KR20140079073A - Touch panel with anti reflection layer and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a touch panel comprising: a substrate; a plurality of first sensor electrodes arranged in parallel along a first direction on the substrate; a plurality of second sensor electrodes spaced apart from the first sensor electrodes and arranged in parallel along a second direction crossing the first direction at a right angle; a first bridge connecting mutually adjacent first sensor electrodes to each other among the first sensor electrodes in the first direction; an insulation layer formed on the substrate where the first sensor electrodes, the second sensor electrodes, and the first bridge are formed; and a second bridge connecting mutually adjacent second sensor electrodes to each other among the second sensor electrodes in the second direction via a hole penetrating the insulation layer, wherein the first bridge and the second bridge cross each other.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a touch panel including an antireflection layer and a manufacturing method thereof,

The present invention relates to a touch panel and a method of manufacturing the touch panel, and more particularly, to a touch panel including an antireflection layer and a manufacturing method thereof.

The touch panel is a device for inputting two-dimensional coordinate data by pressing the surface of a display panel provided in an electronic device such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, a game machine, a learning assisting device, and a camera by using a hand or a pen. Such a touch panel is widely used because it is easy to operate and widely applicable to various display devices.

Generally, the touch panel includes a sensor electrode provided in a matrix form on a substrate of a light transmitting film or a glass substrate, a bridge electrode connecting the sensor electrode, and an insulating layer provided between the bridge electrodes.

The touch panel may be directly attached to the surface of various display devices. When a display device having such a touch panel is viewed, the visibility may be deteriorated due to reflection due to external light.

In order to prevent reflection due to external light and improve visibility, irregularities having a roughness of several tens to several hundreds of nanometers are formed on the surface of the upper substrate of the touch panel to prevent diffuse reflection due to external light AG coating (anti-glare coating) method has been proposed, but it has a disadvantage in that sharpness is lowered due to an increase in haze.

Recently, an anti-reflection coating method has been proposed in which a thin film of two or more layers having different refractive indices is formed to prevent specular reflection due to external light.

 The AR coating is a coating method in which a high refractive index layer and a low refractive index layer are alternately laminated, and extraneous light is extinguished at an interface between the laminated thin films. As the refractive index difference between the deposited thin films increases, the reflectance decreases as the number of deposited thin films increases. However, in realizing the AR layer on the touch panel in practice, the AR layer can not be made indefinitely thick, and there is a restriction that it can not be formed to a certain thickness or less.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a touch panel and a method of manufacturing the touch panel in which an antireflection film is formed in a manufacturing process of a touch panel, so that a manufacturing process is simple and a separate antireflection layer is not required.

A plasma display apparatus comprising: a substrate; a plurality of first sensor electrodes arranged on the substrate in parallel along a first direction; a plurality of first sensor electrodes arranged on the substrate in parallel with each other along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, A plurality of second sensor electrodes disposed in the first direction, a first bridge connecting the first sensor electrodes adjacent to each other in the first direction among the plurality of first sensor electrodes, a first bridge connecting the first sensor electrodes, And a second bridge connecting the second sensor electrodes adjacent to each other in the second direction among the plurality of second sensor electrodes through an insulating layer formed on the substrate on which the bridge is formed and a hole penetrating the insulating layer, Wherein the first bridge and the second bridge intersect each other.

The insulating layer may be formed of at least one low refractive index layer and a high refractive index layer.

The low refraction layer may include at least one of MgF ₂ , NaF, and CaF ₂ .

The high refractive index layer may include at least one of CeF ₃ , Al ₂ O ₃ , ZrO ₂ , TiO _2, and Nb ₂ O _x .

Patterning a plurality of first sensor electrodes, a second sensor electrode, and a first bridge on a substrate, forming an insulating layer on the substrate on which the first sensor electrode, the second sensor electrode, and the first bridge are patterned, Forming a hole through the insulating layer covering the second sensor electrode to expose a part of the second sensor electrode, filling a hole exposing a part of the second sensor electrode, And forming a second bridge by patterning the second bridge layer.

The step of forming the insulating layer may include forming a low refractive layer and forming a high refractive layer.

The step of forming the low refraction layer and the step of forming the high refraction layer may be performed two to five times, respectively.

The forming of the low refractive index layer and the forming of the high refractive index layer may be performed using any one of a spin coating process, a printing process, a sputtering process, a chemical vapor deposition process, an atomic layer deposition process, and a vacuum deposition process have.

The touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention can prevent reflection due to external light and improve visibility. In addition, a separate antireflection layer forming step can be omitted through an insulating layer having an insulating function and an antireflection function.

1 is a schematic plan view of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a part (A) of the touch panel of Fig.
Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-II in Fig. 2; Fig.
4A to 4F are views illustrating a method of manufacturing a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. will be.

In this specification, specific structural and functional descriptions are merely illustrative and are for the purpose of describing the embodiments of the present invention only, and embodiments of the present invention may be embodied in various forms and are limited to the embodiments described herein And all changes, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention are to be understood as being included therein.

