KR20170052721A - Method for fabricating a touch screen panel - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a touch screen panel. The method comprises the steps of: forming a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer and a first photoresist layer; forming a first photoresist layer pattern corresponding to a sensing electrode and a second photoresist layer pattern corresponding to a sensing wiring by arranging a mast on an upper part of the first photoresist layer, and exposing a part of the second conductive layer to the outside; forming a second conductive pattern by using the first photoresist layer pattern and the second photoresist pattern as an etching mask and removing the exposed second conductive layer, and exposing a part of the first conductive layer to the outside; exposing the second conductive pattern by removing the first photoresist layer pattern, and forming the second photoresist layer pattern into a third photoresist pattern with a thin thickness; forming a first conductive pattern by using the exposed second conductive pattern as the etching mask and removing the exposed the first conductive layer; forming the sensing electrode by using the third photoresist pattern as the etching mask and removing the second conductive pattern placed on the first conductive pattern; forming the sensing wiring by removing the third photoresist pattern; forming an insulating pattern on the sensing electrode and the sensing wiring; and forming a bridge pattern connecting the sensing electrodes on the insulating pattern. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a touch screen panel in which manufacturing processes are simplified.

Description

METHOD FOR FABRICATING A TOUCH SCREEN PANEL [0002]

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a touch screen panel.

The touch screen panel is installed on the display surface of the display device, and is a sensing device used to allow a user to select desired information while viewing the display device.

Types of touch screen panels can be classified into resistive type, capacitive type, and electro magnetic type. Among them, the electrostatic capacitive type touch screen panel converts the contact position into an electrical signal by detecting a change in the electrostatic capacitance formed by the conductive sensing electrode with other surrounding sensing electrodes or ground electrodes when a human hand or an object is contacted do. Accordingly, the capacitive touch screen panel includes electrically connected sensing electrodes, and a plurality of sensing electrodes are alternately arranged.

However, in order to form a plurality of sensing electrodes, a patterning process using a mask must be repeatedly performed, so that a manufacturing process is complicated and a manufacturing cost is high.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a touch screen panel in which the manufacturing process is simplified.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising: sequentially forming a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and a first photosensitive film on a substrate; Forming a first photoresist pattern corresponding to the sensing electrode and a second photoresist pattern corresponding to the sensing wiring by disposing a mask on the first photoresist layer and exposing a portion of the second conductive layer to the outside; Forming a second conductive pattern by using the first photoresist pattern and the second photoresist pattern as an etching mask and removing the exposed second conductive layer, exposing a part of the first conductive layer to the outside; Removing the first photoresist pattern to expose the second photoresist pattern, and forming the second photoresist pattern as a third photoresist pattern having a small thickness; Using the exposed second conductive pattern as an etch mask and removing the exposed first conductive layer to form a first conductive pattern; Forming the sensing electrode by using the third photoresist pattern as an etching mask and removing the second conductive pattern located on the first conductive pattern; Removing the third photoresist pattern to form the sensing wiring; Forming an insulating pattern on the sensing electrode and the sensing wiring; And forming a bridge pattern connecting the sensing electrodes on the insulating pattern.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the mask may include a halftone mask.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the method may further include forming an adhesive layer between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the first and second photoresist patterns and the second photoresist pattern are used as an etching mask and the exposed second conductive layer is removed to form a second conductive pattern, The exposed second conductive layer and the adhesive layer located under the second conductive layer may be collectively etched through the dry etching process.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the step of using the exposed second conductive pattern as an etch mask and removing the exposed first conductive layer to form a first conductive pattern comprises: The first conductive layer can be removed.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the step of forming the sensing electrode by using the third photoresist pattern as an etching mask and removing the second conductive pattern located on the first conductive pattern may be performed through a dry etching process The second conductive pattern formed on the first conductive pattern is removed, and the remaining film of the first conductive layer remaining in the wet etching process can be removed.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first conductive layer may include a transparent conductive material.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the transparent conductive material may be AgNW, Indium Tin Oxide (IZO), Indium Zinc Oxide (AZO), Antimony Zinc Oxide (AZO), Indium Tin Zinc Oxide (Zinc Oxide), and SnO2 (Tin Oxide), a carbon nanotube (Carbon Nano Tube), and graphene.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the second conductive layer may include a material having a resistance lower than that of the first conductive layer.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the low resistance material may include one selected from the group consisting of molybdenum (Mo), silver (Ag), titanium (Ti), aluminum (Al), and copper have.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the sensing pattern may include first electrode patterns arranged in a first direction, second sensing patterns arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction, Two-electrode patterns, and connection patterns for electrically connecting the second electrode patterns.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the bridge pattern may electrically connect the first electrode patterns on the insulation pattern.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the sensing wiring may include a double layer in which the first conductive pattern and the second conductive pattern are sequentially stacked on the substrate.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, a manufacturing method of a touch screen panel in which a manufacturing process is simplified is provided.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a touch screen panel having improved bending properties is provided.

