KR101796527B1 - Touch panel and method for preparing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of fabricating a single layer touch panel of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a single layer touch panel including a first patterned electrode formed by forming an isolation region along a first direction on a substrate and a second patterned electrode electrically insulated from the first patterned electrode, Forming an insulating layer, which is formed on the isolation region and which insulates the first pattern electrode and the second pattern electrode, and forming a second pattern electrode, which is connected to the second pattern electrode, And forming a trace electrode formed in a region outside the isolation region at the same time,
Wherein the step of forming the bridge and trace electrodes comprises the steps of: forming a photoresist layer on the first patterned electrode, the second patterned electrode and the layer on which the insulating layer is formed; forming a pattern on the photoresist layer , Depositing a conductive material on the pattern, and removing the photoresist.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a touch panel,

The present invention relates to a touch panel and a manufacturing method thereof.

A touch panel is an input device of a display, and typically includes a bank ATM, a navigation system, a mobile phone, etc., and inputs a command or graphic information designated by a user by generating a voltage or current signal corresponding to a position where a stylus pen or a finger is pressed .

The touch panel is divided into resistance film, electrostatic capacitance, surface ultrasonic wave conduction and infrared light type according to the technology of the sensing sensor. In recent years, among the flat panel display devices, the analog type resistive film type integrated with the liquid crystal panel and the capacitive type Touch panel is mainly used.

The electrodes formed on the touch panel are used to determine the presence or absence of contact input, detect input coordinates, and transmit signals to the touch sensor chip. This is because the signal input to the first and second pattern electrodes is a trace electrode It is based on the mechanism that is passed through. The first and second pattern electrodes including the bridge electrode are particularly required to display an image of the lower display panel. The trace electrode is required to have a low resistance in order to improve the signal transmission rate and the reaction rate. do. As a result, the pattern electrode including the bridge electrode and the trace electrode are formed by separate processes, and the manufacturing cost is increased.

Accordingly, there is a need for a touch panel manufacturing method capable of reducing the manufacturing process cost by reducing the manufacturing process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a touch panel and a method of manufacturing the same that can shorten the process to increase the process efficiency and reduce the cost.

The above and other objects of the present invention can be achieved by the present invention described below.

One aspect of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method of a touch panel.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a touch panel includes a first pattern electrode arranged on a substrate with a separation region formed along a first direction, and a second pattern electrode electrically insulated from the first pattern electrode, Forming an insulating layer which is formed in the isolation region and which insulates the first pattern electrode and the second pattern electrode from each other; And a bridge and a trace electrode forming step of simultaneously forming a bridge connecting a pattern electrode and a trace electrode formed in an area outside the isolation region,

Wherein the step of forming the bridge and trace electrodes comprises the steps of: forming a photoresist layer on the first patterned electrode, the second patterned electrode and the layer on which the insulating layer is formed; forming a pattern on the photoresist layer , Depositing a metallic material on the pattern, and removing the photoresist.

The metallic material may be an alloy containing at least two of silver (Ag), palladium (Pd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni) and chromium (Cr).

Wherein the electrode forming step comprises the steps of: forming a metal oxide layer on a substrate; forming a photoresist layer on the metal oxide layer; forming a photoresist layer on the metal oxide layer to form the first pattern electrode and the second pattern electrode; Patterning the resist layer, removing the metal oxide layer in the region where the pattern is not formed, and removing the photoresist layer.

Wherein the step of forming the insulating layer comprises: coating a photosensitive insulating material on a layer on which the first pattern electrode and the second pattern electrode are formed; and forming a first insulating layer on the first pattern electrode and the second pattern electrode, And patterning the photosensitive insulating material so that the photosensitive insulating material is patterned.

The step of forming the insulating layer may include forming an insulating layer by film-type transfer, screen printing, or ink-jet printing.

The manufacturing method of the touch panel may further include forming a protective layer on the layer on which the first pattern electrode and the second pattern electrode are formed.

The substrate may be a glass or a flexible film.

The substrate may be heat-treated.

The step of forming the photoresist layer may be formed by a method of coating a photoresist or a method of laminating a film-type photoresist.

