KR20170110859A - Film touch sensor and method for fabricating the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a film touch sensor and a manufacturing method thereof for preventing crack growth which may occur during a process of transferring and peeling an electrode pattern on a substrate to a film, Forming an electrode pattern layer on the one surface of the separation layer, the electrode pattern layer including an electrode pattern and a dummy pattern for preventing crack growth; forming a protective layer on the electrode pattern layer; A base film bonding step of bonding a base film onto the protective layer, and a carrier substrate removing step of separating the separation layer from the carrier substrate.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a film touch sensor,

The present invention relates to a touch sensor, and more particularly, to a film touch sensor and a method of manufacturing the same that prevent crack growth that may occur during a process of transferring and separating an electrode pattern on a substrate to a film.

BACKGROUND ART In electronic devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), notebook computers, OA devices, medical devices, and car navigation systems, a touch sensor serving as an input means is provided on a display. The touch sensor can be divided into a resistance film type, an electromagnetic induction type, an optical type, and a capacitance type depending on the implementation method.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a capacitive touch sensor includes a separation layer 20 formed on a carrier substrate 10, a first protective layer 30 on a separation layer 20, 1, an electrode pattern layer including a first electrode pattern 42 and a second electrode pattern 44 is formed on the first protection layer 30, an insulation layer 50 is formed to cover the electrode pattern layer, A bridge electrode 60 for electrically connecting the first electrode pattern 42 is formed on the second electrode layer 50 and a second passivation layer 70 is formed on the bridge electrode 60 so as to cover the bridge electrode 60 .

For convenience of explanation, a set of various functional layers located on the carrier substrate 10 will be referred to as a layered product S.

In the touch sensor of the above-described structure, the carrier substrate 10 is separated from the laminate, more specifically, the separation layer 20 through the peeling process. Referring to FIG. 2,

The carrier substrate 10 on which the layered product S is formed is conveyed in a predetermined direction by the conveying roll 100 and the conveyor belt. The upper side of the carrier substrate 10, that is, the upper side of the stacked body S, passes through the substrate film 120 supplied by the laminating roll 110, . The base film 120 may be a protective film coated with the adhesive layer 130. In this case, the base film 120 can be bonded onto the laminate S via a pressure-sensitive adhesive.

The stacked body S is separated from the carrier substrate 10 by the rolls 140 and 150 while the base film 120 is stuck on the stacked body S and the stacked body S is separated from the carrier substrate 10, The bending phenomenon occurs in the base film 120 as shown in FIG. 3 (a). A tensile stress is generated at a portion where the bending phenomenon occurs and a side crack is generated at a portion where the tensile strength is low as shown in Figure 3 (b), and the crack grows into the stress region as shown in Figure 3 (c) .

Since the growth of the side crack can act as a cause of malfunction of the stacked body S transferred to the base film 120, that is, the touch sensor, a new scheme for preventing the growth of side cracks should be sought.

In order to prevent the growth of the side crack (hereinafter referred to as " crack "), it is possible to cut the side of the cracked film, but this process also hinders the improvement of the production yield and causes a defect in cutting .

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0065486 Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0063481

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a film touch sensor capable of preventing crack growth which may occur during delamination in a process of transferring an electrode pattern on a carrier substrate to a film, And a method of manufacturing the same,

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a film touch sensor and a method of manufacturing the same which can eliminate a side cutting process that induces foreign objects, thereby improving the production yield due to the shortening of the process.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a film touch sensor including:

A substrate film on which one or more touch sensors are arranged,

And a crack growth preventing dummy pattern formed inside at least one of the edges of the base film,

The crack growth preventing dummy pattern is formed inside each of the facing edges and is formed in parallel with the edge.

The crack growth preventing dummy pattern formed parallel to the edge is formed to have a length longer than the length of at least one adjacent touch sensor array,

The crack growth preventing dummy pattern formed parallel to the edge is further divided into a length corresponding to the width of each adjacent touch sensor.

The crack growth preventing dummy pattern is formed to have the same thickness as the thickness of the electrode pattern constituting the touch sensor, and is formed when the electrode pattern is formed.

In the film touch sensor according to the second embodiment of the present invention,

A base film on which one or more touch sensor groups are arranged, wherein the touch sensors are arranged in a matrix of M x N (where M and N are natural numbers)

And a crack growth preventing dummy pattern formed on both sides of the dividing line centering on a virtual dividing line capable of dividing and cutting the at least one touch sensor group and inside at least one of the edges of the base film .

