KR101985894B1 - Touch screen panel and method of fabricating the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a touch screen panel and a method of manufacturing the same, comprising: an electrode unit including a plurality of first electrode patterns and a plurality of second electrode patterns; A routing wiring section comprising a first routing wiring and a second routing wiring; A pad portion including a first pad electrode and a second pad electrode, wherein a mesh metal pattern having a mesh structure is formed on the plurality of first electrode patterns, and the first routing wire is formed of a routing wire pattern of a transparent electrode material; It is characterized by consisting of a metal wiring pattern of a low resistance metal material.

Description

TOUCH SCREEN PANEL AND METHOD OF FABRICATING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to a touch screen panel and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a touch screen panel and a method of manufacturing the same for improving an alignment process error.

Recently, as the information society develops, the demand for the display field is increasing in various forms, and in response, various flat panel display devices, for example, liquid crystal, which have features such as thinning, light weight, and low power consumption Liquid crystal display devices, plasma display panel devices, electroluminescent display devices, and the like have been studied.

In addition, a touch screen having a touch panel attached to a display panel of a display device is in the spotlight.

The touch screen is used as an output means for displaying an image and is used as an input means for inputting a user's command by touching a specific portion of the displayed image, and according to the position information detection method, a resistive film type, a capacitive type, It may be classified into an infrared method, an ultrasonic method, and the like.

That is, when the user touches the touch panel while viewing the image displayed on the display panel, the touch panel detects the position information of the corresponding portion and recognizes the user's command by comparing the detected position information with the position information of the image.

1 and 2 are views referred to to explain the metal patterning process of the conventional manufacturing process of the touch screen panel. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion cut along the cutting line II-II 'of FIG.

In the metal patterning process of the conventional touch screen panel, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the plurality of connection patterns 11 and the first and second routing wires are formed on the transparent substrate 10 through a first mask process. TL and RL, and first and second pad electrodes 52 and 54 are formed.

In this case, the plurality of connection patterns 11, the first and second routing lines TL and RL, and the first and second pad electrodes 52 and 54 are formed on the transparent substrate 10 through the same process. For example, it may be formed of a metal having excellent conductivity such as aluminum (Al) and copper (Cu).

Here, the plurality of connection patterns 11 serve to electrically connect neighboring first electrode patterns to be formed later.

3 and 4 are views referred to for explaining the insulating film patterning process of the conventional manufacturing process of the touch screen panel. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion cut along the cutting line IV-IV 'of FIG.

In the insulating film patterning process of the conventional touch screen panel, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the plurality of connection patterns 11, the first and second routing lines TL and RL, and The insulating film 20 is formed over the first and second pad electrodes 52 and 54.

In this case, the insulating layer 20 has openings for exposing the first and second contact holes CH1 and CH2 and the first and second pad electrodes 52 and 54 respectively corresponding to both ends of the connection pattern 11. OA) is formed.

The insulating film 20 is made of silicon nitride (SiNx) or the like, and the thickness of the insulating film 20 is preferably 5,000 kPa to 7,000 kPa.

5 and 6 are views referred to to explain the electrode patterning process of the conventional manufacturing process of the touch screen panel.

In the electrode patterning process of the conventional touch screen panel, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, a plurality of first electrode patterns 12 and second electrode patterns 14 are formed on the insulating film 20 through a third mask process. Is formed.

Here, since the first electrode pattern 12 is formed separately from each other, the first electrode pattern 12 is electrically connected to the connection pattern 12 of FIG. 1 through the first and second contact holes (CH1 and CH2 of FIG. 4) formed in the insulating film 20. Connected to each other and arranged side by side in a first direction (horizontal direction) to form a first electrode string.

On the other hand, the plurality of second electrode patterns 14 are connected to each other through a connection electrode 16 made of the same material, and are arranged side by side in a second direction (vertical direction) to form a second electrode string.