1 is a simplified plan view illustrating a touch screen panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2A is a plan view showing an enlarged portion EA1 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a sectional view taken along a line I-I 'in FIG.
FIGS. 3A to 3N are cross-sectional views sequentially illustrating a method of manufacturing the touch screen panel shown in FIG.
4A to 4D are plan views illustrating a method of manufacturing the touch screen panel shown in FIG.

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

FIG. 1 is a simplified plan view for explaining a touch screen panel according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 (a) is an enlarged plan view of a portion EA1 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2 (b) is a sectional view taken along line I-I 'of FIG.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B, a touch screen panel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate 100 having a sensing region 12 and a peripheral region 14.

The substrate 100 may be a rigid substrate such as glass or plastic or a flexible substrate.

For example, the sensing region 12 may be disposed at a central portion of the substrate 100, and the sensing region 12 may include a plurality of sensing regions 12, The sensing electrodes 20 are formed.

The plurality of sensing electrodes 20 includes a plurality of first electrode patterns 22 arranged to be connected to each other in a first direction (e.g., an X direction), and a plurality of first electrode patterns 22 arranged in a second direction And a plurality of second electrode patterns 24 arranged to be connected to each other in the Y direction, for example.

The first electrode patterns 22 and the second electrode patterns 24 may be formed of a transparent conductive material. Examples of the transparent conductive material include AgNW, Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), IZO (Indium Zinc Oxide), AZO (Antimony Zinc Oxide), ITZO (Indium Tin Zinc Oxide), ZnO (Zinc Oxide) Tin Oxide, Carbon Nano Tube, and graphene. The first electrode patterns 22 and the second electrode patterns 24 may be formed of a single film or a multilayer film. In this case, the at least two materials may include multiple films.

The electrode patterns of the first electrode patterns 22 and the second electrode patterns 24 are formed in separate patterns that are not connected to each other and are connected to each other through a bridge. For example, when the second electrode patterns 24 are connected to each other by the connection pattern 24a, the first electrode patterns 22 are formed separately from each other and are connected to a bridge pattern 22a.

The bridge pattern 22a is disposed to intersect with the connection pattern 24a and is electrically insulated from the connection pattern 24a by an insulation pattern 40 to be described later. The connection pattern 24a may be formed of the same material as the first electrode patterns 22 and the second electrode patterns 24.

The insulation pattern 40 is patterned in the sensing region 12 so as to be formed only below the bridge pattern 22a. The bridge pattern 22a is disposed on the insulation pattern 40 so as to intersect with the connection pattern 24a and electrically connects the first electrode patterns 22 adjacent to each other.

The peripheral region 14 is located outside or around the sensing region 12. A plurality of sensing wirings 30 connected to the plurality of sensing electrodes 20 are formed on the substrate 100 of the peripheral region 14, And a pad portion P connected to the plurality of sensing wirings 30 may be formed.

The plurality of sensing wires 30 may include a first sensing wire 32 connected to the plurality of first electrode patterns 22 and a second sensing wire 32 connected to the plurality of second electrode patterns 24. [ (34). The plurality of sensing wirings 30 may be formed of a transparent conductive material, a metal having a low resistance value, or a laminated structure of a transparent conductive material and a metal. In one embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of sensing wirings 30 are preferably formed of a laminate structure of a transparent conductive material and a metal.

The first sensing wiring 32 includes a first sensing wiring pattern 32a formed on the substrate 100 and a second sensing wiring pattern 32a formed on the first sensing wiring pattern 32a. (32b).

The first 1-1 sensing wiring pattern 32a is formed of the same transparent conductive material as the first electrode patterns 22 and the 1-2 sensing wiring pattern 32b is formed of the same material as the 1-1 second sensing wiring pattern 32a may be formed of a metal material having a lower resistance value.

For example, when the first-second sense wiring pattern 32a is made of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) and the first-second sense wiring pattern 32b is made of aluminum (Al) having high bending property, The first-first detecting wiring pattern 32a and the first-second detecting wiring pattern 32b may be peeled off due to the weakening of adhesion due to the interface reaction between ITO and aluminum (Al).

