KR102085911B1 - Electrode member and touch panel with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrode member according to the embodiment includes a substrate; And an electrode layer disposed on the substrate, wherein the electrode layer includes a modified portion and a non-modified portion.
The touch panel according to the embodiment includes a cover window; And an electrode member formed on the cover window, wherein the electrode member comprises: a substrate; And a sensing electrode layer disposed on the substrate, wherein the sensing electrode layer includes a modified portion and a non-modified portion, wherein the modified silver nano wire is disposed on the modified portion, and the non-modified silver nano wire is disposed on the non-modified portion. .

Description

ELECTRODE MEMBER AND TOUCH PANEL WITH THE SAME}

Embodiments relate to an electrode member and a touch panel including the same.

Recently, various electronic products have been applied to touch panels 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 may be largely classified into a resistive touch panel and a capacitive touch panel. In the resistive touch panel, the glass and the electrode are short-circuited by the pressure of the input device to detect the position. The capacitive touch panel detects a change in capacitance between electrodes when a finger touches and detects a position thereof.

The resistive touch panel may be degraded due to repeated use, and scratches may occur. Accordingly, interest in capacitive touch panels having excellent durability and long lifespan is increasing.

Meanwhile, in order to manufacture such a touch panel, after coating an electrode material on a substrate, the electrode material may be patterned to manufacture a touch panel.

In this case, an electrode layer may be formed on the substrate by applying a metal nanowire with an electrode material. The electrode layer is formed by applying photoresist to form an electrode pattern and then exposing, developing and etching processes.

However, the electrode pattern forming process requires a number of processes such as exposure, development, and etching, and there is a problem in that visibility is reduced because a step is formed between the pattern portion and the non-pattern portion according to the pattern manifestation.

Accordingly, there is a need for an electrode member having a new structure for forming an electrode layer.

The embodiment is to provide an electrode member and a touch panel including the same that can reduce the number of processes in manufacturing and improve the visibility and reliability.

An electrode member according to the embodiment includes a substrate; And an electrode layer disposed on the substrate, wherein the electrode layer includes a modified portion and a non-modified portion.

The touch panel according to the embodiment includes a cover window; And an electrode member formed on the cover window, wherein the electrode member comprises: a substrate; And a sensing electrode layer disposed on the substrate, wherein the sensing electrode layer includes a modified portion and a non-modified portion, a modified silver nanowire is disposed on the modified portion, and a non-modified silver nanowire is disposed on the non-modified portion. .

The electrode member and the touch panel according to the embodiment include a non-modified portion having electrical characteristics and a modified portion not having electrical characteristics in the electrode layer or the sensing electrode. In addition, the modified portion and the non-modified portion both include metal nanowires, and are arranged side by side alternately with each other without a step.

Conventionally, patterned sensing electrodes are formed on electrode layers through exposure, development and etching processes. However, during the etching process, the electrode parts may be etched together, and thus the electrical characteristics may be degraded. As the step is formed, there is a problem in that visibility is reduced.

Accordingly, by forming the denatured portion and the non-denatured portion on the electrode layer and the sensing electrode of the electrode member and the touch panel according to the embodiment, the above problems can be solved. That is, by etching the electrode layer without chemically modifying the portion to be etched to lose the electrical properties, it can have the same effect as the etching.

Therefore, the etching process can be omitted, the number of processes can be reduced, and the deterioration of the electrical characteristics due to the etching process can be prevented.

In addition, the electrode member and the touch panel according to the embodiment are arranged side by side without a step and the denatured portion formed on the electrode layer or the sensing electrode. In other words. The modified metal nanowires are also positioned in the modified portion.

Therefore, since the step difference between the conventional sensing electrode pattern portion and the non-pattern portion is eliminated, the visibility of the electrode member can be improved.

1 is a cross-sectional view of an electrode member according to an embodiment.
2 to 6 are views for explaining the manufacturing method of the electrode member according to the embodiment.
7 and 8 are cross-sectional views of electrode members according to other embodiments.
9 is a cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to an embodiment.
10 to 12 are cross-sectional views of displays according to various embodiments.
FIG. 13 is a view schematically illustrating a perspective view of a mobile terminal to which an electrode member and a touch panel are applied according to an 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 by ”includes all formed directly or through another layer. Criteria for the top / bottom or bottom / bottom of each layer are described with reference to the drawings.

In the drawings, the thickness or size of each layer, region, pattern, or structure may be modified for clarity and convenience of description, and thus do not necessarily reflect the actual size.