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a film touch sensor,

A separation layer formation step of forming a separation layer on the carrier substrate,

An electrode pattern layer formation step of forming an electrode pattern layer including an electrode pattern and a crack growth preventing dummy pattern on one surface of the separation layer;

A protective layer forming step of forming a protective layer on the electrode pattern layer,

A base film bonding step of bonding a base film to the protective layer,

And a carrier substrate removing step of separating the separation layer from the carrier substrate,

And the protective layer is formed only on the electrode pattern excluding the dummy pattern for preventing crack growth.

According to the above-mentioned problem solving means, the film touch sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention has an effect of preventing the damage of the product (touch sensor) due to the growth of cracks which may occur in delamination during the manufacturing process,

There is no need to cut the side of the film in which cracks have occurred, so that there is an advantage that the production yield can be improved due to the shortening of the process.

1 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of a general touch sensor.
2 is a diagram illustrating examples of transfer and peeling processes in the process of manufacturing a film touch sensor.
3 is a view for explaining crack generation and growth process due to optical film bending during peeling;
4 to 9 are plan views of a film touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a manufacturing process flow of a film touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cross-sectional structure of a film touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

It is to be understood that the specific structural or functional description of embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the inventive concept But may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

In addition, the embodiments according to the concept of the present invention can make various changes and have various forms, so that the embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the embodiments according to the concepts of the present invention to the particular forms disclosed, but includes all modifications, equivalents, or alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

In addition, in the description of the embodiments of the present invention, when it is determined that a specific description such as a related known function or configuration (for example, a shape of an electrode pattern, a method of forming an electrode pattern, etc.) may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention A detailed description thereof will be omitted.

For reference, the base film 200 on which the electrode patterns constituting the touch sensor 210 and the dummy patterns 220 for preventing crack growth are transferred will be referred to as a film touch sensor.

4 to 9 are each a plan view of a film touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4, a film touch sensor according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a base film 200 on which at least one touch sensor 210 is arranged, and at least one of edges of the base film 200 And a crack growth preventing dummy pattern 220 formed inside the edge.

The base film 200 may be an optical film on which the electrode pattern constituting the touch sensor is transferred, as described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 8, a plurality of touch sensors 210 may be arranged on the base film 200, and one touch sensor 210 may be positioned as required, as shown in FIG. It is possible.

The crack growth preventing dummy pattern 220 is for preventing crack growth which may occur when the base film 200 transferred with the electrode pattern constituting the touch sensor 210 is separated from the carrier substrate, And more specifically, parallel to the edge of the base film 200. In this case,

The formation position and length of the crack growth preventing dummy pattern 220 can be changed in consideration of cutting of the base film 200.

In FIG. 4, the dummy patterns 220 for preventing crack growth are formed on the inner sides of the opposing edges (upper and lower) of the base film 200, and formed parallel to the edges. In the example of FIG. 4, when the base film 200 is separated from the right side to the left side, the bending of the base film 200 occurs at the upper edge and the lower edge and grows inside the film. Therefore, A crack growth preventing dummy pattern 220 is formed in the upper and lower edges in parallel with the edges.

As shown in FIG. 4, the length of the crack growth preventing dummy pattern 220, which is formed in parallel with the edge of the base film 200, may be longer than the length of at least one adjacent touch sensor 210.

As another example, the crack growth preventing dummy pattern 220 formed parallel to the edge of the base film 200 may be divided into a length corresponding to the width of each adjacent touch sensor 210 as shown in FIG. Even in this case, the touch sensor 210 can be normally protected from the cracks generated at the edge of the base film 200.

The width of the crack growth preventing dummy pattern 220 may be 0.001 to 100 mm, preferably 0.005 to 50 mm. When the thickness is less than 0.001 mm, the pattern formation is difficult and the crack growth prevention effect can be reduced. When the thickness is larger than 100 mm, the area occupied by the dummy pattern becomes large and the area efficiency of the substrate decreases.

The number of layers of the crack growth preventing dummy patterns 220 may be one or a plurality of layers as will be described later. The thickness of the crack growth preventing dummy pattern 220 preferably has a thickness of 10 nm to 2000 nm, particularly 100 nm to 1000 nm. It is most preferable that the thickness is the same as the thickness of the electrode pattern constituting the touch sensor. Otherwise, it is necessary to perform a separate process from the electrode pattern layer of the touch sensor, so that the efficiency is inevitably lowered. That is, the crack growth preventing dummy pattern 220 is formed at the time of forming the electrode pattern constituting the touch sensor, and is most preferably formed with the same material and the same thickness.

