KR20150103612A - Digitizer - Google Patents

Abstract

A digitizer according to an embodiment includes: a substrate; a first electrode disposed on the substrate; an insulating layer disposed on the first electrode; and a second electrode disposed on the insulating layer. A through hole exposing the first electrode is formed on the insulating layer and the first electrode and the second electrode come in contact with each other through the through hole.

Description

Digitizer {DIGITIZER}

An embodiment is for a digitizer.

Recently, a touch panel has been applied to input a specific command by touching an input device such as a finger or a stylus pen to an image displayed on a display device in various electronic products.

Electro magnetic resonance (EMR) is widely used as an input method of a stylus pen. In the EMR system, a loop coil is disposed on a printed circuit board, a voltage is applied to the printed circuit board to control electromagnetic waves to be generated due to power transmitted, and the generated electromagnetic waves are absorbed by the EMR pen. Here, the EMR pen may include a capacitor and a loop, and the absorbed electromagnetic wave can be emitted again at a predetermined frequency.

The electromagnetic waves emitted by the EMR pen can be absorbed again by the loop coil of the printed circuit board, and thus it can be determined which position of the EMR pen is close to the touch screen.

In the case of the EMR method, it can be manufactured by forming an electrode on a printed circuit board. Accordingly, there is an advantage that a substrate of an electrode can be formed on one side or both sides of a printed circuit board due to the characteristics of a printed circuit board. However, since a process of forming a hole on a substrate to connect electrodes formed on both sides is essentially required, There is a problem in that it becomes complicated.

As a result, the manufacturing process is complicated and the process cost is increased.

Therefore, a touch panel, i.e., a digitizer, of a new structure capable of solving such a problem is required.

The embodiment is intended to provide a digitizer that can be easily manufactured.

A digitizer according to an embodiment includes: a substrate; A first electrode disposed on the substrate; An insulating layer disposed on the first electrode; And a second electrode disposed on the insulating layer, wherein the insulating layer has a through-hole exposing the first electrode, and the first electrode and the second electrode are in contact through the through-hole.

The digitizer according to the embodiment can be easily manufactured, and the process efficiency can be improved.

That is, in the digitizer according to the embodiment, a first electrode and a second electrode are formed on one surface of a substrate using a substrate such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and the insulating layer is selectively printed to form a first And forming a through hole connecting the electrode and the second electrode.

Accordingly, the digitizer according to the embodiment can form the first electrode and the second electrode together on one surface, and since the substrate such as PET is used, the digitizer can realize a large size and reduce the process cost, By forming the through hole connecting the first electrode and the second electrode selectively with the insulating layer printing, the through hole forming step can be omitted, and the process efficiency can be improved.

1 is a top view of a digitizer according to an embodiment.
2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA 'in FIG.
3 to 6 are views showing other cross-sectional views taken along the line AA 'in FIG.
FIGS. 7 to 10 are cross-sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing a digitizer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a cross-sectional view of a display device to which the digitizer according to the embodiment is applied.

In the description of the embodiments, it is to be understood that each layer (film), area, pattern or structure may be referred to as being "on" or "under / under"Quot; includes all that is formed directly or through another layer. The criteria for top / bottom or bottom / bottom of each layer are described with reference to the drawings.

1 to 3, the digitizer according to the embodiment may include a substrate, an electrode, and an insulating layer.

The substrate 100 may support the electrode and the insulating layer. The substrate 100 may comprise plastic. For example, the substrate 100 may include plastic such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

The electrode may be disposed on the substrate 100. The electrode may include a first electrode 210 and a second electrode 220.

The first electrode 210 may be disposed in contact with the substrate. In detail, the first electrode 210 may extend in a first direction and be disposed on the substrate.

The first electrode 210 may include a conductive material. In detail, the first electrode 210 may include a metal material. For example, the first electrode 210 may include at least one of Au, Ag, Cu, Mo, Ni, and Cr. have.

The first electrode 210 may have a predetermined thickness. For example, the first electrode 210 may be formed to a thickness of about 9 μm to about 50 μm. If the thickness of the first electrode 210 is less than about 9 占 퐉, the electrical characteristics may deteriorate, and if the thickness exceeds about 50 占 퐉, the thickness of the digitizer may be increased.

A plating layer may further be disposed on the first electrode 210. That is, a first plating layer 310 may be further formed on the first electrode 210 to surround the first electrode 210 and include a metal. The first plating layer 310 may include at least one of nickel, copper, and chromium.

The first plating layer 310 may be formed to a thickness of about 1 μm to about 10 μm. If the thickness of the first plating layer 310 is less than about 1 占 퐉, the resistance may increase and the electrical characteristics may deteriorate. If the thickness is more than about 10 占 퐉, the thickness may become thicker and the process efficiency may be lowered .

The insulating layer may be disposed on the electrodes. In detail, the insulating layer may include a first insulating layer 410 and a second insulating layer 420.

