiO ₂ Or SiO ₂ ) and a non-conductive thin film coated on the window region (W) by printing a non-conductive ink in the decorative area (D), and formed by etching. The decorative layer 312 may be formed with a decorative pattern such that a product trademark or logo is displayed. In the case of forming a decorative pattern such as a trademark or a logo in the decorative region D, the window region W may be formed. Color printing may be added to the decorative pattern to form a color pattern. Unlike the present exemplary embodiment, the non-conductive ink may be directly printed on the upper surface of the window panel substrate 311 to form the decorative layer 312.

In the present embodiment, the transparent first conductive electrode pattern 313 and the second conductive electrode pattern 315 are disposed over the window region W and a part of the decoration layer 312. Of course, these conductive electrode patterns 313 and 315 may be disposed over the window area W and all of the decoration layer 312. The first conductive electrode pattern 313 and the second conductive electrode pattern 315 are formed by removing a portion of the transparent conductive thin film 313 ′ (FIG. 6D) formed by sputtering by a photolithography process. Indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), antimony zinc oxide (AZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), and cadmium tin oxide may be formed in the first conductive electrode pattern 313 and the second conductive electrode pattern 315. (CTO) and the like can be used.

The first conductive electrode pattern 313 and the second conductive electrode pattern 315 may be detected by separating the X coordinate and the Y coordinate with respect to the touch position. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the first conductive electrode pattern 313 is arranged to partition the window area W in the X-axis direction (horizontal direction) so that the X coordinate of the touch position can be detected. In addition, the second conductive electrode pattern 313 may be arranged to partition the window area W in the Y-axis direction (vertical direction) to detect the Y coordinate with respect to the touch position. Therefore, the touch sensor 310 according to the embodiment of the present invention has better resolution and faster detection speed than the conventional method. Although FIG. 5 shows that the first conductive electrode pattern 313 and the second conductive electrode pattern 315 are vertically intersected, the first conductive electrode pattern 313 and the second conductive electrode pattern 315 are arranged. The angle can vary.

In order to electrically connect the first conductive electrode pattern 313 and the second conductive electrode pattern 315, the first conductive circuit wiring 314 is disposed on the first conductive electrode pattern 313 positioned in the decoration region D. ) Is stacked, and the second conductive circuit wiring 316 is stacked on the second conductive electrode pattern 315 positioned in the decoration region D. The opaque decorative layer 312 hides the opaque first conductive circuit wiring 314 and the second conductive circuit wiring 316 from the outside.

The first conductive circuit wiring 314 and the second conductive circuit wiring 316 are formed by applying conductive ink by silkscreen printing. In order to secure the transparent window area W, the circuit wirings 314 and 316 formed by printing the opaque conductive ink are disposed only on the decoration area D. In addition to the silkscreen printing method, in order to maximize the window area W, a metal thin film is coated by a sputtering process and then patterned by a photolithography process to form the first conductive circuit wiring 314 and the second conductive circuit wiring 316. May be formed. As the metal thin film, a metal having a multilayered composite structure such as silver (Ag) alloy having good corrosion resistance or molybdenum (Mo) / aluminum (Al) / molybdenum (Mo) may be used.

The insulating layer 317 is formed by coating a ceramic material such as titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) or silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) by vacuum deposition. The insulating layer 317 insulates the first conductive electrode pattern 313 from the second conductive electrode pattern 315. In addition, the first conductive electrode pattern 313 is not visible from the outside due to the difference in refractive index between the transparent first conductive electrode pattern 313 and the window panel substrate 311 by using the light canceling interference phenomenon. It also serves as an anti-reflection layer. In another embodiment, the transparent resin is coated on the first conductive electrode pattern 313 and the first conductive circuit wiring 314 by printing, and then dried by infrared (IR) or ultraviolet (UV) to insulate the insulating layer 317. May be formed.

The scattering prevention layer 318 protects the transparent second conductive electrode pattern 315 and the second conductive circuit wiring 316 and prevents broken pieces from scattering when the window panel substrate 311 made of tempered glass is broken. Function The scattering prevention layer 318 may be formed by printing UV curable resin and then irradiating ultraviolet (UV) light.