Therefore, in order to prevent the peeling phenomenon, a buffer layer 33 including an adhesive may be disposed between the first 1-1 wiring pattern 32a and the 1-2 wiring pattern 32b.

Here, the width of the 1-2 witness wiring pattern 32b may be narrower than or equal to the width of the 1-1 witness wiring pattern 32a.

Similarly to the first sensing wiring 32, the second sensing wiring 34 may also include a second sensing wiring pattern (not shown) and a second sensing wiring pattern (not shown) sequentially stacked on the substrate 100 Not shown).

Since the touch screen panel according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of sensing wires 30 made of aluminum (Al) having a high bending property, the touch screen panel can be applied to flexible or foldable flexible display devices.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing a touch screen panel according to an embodiment of the present invention having the above-described structure will be described.

FIGS. 3A to 3N are cross-sectional views sequentially illustrating a method of manufacturing the touch screen panel shown in FIG. 2. FIGS. 4A to 4D are plan views illustrating a method of manufacturing the touch screen panel shown in FIG.

3A, a first conductive layer 110, a second conductive layer 300, and a first photoresist layer 400 are formed on one surface of a substrate 100 including a sensing region 12 and a peripheral region 14, Are sequentially formed.

The substrate 100 may be an insulating substrate made of a polymer organic material, and may have flexibility. Examples of the insulating substrate material containing the polymer organic material include polystyrene, polyvinyl alcohol, polymethyl methacrylate, polyethersulfone, polyacrylate, Polyetherimide, polyethylene naphthalate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyphenylene sulfide, polyarylate, polyimide, polycarbonate, tri (meth) acrylate, Triacetate cellulose, cellulose acetate propionate, and the like.

However, the material of the substrate 100 is not limited thereto. For example, the substrate 100 may be a rigid substrate such as glass or plastic.

The first conductive layer 110 is provided on the substrate 100, and may be formed of a conductive material. In an embodiment of the present invention, the first conductive layer 110 may be formed of a metal or an alloy thereof. The metal may be at least one selected from the group consisting of Au, Ag, Al, Mo, Cr, Ti, Ni, Ne, (Pt), and the like. The first conductive layer 110 may be formed as a single layer, but is not limited thereto. The first conductive layer 110 may be formed of multiple layers of two or more materials of the metals and the alloys.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the first conductive layer 110 may be formed of a transparent conductive material. Examples of the transparent conductive material include AgNW, Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), IZO (Indium Zinc Oxide), AZO (Antimony Zinc Oxide), ITZO (Indium Tin Zinc Oxide), ZnO (Zinc Oxide) Tin Oxide, Carbon Nano Tube, and graphene. The first conductive layer 110 may be formed of a single film or a multi-layer film, and in this case, two or more of the materials may include a multi-layer film.

The second conductive layer 300 may be formed of a material having a resistance lower than that of the first conductive layer 110. The second conductive layer 300 may be formed of a metal such as molybdenum (Mo), silver (Ag), titanium (Ti) Copper (Cu), or the like.

An adhesive layer 200 for adhesion between the first conductive layer 110 and the second conductive layer 300 is formed between the first conductive layer 110 and the second conductive layer 300 .

The first photoresist layer 400 may be formed by coating a liquid photoresist material or may be a dry film photoresist (DFR). The first photoresist layer 400 may be a negative type ), But the present invention is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 3B, a first mask 500a including a light blocking portion A, a light transmitting portion B, and a light transflecting portion C is disposed on the first photoresist layer 400. Here, the first mask 500a may include a halftone mask.

Referring to FIGS. 3C and 4A, a first photoresist pattern 400a and a second photoresist pattern 400b having different thicknesses are formed through a series of unit processes such as exposure.

The first photoresist pattern 400a is formed corresponding to the light transflective portion C of the first mask 500a and has a first thickness d1. The second photoresist pattern 400b is formed to correspond to the light shielding portion A of the first mask 500a and has a second thickness d2 that is thicker than the first thickness d1.

3B) corresponding to the light transmitting portion B of the first mask 500a is removed on the substrate 100 and the second conductive layer 300 located below the photosensitive film 400 is exposed to the outside .

Referring to FIG. 3D, the dry etching process is performed using the first photoresist pattern 400a and the second photoresist pattern 400b as an etch mask.