The photoresist layer may comprise at least one selected from the group consisting of aromatic bisazides, methacrylic acid esters, cinnamic acid esters, poly (methyl methacrylate), naphthoquinone di Naphthoquinonediazide, polybutene-1 sulfone, diazonaphthoquinone-novolac resin (DNQ / NR), chemically amplified photoresist, KrF excimer laser resist, ArF excimer laser resist, An ArF resist into which a lactone ring is introduced, or an ArF dip resist.

The metal oxide may include at least one of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), ZnO, and TiO.

The insulating layer may be a photosensitive insulating material including at least one of an acrylic resin, a urethane resin, and a silicone resin.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a touch panel manufactured by the manufacturing method of the touch panel.

The present invention has the effect of providing a touch panel and a method of manufacturing the same that can shorten the process to increase the process efficiency and reduce the cost.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a method of manufacturing a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing one step of a manufacturing method of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a plan view schematically showing another step of a manufacturing method of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing another step of the manufacturing method of a touch panel according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the techniques disclosed in the present application are not limited to the embodiments described herein but may be embodied in other forms.

It should be understood, however, that the embodiments disclosed herein are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the width, thickness, and the like of the components are enlarged in order to clearly illustrate the components of each device. In addition, although only a part of the components is shown for convenience of explanation, those skilled in the art can easily grasp the rest of the components.

It is to be understood that when an element is described above as being located above or below another element, it is to be understood that the element may be directly on or under another element, It means that it can be done. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In the drawings, the same reference numerals denote substantially the same elements.

Meanwhile, the meaning of the terms described in the present application should be understood as follows. The terms " first " or " second " and the like are used to distinguish one element from another, and the scope of the right should not be limited by these terms.

For example, the first pattern electrode may be referred to as a second pattern electrode, and similarly, the second pattern electrode may also be referred to as a first pattern electrode.

In addition, the 'first direction' to 'second direction' used in the specification of the present invention sets an arbitrary direction that can be set in the multidimensional structure. In one embodiment, Means the X-direction or the Y-direction in the two-dimensional structure in which the two-pattern electrodes can vertically cross each other.

The 'separation region' is a region where the first and second pattern electrodes are formed, and is a region separated from a region where the trace electrode is formed.

It should be understood, however, that the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, and the terms "comprise" That does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof, .

Further, in carrying out the method or the manufacturing method, the respective steps of the method may take place differently from the stated order unless clearly specified in the context. That is, each process may occur in the same order as described, may be performed substantially concurrently, or may be performed in the opposite order.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.

One aspect of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method of a touch panel.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a method of manufacturing a single-layer touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a sectional view taken along line I-I 'of FIG.

1, the method of manufacturing the touch panel includes a first pattern electrode 21 formed by forming an isolation region along a first direction on a substrate 10, and a second pattern electrode 21 electrically insulated from the first pattern electrode 21 And a second pattern electrode (22) formed on the isolation region, the first pattern electrode (21) and the second pattern electrode (22) being formed in the isolation region, And forming a bridge and a trace electrode for simultaneously forming a bridge (40) connecting the second pattern electrode (22) and a trace electrode (41) formed in an area outside the isolation region ≪ / RTI >

The step of forming the bridge and trace electrodes includes the steps of forming a photoresist layer 80 on the layer on which the first pattern electrode 21, the second pattern electrode 22 and the insulating layer 30 are formed, Forming a pattern in the photoresist layer 80 to form a photoresist layer (not shown) and a trace electrode 41, depositing a metallic material on the pattern, and removing the photoresist 80.

Each step will be described in detail below.

Electrode formation step

Hereinafter, the electrode forming step will be described with reference to Fig. 1 (a) and Fig. 1 (a) is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an electrode forming step of forming a first pattern electrode 21 and a second pattern electrode 22, and Fig. 2 is a cross- A plan view in which the electrode 22 is formed is shown briefly.

The first pattern electrode 21 is formed in the first direction in the isolation region and the second pattern electrode 22 is formed in the isolation region in the second direction and electrically connected to each other by a bridge to be described later, And is electrically insulated from the electrode 21. The first pattern electrode 21 and the second pattern electrode 22 have a function of detecting presence or absence of contact input, detecting input coordinates, and transmitting a signal to the touch sensor chip.

