KR20130112821A - Touch panel and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A touch panel and a method for manufacturing the same are provided to form a second electrode part at the last by printing, thereby simplifying the process. CONSTITUTION: A first electrode comprises first sensor parts (22a) formed in a first direction, and first electrode connecting parts (22b) connecting the first sensor part with each other. An insulating layer (30) is formed on the first electrode parts. A second electrode comprises second sensor parts (24a) formed in a second direction crossing the first direction and second electrode connecting parts (24b) connecting the second sensor parts. The second electrode connecting parts are formed by printing process, and includes an extension part formed at the center portion and extended from the center portion in the second direction. The width of the extension part becomes smaller as going apart from the center portion.

Description

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

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

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a touch panel has been applied to an image displayed on a display device in various electronic products by a method of touching an input device such as a finger or a stylus.

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

In such touch panels, in order to reduce thickness and improve optical characteristics, one-layer touch panels using bridge electrodes have been in the spotlight. However, there is a problem in that the pattern of the connection electrode is visible according to the size of the connection electrode in the effective region.

Embodiments provide a touch panel with improved visibility.

A touch panel according to an embodiment includes a substrate; A first electrode including a transparent electrode positioned on the substrate, wherein the transparent electrode includes a first sensor part formed in a first direction and a first electrode connection part electrically connecting the first sensor part; And a second electrode electrically insulated from the first electrode and including a second sensor part formed in a second direction crossing the first direction and a second electrode connection part electrically connecting the second sensor part. The second electrode connection part includes a center part and an extension part extending in the second direction from the center part, and the extension part is smaller in width as it goes away from the center part.

The method of manufacturing a touch panel according to the embodiment includes a first sensor part formed on a substrate in a first direction, a first electrode connection part electrically connecting the first sensor part, and a second direction crossing the first direction. Forming a second sensor unit to be formed; Forming an insulating layer on the first electrode connection part; And forming a second electrode connection part electrically connecting the second sensor part, and in the forming of the second electrode connection part, the second electrode connection part is formed by a printing process.

In the touch panel according to the embodiment, the pattern of the connection electrode can be made invisible on the effective region. Therefore, the visibility of the touch panel can be improved.

In the method of manufacturing the touch panel according to the embodiment, the connection electrode may be formed by a printing process. Particularly, when the connecting electrode is formed by the gravure offset method, the paste is filled into the gravure roll on which the pattern groove is formed by using a doctor blade. At this time, the paste is smeared by the bounce of the doctor blade and the second electrode is printed. Leaving the tail at the end of the connection may occur. However, this phenomenon can be prevented by having a sharp end of the connection electrode according to the embodiment.

In addition, in the method of manufacturing the touch panel according to the embodiment, the second electrode connection part may be formed last, and the second electrode connection part may be formed by a printing process, thereby simplifying the process. That is, a simple printing process may have a process advantage.

1 is a plan view of a touch panel according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1.
3 is an enlarged view of a second electrode connector included in a touch panel according to an embodiment.
4 to 7 are plan views of second electrode connectors according to various embodiments.
8 and 9 are diagrams for describing a method of manufacturing a touch panel 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 in ”includes all formed directly or through another layer. The criteria for top / bottom or bottom / bottom of each layer are described with reference to the drawings.

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

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

First, a touch panel according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. 1 is a plan view of a touch panel according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1. 3 is an enlarged view of a second electrode connector included in a touch panel according to an embodiment. 4 to 7 are plan views of second electrode connectors according to various embodiments.

1 and 2, in the touch panel according to the embodiment, an effective area AA for sensing a position of an input device and a dummy area DA positioned outside the effective area AA are defined. .

Here, the transparent electrode 20 may be formed in the effective area AA to detect the input device. In the dummy area DA, a wiring 30 connected to the transparent electrode 20 and a printed circuit board connecting the wiring 30 to an external circuit (not shown) are the same. Etc. may be located. The touch panel will be described in more detail as follows.

1 to 3, the touch panel according to the embodiment may include a substrate 10, a transparent electrode 20, a wiring 30, and a protection unit 50.

The substrate 10 may be formed of various materials capable of supporting the transparent electrode 20 and the wiring 30 formed thereon. The substrate 10 may be formed of, for example, a glass substrate or a plastic substrate.

The transparent electrode 20 may be located on the substrate 10.

The transparent electrode 20 may include a first electrode 22 and a second electrode 24. The first electrode 22 includes a first sensor part 22a and a first electrode connection part 22b, and the second electrode 24 connects the second sensor part 24a and the second electrode connection part 24b. Include.