In the dry etching process, the second conductive layer 300 exposed to the outside and the adhesive layer 200 located below the second conductive layer 300 are removed, and the first photoresist pattern 400a and the second photoresist pattern 400b A second conductive pattern 300 'and an adhesive pattern 200' are formed.

3E and 4B, an ashing process using an oxygen plasma or the like is performed to remove the first photoresist pattern 400a remaining in a region where the first electrode pattern 22 is to be formed Thereby exposing the second conductive pattern 300 'to the outside.

At the same time, a third photoresist pattern 400c having a thickness d2 smaller than the thickness d2 of the second photoresist pattern 400b is formed in a region where a plurality of sense wirings (30 of FIG. 1) are to be formed.

Referring to FIG. 3F, the wet etching process is performed using the second conductive pattern 300 'exposed to the outside as an etching mask. In the wet etching process, the first conductive layer 110 (FIG. 3E) located in a region where the second conductive pattern 300 'is not formed is removed, and the first conductive layer 300' A conductive pattern 110 'is formed.

Referring to FIG. 3G, the dry etching process is performed using the third photoresist pattern (400c in FIG. 3F) as an etching mask.

In the dry etching process, the second conductive pattern (300 'in FIG. 3F) located in a region where the third photosensitive film pattern 400c is not formed is removed, and the adhesion pattern 200' Lt; / RTI >

As a result, the connection pattern 24a connecting the first electrode pattern 22, the second electrode pattern 24, and the second electrode pattern 24 is finally formed in the sensing region 12 do.

Next, the third photoresist pattern 400c is removed to expose the second conductive pattern 300 '(FIG. 3F) located below the third photoresist pattern 400c to the outside so that the first sensing wiring 32 in the peripheral region 14 is finally .

The first sensing wiring 32 includes a first sensing wiring pattern 32a and a first sensing wiring pattern 32b which are sequentially stacked on the substrate 100. A buffer layer 33 is located between the first-second sense wiring pattern 32a and the first-second sense wiring pattern 32b.

3H, an insulating material layer 40 'and a second insulating layer 40' are formed on the substrate 100 on which the first sensing wiring 32, the first electrode pattern 22, and the connecting pattern 24a are formed, A photosensitive film 600 is sequentially formed.

The insulating material layer 40 'may be a single layer film composed of one film selected from silicon nitride (SiNx), silicon oxide (SiOx), silicon oxynitride (SiOxNy), silicon nitride (SiNx) , Silicon oxynitride (SiOxNy), and the like.

The second photoresist layer 600 may be formed by coating a liquid photoresist material or may be a dry film photoresist (DFR). The exposed portion may be a negative type ), But the present invention is not limited thereto.

Next, a second mask 500b including a light shielding portion A and a light transmitting portion B is disposed on the second photoresist layer 600.

Referring to FIGS. 3I and 4C, a series of unit processes such as exposure are performed to form a photoresist pattern 600 '.

The photoresist pattern 600 'is formed corresponding to the light shielding portion A of the second mask 500b. 3H) corresponding to the light transmitting portion B of the second mask 500b is removed on the substrate 100 so that the insulating material layer 40 'located below the second photosensitive film is exposed to the outside Exposed.

Referring to FIG. 3J, the etching process is performed using the photoresist pattern (600 'in FIG. 3I) as an etching mask. Through the etching process, an insulating pattern 40 is formed in the peripheral region 14 and a part of the sensing region 12, respectively.

The insulation pattern 40 corresponds to the first sensing wiring 32 in the peripheral region 14 and corresponds to a region in the sensing region 12 where a bridge pattern (22a in FIG. 2B) .

Next, the photoresist pattern (600 'in FIG. 3I) is removed.

Referring to FIG. 3K, a third conductive layer 220 and a third photosensitive film 700 are sequentially formed on the substrate 100 on which the insulation pattern 40 is formed.

The third conductive layer 220 is formed on the insulation pattern 40 and may include a transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO). Since ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) has a very high hardness, scratches are minimized in a subsequent process for forming a display device on a touch screen panel, so that a touch screen panel of good quality can be realized.

The third photoresist layer 700 may be formed by coating a liquid photoresist material or may be a dry film photoresist (DFR). The third photoresist layer 700 may be a negative type ), But the present invention is not limited thereto.

Next, a third mask 500c including the light shielding portion A and the light transmitting portion B is disposed on the third photosensitive film 700. Next,

Referring to FIG. 31, a photoresist pattern 700 'is formed by performing a series of unit processes such as exposure.