As described above, the conventional touch screen panel includes a routing wiring part including an electrode part, first and second routing wires RL and TL, and a pad part including first and second pad electrodes 52 and 54. .

For example, the electrode unit may include a first electrode pattern 12 and a second electrode pattern 14 having a rhombus shape.

In addition, the plurality of first electrode patterns 12 and the second electrode patterns 14 and the plurality of connection electrodes 16 formed on the electrode part may be made of the same material, for example, indium tin oxide (ITO). Can be.

The routing wiring part is formed outside the electrode part, and the first routing wire TL connects the first electrode pattern 12 and the first pad electrode 52, and the second routing wire RL is connected to the second electrode pattern ( 14) and the second pad electrode 54 to connect.

In the manufacturing process of the conventional touch screen panel, two alignment processes were required before the insulating film patterning process and before the electrode patterning process.

On the other hand, in recent years, a process for manufacturing a touch sensor on a flexible substrate such as PET using a roll-to-roll process has been developed.

In this case, when the electrode pattern of the diamond structure (Diamond structure) is applied to the electrode portion of the touch screen panel, the first and second electrode patterns can be formed on the cross-section of the substrate, so that a touch sensor can be manufactured on the flexible substrate. have.

However, since the interval between the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern in the conventional touch screen panel is 5 ~ 10㎛, it was required to be precise during the alignment process.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, by aligning the process error by repeating the ashing and etching process using a multi-stage pattern formed by the electrode layer, the insulating layer and the metal layer at the same time and through the imprinting process An object of the present invention is to provide a touch screen panel and a method of manufacturing the same.

In order to achieve the above object, a touch screen panel includes: an electrode unit including a plurality of first electrode patterns and a plurality of second electrode patterns; A routing wiring section comprising a first routing wiring and a second routing wiring; A pad portion including a first pad electrode and a second pad electrode, wherein a mesh metal pattern having a mesh structure is formed on the plurality of second electrode patterns, and the first routing wire is formed of a routing wire pattern of a transparent electrode material; It is characterized by consisting of a metal wiring pattern of a low resistance metal material.

The plurality of first electrode patterns may be connected to each other by a connection electrode made of the transparent electrode material, and the plurality of second electrode patterns may be connected by a bridge pattern.

The bridge pattern may include a bridge metal pattern made of a low resistance metal and a bridge insulation pattern formed under the bridge metal pattern.

In addition, the connection electrode may be formed under the bridge insulation pattern in an intersection area between the bridge pattern and the connection electrode.

Method of manufacturing a touch screen panel according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object comprises the steps of depositing an electrode layer, an insulating layer and a metal layer on a transparent substrate; Forming first to third resin patterns on the metal layer through an imprinting process; The metal layer, the insulating layer, and the metal layer are etched by using the first to third resin patterns as masks, and the first to third metal patterns, the first to third insulating patterns, and the first and second electrode patterns. Forming a routing wiring pattern; Ashing the first resin pattern and etching a third metal pattern and a third insulating pattern to expose the routing wiring pattern; Etching a portion of the second resin pattern and the third resin pattern and etching the second metal pattern to form a bridge metal pattern and a mesh metal pattern; Disconnecting the first electrode pattern and the second metal pattern and etching a part of the first insulating pattern and the second insulating pattern.

The first to third resin patterns may have different heights. For example, the first resin pattern may be formed to have a first height, and the second resin pattern may have a second height higher than the first height. The third resin pattern may be formed of one end of the second height and two ends of the fourth height.

In the forming of the first to third metal patterns, the first to third insulating patterns, the first electrode pattern, the second electrode pattern, and the routing wiring pattern, the routing wiring part may include the third metal pattern and the first wiring pattern. A third insulating pattern and the routing wiring pattern are formed, and first and second metal patterns, first and second insulating patterns, and first and second electrode patterns are formed in an electrode part, and the first electrode pattern is formed. The second electrode pattern is preferably connected to each other by a connection electrode pattern.