Reference numeral 320 is an FPCB for electrically connecting the touch sensor 310 to the terminal portion of the conductive circuit wirings 313 and 315 by an electrically conductive film adhesive (ACF) 321. The electrically conductive film adhesive 321 used to bond the electronic circuit contains conductive particles, so that the current flows well when connecting the fine electronic circuit.

The window-integrated touch sensor 310 of the present embodiment may have a thinner thickness than the conventional touch sensor assembly 200, and may reduce manufacturing defects by reducing process defects and shortening the number of processes. That is, the conventional touch sensor assembly 200 is a substrate (ITO coated PET film or ITO coated glass substrate), ITO pattern, electrode pattern, anti-reflection layer, adhesive layer (PSA), decorative printed layer, window panel substrate from the bottom Laminated in order, the manufacturing process is complicated and thick. On the other hand, in the touch sensor 310 of the present embodiment, since the touch sensor 310 is integrally formed on the window panel substrate 311, the process of attaching the touch sensor to the window panel substrate is omitted so that the adhesive layer PSA and the substrate are omitted. (ITO coated PET film or ITO coated glass substrate) is no need to reduce the thickness compared to the conventional manufacturing method. In addition, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of misalignment due to bubble failure, foreign matter mixing defect, misalignment caused when the window panel substrate and the touch sensor are attached.

In addition, since the window-integrated touch sensor 310 of the present embodiment can detect the two conductive electrode patterns 313 and 315 by separating the X coordinate and the Y coordinate for the touch position, the resolution is excellent and the detection speed is high. fast.

Hereinafter, a process of manufacturing the window panel integrated touch sensor 310 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a manufacturing process of the window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor 310 of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4.

First, a window panel substrate 311 made of a transparent plastic plate or tempered glass plate is prepared (FIG. 6 (a)). Next, a non-conductive thin film 312 'for forming the decorative layer 312 is coated (Fig. 6 (b)). The non-conductive thin film 312 ′ deposits non-conductive metal or non-conductive oxide or nitride in vacuo.

Next, the non-conductive ink is printed on the non-conductive thin film 312 'in a region corresponding to the decorative layer 312 using a silk screen printing machine, and then dried. After drying of the printed decorative layer 312, the non-conductive thin film 312 deposited in the window region W, leaving the non-conductive thin film 312 'coated under the printed decorative layer 312 using an etching solution. ') Is removed (Fig. 6 (c)). In fact, the thickness of the printed decorative layer 312 is hundreds of times thicker than the thickness of the non-conductive thin film 312 ', Figure 6 is shown without considering the ratio of the thickness for convenience of display.

In this embodiment, the method of printing and etching the decorative layer 312 after depositing the non-conductive thin film 312 'is used, but the non-conductive ink is deposited on the silkscreen printing machine without depositing the non-conductive thin film 312'. The decorative layer 312 may be formed by directly printing the window panel substrate 311 using the printed circuit board. The printed decorative layer 312 may be dried using hot air or near infrared (IR).

Next, a transparent conductive thin film 313 ′ is coated to cover the window region W and the decoration layer 312 (FIG. 6 (d)). When an indium tin oxide (ITO) film is used as the transparent conductive thin film 313 ', the indium tin oxide (ITO) film preferably has a sheet resistance in the range of 100 to 700 ohm / sq and a visible light transmittance of 87% or more. . The process of coating the conductive thin film 313 ′ may use a sputtering or deposition process.

The method of manufacturing a touch sensor by directly coating a transparent conductive thin film 313 ′ on the window panel substrate 311 on which the decorative layer 312 is printed and forming an electrode pattern requires switching of ideas. In particular, the thickness of the printed decorative layer 312 is around 10 micrometers, while the thickness of the transparent conductive thin film 313 'is about 0.01 to 0.1 micrometers. That is, the thickness of the transparent conductive thin film 313 ′ is much thinner than the thickness of the decorative layer 312. Therefore, in the related art, the transparent conductive thin film 313 'is directly coated on the window panel substrate 311 on which the decorative layer 312 is printed, and no attempt has been made to form a pattern by etching. In order to fabricate the window panel integrated touch sensor, despite the enormous thickness difference between the decorative layer 312 and the window area W printed when the transparent conductive thin film 313 'is coated, the window panel W is transparent to have a uniform sheet resistance and transmittance. The conductive thin film 313 'should be carefully coated.

