KR101199047B1 - Touch panel and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

In one embodiment, a touch panel includes: a first substrate; A first transparent electrode formed on the first substrate in a first direction; A first wiring electrically connecting the first transparent electrode; A second substrate spaced apart from the first substrate; A second transparent electrode electrically insulated from the first transparent electrode and formed on a second substrate in a second direction crossing the first direction; And a second wiring electrically connecting the second transparent electrode.

Description

TOUCH PANEL AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME}

The present disclosure relates to a touch panel and a method of manufacturing the same.

Recently, various electronic products have been applied to a touch panel for inputting a method of contacting an input device such as a finger or a stylus to an image displayed on a display device.

The touch panel can be largely divided into a resistance film type touch panel and a capacitive type touch panel. In the resistive touch panel, the glass and the electrode are short-circuited by the pressure of the input device and the position is detected. A capacitance type touch panel senses a change in electrostatic capacitance between electrodes when a finger touches them, thereby detecting the position.

In such a touch panel, a transparent electrode is formed on each of two films to improve touch sensitivity and multi-sensing. In this case, the thickness of the touch panel is increased. In addition, the film and the substrate and the like may be laminated in a multi-layer, the transmittance may be lowered, and the manufacturing cost can be increased because the film on which the transparent electrode is generally formed depending on the import is expensive.

Meanwhile, in the touch panel, wirings for connecting the transparent electrode to an external circuit are positioned. In order to cover the wirings, a dummy area of 5 to 10 mm is required. This reduces the effective area and can limit the design.

Embodiments provide a touch panel capable of improving transmittance and reducing defects and manufacturing costs. Another object of the present invention is to provide a touch panel which can reduce a dummy area.

In one embodiment, a touch panel includes: a first substrate; A first transparent electrode formed on the first substrate in a first direction; A first wiring electrically connecting the first transparent electrode; A second substrate spaced apart from the first substrate; A second transparent electrode electrically insulated from the first transparent electrode and formed on a second substrate in a second direction crossing the first direction; And a second wiring electrically connecting the second transparent electrode.

The touch panel according to the embodiment may simplify the laminated structure of the touch panel to improve transmittance and reduce thickness and manufacturing cost.

In particular, by forming the transparent electrodes on different substrates and bonding them, the sensing can be made more sensitive, thereby improving the accuracy of the touch.

In addition, in the touch panel according to the embodiment, a transparent electrode is directly formed on the intermediate layer while improving transmittance, reflectance, and color difference (b *, yellowish) characteristics through an intermediate layer capable of index matching between the substrate and the transparent electrode. can do. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced while improving the transmittance. Furthermore, it is possible to make the transparent electrode formed of the transparent conductive material invisible by index matching. Thereby, the visibility of the display to which the touch panel is applied can be improved.

Meanwhile, in the touch panel according to the embodiment, the wiring may be formed to have a thin line width to implement a narrow dummy region. As a result, the area of the effective area can be widened and the diversity of designs can be ensured.

The method for manufacturing a touch panel according to the embodiment can manufacture a touch panel having the above-described effects.

1 is a schematic plan view of a touch panel according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1.
3 is an enlarged plan view of a portion A of FIG. 1.
4 is a cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to a second embodiment.

In the description of embodiments, each layer, region, pattern, or structure may be “on” or “under” the substrate, each layer, region, pad, or pattern. Substrate formed in ”includes all formed directly or through another layer. Criteria for the top / bottom or bottom / bottom of each layer will be described with reference to the drawings.

The thickness or the size of each layer (film), region, pattern or structure in the drawings may be modified for clarity and convenience of explanation, and thus does not entirely reflect the actual size.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A touch panel according to a first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. 1 is a schematic plan view of a touch panel according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a portion A of FIG. 1.

In the touch panel 100 according to the first embodiment, an effective area AA for detecting a position of an input device and a dummy area DA positioned outside the effective area AA are defined.

Here, the first and second transparent electrodes 42 and 44 may be formed in the effective area AA to detect the input device. In the dummy area DA, first and second wirings 52 and 54 and the first and second wirings 52 and 54 respectively connected to the first and second transparent electrodes 42 and 44 are connected to an external circuit. A printed circuit board (not shown, hereinafter same) connected to (not shown, hereinafter same) may be positioned. An outer dummy layer 20 may be formed in the dummy area DA, and a logo 20a may be formed in the outer dummy layer 20. The touch panel will be described in more detail as follows.

2 and 3, the outer dummy layer 20, the intermediate layer 30, and the first transparent electrode 42 are formed on the first substrate 10, and are spaced apart from the first substrate 10. The second transparent electrode 44 may be formed on the second substrate 60. First and second wirings 52 and 54 are connected to the first and second transparent electrodes 42 and 44, respectively, and a printed circuit board (not shown) is connected to the first and second wirings 52 and 54. None, the same below) may be connected. The anti-reflection layer 70 may be formed on the bottom surface 62 of the second substrate 60.