The photoresist pattern 700 'is formed corresponding to the light shielding portion A of the third mask 500c. The third photoresist layer 700 corresponding to the light transmitting portion B of the third mask 500c is removed on the substrate 100 and the third conductive layer 220 located below the third photoresist layer Exposed.

Referring to FIG. 3M, the etching process is performed using the photoresist pattern 700 'as an etching mask. Through the etching process, the third conductive layer (220 in FIG. 31) exposed to the outside is removed, and a third conductive pattern 220 'is formed under the photoresist pattern 700'.

Referring to FIGS. 3N and 4D, the photoresist pattern (700 'in FIG. 3M) is removed and a bridge pattern 22a is finally formed in the sensing region 12 of the substrate 100.

According to the method of manufacturing a touch screen panel according to an embodiment of the present invention, a double-structure sensing wiring and a single-layer sensing pattern can be simultaneously formed on a substrate using a halftone mask. Accordingly, the manufacturing process of the touch screen panel is simplified, and manufacturing cost can be reduced.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. It is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. .

12: detection area 14: peripheral area
20: sensing electrode 22: first electrode pattern
22a: Bridge pattern 24: Second electrode pattern
24a: Connection pattern 30: Detection wiring
32: first sensing wiring 33: buffer layer
34: second sensing wiring 40: insulation pattern
100: substrate 110: first conductive layer
200: adhesive layer 220: third conductive layer
300: second conductive layer 400/600/700: first to third photosensitive films
500a / 500b / 500c: first to third masks

Claims (13)

Forming a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and a first photosensitive film sequentially on a substrate;
Forming a first photoresist pattern corresponding to the sensing electrode and a second photoresist pattern corresponding to the sensing wiring by disposing a mask on the first photoresist layer and exposing a portion of the second conductive layer to the outside;
Exposing a portion of the first conductive layer to the outside by using the first photoresist pattern and the second photoresist pattern as an etching mask and removing the exposed second conductive layer to form a second conductive pattern;
Removing the first photoresist pattern to expose the second photoresist pattern, and forming the second photoresist pattern as a third photoresist pattern having a small thickness;
Using the exposed second conductive pattern as an etch mask and removing the exposed first conductive layer to form a first conductive pattern;
Forming the sensing electrode by using the third photoresist pattern as an etching mask and removing the second conductive pattern located on the first conductive pattern;
Removing the third photoresist pattern to form the sensing wiring;
Forming an insulating pattern on the sensing electrode and the sensing wiring; And
And forming a bridge pattern connecting the sensing electrodes on the insulation pattern. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the mask comprises a halftone mask. The method according to claim 1,
And forming an adhesive layer between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer. The method of claim 3,
Forming a second conductive pattern by using the first photoresist pattern and the second photoresist pattern as an etching mask and removing the exposed second conductive layer and exposing a part of the first conductive layer to the outside, ,
Wherein the exposed second conductive layer and the adhesive layer located below the second conductive layer are etched in a batch by a dry etching process. The method according to claim 1,
Forming the first conductive pattern by using the exposed second conductive pattern as an etching mask and removing the exposed first conductive layer,
And removing the exposed first conductive layer through a wet etching process. 6. The method of claim 5,
Forming the sensing electrode by using the third photoresist pattern as an etching mask and removing the second conductive pattern located on the first conductive pattern,
Removing a second conductive pattern formed on the first conductive pattern through a dry etching process and removing a remaining film of the first conductive layer remaining in the wet etching process. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first conductive layer comprises a transparent conductive material. 8. The method of claim 7,
The transparent conductive material may be one selected from the group consisting of silver nano wire (AgNW), indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), antimony zinc oxide (AZO), indium tin zinc oxide (ITZO), zinc oxide A carbon nanotube, a carbon nanotube, and a graphene. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the second conductive layer comprises a material having a resistance lower than that of the first conductive layer. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the low resistance material includes one selected from the group consisting of molybdenum (Mo), silver (Ag), titanium (Ti), aluminum (Al), and copper (Cu). The method according to claim 1,
The sensing pattern may include:
First electrode patterns arranged in a first direction,
Second electrode patterns arranged in a second direction intersecting with the first direction and insulated from the first electrode patterns,
And connecting patterns electrically connecting the second electrode patterns. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the bridge pattern electrically connects the first electrode patterns on the insulation pattern. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sensing wiring includes a double layer in which the first conductive pattern and the second conductive pattern are sequentially stacked on the substrate.

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