Next, a portion of the transparent conductive thin film 313 ′ is removed to form a transparent first conductive electrode pattern 313 (FIG. 6E). The method of forming the first conductive electrode pattern 313 by removing the transparent conductive thin film 313 'is the same as the method of manufacturing a capacitive touch sensor, and may use a photolithography process or laser processing.

 Next, the first conductive circuit wiring 314 is formed at the edge of the first conductive electrode pattern 313 disposed on the decorative layer 312 (Fig. 6 (f)). The first conductive circuit wiring 314 may be formed by applying conductive ink by a silkscreen printing method. That is, the first conductive circuit wiring 314 may be formed by printing a silver paste using a mask and a printing facility patterned on a silk screen. In order to maximize the size of the window region W, a metal thin film may be deposited in a vacuum environment, and then the first conductive circuit wiring 314 may be formed through a photolithography process.

Next, an insulating layer 317 is coated on the first conductive electrode pattern 313 and the first conductive circuit wiring 314 (FIG. 6G). The insulating layer 317 is formed by coating titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) or silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) on the first conductive electrode pattern 313 and the first conductive circuit wiring 314 by vacuum deposition. Alternatively, the transparent resin may be coated by a printing method to form the insulating layer 317.

Next, a transparent conductive electrode thin film as used to form the first conductive electrode pattern 313 is coated on the insulating layer 317, and a portion of the conductive conductive thin film coated on the insulating layer 317 is removed to form a transparent second layer. The conductive electrode pattern 315 is formed (Fig. 6 (h)). Thereafter, the second conductive circuit wiring 316 is stacked on the edge of the second conductive electrode pattern 315 (FIG. 6 (i)). Here, the method of forming the second conductive electrode pattern 315 is the same as the method of forming the first conductive electrode pattern 313 described above, and the method of forming the second conductive circuit wiring 316 is the first described above. It is the same as the method of forming the conductive circuit wiring 314.

Next, when the window panel substrate 311 is a tempered glass, it protects the second conductive electrode pattern 315 and the second conductive circuit wiring 316 and prevents fragments from scattering when the window panel substrate 311 is broken. The scattering prevention layer 318 is laminated for this purpose (Fig. 6 (j)). The anti-scattering layer 318 may be formed by applying a thermosetting resin using a silk screen printing machine, then laminating the anti-scattering film (for example, PET) and curing it. Alternatively, the anti-scattering film coated with an optically clear adhesive (OCA) or a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) may be attached by laminating to form the anti-scattering layer 318.

Finally, the FPCB 320 is connected to the terminal portions of the first conductive electrode pattern 313 and the second conductive electrode pattern 315. The method of connecting the FPCB 320 is the same as the method used in the manufacturing method of the conventional touch sensor, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

According to the method of the present embodiment, the manufacturing process provides a simple window panel integrated touch sensor 310. In particular, compared with the conventional manufacturing method of the touch sensor assembly, it is possible to omit the step of bonding the window panel substrate and the touch sensor to improve productivity, and to exclude the adhesive layer for bonding the window panel substrate and the touch sensor. Therefore, it is possible to provide a window panel integrated touch sensor having a thin thickness and excellent light transmittance. In addition, the process of attaching the window panel substrate and the touch sensor is omitted, thereby improving defects caused by bubbles generated by the step of the decoration layer, defects caused by foreign matter mixing, and misalignment defects.