Meanwhile, in the etching of a part of the first insulating pattern and the second insulating pattern, a portion of the second insulating pattern may be ashed to form a bridge insulating pattern under the bridge metal pattern.

In the disconnecting of the first electrode pattern and the second metal pattern, a connection electrode connecting the adjacent first electrode pattern by removing a part of the connection electrode pattern of the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern is formed. Can be formed.

The method may further include forming a metal wiring pattern on the routing wiring pattern.

As described above, in the touch screen panel and the method of manufacturing the same according to the present invention, the electrode layer, the insulating layer, and the metal layer are sequentially deposited, and the ashing and etching processes are repeated using a multi-stage pattern formed through an imprinting process. Align process error can be solved.

In addition, the method for manufacturing a touch screen panel according to the present invention is suitable for manufacturing a touch sensor on a flexible substrate using a roll-to-roll process.

In addition, as the metal mesh structure is applied to the plurality of electrode patterns forming one electrode string, the overall resistance may be reduced to improve the performance of the touch sensor.

1 and 2 are views referred to to explain the metal patterning process of the conventional manufacturing process of the touch screen panel.
3 and 4 are views referred to for explaining the insulating film patterning process of the conventional manufacturing process of the touch screen panel.
5 and 6 are views referred to to explain the electrode patterning process of the conventional manufacturing process of the touch screen panel.
7 is a schematic view of a touch screen panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is an enlarged enlarged view of a portion A of FIG. 7 and is a view referred to for describing an electrode unit in a touch screen panel according to the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion taken along the cutting line VII-VII 'of FIG. 8; FIG.
FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion taken along the cutting line VII-VII 'of FIG. 8; FIG.
11A to 11F are views referred to for describing a manufacturing process of a touch screen panel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

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

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating a touch screen panel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged view illustrating part A of FIG. 7 and is referred to for describing an electrode unit in the touch screen panel according to the present invention. It is a drawing.

As shown in FIG. 7, the touch screen panel according to the present invention includes an electrode portion, a routing wiring portion, and a pad portion including a first pad electrode 152 and a second pad electrode 154.

For example, the electrode unit may include a first electrode pattern 112 and a second electrode pattern 114 having a rhombus shape.

Here, the first electrode patterns 112 are connected to each other through a connection electrode 116 made of the same material, and are arranged side by side in a second direction (vertical direction) to form a first electrode string.

On the other hand, the plurality of second electrode patterns 114 are formed to be separated from each other, arranged side by side in the first direction (horizontal direction) and connected by the bridge pattern (BP) to form a second electrode string.

In addition, the plurality of first electrode patterns 112, the second electrode patterns 114, and the plurality of connection electrodes 116 formed on the electrode unit may be formed of the same material, for example, indium tin oxide (ITO). Can be.

Meanwhile, in the touch screen panel according to the present invention, a mesh metal pattern (138 in FIG. 8) having a mesh structure is formed on the second electrode pattern 114.

In detail, as shown in FIG. 8, the touch screen panel according to the present invention includes a mesh metal pattern 138 having a metal mesh structure on top of the plurality of second electrode patterns 114 constituting the second electrode string. Forming.

In this case, signals for driving the touch screen panel may be applied to the first electrode pattern 112 and the mesh metal pattern 138, respectively.

However, in the touch screen panel according to the present invention, the length of the second electrode string is longer than the first electrode string and the second electrode string.

As a result, the resistance of the plurality of second electrode patterns 114 constituting the long second electrode string is relatively high.

Therefore, in the touch screen panel according to the present invention, a mesh metal pattern 138 having a nano mesh structure is formed on the plurality of second electrode patterns 114 in order to differentially lower the resistance caused by the long second electrode string.

That is, the touch screen panel according to the present invention can reduce the overall resistance by forming a mesh metal pattern of the nano-mesh structure instead of the ITO electrode of the plurality of electrode patterns forming the second long electrode string, and as a result touch The performance of the screen panel can also be improved.