The first insulating layer 410 may be formed through a printing process. The first insulating layer 410 may include an insulating resin such as acryl.

The first insulating layer 410 may be disposed on the first electrode 210. The first insulating layer 410 may be disposed while surrounding the first electrode 210. A hole may be formed in the first insulating layer 410. That is, the first insulating layer 410 may have a through hole TH formed through the first insulating layer 410. A plurality of through holes TH may be formed on the first insulating layer 410 by selectively printing the first insulating layer 410 except the portion of the through hole TH when printing the first insulating layer 410 .

The first electrode 210 disposed on the substrate 100 may be exposed by the through hole TH. That is, the through hole TH may be formed in a region corresponding to a portion where the first electrode 210 is disposed.

The first electrode 210 disposed on the substrate 100 is partially covered by the first insulating layer 410 and partially exposed through the through hole TH have.

The second electrode 220 may be disposed on the first insulating layer 410. The second electrode 220 may extend in the second direction on the first insulating layer 410. In detail, the second electrode 220 may extend in a different direction from the first electrode 210.

Although the first electrodes 210 are arranged in the longitudinal direction and the second electrodes 220 are arranged in the lateral direction in FIG. 1, the present invention is not limited thereto, The first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220 intersect with each other such that the first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220 intersect each other in a lateral direction and the second electrode 220 is parallel to the first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220, As shown in FIG.

The second electrode 220 may be disposed while passing through the through hole TH of the first insulating layer 410. That is, the second electrode 220 may be disposed while intersecting the first electrode 210 and passing through the first insulating layer 410 where the through hole TH is formed.

Accordingly, the first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220 can contact each other in a region where the second electrode 220 passes through the through hole TH.

The second electrode 220 may include a conductive material. In detail, the second electrode 220 may include a metal material. The second electrode 220 may include the same or similar material as the first electrode 210. For example, the first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220 may be formed of one selected from the group consisting of gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni) And may comprise the same or different metals of at least one metal.

The second electrode 220 may have a predetermined thickness. For example, the second electrode 220 may be formed to a thickness of about 9 μm to about 50 μm. In detail, the second electrode 220 may have a thickness different from that of the first electrode 210 in the above range. If the thickness of the second electrode 220 is less than about 9 占 퐉, the electrical characteristics may deteriorate, and if the thickness exceeds about 50 占 퐉, the thickness of the digitizer may be thickened.

A plating layer may further be disposed on the second electrode 220. That is, the second plating layer 320 may be further formed on the second electrode 220 to surround the second electrode 210. The second plating layer 320 may include at least one of nickel, copper, and chromium.

The second plating layer 320 may be formed to a thickness of about 1 μm to about 10 μm. If the thickness of the second plating layer 320 is less than about 1 占 퐉, the resistance may increase and the electrical characteristics may deteriorate. If the thickness of the second plating layer 320 is more than about 10 占 퐉, the thickness may become thicker, .

The first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220 may be connected to each other through the through hole TH to form a loop-shaped electrode as a whole. 1, the electrode is extended in a first direction in which the first electrode 210 extends and is in contact with the second electrode 220 in the through hole TH, On the basis of the contact portion, the first electrode 210 extends in the second direction in which the second electrode 220 extends, and is in contact with the first electrode 210 at the portion of the through hole TH. And may extend in a first direction in which the first electrode 210 extends. Accordingly, the first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220 may be formed as a loop-shaped electrode that contacts each other at the through hole TH. That is, the electrode including the first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220 may be a loop-shaped coil.

Accordingly, when a touch object, e.g., a digitizer pen, of an electromagnetic type is touched on one surface of a display device including a digitizer, a signal generated in a resonance circuit included in the digitizer pen is recognized by the touch sensor, The position can be detected. Electric power is transmitted to the loop coil including the first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220 to generate an electromagnetic wave. The generated electromagnetic wave is absorbed by the digitizer pen, and the electromagnetic wave absorbed by the digitizer pen is transmitted again By emitting at a predetermined frequency, the touch sensor senses the electromagnetic change caused by the approach of the digitizer pen, and the position of the digitizer pen can be grasped.

A second insulating layer 420 may be further disposed on the second electrode 220. The second insulating layer 410 may be formed through a printing process, and the second insulating layer 420 may include an insulating resin such as acryl.

The second insulating layer 420 may be disposed on the second electrode 220 to serve as a protective layer for protecting the second electrode 220 from the outside.

Referring to FIG. 4, a shielding layer 500 may be further formed on the substrate 100. In detail, the electrode, the insulating layer, and the like are formed on one surface of the substrate 100, and the shielding layer 500 may be formed on the other surface of the substrate 100 opposite to the one surface.

The shielding layer 500 may be formed by directly printing a shielding material on the other surface of the substrate 100 and curing the shielding material.

5, a ground electrode 600 may be further formed on the other surface of the substrate 100. Referring to FIG. That is, at least one functional layer of the shield layer 500 and the ground electrode 600 may be disposed on the other surface of the substrate 100.