For reference, in order to facilitate understanding, each component and its shape or the like are briefly drawn or exaggerated in the above drawings. The same reference numerals denote the same elements in the drawings.

It is also to be understood that when a layer or element is described as being "on" or "under" another layer or element, But includes not only the case where the first layer is disposed in direct contact with the layer or the constituent elements but also the case where the third layer is disposed interposed therebetween.

1 is a schematic plan view of a sensor panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a part (A) of the touch panel of Fig. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-II in Fig. 2; Fig.

In the embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. 1, for the sake of simplicity of description, the first direction is set to the direction from the left to the right in the drawing, and the second direction is set to the direction from the top to the bottom in the drawing. The directions illustrated in FIG. 1 are examples of the first direction and the second direction, and the first direction and the second direction may be determined to be directions different from those in the example of FIG.

1 to 3, the touch panel 100 includes a substrate 110, a plurality of first sensor electrodes 210 arranged in parallel along a first direction on the substrate, A first bridge 230 connecting the first sensor electrodes adjacent to each other in the first direction among the plurality of first sensor electrodes, the first sensor electrode 220 disposed in parallel with the first sensor electrode 220, (300) formed on a substrate on which a plurality of first sensor electrodes, a second sensor electrode and a first bridge are formed, and a hole (400) penetrating the insulating layer, And a second bridge 240 connecting the second sensor electrodes in the second direction.

A wiring circuit (not shown) connected to the first sensor electrode 210 and the second sensor electrode 220 may be disposed on the bezel portion of the touch panel 100.

The substrate 110 may be formed using any one of a polymer film, a plastic film, and an organic film. Hereinafter, the substrate 110 will be described using a polymer film of a transparent material as an example. As the polymer film of the transparent material, PET can be used.

The first sensor electrode 210 and the second sensor electrode 220 function to determine whether an input device such as a finger or a touch pen is in contact.

1, the first sensor electrode 210 and the second sensor electrode 220 are shown to have a rhombic shape. However, the first sensor electrode 210 and the second sensor electrode 220 are not necessarily formed in a rhombic shape, but may be various shapes such as a triangle, a square, As shown in FIG.

The number and size of the first sensor electrode 210 and the second sensor electrode 220 may vary depending on the resolution of the touch panel 100 and the type and size of the display to which the touch panel 100 is attached.

The first bridge 230 connects the plurality of first sensor electrodes 210 and the second bridge 240 connects the plurality of second sensor electrodes 220 to each other. do.

The first bridge 230 and the second bridge 240 intersect with each other with the insulating layer 300 interposed therebetween.

The first sensor electrode 210, the second sensor electrode 220, the first bridge 230, and the second bridge 240 may be formed of a metal or a transparent conductive material. A transparent conductive oxide (TCO: Transparent Conductive Oxide) can be used as the transparent material having such conductivity.

Indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), and zinc oxide (ZnO) may be used as the transparent conductive oxide (TCO). These may be used alone or in combination with each other.

The first sensor electrode 210, the second sensor electrode 220, the first bridge 230, and the second bridge 240 may be formed of the same material or different materials. The first sensor electrode 210, the second sensor electrode 220, the first bridge 230, and the second bridge 240 may be formed of the same material.

The insulating layer 300 may be formed on the substrate 110 on which the first sensor electrode 210, the second sensor electrode 220 and the first bridge 230 are formed.

The insulating layer 300 may have a multi-layer structure including at least one low refractive index layer 310 and a high refractive index layer 320. The insulating layer 300 may be formed by alternately repeating the low refractive index layer 310 and the high refractive index layer 320.

3, the insulating layer 300 is formed by stacking a low refraction layer 311, a high refraction layer 321, a low refraction layer 312, and a high refraction layer 322 in this order. However, the present invention is not limited thereto The low refraction layer 310 and the high refraction layer 320 may be alternately laminated two to five times.

The low refraction layer 310 may include an organic or inorganic material having a refractive index of 1.3 to 1.5. The low refractive layer 310 can be formed using, for example, MgF2, NaF and CaF _2.

The high refractive index layer 320 may include an organic material or an inorganic material having a refractive index of 1.5 or more and 2.5 or less. The high refractive index layer may use CeF ₃ , Al ₂ O ₃ , ZrO ₂ , TiO ₂ and Nb ₂ O _x .

The insulating layer 300 in which the low refractive index layer 310 and the high refractive index layer 320 are alternately repeatedly laminated has a function of electrically insulating the first bridge 230 and the second bridge 240, At the same time, the reflection prevention function can be performed.

When external light is incident on the insulating layer 300, external light incident at the interface between the stacked thin films can be transmitted or absorbed without being reflected. The greater the difference in refractive index between the thin films deposited on the insulating layer 300, the lower the reflectance of the external light as the number of deposited thin films increases.