6 illustrates another formation position of the crack growth preventing dummy pattern 220. The dummy pattern 220 may be formed at a position surrounding each touch sensor 210 arranged on the base film 200 ,

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the touch sensor 210 is arranged in a matrix of M × N (where M and N are natural numbers) to form one touch sensor group, The crack growth preventing dummy 200 is formed on both sides of the dividing line centering on a virtual cutting line CL and inside at least one edge of the edges of the base film 200 A pattern 220 may be formed.

9 shows a dummy pattern 220 for preventing crack growth formed on the upper and lower edges of the base film 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Are formed on the surface of the substrate.

Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing a film touch sensor having the above-described crack growth preventing dummy pattern 220 will be described in detail.

10 is a flowchart illustrating a manufacturing process of a film touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 illustrates a cross-sectional structure of a film touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention. 9, it is assumed that a touch sensor 210 is formed on the base film 200 and a dummy pattern 220 for preventing crack growth is formed on the inner side of the lower edge of the touch sensor. An embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Referring to FIG. 10, a polymer organic film is first applied on a carrier substrate 205 to form a separation layer 230 as shown in FIG. 11A (step S110). The separation layer 230 is formed to separate the touch sensor formed on the carrier substrate 205 from the carrier substrate 205. The separation layer 230 covers and covers the electrode pattern layer formed on the upper part, Can also be performed.

For reference, a known coating method such as spin coating, die coating, spray coating and the like can be used as a method of applying the separation layer.

The peeling force of the separation layer 230 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 0.01 to 1 N / 25 mm, preferably 0.01 to 0.2 N / 25 mm. When the above range is satisfied, it is possible to easily peel off the residue from the carrier substrate 205 in the manufacturing process of the touch sensor, and curl and crack due to the tensile force generated at peeling can be reduced.

The thickness of the separation layer 230 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 10 to 1,000 nm, preferably 50 to 500 nm. When the above range is satisfied, the peeling force can be stabilized and a uniform pattern can be formed.

As the material of the separation layer 230, a polyimide polymer, a polyvinyl alcohol polymer, a polyamic acid polymer, a polyamide polymer, a polyethylene polymer, a polystyrene polymer, a polynorbornene polymer, a phenylmaleimide copolymer copolymer type polymers, and polyazobenzene type polymers, and they may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

On the other hand, it is preferable to use a glass substrate as the carrier substrate 205, but not limited thereto, other substrate may be used as the carrier substrate 205. [ However, a material having heat resistance that can not be deformed even at a high temperature, that is, it can maintain flatness so as to withstand the process temperature at the time of electrode formation is preferable.

The curing process for forming the separation layer 230 may be performed using heat curing or UV curing alone, or a combination of thermal curing and UV curing.

Although not shown in FIG. 10, a protective layer 240 may be further formed on the separation layer 230 as shown in FIG. 11 (a) after the separation layer formation step (S 110). This protective layer 240 is an optional component that can be omitted if desired.

The protective layer 240 protects the electrode pattern layer by covering the electrode pattern layer to be described later together with the separation layer 230 and protects the electrode pattern layer in the electrode pattern layer formation step S120 So as not to be exposed to the etchant.

For example, the protective layer 240 may be formed to cover at least a part of the side surface of the isolation layer 230. The side surface of the separation layer 230 is the edge sidewall of the separation layer 230. With this structure, it is possible to minimize the exposure of the side surface of the separation layer 230 to the etchant or the like during the process such as patterning of the conductive electrode patterns constituting the electrode pattern layer. It is preferable that the protective layer 240 covers all the side surfaces of the isolation layer 230 in terms of completely shielding the side surface of the isolation layer 230 from being exposed.

In the electrode pattern layer forming step S120, an electrode pattern layer is formed on the protective layer 240 or the separation layer 230 as shown in FIG. 11A. The electrode pattern layer is a component for sensing a touch signal input by a user. In the embodiment of the present invention, the electrode pattern layer includes electrode patterns 250 and 270 and a crack growth prevention dummy pattern 220.