When an input device such as a finger is in contact with such a touch panel, a difference in capacitance occurs at a portion where the input device contacts, and a portion where the difference is generated can be detected as a contact position.

Specifically, the first electrode 22 includes a first sensor part 22a that detects whether an input device such as a finger is in contact with the first electrode connector 22b that connects the first sensor part 22a. The first sensor part 22a may be formed in a first direction (X-axis direction in the drawing, hereinafter the same), and the first electrode connection part 22b connects the first sensor part 22a in the first direction. . The first electrode connection part 22b may be integrally formed with the first sensor part 22a.

Similarly, the second electrode 24 includes a second sensor part 24a for detecting whether an input device such as a finger is in contact with the second electrode connection part 24b for connecting the second sensor part 24a. . The second sensor unit 24a which detects whether an input device such as a finger is in contact with each other may be formed in a second direction (Y-axis direction in the drawing, hereinafter same) that crosses the first direction. The second electrode connection part 24b connects the second sensor part 24a in the second direction. The second electrode connection part 24b will be described in detail later.

In the drawing, although the first and second sensor units 22a and 24a have a rhombus shape, the embodiment is not limited thereto. Accordingly, the first and second sensor units 22a and 24a may be formed in various shapes capable of detecting whether an input device such as a finger is in contact with each other. For example, it may have a shape such as a polygon, a circle or an oval, such as a quadrangle or a pentagon.

The first sensor unit 22a, the first electrode connection unit 22b, and the second sensor unit 24a may include a transparent conductive material so that electricity can flow without disturbing the transmission of light. Specifically, materials such as indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, carbon nano tube (CNT), conductive polymer, and silver nano wire ink may be included. can do.

The insulating layer 40 is formed to prevent an electrical short between the first electrode connecting portion 22b and the second electrode connecting portion 24b. In detail, the insulating layer 40 may include a transparent insulating material capable of insulating the first electrode connecting portion 22b and the second electrode connecting portion 24b. In one example, the insulating layer 40 may include magnesium fluoride, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, cerium fluoride, indium oxide, hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, lead oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide and niobium oxide, and the like. Layer 40 may be formed in a single layer or multiple layers.

Subsequently, a second electrode connection part 24b is positioned to connect the second sensor part 24a.

Referring to FIG. 3, the second electrode connection part 24b includes a center part CA and an extension part PA.

The center portion CA is positioned at the center of the second electrode connection portion 24b. The central portion CA may be located on the insulating layer 40. The central portion CA may have a rectangular shape.

The extension part PA extends in the second direction from the central part CA. That is, the extension part PA may be located at both ends of the central part CA.

The extension portion PA is smaller in width as it is farther from the central portion CA. That is, the ends of the extension part PA may have a pointed shape.

The extension part PA may have a polygonal shape. Referring to FIG. 3, the extension part PA may have a triangular shape.

Therefore, finally, the second electrode connection part 24b may have a hexagonal shape.

The longest length 1 of the lengths extending in the second direction of the second electrode connection part 24b is 200 μm to 500 μm. When the longest length 1 of the lengths extending in the second direction is less than 200 μm, the length L may be smaller than the length of the insulating layer 40. Accordingly, the second sensor part 24a may not be electrically connected. You may not be able to. In addition, when the longest length (l) of the length extending in the second direction exceeds 500 μm, the pattern of the second electrode connecting portion 24b may be visible, which may affect the visibility of the touch panel. Can be.

The longest width w of the widths extending in the first direction of the second electrode connection part 24b is 30 μm to 200 μm. If the longest width w of the widths extending in the first direction is less than 30 μm, there is a possibility of disconnection in the process of forming the second electrode connection part 24b. In addition, when the longest width w of the widths extending in the first direction exceeds 200 μm, the pattern of the second electrode connection part 24b may be visible, which may affect the visibility of the touch panel. Can be. In addition, the size of the insulating layer 40 may deviate, and thus an electrical short may occur between the first electrode and the second electrode.

On the other hand, the angle θ between one side of the extension part PA and the virtual reference line L perpendicular to the second direction satisfies the following equation.

expression

0 ° ≤θ≤60 °

In particular, referring to FIG. 4, when the angle θ is 0 °, the second electrode connection part 24b may have a rectangular shape.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 5, the second electrode connecting portion 24b may have a width w1 of the central portion CA smaller than the longest width w2 of the extension PA. Therefore, finally, the second electrode connection part 24b may have an arrow shape.