Referring to FIG. 7 again, the routing line part of the touch screen panel according to the present invention is formed on the outer side of the electrode part and includes a first routing line TL and a second routing line RL.

Here, the first routing line TL connects the first electrode pattern 112 and the first pad electrode 152, and the second routing line RL connects the second electrode pattern 114 and the second pad electrode ( 154).

In this case, the first routing line TL may be formed of two stages of an ITO wiring pattern and a metal wiring pattern, and the second routing line RL may be formed of three stages of an ITO wiring pattern, an insulated wiring pattern, and a metal wiring pattern. Can be.

In addition, the first and second pad electrodes 152 and 154 may be formed on the transparent substrate through the same process. For example, the first and second pad electrodes 152 and 154 may be formed of a metal having excellent conductivity such as aluminum (Al) and copper (Cu).

Meanwhile, in the touch screen panel according to the present invention, the first routing line TL may form a metallization pattern on the routing line pattern by performing a plating process. This will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 11D.

Herein, the plating process is performed on the first routing line TL. For example, the plating process is not limited thereto. The plating process may be performed on the second routing line RL.

In addition, the plurality of first electrode patterns 112, the second electrode patterns 114, and the plurality of connection electrodes 116 formed on the electrode unit may be formed of the same material, for example, indium tin oxide (ITO). Can be.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion taken along cut line VII-VII 'of FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion cut along line VII-VII' of FIG. It is a figure shown.

As shown in FIG. 9, the first electrode pattern 112 is formed on the transparent substrate 110, and the bridge insulation pattern 126 and the bridge metal pattern 136 are formed on a different layer from the first electrode pattern 112. The bridge pattern BP which consists of) is formed.

Here, the ITO electrode is not formed on the same layer as the first electrode pattern 112 under the bridge insulation pattern 126 of the bridge pattern BP at the portion cut along the cutting line Ⅸ-Ⅸ '.

On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 10, a connection electrode 116, which is an ITO electrode, is formed under the bridge insulation pattern 126 of the bridge pattern BP at the portion cut along the cut line VIII '. .

In other words, the first electrode pattern 112 is connected by the connection electrode 116, and the area (first region) where the connection electrode 116 and the bridge pattern BP cross each other is under the bridge pattern BP. An ITO electrode is formed.

The connection electrode 116 is insulated from the bridge metal pattern 136 by the bridge insulation pattern 126.

On the other hand, the ITO electrode is not formed under the bridge pattern BP in the area (second area) except for the area crossing the connection electrode 116 among the bridge pattern BP.

Accordingly, the second electrode pattern 114 of FIG. 7 is formed to be separated from each other, and is connected to each other by the bridge pattern BP.

As a result, in the touch screen panel according to the present invention, the first electrode pattern 112 and the second electrode pattern 114 formed on the same layer are disconnected, and the first electrode pattern 112 is formed on the same layer. The connection electrode 116 may be connected to each other, and the second electrode pattern 114 may be connected to each other by a bridge pattern BP formed on a different layer.

Applying the touch screen panel according to the present invention having such a structure, in the process of forming the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern after forming the connection pattern and the insulating film in the conventional touch screen panel, respectively for alignment You can eliminate the process.

This will be described in detail through the manufacturing process of the touch screen panel according to the embodiment of the present invention.

11A to 11F are views referred to for describing a manufacturing process of a touch screen panel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In Figs. 11A to 11F, the routing wiring portion shows a cross section of the portion cut along Fig. 7 along the cutting line XI-XI '.

First, as shown in FIG. 11A, the electrode layer 210, the insulating layer 220, and the metal layer 230 are sequentially deposited on the transparent substrate 110. The first to third resin patterns 242, 244, and 246 are formed by applying a resin layer (not shown) on the metal layer 230 and performing an imprinting process.