The first substrate 10 may be formed of various materials capable of supporting the outer dummy layer 20, the intermediate layer 30, the first transparent electrode 42, and the first wiring 52 formed thereon. . The first substrate 10 may be made of, for example, a glass substrate or a plastic substrate.

The outer dummy layer 20 is formed on the dummy area DA of the first surface (hereinafter referred to as “lower surface”) 12 of the first substrate 10. The outer dummy layer 20 may have a predetermined color so that the first and second wirings 52 and 54 and the printed circuit board are not visible from the outside. The outer dummy layer 20 may have a color suitable for a desired appearance, for example, black, including a black pigment. The outer dummy layer 20 may be formed through screen printing. However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and may be formed by various methods such as deposition. In addition, the outer dummy layer 20 may have a desired logo (reference numeral 20a of FIG. 1) or the like in various ways.

The intermediate layer 30 is formed on the lower surface 12 of the first substrate 10. The intermediate layer 30 may be formed on the entire surface of the lower surface 12.

The intermediate layer 30 may include a metal oxide or a metal fluoride, for example, magnesium fluoride, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, cerium fluoride, indium oxide, hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, lead oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide, and the like. Niobium oxide and the like. The intermediate layer 30 may have a specific refractive index to be index matching.

The intermediate layer 30 may be formed in a single layer or multiple layers to have a specific refractive index. For example, the intermediate layer 30 sequentially forms the high refractive index first layer 32 and the low refractive index second layer 34 on the first substrate 10 to improve the transmittance of the touch panel in the effective area AA. Can be improved.

For example, the first layer 32 may include high refractive index tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, niobium oxide, zirconium oxide, or lead oxide, and the second layer 34 may include silicon oxide having low refractive index. . For example, the refractive index of titanium oxide may be 2.2, the refractive index of niobium oxide is 2.4, and the refractive index of silicon oxide may be 1.4. In this case, the transmittance of the touch panel can be improved to 90% or more, preferably 92% or more, up to 99%. In addition, the plurality of first layers 32 and the second layers 34 may be alternately stacked.

The first transparent electrode 42 is formed on the intermediate layer 30. The first transparent electrode 42 may be formed in various shapes to detect whether an input device such as a finger is in contact.

In FIG. 2, the first transparent electrode 42 is formed on the intermediate layer 30, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. Thus, the first transparent electrode 42 may be directly formed on the first substrate 10.

Subsequently, a second transparent electrode 44 is formed on the second substrate 60 spaced apart from the first substrate 10. The second substrate 60 may include glass, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, and various films. The second transparent electrode 44 formed on the second substrate 60 may be formed in various shapes capable of detecting whether an input device such as a finger is in contact.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the first and second transparent electrodes 42 and 44 may include sensor parts 42a and 44a for detecting whether an input device such as a finger is in contact with the sensor parts 42a and 44a. And connecting portions 42b and 44b for connecting 44a). The connecting portion 42b of the first transparent electrode 42 connects the sensor portion 42a in the first direction (left and right directions in the drawing), and the connecting portion 44b of the second transparent electrode 44 is the sensor portion 44a. Connect in the second direction (up and down direction in the drawing).

When an input device such as a finger is in contact with such a touch panel, a difference in capacitance occurs at a portion where the input device contacts, and a portion where the difference is generated can be detected as a contact position. In the exemplary embodiment, the first and second transparent electrodes 42 and 44 have a structure applied to the capacitive touch panel, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, the first and second transparent electrodes 42 and 44 may be formed in a structure applied to the resistive touch panel.

The first and second transparent electrodes 42 and 44 may include a transparent conductive material to allow electricity to flow without disturbing the transmission of light. To this end, the first and second transparent electrodes 42 and 44 may be formed of indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, copper oxide, and carbon nano tube (CNT). And various materials.

Subsequently, a first wiring 52 electrically connecting the first transparent electrode 42 and a second wiring 54 electrically connecting the second transparent electrode 44 are formed. Since the first and second wires 52 and 54 are positioned in the dummy area DA, the first and second wires 52 and 54 may be made of a metal having excellent electrical conductivity.

On the other hand, a dummy region is formed to cover the first and second wirings 52 and 54, and there is a problem that the effective region AA is reduced and the design is limited due to the dummy region. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the first and second wirings 52 and 54 can be formed by a printing process or the like, and the line width thereof can be formed to be 80 um or less. As a result, a narrow dummy area can be realized by reducing the dummy area. This will be described in detail in the method of manufacturing a touch panel described later.