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

An electrode member according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an electrode member according to an embodiment, and FIGS. 2 to 6 are views for explaining a method of manufacturing an electrode member according to an embodiment.

1 to 6, an electrode member according to an embodiment includes a substrate 10 and an electrode layer 20 disposed on the substrate 10. The substrate 10 may be formed of various materials capable of supporting the electrode layer 20 and the like formed on the substrate 10. In one example, the substrate 10 may be made of a glass substrate or a plastic substrate.

The electrode layer 20 is disposed on the substrate 10. The electrode layer 20 may include a transparent conductive material to allow electricity to flow without disturbing the transmission of light. In particular, the electrode layer 20 may include nanowires. For example, the nanowires may include at least one metal material among gold, silver, copper, and aluminum, but embodiments are not limited thereto.

Since the electrode layer 20 includes nanowires, it is possible to replace indium tin oxide (ITO) that has been used as a transparent conductive material. The nanowires are materials having properties superior to indium tin oxide in various aspects such as transmittance and conductivity.

The nanowires may be coated on the substrate 10 in various ways. For example, the nanowires may be coated on the substrate 10 by a dip coating method. The dip coating is a kind of coating method, and refers to a method of obtaining a coating film by immersing a coating material in a coating solution or slurry to form a precursor layer on the surface of the coating material and then baking at an appropriate temperature.

However, embodiments are not limited thereto, and the nanowires may be formed by various coating methods such as spin coating, flow coating, spray coating, slot die coating, and roll coating. It may be coated on the substrate 10.

The electrode layer 20 includes a modified portion 21 and a non-modified portion 22. In detail, the electrode layer coated with the nanowires includes a modified portion 21 in which the modified nanowires are disposed, and a non-modified portion 22 in which the unmodified nanowires are disposed.

The metal nanowires positioned in the non-modified portion 22 may include at least one of metal oxide nanowires, metal sulfide nanowires, metal chloride nanowires, and metal nitride nanowires.

For example, when the nanowires include silver nanowires, denatured silver nanowires may be located in the modified portion 21 of the electrode layer 20, and the unmodified silver nanowires may be disposed in the non-modified portion 22. The wire may be located. That is, the non-modified portion 22 may include at least one of silver oxide nanowires, silver sulfide nanowires, silver chloride nanowires, and silver nitride nanowires.

That is, the modified part 21 may include silver oxide or silver sulfide such as Ag 2 O 2, Ag 2 O 3, AgO, Ag 2 O, Ag 2 S 2, Ag 2 S 3, Ag 2 S, AgS, or the like.

The modified part 21 and the non-modified part 22 may be alternately disposed on the electrode layer 20. In detail, the non-modified portion 22 is a portion having electrical characteristics, and the modified portion 21 is a portion not having electrical characteristics. That is, the non-modified part 22 is a part that recognizes a touch signal sensed from the outside by the metal nanowires, and the modified part 21 is modified by various methods such as sulfidation, oxidation, nitriding, or chlorination of the metal nanowires. This is the part that loses electrical characteristics and cannot recognize touch signals.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing an electrode member according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6.

First, referring to FIG. 2, an electrode material, that is, a metal nanowire 23 is formed on the substrate 10. The metal nanowires may include at least one of silver nanowires, copper nanowires, aluminum wires, and gold nanowires.

As described above, the metal nanowires 23 may be formed on the substrate 10 by various coating methods such as dip coating.

In addition, a mask material 30 is formed on the metal nanowires 23. In one example, the mask material may include a photoresist (PR).

3, the mask 40 may be positioned on the mask material and irradiated with light.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 4, the mask material 30 may be patterned by the mask 40 on the substrate 10 and the metal nanowires 23.

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 5, a chemical treatment may be performed on the patterned mask material 30 to denature the portion where the mask material is not formed. In detail, the metal nanowires 23 positioned at the portion where the mask material 30 is formed are not modified, and the metal nanowires 23 positioned at the portion where the mask material 30 is not formed are sulfide, It may be denatured by the chemical reaction of any one of oxidation, chloride and nitriding.

Next, referring to FIG. 6, the mask material 30 remaining on the metal nanowires 23 is deleted through a developing process. As a result, the electrode layer 20 formed on the substrate 10 may include a modified portion 21 and a non-modified portion 22. In addition, the modified part 21 and the non-modified part 22 both include metal nanowires 23, and the modified part 21 and the non-modified part 22 are alternately arranged side by side without a step. That is, the modified part 21 and the non-modified part 22 are disposed on the same plane in the electrode layer 20.