4A to 4F are views illustrating a method of manufacturing a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A method of manufacturing a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of: (a) patterning a plurality of first sensor electrodes, a second sensor electrode, and a first bridge on a substrate; (b) Forming an insulating layer on the substrate on which the second sensor electrode and the first bridge are patterned, (c) forming a hole through the insulating layer covering the second sensor electrode to expose a part of the second sensor electrode (D) forming a second bridge layer on the insulating layer while filling a hole exposing a part of the second sensor electrode, (e) patterning the second bridge layer to form a second bridge .

Referring to FIG. 4A, a first sensor electrode 210, a second sensor electrode (not shown), and a first bridge 230 are formed on a substrate 110.

(Not shown), a second sensor electrode 220 and a material for forming the first bridge 230 are coated on the substrate 110 and then patterned to form a first sensor An electrode (not shown), a second sensor electrode 220, and a first bridge 230 may be formed.

The first sensor electrode (not shown), the second sensor electrode 220, and the first bridge may be formed using a transparent conductive oxide (TCO). ITO, IZO, ZnO, or the like may be used as the transparent conductive oxide (TCO).

As a method of applying the material for forming the first sensor electrode (not shown), the second sensor electrode 220 and the first bridge 230, a spin coating process, a printing process, a sputtering process, a chemical vapor deposition process, Any one of a lamination process and a vacuum deposition process can be used.

Referring to FIG. 4B, an insulating layer 300 is formed on a substrate 110 on which the first sensor electrode (not shown), the second sensor electrode 220, and the first bridge 230 are formed.

The step of forming the insulating layer 300 includes the steps of forming the low refraction layer 310 and forming the high refraction layer 320.

The step of forming the low refraction layer 310 and the step of forming the high refraction layer 320 may be repeated two to five times, respectively.

The low refractive index layer 310 may be formed using at least one of MgF _x , SiO _x , NaF, and CaF _x . The high refractive index layer 320 may be formed of CeF _x , Al ₂ Ox, ZrO _x, TiO _x, and Nb _{2 &} lt _; RTI ID _{= 0.0} > _x . ≪ / RTI >

The low refraction layer 310 and the high refraction layer 320 may be formed using any one of a spin coating process, a printing process, a sputtering process, a chemical vapor deposition process, an atomic layer deposition process, and a vacuum deposition process.

Referring to FIG. 4C, a hole 400 is formed through the insulating layer 300 to expose a portion of the second sensor electrode 220.

The hole 400 is for electrically connecting the plurality of second sensor electrodes 220 to the second bridge 240. The hole 400 may be formed through the insulating layer 300 disposed on the second sensor electrode 220.

4D and 4E, a second bridge layer is formed on the insulating layer 300. Referring to FIG. A second bridge layer is formed on the insulation layer 300 while filling a hole 400 exposing a part of the second sensor electrode and then the second bridge layer is patterned to form a second bridge 240 do.

The embodiments of the touch panel described above are merely illustrative, and the scope of protection of the present invention may include various modifications and equivalents as long as those skilled in the art can understand the present invention.

100: touch panel 110: substrate
210: first sensor electrode 220: second sensor electrode
230: first bridge 240: second bridge
300: insulating layer 310: low refractive layer 311, 312:
320: high-refraction layer (321,322) 400: hole

Claims (8)

Board;
A plurality of first sensor electrodes arranged on the substrate in parallel along a first direction;
A plurality of second sensor electrodes disposed on the substrate, the second sensor electrodes being spaced apart from the first sensor electrodes and arranged in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction;
A first bridge connecting the first sensor electrodes adjacent to each other among the plurality of first sensor electrodes in the first direction;
An insulating layer formed on the substrate on which the plurality of first sensor electrodes, the second sensor electrode, and the first bridge are formed; And
And a second bridge connecting second sensor electrodes adjacent to each other of the plurality of second sensor electrodes through the hole passing through the insulating layer in the second direction,
Wherein the first bridge and the second bridge intersect each other. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the insulating layer is formed of at least one low refraction layer and a high refraction layer. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein the low refractive index layer is formed of at least one of MgF ₂ , NaF, and CaF ₂ . The touch panel of claim 2, wherein the high refractive index layer comprises at least one of CeF ₃ , Al ₂ O ₃ , ZrO ₂ , TiO _2, and Nb ₂ O _x . Patterning a plurality of first sensor electrodes, a second sensor electrode, and a first bridge on a substrate;
Forming an insulating layer on the substrate on which the first sensor electrode, the second sensor electrode, and the first bridge are patterned;
Forming a hole through the insulating layer covering the second sensor electrode to expose a part of the second sensor electrode;
Forming a second bridge layer on the insulating layer while filling a hole exposing a part of the second sensor electrode;
And patterning the second bridge layer to form a second bridge. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein forming the insulating layer comprises:
Forming a low refraction layer; And
And forming a high-refractive-index layer. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of forming the low refractive index layer and the step of forming the high refractive index layer are performed two to five times, respectively. The method according to claim 5, wherein the forming of the low refractive index layer and the forming of the high refractive index layer are performed by any one of a spin coating process, a printing process, a sputtering process, a chemical vapor deposition process, an atomic layer deposition process and a vacuum deposition process The method of manufacturing a touch panel according to claim 1,

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