The first and second pattern electrodes 21 and 22 may have a rhombic shape as illustrated in FIG. 2, but are not limited thereto. For example, the first and second pattern electrodes 21 and 22 may be formed in various shapes such as a rectangular shape, an octagonal shape, a circular shape, an elliptical shape, or a polygonal shape having an uneven portion. Further, The shape is not necessarily limited thereto as long as the characteristic can be realized. In addition, the cross section of the fine lines constituting the first and second pattern electrodes 21 and 22 may be a square, a triangle, a semicircle, a semi-ellipse, or the like.

The first and second pattern electrodes 21 and 22 may be formed on the substrate 10. The substrate 10 may have a curved surface or a planar structure for providing a space for forming the first pattern electrode 21 and the second pattern electrode 22 and for forming the outer periphery of the mobile device.

The substrate 10 may be a glass or a flexible film.

The glass may be a glass for a liquid crystal display element, a substrate for an organic EL display element, a color filter substrate, a solar cell substrate, or the like.

The flexible film may use a polymer. Specific examples of the polymer include a polycarbonate (PC) resin, a (meth) acrylic resin, a polyester resin, a polyether sulfone (PES) resin, a cellulose ester resin, a benzocyclobutene BCB) resin, and a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The substrate 10 may be a heat-treated polymer for enhancing durability and preventing heat shrinkage. For example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films heat treated at 120 ° C to 140 ° C may be used, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

In an embodiment, the electrode forming step comprises the steps of forming a metal oxide layer on the substrate 10, forming a photoresist layer on the metal oxide layer, forming the metal oxide layer on the first pattern electrode < Patterning the photoresist layer to form a patterned portion, removing the metal oxide layer in the region where the pattern is not formed, and removing the photoresist layer. At this time, the first and second pattern electrodes 21 and 22 may be formed as a single layer on the substrate 10.

The step of forming the metal oxide layer on the substrate 10 may form the metal oxide layer by a method such as sputtering, e-beam, and the like, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

The metal oxide may include at least one of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), ZnO, and TiO.

The step of forming the photoresist layer on the metal oxide layer may be performed by a method of coating a photoresist or a method of laminating a film-type photoresist.

The photoresist may be coated by, for example, depositing a photoresist composition at the center of the substrate and rotating the substrate at a high speed (about 3,000 rpm). The step of coating the photoresist may control the thickness of the photoresist to be coated in order to control the thickness of the pattern to be formed. The photoresist layer 80 may be formed by a method of laminating a film-type photoresist.

The step of patterning the photoresist layer to form the first pattern electrode and the second pattern electrode may be formed by a conventional photoresist pattern forming method. For example, the photoresist layer formed on the metal oxide layer can be formed by exposure and development using a photomask. Specifically, a method of forming a photoresist pattern includes coating a substrate with a photoresist that is cured or decomposed by UV light, irradiating the photoresist with a UV light source to cure or decompose the irradiated photoresist portion, Or may be a method of selectively developing while leaving a portion other than the pattern to be formed.

The photoresist may be selected from the group consisting of aromatic bisazides, methacrylic acid esters, cinnamic acid esters, poly (methyl methacrylate), naphthoquinonediazides Naphthoquinonediazide, polybutene-1 sulfone, diazonaphthoquinone-novolak resin (DNQ / NR), chemically amplified photoresist, KrF excimer laser resists, ArF excimer laser resists, A ring-introduced ArF resist, or an ArF immersion resist. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

The photoresist is applicable to both a positive type and a negative type in response to a UV light source, and includes both a liquid and a film formed product.

The laser beam may be a g-line, an i-line, a KrF laser, or an ArF laser. The laser beam may be an Extreme Ultra Violet Lithography (EUVL) It can also be used.

Most of the developing step for selectively removing the photoresist may use a water-soluble alkali solution, but it is not necessarily limited thereto. As an example of the water-soluble alkali solution, an aqueous solution of KOH and TMAH (TetraMethyl-Ammonium-Hydroxide) may be used, but is not limited thereto. In general, the development time is about 60 seconds, but it may be advantageous to reduce development time if the thickness of the photosensitive agent is low.