Conventionally, after patterning the mask material, a patterned sensing electrode is formed on the electrode layer through a development and etching process. However, during the etching process, the electrode parts may be etched together, and thus the electrical characteristics may be degraded. As the step is formed, there is a problem in that visibility is reduced.

Accordingly, the electrode member according to the embodiment includes the modified portion and the non-modified portion on the electrode layer, it is possible to solve the above problems. That is, by etching the electrode layer without chemically modifying the portion to be etched to lose the electrical properties, it can have the same effect as the etching.

Therefore, the etching process can be omitted, the number of processes can be reduced, and the deterioration of the electrical characteristics due to the etching process can be prevented.

In addition, in the electrode member according to the exemplary embodiment, the modified portion and the non-modified portion formed on the electrode layer are arranged side by side without a step. In other words. The modified metal nanowires are also positioned in the modified portion.

Therefore, since the step difference between the conventional sensing electrode pattern portion and the non-pattern portion is eliminated, the visibility of the electrode member can be improved.

Hereinafter, an electrode member according to another exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. In the description of the electrode member according to another embodiment, the description of the same or similar parts as the electrode member according to the above-described embodiment will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 7, an electrode member according to another exemplary embodiment may include a substrate 10, an electrode base material 50 disposed on the substrate 10, and a metal nanowire 60 inserted into the electrode base material 50. ).

The electrode base material 50 includes a photosensitive material. Since the electrode base material 50 includes a photosensitive material, the metal nano foreign material 60 inserted into the electrode base material 50 may be modified by the modified part 61 and the non-modified part by the exposure, development, and modification processes described above. 62).

That is, the metal nanowires inserted into the electrode base material may be alternately disposed between the modified metal nanowires and the unmodified metal nanowires.

Referring to FIG. 8, an electrode member according to another embodiment may include a substrate 10, an electrode base material 50 disposed on the substrate 10, and a metal nanowire mounted on a surface of the electrode base material 50 ( 60).

The electrode base material 50 includes a photosensitive material. Since the electrode base material 50 includes a photosensitive material, the metal nano foreign material 60 mounted on the surface of the electrode base material 50 may be modified or unmodified by the exposure, development, and modification processes described above. 62).

That is, the metal nanowires mounted on the surface of the electrode base material may be alternately disposed between the modified metal nanowires and the unmodified metal nanowires.

Hereinafter, a touch panel according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9. In the description of the touch panel, a description of parts similar to those of the electrode member described above will be omitted. That is, the description of the touch panel is essentially combined with the description of the electrode member.

9, the touch panel according to the embodiment includes a cover window 100, an electrode member 200, and a protective layer 300.

The cover window 100 may include glass or plastic. For example, the cover window 100 may include tempered glass, semi-tempered glass, soda-lime glass, tempered plastic, or soft plastic.

The cover window 100 may include an effective area AA and an invalid area UA. In this case, the effective area AA refers to an area in which a user's touch command can be input, and the invalid area DA is a concept opposite to the effective area AA and is not activated even when a user's touch is made. Therefore, it means an area where a touch command input is not made.

The electrode member 200 is formed on the cover window 100. The electrode member 200 and the cover window 100 may be bonded through an optical clear adhesive (OCA).

The electrode member 200 includes a substrate 210, a sensing electrode 210 formed on the effective area AA, and a wiring electrode 230 formed on the invalid area UA. In this case, the electrode layer includes a denatured portion 221 and a non-denatured portion 222 in the sensing electrode 210 as described above.

In FIG. 9, the sensing electrode and the wiring electrode are formed on the substrate, but the sensing electrode 210 and the wiring electrode 230 may be formed directly on the cover window 100. That is, the electrode member 200 may include the cover window 100, the sensing electrode 210 and the wiring electrode 230 formed on the cover window 100.

The wiring electrode 230 is formed in the ineffective area UA of the substrate and is electrically connected to the sensing electrode 220. Accordingly, the touch sensing signal generated by the sensing electrode 220 may be transmitted to the connector in which the driving chip is mounted, thereby operating the driving chip.

The protective layer surrounds the sensing electrode 220 and the wiring electrode 230 which are exposed to the outside and protects the sensing electrode 220 and the wiring electrode 230 from an external impact.