7 is a schematic view for explaining the structure of the window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor 410 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The touch sensor 410 illustrated in FIG. 7 is coated on the window panel substrate 311, the decorative layer 312 stacked on the upper edge of the window panel substrate 311, and the upper surface of the window panel substrate 311. Transparent first conductive electrode pattern 313, insulating layer 417 stacked on first conductive electrode pattern 313, transparent second conductive electrode pattern 315 and second conductive electrode pattern stacked on insulating layer 417 And a transparent insulating substrate 411 disposed over 315.

An opaque decorative layer 312 is provided at the edge of the upper surface of the window panel substrate 311 so as to partition the transparent window area W at the center of the window panel substrate 311. The decoration layer 312 constitutes a decoration area D of the window panel substrate 311. The first conductive circuit wiring 314 is provided above the edge of the first conductive electrode pattern 313, and the second conductive circuit wiring 316 is provided below the edge of the second conductive electrode pattern 315. The opaque decorative layer 312 hides the opaque first conductive circuit wiring 314 and the second conductive circuit wiring 316 from the outside.

The touch sensor 410 is identical to the touch sensor 310 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention except for the insulating substrate 411 and the insulating layer 417. Therefore, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as the above-described touch sensor 310 and the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The insulating layer 417 may be a transparent adhesive having a transparent adhesive force such as a hardened optically clear adhesive (OCA) or a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA). Is used. In general, OCA transmits more than 97% of light, which functions as glass, but also improves screen sharpness compared to conventional double-sided tapes. In addition, PSA generally does not require a driving force such as water, solvent, light, and heat, and has the property of being able to adhere to the surface of another object at an extremely small pressure such as acupressure.

The insulating substrate 411 is coupled to one surface of the second conductive electrode pattern 315 to protect the second conductive electrode pattern 315. As the insulating substrate 411, a transparent plastic plate such as acrylic or a tempered glass plate may be used.

Since the window-integrated touch sensor 410 of this embodiment can detect the two conductive electrode patterns 313 and 315 by separating the X coordinate and the Y coordinate with respect to the touch position, the resolution is excellent and the detection speed is high.

Hereinafter, a manufacturing process of the touch sensor 410 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 8 schematically illustrates a manufacturing process of the window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor 410 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7. Here, the manufacturing process from Fig. 8 (a) to Fig. 8 (f) is the same as the manufacturing process from Fig. 6 (a) to Fig. 6 (f) described above. Therefore, the manufacturing process of FIGS. 8A to 8F will be briefly described.

First, a window panel substrate 311 made of a transparent plastic sheet or a tempered glass sheet is prepared (Fig. 8 (a)). Next, a non-conductive thin film 312 'is coated on the window panel substrate 311 (FIG. 8 (b)), and a part of it is removed to form a decorative layer 312 (FIG. 8 (c)). The decorative layer 312 is formed by partitioning the window region W in the center of the window panel substrate 311.

Thereafter, the transparent conductive thin film 313 'is coated to cover the window area W and the decoration layer 312 (FIG. 8 (d)), and a part of the transparent conductive thin film 313' is removed to remove the transparent first conductive film. An electrode pattern 313 is formed (Fig. 8 (e)). After the first conductive electrode pattern 313 is formed, the first conductive circuit wiring 314 is formed at the edge of the first conductive electrode pattern 313 (Fig. 8 (f)).

Meanwhile, the second conductive electrode pattern 315 and the second conductive circuit wiring 316 are separately manufactured and then formed on the window panel substrate 311 on which the first conductive electrode pattern 313 and the first conductive circuit wiring 314 are formed. Are glued. In order to form the second conductive electrode pattern 315, an insulating substrate 411 made of a transparent plastic plate or a tempered glass plate is first prepared (FIG. 8G). Next, after coating the transparent conductive electrode thin film as used to form the first conductive electrode pattern 313 on the insulating substrate 411, a portion thereof is removed to form a transparent second conductive electrode pattern 315 ( 8 (h)). The process of forming the second conductive electrode pattern 315 is the same as the process of forming the first conductive electrode pattern 313.

Next, the second conductive circuit wiring 316 is formed at the edge of the second conductive electrode pattern 315 (Fig. 8 (i)). The process of forming the second conductive circuit wiring 316 is the same as the process of forming the first conductive circuit wiring 314.

