TW201610773A - Touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

A touch panel includes a substrate, a touch sensing element, and a decoration layer. The substrate has a visible region and a peripheral region. The touch sensing element is at least disposed in the visible region. The decoration layer is disposed in the peripheral region and at least composed of a plurality of conductive lines and a dummy pattern, wherein at least one of the conductive lines is electrically connected to the touch sensing element and the dummy pattern is disposed in areas of the peripheral region except areas of the conductive lines being located.

Description

Touch panel

The invention relates to a touch panel, in particular to a touch panel which provides a frame visual effect by a metal wire and a pseudo pattern.

A touch panel generally includes a substrate, a touch element, and a plurality of wires. The wires are connected to the touch elements for transmitting signals. In order to reduce the load on the wires to enhance the integrity of the signal transmission, the material of the wires is usually selected from metals. However, the metal itself has high reflection characteristics, which easily reflect ambient light and affect the visual effect of the touch panel. Therefore, the touch panel usually needs to further provide a decorative layer to shield the wires.

The prior art mainly produces a decorative layer with a light-shielding ink. Since the material of the decorative layer is different from the material of the touch element and the wire, this method will increase the number of processes. Moreover, if the thickness of the ink is too thin, the shielding rate is insufficient, and if the thickness is too thick, the reliability of the disconnection when the wires are bridged is likely to occur. In addition, there are techniques to narrow the wire width of the wire to reduce the visibility of the wire. Although this method can avoid the increase of the number of process paths and the problem of wire breakage, the narrowing of the wire width will cause an increase in the wire load and affect the touch effect. Therefore, how to not affect the touch effect and Under the premise of reliability, reducing the visibility of the wire is one of the problems that researchers are currently trying to solve.

The invention provides a touch panel capable of reducing the visibility of a wire without affecting the touch effect and the reliability.

A touch panel of the present invention includes a substrate, a touch element, and a decorative layer. The substrate has a visible area as well as a peripheral area. The touch element is disposed at least in the viewable area. The decorative layer is disposed in the peripheral region and is composed of at least a plurality of wires and a pseudo-pattern, wherein at least one of the wires is electrically connected to the touch element, and the pseudo-pattern is disposed in a region other than the wire in the peripheral region.

In an embodiment of the invention, each of the wires includes a first metal layer and a first anti-reflection layer.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first metal layer of each of the wires is a single layer metal layer or a stacked layer of a plurality of metal layers.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first anti-reflective layer of each of the wires has a thickness of 300 Å or more.

In an embodiment of the invention, the material of the first anti-reflective layer is an oxide, a nitride or an oxynitride of a metal, or the material of the first anti-reflective layer is an oxide, a nitride or a nitrogen of a metal alloy. Oxide.

In an embodiment of the invention, the pseudo pattern is electrically insulated from the wire and includes a second metal layer and a second anti-reflection layer.

In an embodiment of the invention, the second metal layer and the first metal layer belong to the same film layer, and the second anti-reflection layer and the first anti-reflection layer belong to the same film layer.

In an embodiment of the invention, the pseudo pattern is on the same plane as the wire, and the pseudo pattern is spaced from the wires.

In an embodiment of the invention, the pseudo pattern and the wires are disposed on opposite sides of the substrate.

In an embodiment of the invention, each of the wires includes a plurality of first pattern units and a plurality of connection units, and each of the connection units connects adjacent two first pattern units. The pseudo pattern includes a plurality of second pattern units. The first pattern unit and the second pattern unit are arranged in an array.

In an embodiment of the invention, the pseudo pattern includes a plurality of second pattern units. The second pattern elements are arranged in an array. Each of the wires is disposed between the second pattern units.

In an embodiment of the invention, the substrate is a cover plate, and the first anti-reflection layer is located between the substrate and the first metal layer.

In an embodiment of the invention, the substrate is a color filter substrate of a liquid crystal display panel or a package cover of an organic light emitting diode display panel.

In an embodiment of the invention, each of the wires includes a first metal layer and a first anti-reflective layer, and the first anti-reflective layer of each of the wires disposed on the inner surface of the substrate is located at the first metal layer and the substrate between.

In an embodiment of the invention, each of the wires includes a first metal layer and a first anti-reflective layer, and the first gold of each of the wires disposed on the outer surface of the substrate The genus layer is located between the first anti-reflective layer and the substrate.

In an embodiment of the invention, the touch panel further includes a protective layer and a plurality of light scattering structures. The protective layer covers the touch elements, the wires, and the substrate to provide a flat bearing surface. The light scattering structure is disposed on the bearing surface and located in the peripheral region.

In an embodiment of the invention, the touch element comprises a plurality of electrodes electrically insulated from each other. The electrodes do not cross each other and the electrodes are electrically connected to the corresponding wires.

In an embodiment of the invention, the touch element includes a plurality of first electrodes, a plurality of second electrodes, a plurality of bridge portions, and a plurality of connection portions. Each of the bridges connects the adjacent two first electrodes in series in the first direction. Each of the connecting portions connects the adjacent two second electrodes in series in the second direction. The first electrode and the second electrode do not cross each other, and the bridge portion and the connection portion cross each other.