Here, the transparent substrate 110 may be a flexible substrate made of a flexible material, and the electrode layer 210 may be formed of a transparent electrode such as indium tin oxide (ITO).

In addition, the insulating layer 220 may be made of silicon nitride (SiNx) or the like.

In addition, the metal layer 230 may be formed of a metal having excellent conductivity such as aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), and the like.

Meanwhile, the first resin pattern 242 may be formed in the routing line portion, and the second to third resin patterns 244 and 246 may be formed in the electrode portion.

The first to third resin patterns 242, 244, and 246 may have different heights. For example, the first resin pattern 242 is formed to have a first height h1, and the second The resin pattern 244 may be formed to have a second height h2 higher than the first height h1.

The third resin pattern 246 may be formed of one end having a second height h2 and two ends having a fourth height h4. (h4 = h3 + h2)

Next, as shown in FIG. 11B, an ashing process for ashing the remaining film and an etching process for etching metals or the like may be performed using the first to third resin patterns 242, 244 and 246 as masks.

The metal layer 230, the insulating layer 220, and the electrode layer 210 may be sequentially removed during the etching process.

As a result, the third metal pattern 231, the third insulating pattern 221, and the routing wiring pattern 211 are formed in the routing wiring part, and the first metal pattern 232 and the first insulating pattern 222 are formed in the electrode part. The first electrode pattern 212, the second metal pattern 234, the second insulating pattern 224, and the connection electrode pattern 214 may be formed.

In this case, the first electrode pattern 112 and the second electrode pattern 114 are connected to each other by the connection electrode pattern 214.

As shown in FIG. 11C, the ashing process of ashing the resin pattern may be performed to remove the first resin pattern 242 having the first height h1 from the routing wiring part.

In addition, the third metal pattern 231 and the third insulating pattern 221 may be sequentially etched.

At this time, the second height h2 of the second resin pattern 244 of the electrode part is changed to the second change height h2 'during the resin pattern ashing process, and the second height h2 of the third resin pattern 246 is changed. And the fourth height h4 may be changed to the second change height h2 'and the fourth change height h4', respectively. (h4 '= h3' + h2 ')

As shown in FIG. 11D, in the routing wiring part, a plating process may be performed to form the metal wiring pattern 223 on the routing wiring pattern 211.

That is, the first routing line TL may be formed in two stages of the routing line pattern 211 and the metal line pattern 223.

Here, for example, the plating process is first performed in the routing wiring part, but the present invention is not limited thereto, but the mesh metal pattern and the bridge pattern of the mesh structure are first formed in the electrode part described below, followed by routing. Plating process may be performed in the wiring part.

On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 11E, the electrode portion can be subjected to an ashing process for ashing the resin pattern to remove the second resin pattern 244, which is the second change height h2 '.

Thereafter, the first metal pattern 232 and the second metal pattern 234 may be etched.

At this time, one end of the second change height h2 ′ of the third resin pattern 246 may be removed, and the fourth change height h4 ′ may be reduced to be changed to h4 ″.

Meanwhile, all of the first metal patterns 232 are etched to expose the first insulating patterns 222, and the second metal patterns 234 are partially etched to correspond to the bridge metal patterns 236 corresponding to the third resin patterns 246. ) May be formed.

Although not shown, when etching the first metal pattern 232 and the second metal pattern 234, the second electrode pattern may be disposed on the same layer as the first metal pattern 232 and the second metal pattern 234. A metal pattern (not shown) corresponding to 114 of 7 may also be etched.

As a result, the metal pattern corresponding to the second electrode pattern 114 may be etched to have a nanomesh structure to form a mesh metal pattern 138 of FIG. 7.

In addition, although not shown, the second routing line RL may be formed in the routing line unit. In this case, the second routing line RL may be formed of three stages of an ITO wiring pattern, an insulation pattern, and a metal wiring pattern. Can be.