Reference numeral 250 denotes, for example, an electrode pattern for sensing an x coordinate, and an electrode pattern located between reference numeral 250 shows an electrode pattern for sensing a y coordinate. Reference numeral 270 denotes a bridge electrode pattern for connecting the separated electrode patterns 250 and reference numeral 260 denotes an insulating layer for insulating the electrode patterns 250 and the bridge electrode patterns 270. For convenience of explanation, x, y It is assumed that the electrode pattern layer includes an insulating layer positioned between the electrode pattern for sensing coordinates and the bridge electrode pattern.

Although the number and structure of the electrode patterns 250 and 270 constituting the touch sensor in the film touch sensor for implementing the present invention are not particularly limited, the dummy patterns 220 for preventing crack growth may be patterned simultaneously with the electrode pattern layers of the touch sensor As shown in Figs. 11 (a) to 11 (f), one or more than one layers can be formed in accordance with the number of electrode patterns.

That is, the electrode patterns 250 and 270 and the dummy pattern 220 for preventing crack growth can be formed using not only general ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) but also conductive polymer having excellent flexibility and simple coating process. For example, a conductive polymer containing PEDOT / PSS, polyaniline, polyacetylene or polyphenylene vinylene.

 The electrode patterns 250 and 270 and the crack growth preventing dummy pattern 220 may be formed by a dry process such as sputtering or vapor deposition or a wet process such as dip coating, spin coating, roll coating, spray coating, Or may be formed on the separation layer 230 and then patterned through a laser process or a wet etching process. The electrode patterns 250 and 270 and the crack growth preventing dummy pattern 220 are directly patterned on the protective layer 240 or the separation layer 230 by using a direct patterning process such as screen printing, gravure printing, inkjet printing, . For reference, the thickness of the electrode pattern layer is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the thickness is as thin as possible in consideration of the flexibility of the touch sensor.

When the electrode pattern layer including the electrode patterns 250 and 270 and the dummy pattern 220 for preventing crack growth is formed, the protective layer 280 is formed so that the electrode pattern 270 is covered as shown in FIG. (Step S130). The protective layer 280 is formed so that the opposite surface of the protective layer 280 in contact with the electrode pattern layer has a flat shape. The protective layer 280 may be a single layer or a plurality of layers of two or more layers, and is preferably formed of a material or a material having the same refractive index as the insulating layer 260. The protective layer 280 can be formed only on the electrode patterns 9250 and 280 where the dummy pattern 220 for preventing crack growth is excluded, as shown in FIG.

Thereafter, a bonding layer is formed on the protective layer 280 to form a base layer such as the base film 200 on the protective layer 280 through a transfer process (step S140). As the material of the bonding layer, a photo-curable adhesive, an aqueous adhesive, an organic adhesive, or the like may be used, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The base film 200 forming the substrate layer is exemplified by the transparent optical film which can be bonded through the bonding layer in Figs. 2 and 4, but it may be a polarizing plate. The transparent optical film may be surface-treated if necessary. Examples of the surface treatment include a chemical treatment such as a plasma treatment, a corona treatment, a dry treatment such as a primer treatment, and an alkali treatment including a saponification treatment.

The transparent optical film may be an isotropic film, a retardation film, or a protective film.

The protective film may be a film including an adhesive layer on at least one side of a film made of a polymer resin, or a self-adhesive film such as polypropylene, and may be used for protecting the surface of the touch sensor and improving the processability.

When the base layer is formed, that is, the joining of the base film 200 is completed, the carrier substrate 205 removing step (step S150) is performed. That is, the separation can be performed using a method of peeling the separation layer 230 on which the electrode patterns 250 and 270 are formed from the carrier substrate 205. The peeling method may be a lift-off method or a peel-off method, but is not limited thereto.

An example of the film touch sensor in which the carrier substrate 205 is separated as described above is shown in Fig.

9, a crack growth preventing dummy pattern 220 is formed on the inside of the upper and lower edges of the base film 200 on which a single touch sensor is formed, Even when side cracks occur in the process of peeling the base film 200 on which the growth preventing dummy patterns 220 are formed, cracks grow in the direction in which the touch sensors 210 are located by the crack growth preventing dummy patterns 220 Can be prevented.

Therefore, the film touch sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention has the effect of preventing the damage of the product (touch sensor) due to the growth of the side crack that may occur in the delamination during the manufacturing process,

There is no need to cut the side of the film in which side cracks have occurred, so that the production yield can be improved due to the shortening of the process.