 Next, a transparent adhesive such as OCA or PSA is coated on the first conductive electrode pattern 313 and the first conductive circuit wiring 314 to form an adhesive layer. After the insulating substrate 411 provided with the second conductive electrode pattern 315 and the second conductive circuit wiring 316 is adhered to the adhesive layer, the adhesive layer is cured (Fig. 8 (j)). In this case, the second conductive electrode pattern 315 and the second conductive circuit wiring 316 are disposed between the insulating substrate 411 and the adhesive layer. In this way, the insulating substrate 411 may be disposed at the outermost side to protect the second conductive electrode pattern 315 and the second conductive circuit wiring 316. When the adhesive layer is cured, the transparent insulating layer 417 that insulates the first conductive electrode pattern 313, the first conductive circuit wiring 314, the second conductive electrode pattern 315, and the second conductive circuit wiring 316 is formed. Is formed.

The touch sensor manufacturing method can omit the process of attaching the window panel substrate and the touch sensor as in the prior art, so that the production process can be shortened, thereby reducing the occurrence of defects and the manufacturing cost. In addition, a separate device for attaching the window panel substrate and the touch sensor is not required, thereby reducing manufacturing costs due to facility investment.

Although the process of manufacturing one touch sensor has been exemplified above, a method of simultaneously manufacturing a plurality of touch sensors on a large area disc is not shown, but it is obvious to those skilled in the art.

Embodiments of the present invention described above and illustrated in the drawings should not be construed as limiting the technical spirit of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention is limited only by the matters described in the claims, and those skilled in the art can change and change the technical idea of the present invention in various forms. Therefore, such improvements and modifications will fall within the protection scope of the present invention as long as it will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

1 is a perspective view of a mobile phone equipped with a conventional capacitive touch sensor.

2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a touch sensor is installed in a mobile phone.

3 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of manufacturing a conventional touch sensor assembly.

4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a mobile phone equipped with the window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a process of manufacturing the window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor illustrated in FIG. 4.

7 is a schematic view for explaining the structure of the window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a process of manufacturing the window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor illustrated in FIG. 7.

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

310, 410: touch sensor 311: window panel substrate

312: decorative layer

313 and 315: first and second conductive electrode patterns

314, 316: first and second conductive circuit wiring

317, 417: insulation layer 318: scattering prevention layer

320: FPCB 411: insulated substrate

Claims (21)