Then, as shown in FIG. 11F, the first insulating pattern 222 is etched to expose the first electrode pattern 212, and a part of the second insulating pattern 224 near the third resin pattern 246 is exposed. A portion of the connection electrode pattern 214 may be etched to etch and to disconnect the first electrode pattern 212 and the second electrode pattern (114 of FIG. 7).

In more detail, the etched region of the second insulating pattern 224 near the third resin pattern 246 is a region except for a portion corresponding to the bridge metal pattern 236 formed thereon.

Then, part of the connecting electrode pattern 214 connecting the first electrode pattern 212 and the second electrode pattern 114 to over-etch the first electrode pattern 212 and the second electrode pattern 114 is over-etched. It can remove by a method.

In this case, the remaining region of the connection electrode pattern 214 may be a connection electrode (116 of FIG. 7) connecting the neighboring first electrode pattern 212.

The touch screen panel according to the present invention manufactured by such a manufacturing method sequentially deposits an electrode layer, an insulating layer, and a metal layer, and repeats an ashing and etching process using a plurality of resin patterns. Since the electrode patterns are formed at the same time, a separate alignment process can be removed, thereby preventing alignment errors occurring during the alignment process.

In addition, the manufacturing method of the touch screen panel according to the present invention may be effective for manufacturing a touch sensor on the flexible substrate using a roll-to-roll process.

In addition, the touch screen panel according to the present invention may improve the performance of the touch sensor by reducing the overall resistance by applying a metal mesh structure to a plurality of electrode patterns forming one electrode string.

Meanwhile, the touch screen panel manufactured as described above may be applied to an organic light emitting diode display and a liquid crystal display.

The embodiments of the present invention as described above are merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art may freely modify the present invention without departing from the gist of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall include modifications of the present invention within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

112: first electrode pattern 114: second electrode pattern
116: connection electrode BP: bridge pattern
TL: first routing wire RL: second routing wire
152: first pad electrode 154: second pad electrode

Claims (10)

delete delete delete delete Depositing an electrode layer, an insulating layer and a metal layer on the transparent substrate;
Forming first to third resin patterns on the metal layer through an imprinting process;
The metal layer, the insulating layer, and the electrode layer are etched by using the first to third resin patterns as masks, and the first to third metal patterns, the first to third insulating patterns, and the first and second electrode patterns. Forming a routing wiring pattern;
Ashing the first resin pattern and etching a third metal pattern and a third insulating pattern to expose the routing wiring pattern;
Etching a portion of the second resin pattern and the third resin pattern and etching the second metal pattern to form a bridge metal pattern and a mesh metal pattern;
Disconnecting the first electrode pattern and the second metal pattern and etching a portion of the first insulating pattern and the second insulating pattern
Method of manufacturing a touch screen panel comprising a.
The method of claim 5,
Each of the first to third resin patterns may have a different height. For example, the first resin pattern may be formed to have a first height.
The second resin pattern is formed to be a second height higher than the first height,
The third resin pattern is a touch screen panel manufacturing method, characterized in that formed in two stages, one end of the second height and the fourth height.
The method of claim 5,
In the step of forming the first to third metal pattern and the first to third insulating pattern, and the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern and routing wiring pattern,
The third metal pattern, the third insulating pattern, and the routing wiring pattern are formed in the routing wiring part.
In the electrode part, the first and second metal patterns, the first and second insulating patterns, and the first and second electrode patterns are formed.
And the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern are connected to each other by a connection electrode pattern.
The method of claim 5,
Etching the portions of the first insulation pattern and the second insulation pattern,
And forming a bridge insulation pattern under the bridge metal pattern by ashing a portion of the second insulation pattern.
The method of claim 5,
In the step of disconnecting the first electrode pattern and the second metal pattern,
And removing a portion of the connection electrode pattern between the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern to form a connection electrode connecting the neighboring first electrode pattern.
The method of claim 5,
Forming a metal wiring pattern on the routing wiring pattern further comprising the manufacturing method of the touch screen panel.

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