As described above, an optically clear adhesive (OCA) 80 is formed between the first and second substrates 10 and 60 on which the first and second transparent electrodes 42 and 44 are formed. The optically clear adhesive 80 may not only adhere the first and second substrates 10 and 60, but also may insulate the first and second transparent electrodes 42 and 44.

Subsequently, an anti-reflection layer 70 may be formed on at least one of the upper surface 11 of the first substrate 10 or the lower surface 62 of the second substrate 60. In the drawing, the anti-reflection layer 70 is formed only on the lower surface 62 of the second substrate 60, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. Therefore, the anti-reflection layer 70 may be formed only on the upper surface 11 of the first substrate 10, and in order to maximize the effect of the anti-reflection layer 70, the upper surface 11 and the second substrate of the first substrate 10 may be formed. It may be formed on both sides of the lower surface 62 of the (60).

The anti-reflection layer 70 serves to lower the reflectance of light in the visible region in order to prevent glare or reflection of the screen. In other words, the anti-reflection layer 70 can effectively reduce the adverse effects of reflection to provide excellent resolution and improve visibility. In addition, the transmittance of the touch panel may serve to improve 90% or more, preferably 92% or more, and up to 99%.

The anti-reflection layer 70 may include an oxide or fluoride having a refractive index of 1.35 to 2.7. The refractive index is determined to be a range suitable for antireflection, and the antireflection layer 70 may be formed by stacking one or more layers of materials having different refractive indices.

As the above-described oxide or fluoride, magnesium fluoride, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, cerium fluoride, indium oxide, hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, lead oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide, niobium oxide, or the like may be used.

In this case, the anti-reflection layer 70 may be formed by a sputtering or roll to roll process. Sputtering is a method in which ionized atoms are accelerated by an electric field to impinge on a thin film material, whereby the atoms of the thin film material are deposited. The roll-to-roll process refers to a process in which a material such as paper or film is wound on a roll and processed as it is.

Hereinafter, the touch panel according to the second exemplary embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4. For the sake of clarity and simplicity, detailed descriptions of parts that are the same as or similar to those of the first embodiment will be omitted, and only different parts will be described in detail.

In the touch panel 200 according to the second embodiment, the protective layer 90 is formed on the lower surface 62 of the second substrate 62. The protective layer 90 may serve as a protective layer for preventing damage to the second substrate 62 on which the second transparent electrode 44 is formed.

The protective layer 90 may include titanium oxide, niobium oxide, tantalum oxide, zirconium oxide, lead oxide, or the like having a high refractive index. The high refractive index protective layer 90 may be laminated in multiple layers to further improve transmittance. In addition, the protective layer 90 may be formed as a hard coating layer to prevent scratches.

Hereinafter, the manufacturing method of the touch panel according to the embodiment will be described in detail. For the sake of clarity and simplicity, the same or very similar parts to those described above will be omitted, and the different parts will be described in detail.

First, in the preparing of the first substrate, a glass substrate or a plastic substrate may be prepared.

And forming an intermediate layer on the first substrate. Such an intermediate layer may be formed by vapor deposition or the like. In this case, the intermediate layer may be formed by reactive sputtering. That is, by adding oxygen (O ₂ ) and / or nitrogen (N ₂ ) together with the inert gas (Ar, Ne) in the sputtering apparatus for the metal deposition source and the deposition target, the metal deposition source is oxidized and deposited on the deposition target. can do.

Subsequently, forming the first transparent electrode in the first direction in the intermediate layer. The first transparent electrode may be formed by deposition or the like, for example, may be formed by reactive sputtering. In this case, when the first transparent electrode is formed of indium tin oxide, the content of tin may be 10% or less. As a result, the transmittance may be improved, and then the indium tin compound may be crystallized by an annealing process to improve electrical conductivity. However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the first transparent electrode may be formed in various ways.

And forming a first wiring electrically connecting the first transparent electrode. The first wire may be formed including at least one of gravure off set, screen printing, gravure printing, and sputtering.

Gravure offset printing may be performed by filling a paste on a patterned intaglio and then performing a first transfer with a silicone rubber called a blanket, and then performing a second transfer by bringing the blanket and the conductive film into contact with the substrate.

Screen printing can be performed by placing the paste on a screen having a pattern, then placing the paste directly on the substrate on which the conductive film has been formed through a screen in which the space is left empty by pushing the squeegee.

Gravure printing may be performed by winding a blanket engraved with a pattern on a roll, filling a paste into a pattern, and transferring the resultant to a substrate on which a conductive film is formed.

As a result, the line width of the first wiring may be formed to be 80 μm or less. In addition, when forming a sputtering process for the line width of the thinner wiring, the wiring material may be sputter deposited and subjected to exposure, development, and etching processes. In this case, the first wiring may have a line width of 30 μm or less.