In addition, soft baking can be performed at a low temperature to remove residual organic solvent after forming the photoresist pattern, and post-exposure baking (PEB) can be performed. After the development, Finally, a hard bake can be performed.

The step of removing the metal oxide layer in the region where the pattern is not formed may be, for example, an etching method. Specifically, an etchant for etching includes a waxy (HCl + HNO ₃ ) etchant, an etchant consisting of one selected from hydrochloric acid, weak acid and alcohol, an iron chloride (FeCl ₃ ) etchant, A chloride etchant, and the like may be used, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The step of removing the photoresist layer may be performed by a lift-off method. The lift-off step may be a physical or chemical method.

Chemical methods of lift-off include acetone, trichlorethylene (TCE), phenol-based strippers (Indus-Ri-Chem J-100), methyl ether ketone methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK), and the like.

Physical methods of the lift-off include plasma etching with oxygen (O 2) or stripping using Shipley 1165 stripper (n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone) a stripper may be used but is not limited thereto.

In another embodiment, the electrode forming step includes forming a photoresist layer on the substrate to form a photoresist layer, forming a pattern on the photoresist layer to form a first pattern electrode and a second pattern electrode, Filling the pattern with a conductive material, and removing the photoresist.

The step of forming the photoresist layer, the step of forming a pattern in the photoresist layer to form the first pattern electrode and the second pattern electrode, and the step of removing the photoresist, Is substantially the same as the electrode forming step described in the example. Hereinafter, the step of filling the conductive material will be mainly described.

As a method of filling the conductive material, a squeezer, a wet plating, a dry deposition, an inlay, and a printing method may be used. In addition, a conductive material filling method may be included.

In the method using the above-described squeegee, a method in which a conductive material is injected into the substrate having the photoresist mask formed thereon at a low rate and then the substrate is solidified by applying a high voltage thereto may be used. It is a method to control the occurrence of casting defects by applying high pressure to the solidification process in which the conductive material changes volume and to realize high quality with improved resistance and strength. When a squeezer is used, gas bubbles can be largely removed, mechanical properties (strength) are improved, and adhesion with other materials is advantageous.

The conductive material may be a conventionally used conductive paste. Specifically, the conductive material may be a sol, gel, or liquid ink including conductive particles and a binder for fixing the conductive particles, and other possible conductive and fillable materials may be used. For example, the conductive particles may include at least one of indium tin oxide (ITO), zinc tin oxide (ZTO), carbon nanotube (CNT) Silver paste, silver nano wire, silver compound, silver complex, copper compound, copper complex, gold, silver, copper, Aluminum, nickel, graphene, and a conductive polymer. Of these, indium tin oxide (ITO) is preferably used, but not always limited thereto. In the case of indium tin oxide (ITO), there is an advantage of improving the visibility.

The average particle diameter of the conductive particles may be 1 nm to 5 탆, for example, 10 nm to 5 탆. And may vary according to the fine pitch and desired conductivity to be implemented within the above range. Advantageous for improving visibility and conductivity.

The binder may include at least one of alkyl, amine, acrylic, urethane, silicone, and ethylene resins. For example, the binder may be dissolved in an organic solvent, and the conductive paste may be in the form of a sol, gel, or liquid ink in which the conductive particles are dispersed in an organic solvent in which the binder is dissolved.

In the conductive paste, the content of the conductive particles may be 60 to 80% by weight, the content of the binder may be 10 to 20% by weight, and the content of the solvent may be 10 to 20% by weight, .

The wet plating method may be an electroplating method or an electroless plating method.

In one embodiment, an electroplating method may be used in which a positive electrode and a negative electrode are placed in a solution containing at least one metal ion among gold, silver, copper, and nickel, and a metal is precipitated by performing oxidation-reduction reaction through electricity.

In another embodiment, an electroless plating method may be employed in which metal ions in a metal salt aqueous solution are precipitated into a metal by a reducing agent without being supplied with external electric energy. The reducing agent may be formaldehyde or hydrazine, but is not limited thereto.

CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) and PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) may be used as the dry deposition method. In the case of using plasma CVD, since the indium (In) precipitates due to non-stochiometry due to oxygen deficiency during deposition, blackening phenomenon occurs. Therefore, in order to improve the electrical conductivity and light transmittance, Heat treatment can be performed for 4 minutes. PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition), vacuum deposition, ion plating, etc. can be used.

The step of filling the conductive paste may further include drying and curing the conductive paste. Specifically, the curing may be thermosetting, ultraviolet curing or catalytic curing. For example, thermosetting is a reaction curing at 80 ° C to 150 ° C, and a curing agent and a catalyst are mixed with a resin having a functional group such as a hydroxyl group or a carboxyl group.

Insulating layer  Forming step

Hereinafter, the insulating layer forming step will be described with reference to FIG. 1 (b) and FIG. 1B is a sectional view schematically showing a step of forming an insulating layer 30 on a substrate 10 on which a first pattern electrode 21 and a second pattern electrode are formed and FIG. 30 are schematically shown. The insulating layer 30 is formed in the isolation region 15 and functions to electrically isolate the first pattern electrode 21 and the second pattern electrode 22. [

The step of forming the insulating layer 30 may include a step of coating a photosensitive insulating material on the layer on which the first pattern electrode 21 and the second pattern electrode 22 are formed and a step of patterning the first pattern electrode and the second pattern electrode And patterning the photosensitive insulating material so as to be insulated.

A photosensitive insulating material used for the insulating layer 30 may be used. As the insulating layer 30, an acrylic resin, a urethane resin, a silicone resin, or the like may be used. These insulating materials may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The insulating layer 30 may be formed to have a uniform thickness on the intersection of the first and second pattern electrodes 21 and 22. The insulating layer 30 may be formed as in the prior art or may be formed by electrodeposition in another embodiment.

According to one embodiment, the step of forming the insulating layer 30 may use a photolithography method. In an embodiment, the photolithography method can use a photosensitive insulating material. Specifically, the step of forming the insulating layer 30 using the photolithography method includes a step of coating a photosensitive insulating material on the layer on which the first pattern electrode 21 and the second pattern electrode 22 are formed, And patterning the photosensitive insulating material so that the first pattern electrode 21 and the second pattern electrode 22 are insulated from each other. The step of coating and patterning the photosensitive insulating material can be performed by a conventional photolithography method and the thickness thereof can be adjusted.

According to another embodiment, the step of forming the insulating layer 30 may include forming an insulating layer by a method of film type transfer, screen printing, or inkjet printing. According to the above method, there is an effect of reducing the material.

The film-time transfer can use, for example, a thermal transfer film to form an insulating layer.

The screen printing method is a method for printing and forming patterns on an object through a screen plate in which a plurality of thin holes are formed in a desired shape and is used for patterning electronic parts such as a wiring board and a display. The material can be applied. Specifically, the insulating layer 40 is formed by using the above-described photosensitive insulating material, setting the clearance of the screen plate on the object blank, pressing the screen plate with the squeegee so that the screen plate and the object come in contact with each other, Thereby enabling pattern driving.

The inkjet printing method may be a piezo method, a heating method, a bubble jet method, or the like, but is not limited thereto.

According to a specific example, the insulating layer 30 may be formed to have a thickness of 0.1 탆 to 5 탆, which may be configured to have a reduced thickness than a conventional insulating layer. It is advantageous in improving the visibility of the touch panel in the thickness range and advantageously in terms of the structural reliability of the second pattern electrode 22.

Bridge and Trace electrode  Forming step

FIGS. 1 (c), 1 (d), 1 (e), 1 (f) and 4 schematically illustrate the steps of forming the bridge and trace electrodes according to embodiments of the present invention. 1 (c) to 1 (f) show cross-sectional views of the steps of forming the bridge 40 and the trace electrode 41, and FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the bridge 40 and the trace electrode 41 .

The bridge 40 is formed on the layer on which the insulating layer 30 is formed, and electrically connects the second pattern electrodes 22 to each other.

At least one of the position, size or shape of the bridge 40 may not be limited.