11, reference numeral 300 denotes a bonding pad to which a flexible printed circuit (FPC) for transmitting a touch signal sensed in a display area to a driving unit (not shown) is connected.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, in the embodiment of the present invention, an insulating layer covering the crack growth preventing dummy pattern 220 is not described, but an insulating layer covering the crack growth preventing dummy pattern 220 is formed as in the electrode pattern 250 You may. Accordingly, the true scope of the present invention should be determined only by the appended claims.

Claims (22)

A substrate film on which one or more touch sensors are arranged;
And a crack growth preventing dummy pattern formed inside at least one edge of edges of the base film.
The film touch sensor of claim 1, wherein the crack growth preventing dummy pattern is formed inside each of the facing edges, and is formed in parallel with the edge.
The film touch sensor of claim 2, wherein the crack growth prevention dummy pattern formed in parallel with the edge is formed to have a length longer than the adjacent arrangement length of the at least one touch sensor.
The film touch sensor of claim 2, wherein the dummy pattern for crack growth prevention formed in parallel with the edge is divided into a length corresponding to a width of each adjacent touch sensor.
The film touch sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the crack growth preventing dummy pattern is formed to have the same thickness as an electrode pattern constituting the touch sensor.
The film touch sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the crack growth preventing dummy pattern is formed at the time of forming an electrode pattern constituting the touch sensor, and is formed of the same material.
A base film on which at least one touch sensor group is arranged, the touch sensors being arranged in a matrix of M x N (where M and N are natural numbers) to form one touch sensor group;
And a crack growth preventing dummy pattern formed on both sides of the dividing line around an imaginary dividing line capable of dividing and cutting the at least one touch sensor group and inside at least one of the edges of the base film, Film touch sensor.
8. The film touch sensor according to claim 7, wherein the dummy pattern for preventing crack growth formed on the edge of the base film is formed in parallel with the edge, and is formed inside each facing edge.
The film touch sensor according to claim 7, wherein a crack growth preventing dummy pattern formed on both sides of the dividing line is formed parallel to an edge of the film.
The film touch sensor according to claim 7, wherein the dummy pattern for preventing crack growth is formed to have a length longer than a length of an adjacent touch sensor group.
The film touch sensor according to claim 7, wherein the crack growth preventing dummy patterns formed on both sides of the dividing line are divided into a length corresponding to a width of each touch sensor constituting the adjacent touch sensor group.
The film touch sensor according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the crack growth preventing dummy pattern is formed to have the same thickness as an electrode pattern constituting the touch sensor.
The film touch sensor according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the crack growth preventing dummy pattern is formed at the time of forming an electrode pattern constituting the touch sensor, and is formed of the same material.
A separation layer forming step of forming a separation layer on the carrier substrate;
An electrode pattern layer forming step of forming an electrode pattern layer including an electrode pattern and a crack growth preventing dummy pattern on one surface of the separation layer;
A protective layer forming step of forming a protective layer on the electrode pattern layer;
A base film bonding step of bonding a base film to the protective layer;
And separating the separation layer from the carrier substrate. ≪ RTI ID = 0.0 > 21. < / RTI >
[16] The method of claim 14, wherein the protective layer is formed only on the electrode pattern excluding the dummy pattern for preventing crack growth.
15. The crack growth preventing dummy pattern according to claim 14,
Wherein the crack-growth preventing dummy pattern is formed at a position for transferring the crack growth preventing dummy pattern to at least one edge of edges of the base film.
15. The crack growth preventing dummy pattern according to claim 14,
Wherein the crack-growth preventing dummy pattern is formed at a position for transferring the dummy pattern for preventing crack growth to the inside of the opposing edge of the base film, and is formed in parallel with the edge.
[16] The method of claim 14, wherein the crack growth preventing dummy pattern is formed on the base film to have a length longer than an array length of adjacent touch sensors.
[16] The method of claim 14, wherein the crack growth prevention dummy pattern is transferred to the base film and divided into a length corresponding to a width of each adjacent touch sensor.
15. The crack growth preventing dummy pattern according to claim 14,
Wherein the crack growth preventing dummy pattern is formed at a position for transferring the base film to both sides of the dividing line around an imaginary dividing line capable of being dividedly cut and inside at least one edge of the edges of the base film, The method comprising:
[20] The method of claim 20, wherein the dummy pattern for preventing crack growth is formed to have the same thickness as the electrode pattern.
The method of manufacturing a film touch sensor according to any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein the dummy pattern for preventing crack growth is formed of the same material as the electrode pattern.

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