Hereinafter, a display including the electrode member and the touch panel described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12. In the description of the display, a description of parts similar to those of the electrode member and the touch panel described above will be omitted. .

Referring to FIG. 10, the display according to the embodiment includes a cover window 300, an electrode member 400 disposed on the cover window, a driver 500 disposed on the electrode member 400, and the driver 500. It includes a light source unit 600 disposed on.

The cover window 300 may include glass or plastic.

In addition, the electrode member 400 may include a substrate 410 and an electrode layer 420 disposed on the substrate 410. The electrode layer 420 may include metal nanowires.

The electrode layer 420 may be alternately disposed between the modified portion 421 and the non-modified portion 422 by the above-described process.

The electrode layer 420 may include a sensing electrode and a wiring electrode. In this case, the wiring electrode may be connected to the sensing electrode. In detail, the wiring electrode may be connected to one end and the other end of the sensing electrode.

The driver 500 may include a display panel. The display panel has a display area for outputting an image. The display panel applied to such a display device may generally include an upper substrate and a lower substrate. Data lines, gate lines, and thin film transistors (TFTs) may be formed on the lower substrate. The upper substrate may be bonded to the lower substrate to protect components disposed on the lower substrate.

The display panel may be formed in various forms depending on what kind of display apparatus the display apparatus according to the present invention is. That is, the display device according to the present invention includes a liquid crystal display (LCD), a field emission display, a plasma display (PDP), an organic light emitting display (OLED), an electrophoretic display (EPD), and the like. Accordingly, the display panel may be configured in various forms.

Referring to FIG. 11, a display according to another embodiment is disposed on a cover window 300, an electrode member 400 disposed on the cover window, a driver 500 disposed on the electrode member, and the driver. The light source unit 600 is included.

The electrode member 400 may include a first electrode member 410 and a second electrode member 420.

The first electrode member 410 includes a first substrate 411 and a first electrode layer 412 disposed on the first substrate 411. In addition, the first electrode layer 412 may be alternately arranged with the modified portion 413 and the non-modified portion 414 by the above-described process.

In addition, the second electrode member 420 may include a second substrate 421 and a second electrode layer 422 disposed on the second substrate 421. In addition, the second electrode layer 422 may be alternately arranged with the denatured portion 423 and the non-denatured portion 424 by the above-described process.

The first electrode layer 412 and the second electrode layer 422 may include a sensing electrode and a wiring electrode. In this case, the wiring electrode may be connected to the sensing electrode. In detail, the wiring electrode may be connected to one end of the sensing electrode.

Referring to FIG. 12, a display according to another embodiment is disposed on a cover window 300, an electrode member 400 disposed on the cover window, a driver 500 disposed on the electrode member, and the driver. It includes a light source unit 600 to be.

The electrode member 400 includes a substrate 410, a first electrode layer 430 disposed on one surface of the substrate 410, and a second electrode layer 440 disposed on the other surface of the substrate 410.

In addition, the first electrode layer 430 may be alternately disposed between the modified portion 431 and the non-modified portion 432 by the above-described process.

In addition, the second electrode layer 440 may be alternately disposed between the modified portion 441 and the non-modified portion 442 by the above-described process.

The first electrode layer 412 and the second electrode layer 422 may include a sensing electrode and a wiring electrode. In this case, the wiring electrode may be connected to the sensing electrode. In detail, the wiring electrode may be connected to one end of the sensing electrode.

Although not shown in the drawings, in addition to the above-described embodiment, the display according to the embodiment may be applied to an embodiment in which the first electrode and the second electrode are formed on the substrate by using the bridge electrode.

That is, the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode may be formed in one electrode layer, and at least one of the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode may be connected by a bridge electrode.

In this case, the wiring electrode connected to the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode may be connected to one end of the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode.

The touch panel according to the embodiment includes the modified part and the non-modified part of the electrode member described above. Accordingly, the electrical characteristics and visibility of the sensing electrode formed on the effective area can be improved, and the electrical characteristics and reliability of the touch panel as a whole can be improved.

FIG. 13 illustrates a mobile terminal including the electrode member and the touch panel described above.

 Referring to FIG. 13, the mobile terminal 1000 may include a valid area AA and an invalid area UA. The effective area AA may detect a touch signal by a touch of a finger or the like, and a command icon pattern part and a logo may be formed in the invalid area.