The bridge 40 can be manufactured in the shape of a rod or a strip.

Also, as shown in Figures 1 and 4 of the present invention, the bridge 40 can be made conductive and its shape can be in the form of a rectangular bar, It is not limited. In other embodiments, the end portions of the bridge 40 exposed by the insulating layer 30 may have a width that is wider than the other portions (for example, a pinnate shape).

The trace electrode 41 is a plurality of lines formed on the edges of the first and second pattern electrodes 21 and 22 to receive an electric signal from the first and second pattern electrodes 21 and 22. And may be formed in a pattern as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 as an embodiment, but it is not necessarily limited thereto.

The present invention has the effect of shortening the process by simultaneously forming the bridge (40) and the trace electrode (41) by a single process, thereby reducing the cost.

Specifically, the step of forming the bridge and trace electrodes includes the steps of forming a photoresist layer 80 on the layer on which the first pattern electrode 21, the second pattern electrode 22 and the insulating layer 30 are formed (See FIG. 1 (e)); forming a pattern on the photoresist layer 80 to form bridge and trace electrodes (see FIG. 1 (d)); depositing a metallic material on the pattern And removing the photoresist 80 (see FIG. 1 (f)).

The step of forming a photoresist layer 80 on the layer on which the first pattern electrode 21, the second pattern electrode 22 and the insulating layer 30 are formed (see FIG. 1 (c) Forming a photoresist layer in the electrode forming step, and forming a photoresist layer in the electrode forming step, except for forming the photoresist layer on the layer on which the first pattern electrode 21, the second pattern electrode 22 and the insulating layer 30 are formed, .

The step of forming a pattern in the photoresist layer 80 to form the bridge and trace electrodes (see FIG. 1 (d)) is similar to the step of forming the trace 40 except that the pattern is a pattern for forming the bridge 40 and the trace electrode 41 Is substantially the same as the step of forming the pattern in the photoresist layer 80 in the electrode forming step.

When forming the pattern, the thickness and / or width of the bridge 40 can be controlled to increase the visibility of the touch panel. Specifically, the thickness of the bridge 40 may be 0.1 占 퐉 to 50 占 퐉, specifically, 0.5 占 퐉 to 30 占 퐉. Further, the width of the bridge 40 may be 0.1 占 퐉 to 40 占 퐉, specifically 0.1 占 퐉 to 30 占 퐉. In the above-mentioned range, the touch panel has a good balance of visibility and conductivity.

(Chemical Vapor Deposition) and PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) may be used for the step of depositing the metallic material on the pattern (see FIG. 1 (e)). PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition), vacuum deposition, cathode sputtering, ion plating, etc. can be used. For example, a metallic material can be deposited by the method of sputtering. In the case of depositing a metallic material, in order to increase the conductivity of the bridge 40 and the trace electrode 41, the thickness at which the metallic material is deposited may be 0.1 탆 to 50 탆, specifically 0.5 탆 to 30 탆. The conductivity of the bridge 40 and the trace electrode 41 is excellent in the above range, and the performance of the touch panel can be improved.

In an embodiment, the metallic material may be an alloy comprising two or more of silver (Ag), palladium (Pd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni) and chromium (Cr). For example, in terms of conductivity and stability, the metallic material may be, but is not limited to, silver-palladium-copper alloy (APC).

The step of removing the photoresist 80 (see FIG. 1 (f)) is substantially the same as the method of removing the photoresist in the electrode formation step.

Step of forming protective layer

Although not shown, the manufacturing method of the touch panel may further include forming a protective layer on the layer on which the first pattern electrode 21 and the second pattern electrode 22 are formed.

Specifically, a protective layer may be formed on the surface of the bridge 40 and the first and second pattern electrodes 21 and 22 and / or the trace electrode 41, A heat resistant material can be preferably applied to prevent scratches or other damage to the second pattern electrodes 21 and 22 and to prevent exposure to high temperatures. The protective layer may be made of a transparent and insulating ceramic material as a specific example having the above-described characteristics. More specifically, the protective layer may be made of a liquid type or a film type material having transparency and insulation.