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 6, the second electrode connection part 24b includes an edge portion EA that is an edge of the second electrode connection portion 24b, and the inside of the edge portion EA is empty. Can be. Here, the line width T of the edge EA is 20 μm to 50 μm. It may be difficult to implement the line width T of the edge EA less than 20 μm. In addition, when the line width T of the edge portion EA exceeds 50 μm, the pattern of the second electrode connection portion 24b may be visible, which may affect the visibility of the touch panel.

In FIG. 6, only the case where the second electrode connection part 24b is a hexagon is illustrated, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. Therefore, the second electrode connection part 24b may have various polygonal shapes and have an empty shape.

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 7, the second electrode connection part 24b includes an edge part EA which is an edge of the second electrode connection part 24b, and an inside of the edge part EA is a mesh shape. Can be. Through this, the pattern of the second electrode connection part 24b may be prevented from being visually checked.

The second electrode connector 24b may include silver nanowires, carbon nanotubes, conductive polymers, or graphene. However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the second electrode connection part 24b may include various transparent conductive materials.

In the touch panel according to the embodiment, the pattern of the second electrode connection part 24b may not be visible on the effective area. Therefore, the visibility of the touch panel can be improved.

Meanwhile, a wiring 30 connected to the transparent electrode 20 and a printed circuit board connected to the wiring 30 are formed as the dummy area DA of the substrate 10. Since the wiring 30 is located in the dummy area DA, the wiring 30 may be made of a metal having excellent electrical conductivity. As the printed circuit board, various types of printed circuit boards can be applied. For example, a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) or the like can be applied.

Subsequently, the protection part 50 may be positioned on the transparent electrode 20 and the wiring 30. That is, the protection part 50 may protect the transparent electrode 20 and the wiring 30. For example, the protective part 50 may be a scattering prevention film for preventing the fragments from scattering when the touch panel is broken by an impact. However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the protection unit 50 may be formed of various materials and structures for protecting the touch panel.

Next, referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, a method of manufacturing a touch panel according to an embodiment will be described. For the sake of clarity and conciseness, the same or similar parts as those described above will not be described in detail.

8 and 9 are diagrams for describing a method of manufacturing a touch panel according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 8, a first sensor part 22a formed in a first direction on a substrate 10, a first electrode connecting part 22b electrically connecting the first sensor part 22a, and the first sensor part 22a. The second sensor unit 24a is formed in the second direction crossing the direction. The first sensor unit 22a, the first electrode connection unit 22b, and the second sensor unit 24a may be used in various thin film deposition techniques such as physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Can be formed.

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 9, an insulating layer 40 may be formed. The insulating layer 40 may be located on the first electrode connection part 22b. The insulating layer 40 may be formed so that the second electrode connecting portion 24b formed later and the first electrode 22 are not electrically connected.

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 1, a second electrode connection part 24b may be formed to electrically connect the second sensor part 24a.

The second electrode connection part 24b is formed by a printing process. In this printing process, various printing methods such as gravure off set, reverse off set, screen printing and gravure printing can be used. In particular, when the second electrode connection part 24b is formed by a printing process, the second electrode connection part 24b may be formed of a printable paste material. For example, it may be formed of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), conductive polymers, or silver nano wire inks.

For example, when the second electrode connection part 24b is formed in a gravure offset method, the paste is filled into the gravure roll on which the pattern groove is formed by using a doctor blade. Smearing, the tail may be left at the end of the second electrode connecting portion 24b during printing. However, this phenomenon can be prevented by having the pointed shape of the extension part PA of the second electrode connection part 24b.

In the method of manufacturing the touch panel according to the embodiment, the second electrode connection part 24b may be formed last, and the second electrode connection part 24b may be formed by a printing process, thereby simplifying the process. That is, a simple printing process may have a process advantage.

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

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

Claims (3)

Forming a first sensor part formed in a first direction on the substrate, a first electrode connection part electrically connecting the first sensor part, and a second sensor part formed in a second direction crossing the first direction;
Forming an insulating layer on the first electrode connection part; And
Forming a second electrode connection part electrically connecting the second sensor part;
In the forming of the second electrode connector, the second electrode connector is formed by a printing process. The method of claim 1,
The second electrode connection part includes a central part and an extension part extending in the second direction from the central part.
The extension part is a width of the touch panel manufacturing method of the smaller away from the central portion. The method of claim 1,
The second electrode connection part comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of silver nanowires, carbon nanotubes, conductive polymers and grepins.

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