The mobile terminal 1000 includes a modified part and a non-modified part of an electrode layer or a sensing electrode included in the electrode member and the touch panel described above. Accordingly, the electrical characteristics and visibility of the sensing electrodes included in the mobile terminal 1000 may be improved, thereby improving the reliability of the mobile terminal 1000 as a whole.

Although FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a mobile terminal, the electrode member and the touch panel described above may be used in various electronic products such as automobiles and home appliances to which a display is applied in addition to the mobile terminal. In particular, when using a nanowire as an electrode can be easily applied to the flexible display.

Features, structures, effects, and the like described in the above embodiments are included in at least one embodiment of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to only one embodiment. Furthermore, 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 interpreted that the contents related to such a combination and modification are included in the scope of the present invention.

In addition, the above description has been made with reference to the embodiments, which are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the present invention. It will be appreciated that various modifications and applications are possible. For example, each component specifically shown in the embodiments may be modified. And differences relating to such modifications and applications will have to be construed as being included in the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims.

Claims (20)

Board; And
An electrode layer disposed on the substrate, the electrode layer comprising metal nanowires;
The electrode layer includes a modified portion and a non-modified portion,
A modified metal nanowire is disposed in the modified part,
The non-modified metal nanowire is disposed in the non-modified portion
The modified portion and the non-modified portion is located on the same plane in the electrode layer,
And at least one metal nanowire among the metal sulfide nanowire, the metal oxide nanowire, the metal nitride nanowire, and the metal chloride nanowire is disposed in the modified portion. The method of claim 1,
The denatured portion does not have an electrical characteristic, and the non-denatured portion has an electrical characteristic. delete delete The method of claim 1,
The modified part and the non-modified part is an electrode member disposed alternately. The method of claim 1,
The non-modified part is a part that recognizes a touch signal sensed from the outside,
The deformable part is an electrode member that is a part that does not recognize a touch signal sensed from the outside. The method of claim 1,
The electrode layer includes an electrode base material,
A portion of the metal nanowire is inserted into the electrode base material. The method of claim 1,
The electrode layer includes an electrode base material,
The metal nano wire is mounted on the surface of the electrode base material electrode member. Cover window; And
An electrode member formed on the cover window;
The electrode member,
Board; And
A sensing electrode layer disposed on the substrate, the sensing electrode layer comprising metal nanowires;
The sensing electrode layer includes a modified portion and a non-modified portion,
A modified metal nanowire is disposed in the modified part,
The non-modified metal nanowire is disposed in the non-modified portion,
The modified portion and the non-modified portion are located on the same plane in the sensing electrode layer,
At least one metal nanowire among the metal oxide nanowire, the metal sulfide nanowire, the metal nitride nanowire, and the metal chloride nanowire is disposed in the modified part. delete The method of claim 9,
The modified part and the non-modified part are disposed alternately. A touch panel including at least one electrode member;
A light source disposed on the touch panel; And
It includes a driving unit disposed on the touch panel,
The electrode member,
Board; And
An electrode layer disposed on the substrate, the electrode layer comprising metal nanowires;
The electrode layer includes a modified portion and a non-modified portion,
A modified metal nanowire is disposed in the modified part,
The non-modified metal nanowire is disposed in the non-modified portion
The modified portion and the non-modified portion is located on the same plane in the electrode layer,
And a metal nanowire at least one of the metal oxide nanowire, the metal sulfide nanowire, the metal nitride nanowire, and the metal chloride nanowire. The method of claim 12,
The touch panel includes one electrode member. The method of claim 13.
The electrode layer includes a sensing electrode and a wiring electrode,
The wiring electrode is connected to one end and the other end of the sensing electrode. The method of claim 12,
The touch panel includes a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer. The method of claim 15,
The first electrode layer and the second electrode layer includes a sensing electrode and a wiring electrode,
The wiring electrode is connected to one end of the sensing electrode. The method of claim 16,
The substrate comprises a first substrate and a second substrate disposed on the first substrate,
The first electrode layer is disposed on the first substrate,
And the second electrode layer is disposed on a second substrate. The method of claim 16,
The first electrode layer is disposed on one surface of the substrate,
The second electrode layer is disposed on the other surface of the substrate. The method of claim 12,
The electrode layer includes a first sensing electrode and a second sensing electrode,
And at least one sensing electrode of the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode is connected through a bridge electrode. The method of claim 19,
The electrode layer further includes a wiring electrode,
The wiring electrode is connected to one end of the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode.

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