A window panel substrate made of a transparent material; A non-conductive opaque decorative layer disposed at one edge of the window panel substrate such that a transparent window area is defined on the window panel substrate; A transparent first conductive electrode pattern disposed over the window area and the decoration layer of the window panel substrate; First conductive circuit wires disposed on an upper edge of the first conductive electrode pattern; A transparent insulating layer disposed on the first conductive electrode pattern and the first conductive circuit wiring; A transparent second conductive electrode pattern disposed on the insulating layer; And And a second conductive circuit wiring line disposed at an upper edge of the second conductive electrode pattern. The method of claim 1, And a scattering prevention layer disposed over the second conductive electrode pattern and the second conductive circuit wiring. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The non-conductive opaque decorative layer is a window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor, characterized in that formed by screen printing non-conductive ink. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The non-conductive opaque decorative layer is a window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor, characterized in that it comprises a non-conductive ink layer printed on the coating layer of the non-conductive metal alloy or non-conductive metal oxide. The method of claim 4, wherein The non-conductive metal oxide is a window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor, characterized in that it comprises titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) or silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ). The method of claim 4, wherein The non-conductive metal alloy is a window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor, characterized in that containing tin or silicon aluminum alloy. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The first conductive electrode pattern and the second conductive electrode pattern are formed from one selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), and cadmium tin oxide (CTO). Window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The insulating layer is a window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor, characterized in that formed of titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) or silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ). The method according to claim 1 or 2, The insulating layer is a window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor, characterized in that formed of a transparent resin. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The insulating layer is a window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor, characterized in that formed of optical transparent adhesive (OCA) or pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA). A window panel substrate made of a transparent material; A non-conductive opaque decorative layer disposed at one edge of the window panel substrate such that a transparent window area is defined on the window panel substrate; A transparent first conductive electrode pattern disposed over the window area and the decoration layer of the window panel substrate; First conductive circuit wires disposed on an upper edge of the first conductive electrode pattern; A transparent insulating layer disposed on the first conductive electrode pattern and the first conductive circuit wiring; A transparent second conductive electrode pattern disposed on the insulating layer; And And a second conductive circuit wiring line disposed at a lower edge of the second conductive electrode pattern. Providing a window panel substrate made of a transparent material; Providing a non-conductive opaque decorative layer at an edge of one side of the window panel substrate such that a transparent window area is defined on the window panel substrate; Coating a transparent conductive electrode thin film on the window area and the decoration layer; Removing a portion of the conductive electrode thin film to form a predetermined transparent first conductive electrode pattern; Stacking first conductive circuit wiring on an edge of the first conductive electrode pattern; Stacking an insulating layer on the first conductive electrode pattern and the first conductive circuit wiring; Coating a transparent conductive electrode thin film on the insulating layer; Removing a portion of the conductive electrode thin film coated on the insulating layer to form a predetermined transparent second conductive electrode pattern; And Stacking a second conductive circuit wiring on an edge of the second conductive electrode pattern; and manufacturing a window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor. 13. The method of claim 12, A method of manufacturing a window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor further comprising applying a scattering prevention layer on the second conductive electrode pattern and the second conductive circuit wiring. The method according to claim 12 or 13, Providing the non-conductive opaque decorative layer, Coating a non-conductive metal alloy layer or a non-conductive metal oxide layer on one surface of the window panel substrate, Applying a non-conductive ink to the decoration area on the non-conductive metal alloy layer or the metal oxide layer such that the window area is partitioned on the window panel substrate; And removing the metal alloy layer or the non-conductive metal oxide layer coated on the window region by etching. The method of claim 14, The non-conductive metal oxide is a method of manufacturing a window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor, characterized in that it comprises titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) or silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ). The method of claim 15, The non-conductive metal alloy is a method of manufacturing a window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor, characterized in that it comprises tin or silicon aluminum alloy. The method according to claim 12 or 13, The providing of the non-conductive opaque decorative layer includes the step of screen printing the non-conductive ink, the method of manufacturing a window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor. The method according to claim 12 or 13, The coating of the conductive electrode thin film may include coating an oxide selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), and cadmium tin oxide (CTO) by sputtering. Method of manufacturing a touch window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor comprising a. The method according to claim 12 or 13, The stacking of the insulating layer may include coating titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) or silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) by vacuum deposition. The method according to claim 12 or 13, The stacking of the insulating layer may include coating a transparent resin on the first conductive electrode pattern and the first conductive circuit wiring by a printing method, and then drying the sheet by infrared or ultraviolet rays. Method of manufacturing capacitive touch sensor. Preparing a window panel substrate made of a transparent material; Providing a non-conductive opaque decorative layer at an edge of one side of the window panel substrate such that a transparent window area is defined on the window panel substrate; Coating a transparent conductive electrode thin film on the window area and the decoration layer; Removing a portion of the conductive electrode thin film to form a predetermined transparent first conductive electrode pattern; Stacking first conductive circuit wiring on an edge of the first conductive electrode pattern; Preparing an insulating substrate made of a transparent material; Coating a transparent conductive electrode thin film on the insulating substrate; Removing a portion of the conductive electrode thin film coated on the insulating substrate to form a predetermined transparent second conductive electrode pattern; Stacking a second conductive circuit wire on an edge of the second conductive electrode pattern; Applying a transparent adhesive layer on the first conductive electrode pattern and the first conductive circuit wiring; And The insulating substrate provided with the second conductive electrode pattern and the second conductive circuit wiring is attached to the adhesive layer such that the second conductive electrode pattern and the second conductive circuit wiring are disposed between the insulating substrate and the adhesive layer. The manufacturing method of the window panel integrated capacitive touch sensor comprising a.

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