As the protective layer, for example, an acrylic resin, a urethane resin, a silicone resin, or the like may be used, and these may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The protective layer may also be formed on the substrate 10 so as to cover the first and second pattern electrodes 21 and 22 through a laminating process such that the bridge 40 and the trace electrode 41 are formed And then formed on the layer on which the bridge 40 and the trace electrode 41 are formed.

Touch panel

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a single layer touch panel.

The single layer touch panel may be manufactured by one of the single layer touch panel manufacturing methods.

In an embodiment, the thickness of the bridge and trace electrodes of the touch panel may be 0.1 占 퐉 to 20 占 퐉, preferably 0.1 占 퐉 to 19 占 퐉, and more preferably 0.1 占 퐉 to 18 占 퐉. In addition, the pattern electrode of the touch panel manufactured by the above method may have a gap of 0.5 탆 to 150 탆, preferably 0.5 탆 to 140 탆, more preferably 0.5 탆 to 130 탆. There is an advantage that resistance reduction and visibility are improved in the above-mentioned range.

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. It is to be understood, therefore, that the embodiments described above are intended to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive.

100: touch panel 10: substrate
15: isolation region 21: first pattern electrode
22: second pattern electrode 30: insulating layer
40: bridge 41: trace electrode
50: Protective layer

Claims (13)

A first pattern electrode formed on the base material with an isolation region formed along a first direction and a second pattern electrode electrically insulated from the first pattern electrode and arranged in the isolation region along a second direction ;
Forming an insulating layer on the isolation region, the insulating layer insulating the first pattern electrode and the second pattern electrode; And
A bridge and a trace electrode forming step of forming a bridge connecting the second pattern electrode and a trace electrode formed in an area outside the isolation region;
Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the forming of the bridge and trace electrodes comprises:
Forming a photoresist layer on the first patterned electrode, the second patterned electrode, and the layer on which the insulating layer is formed;
Forming a pattern in the photoresist layer to form bridge and trace electrodes;
Depositing a metallic material on the pattern;
Removing the photoresist;
The method of manufacturing a touch panel according to claim 1,
Wherein the metallic material is an alloy including at least two of silver (Ag), palladium (Pd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and chromium (Cr).
delete The method according to claim 1,
Forming a metal oxide layer on the substrate;
Forming a photoresist layer on the metal oxide layer;
Patterning the photoresist layer such that the metal oxide layer forms a first pattern electrode and a second pattern electrode;
Removing the metal oxide layer in a region where the pattern is not formed; And
Removing the photoresist layer;
The method comprising the steps of:
The method of claim 1, wherein forming the insulating layer comprises:
Coating a photosensitive insulating material on a layer on which the first pattern electrode and the second pattern electrode are formed; And
Patterning the photosensitive insulating material so that the first pattern electrode and the second pattern electrode are insulated from each other in the isolation region;
The method comprising the steps of:
The manufacturing method of a touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the insulating layer is formed by a film type transfer, a screen printing, or an inkjet printing method.
The manufacturing method of a touch panel according to claim 1, further comprising forming a protective layer on a layer on which the first pattern electrode and the second pattern electrode are formed.
The method of manufacturing a touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is glass or a flexible film.
The method of manufacturing a touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is heat-treated.
4. The method of claim 1 or 3, wherein forming the photoresist layer comprises:
A method of coating a photoresist or a method of laminating a film-type photoresist.
4. The method of claim 1 or 3, wherein the photoresist layer is selected from the group consisting of aromatic bisazides, methacrylic acid esters, cinnamic acid esters, poly (methyl methacrylates) (methyl methacrylate), naphthoquinonediazide, polybutene-1 sulfone, diazonaphthoquinone-novolak resin (DNQ / NR), chemically amplified photoresist, A KrF excimer laser resist, an ArF excimer laser resist, an ArF resist into which a lactone ring is introduced, or an ArF dip resist.
The method of claim 3, wherein the metal oxide comprises at least one of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), ZnO, and TiO.
The method of claim 1, wherein the insulating layer is a photosensitive insulating material containing at least one of acrylic resin, urethane resin, and silicone resin.
A touch panel manufactured by the method according to claim 1.

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