This reduces the bezel to cover the wiring, thereby increasing the variety of designs. In addition, since the wire has a thin line width, a large number of wires can be formed on the substrate even in a narrow bezel, thereby securing a resolution.

Subsequently, a second substrate spaced apart from the first substrate is prepared. In this step, glass, polyethylene terephthalate film, and various films may be prepared as the second substrate.

A second transparent electrode is formed on the second substrate in a second direction crossing the first direction. The method of forming the second transparent electrode may be formed by the same method as the method of forming the first transparent electrode described above.

Subsequently, a second wiring for electrically connecting the second transparent electrode can be formed. The method of forming the second wiring may be formed by the same method as the method of forming the first wiring described above.

Subsequently, bonding the first substrate and the second substrate. In this step, it can adhere through an optically clear adhesive.

After this step, an anti-reflection layer for lowering the reflectance of light or a protective layer for preventing damage to the touch panel may be further formed.

Through the manufacturing method of the touch panel, it is possible to more easily manufacture the touch panel to increase the accuracy and sensing sensitivity of the touch. That is, alignment of the first transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode is very important for the accuracy of the touch and the sensing sensitivity. The alignment process is easily performed by forming the first transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode on different substrates. can do. However, in the method of forming all the intermediate layers, the first and the second transparent electrodes, etc. in one substrate, the defect rate may increase because very high accuracy and precision are required in this alignment process.

The features, structures, effects and the like described in the foregoing embodiments are included in at least one embodiment of the present invention and are not necessarily limited to one embodiment. In addition, the features, structures, effects, and the like illustrated in the embodiments may be combined or modified with respect to other embodiments by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments belong. Therefore, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to these combinations and modifications.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It can be seen that various modifications and applications are possible. For example, each component specifically shown in the embodiments may be modified. It is to be understood that the present invention may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

10: first substrate
30: middle layer
42: first transparent electrode
60: second substrate
44: second transparent electrode
70: antireflection layer
90: protective layer

Claims (18)

A first substrate;
An intermediate layer disposed on the bottom surface of the first substrate;
A first transparent electrode formed on the intermediate layer in a first direction;
A first wiring electrically connecting the first transparent electrode;
A second substrate spaced apart from the first substrate;
A second transparent electrode electrically insulated from the first transparent electrode and formed on a second substrate in a second direction crossing the first direction; And
A second wiring electrically connecting the second transparent electrode
Touch panel comprising a.
delete The method of claim 1,
The intermediate layer may include at least one material selected from the group consisting of magnesium fluoride, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, cerium fluoride, indium oxide, hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, lead oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide, and niobium oxide. The method of claim 3,
A touch panel in which the intermediate layer is formed of a single layer or a multilayer. The method of claim 1,
And an optically clear adhesive (OCA) formed between the first substrate and the second substrate. The method of claim 1,
A touch panel having an antireflection layer formed on at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate. The method according to claim 6,
The anti-reflective layer includes at least one material selected from the group consisting of magnesium fluoride, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, cerium fluoride, indium oxide, hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, lead oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide, and niobium oxide. The method of claim 7, wherein
The anti-reflection layer is a touch panel formed of a single layer or multiple layers. The method of claim 1,
And the first substrate comprises glass. The method of claim 1,
The second substrate includes at least one material selected from the group consisting of glass and polyethylene (terephthalate, PET) film. The method of claim 1,
A touch panel having a protective layer formed on the second substrate. The method of claim 11,
The protective layer includes at least one of magnesium fluoride, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, cerium fluoride, indium oxide, hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, lead oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide and niobium oxide. The method of claim 12,
Touch panel wherein the protective layer is formed of a single layer or multiple layers. The method of claim 1,
The touch panel of which the line width of the said 1st and 2nd wiring is 80 micrometers or less. Preparing a first substrate;
Forming an intermediate layer on the first substrate;
Forming a first transparent electrode in a first direction on the intermediate layer;
Forming a first wiring electrically connecting the first transparent electrode;
Preparing a second substrate spaced apart from the first substrate;
Forming a second transparent electrode on the second substrate in a second direction crossing the first direction;
Forming a second wiring electrically connecting the second transparent electrode; And
And bonding the first substrate and the second substrate to each other.
delete 16. The method of claim 15,
The intermediate layer may include at least one material selected from the group consisting of magnesium fluoride, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, cerium fluoride, indium oxide, hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, lead oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide, and niobium oxide. Way. 16. The method of claim 15,
The forming of the first wiring and the forming of the second wiring include at least one of gravure off set, screen printing, gravure printing, and sputtering. The manufacturing method of the touch panel.

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