The digitizer according to the embodiment can be easily manufactured, and the process efficiency can be improved.

Conventionally, after a first electrode and a second electrode are formed on both surfaces of a polyimide substrate by patterning copper plating on both sides on a polyimide substrate having copper plating on both surfaces thereof, connecting the first electrode and the second electrode A process for forming a through hole on a polyimide substrate and the like have been required.

Thus, conventionally, the first electrode and the second electrode can be formed on both sides by fabricating the digitizer using the FPCB method, but it is difficult to implement a large-sized digitizer, and a through-hole forming process is required The process efficiency is lowered, and the use of a substrate such as a polyimide substrate causes a problem in that the process cost increases.

Therefore, in the digitizer according to the embodiment, a first electrode and a second electrode are formed on one surface of a substrate using a substrate such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and the insulating layer is selectively printed to form a first And forming a through hole connecting the electrode and the second electrode.

Accordingly, the digitizer according to the embodiment can form the first electrode and the second electrode together on one surface, and since the substrate such as PET is used, the digitizer can realize a large size and reduce the process cost, By forming the through hole connecting the first electrode and the second electrode selectively with the insulating layer printing, the through hole forming step can be omitted, and the process efficiency can be improved.

Further, by embodying the first electrode and the second electrode on one surface of the substrate, a functional layer such as a charcoal layer and a ground electrode can be further formed on the other surface of the substrate. In particular, in the case of a shielding layer, it can be formed by printing and curing a shielding material directly on the other side of the PET substrate. Therefore, the charge material electrode sheet and the shielding sheet can be unified, and the process cost can be reduced compared to the case of forming the PET sheet again on the conventional polyimide substrate and printing and curing the shielding material on the PET sheet , And the process efficiency can be improved.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing a digitizer according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 7, a first electrode 210 may be formed on a substrate 100. The first electrode 210 may print a metal paste on the substrate 100 to print. In detail, the first electrode can be formed by printing a silver (Ag) paste by a printing process such as screen printing, inkjet, air jet, direct printing and gravure offset.

However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the first electrode can be formed by directly depositing copper on the substrate 100, or patterning the substrate 100 on which copper is deposited.

Next, a metal layer may be formed on the first electrode 210. That is, the first electrode 210 may be plated with copper, nickel, chromium, or the like. By forming a plating layer on the first electrode 210, the resistance of the first electrode 210 can be reduced.

Next, referring to FIG. 8, a first insulating layer 410 may be formed on the first electrode. The first insulating layer 410 may be printed on the first electrode 210 using at least one of the various printing processes described above.

The first insulating layer 410 may be printed while partially covering the first electrode 210. In detail, the first insulating layer may be formed while forming a through hole TH partially exposing the first electrode 210. That is, when the first insulating layer 410 is printed, the first insulating layer 410 selectively forms a through hole TH exposing the first electrode 210, And printed.

Referring to FIG. 9, a second electrode 220 may be formed on the first insulating layer 410. The second electrode 220 may be formed by printing silver (Ag) paste in the same manner as the first electrode.

The first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220 may be formed by filling the through hole of the first insulating layer 410 with the second electrode 220. [ Respectively.

Referring to FIG. 10, a second insulating layer 420 may be formed on the second electrode 220. The second insulation layer 420 may be printed on the second electrode 220 using at least one of the various printing processes described above.

11 is a diagram illustrating a display device to which a digitizer according to an embodiment is applied.

Referring to FIG. 11, the display device according to the embodiment may include a digitizer 1000, an LCD module 2000, and a touch sensor 3000.

The LDC module 2000 may include a backlight 2100 and a liquid crystal panel 2200 including a light source. In addition, the touch sensor 3000 may include a sensing electrode for sensing a touch, such as a sensing electrode and a wiring electrode.

As described above, when a touch object 4000 such as a pen touches such a display device, that is, the touch sensor 3000, the touch sensor 3000 receives a signal generated in a resonance circuit included in the touch object 4000, So that the position of the digitizer pen can be detected.

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 and implemented. 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 (10)

Board;
A first electrode disposed on the substrate;
A first insulating layer disposed on the first electrode; And
And a second electrode disposed on the first insulating layer,
Wherein the first insulating layer has a through hole exposing the first electrode,
Wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are in contact through the through hole. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein a metal layer is disposed on at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the first electrode and the second electrode comprise at least one metal selected from gold (Au), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), and chrome (Cr). 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the metal layer comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, copper and chromium. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the substrate comprises polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The method according to claim 1,
And a second insulating layer disposed on the second electrode. The method according to claim 1,
And a shielding layer disposed on the substrate. The method according to claim 1,
And a ground electrode disposed on the substrate. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode is disposed at a thickness of 9 占 퐉 to 50 占 퐉. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the metal layer is disposed in a thickness of 1 占 퐉 to 10 占 퐉.

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