In an embodiment of the invention, each of the wires includes a first metal layer and a first anti-reflection layer. Each of the bridge portions includes a third metal layer and a third anti-reflection layer. The third metal layer and the first metal layer belong to the same film layer, and the third anti-reflection layer and the first anti-reflection layer belong to the same film layer.

In an embodiment of the invention, the touch element includes a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes. The first electrode and the second electrode are respectively disposed on opposite surfaces of the substrate. Each of the first electrodes and each of the second electrodes are strip-shaped, and the first electrode and the second electrode cross each other.

In an embodiment of the invention, the touch panel further includes a plurality of pads and a signal transmitting component connected to the pads. Pad and signal transmission component settings In the surrounding area. Each of the pads is electrically connected to one of the wires, and the wire is electrically connected to the signal transmitting component through the pad.

In an embodiment of the invention, the touch panel further includes a signal transmitting component. The signal transmitting component is overlapped with the wire.

Based on the above, the touch panel of the above-described embodiment of the present invention compensates for the visual difference between the regions in which the wires are disposed and the regions in which the wires are not disposed, by setting a pseudo pattern in a region other than the wires in the peripheral region. Therefore, the arrangement of the ink layer for shielding the wire can be omitted, and the visibility of the wire can be reduced without narrowing the line width of the wire, so that the touch effect and the reliability can be prevented without affecting the touch effect and the reliability. Reduce the visibility of the wires.

The above described features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

100‧‧‧ touch panel

110‧‧‧Substrate

120, 120A, 120B‧‧‧ touch elements

122, 122A‧‧‧ first electrode

122B‧‧‧electrode

124, 124A‧‧‧ second electrode

126‧‧‧Bridge

126a‧‧‧ third metal layer

126b‧‧‧ third anti-reflective layer

128‧‧‧Connecting Department

130, 130A, 130B‧‧‧ wires

130a, 130a’‧‧‧ first metal layer

130b‧‧‧First anti-reflective layer

132‧‧‧First pattern unit

134‧‧‧ Connection unit

140, 140A, 140B‧‧‧ pseudo pattern

140a‧‧‧Second metal layer

140b‧‧‧second anti-reflection layer

142‧‧‧Second pattern unit

150‧‧‧Insulation

152‧‧‧Insulation pattern

160‧‧‧ pads

170‧‧‧Signal transmission components

180, 190‧‧ ‧ protective layer

A1, a2‧‧‧ metal layer

A1‧‧‧visible area

A2‧‧‧ surrounding area

AD‧‧‧ conductive adhesive

D1‧‧‧ first direction

D2‧‧‧ second direction

H‧‧‧Maximum thickness

H130b‧‧‧ thickness

I‧‧‧ spacing

P1, P2‧‧‧ part

R1‧‧‧ first series

R2‧‧‧Second series

S1‧‧‧ outer surface

S2‧‧‧ inner surface

S3‧‧‧ bearing surface

S4‧‧‧ component configuration surface

S5‧‧‧ surface

SC‧‧‧Light scattering structure

U‧‧‧Touch sensing unit

W‧‧‧Width

W1, W2, W3‧‧‧ openings

A-A’, B-B’, C-C’, D-D’, E-E’‧‧‧

1A is a top plan view of a touch panel in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

1B to 1D are schematic cross-sectional views taken along line A-A', B-B', and C-C' of Fig. 1A.

2 and 3 are partial top plan views of other embodiments of the wires and pseudo-patterns of FIG. 1A.

4A to 4C are the second along the line A-A', B-B', C-C' in Fig. 1A. Schematic diagram of the section.

Fig. 5 is another schematic cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' of Fig. 1A.

6A to 6C are third cross-sectional views along the line A-A', B-B', and C-C' in Fig. 1A.

7A to 7C are fourth cross-sectional views along the line A-A', B-B', and C-C' in Fig. 1A.

8A to 8C are schematic cross-sectional views showing a fifth section taken along line A-A', B-B', and C-C' in Fig. 1A.

Figure 9 is a partial cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the wire.

FIG. 10A is a partial top plan view showing still another embodiment of the touch element of FIG. 1A. FIG.

Fig. 10B and Fig. 10C are schematic cross-sectional views taken along line D-D' and E-E' in Fig. 10A.

11 is a partial top plan view showing another embodiment of the touch element of FIG. 1A.

1A is a top plan view of a touch panel in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. 1B to 1D are schematic cross-sectional views taken along line A-A', B-B', and C-C' of Fig. 1A. Referring to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B to FIG. 1C , the touch panel 100 of the present embodiment includes a substrate 110 , a touch element 120 , and a decorative layer , wherein the decorative layer is composed of at least a plurality of wires 130 and a pseudo pattern 140 .

The substrate 110 may be an element substrate in the display panel or a substrate disposed outside the display panel. The former is, for example, a color filter substrate of a liquid crystal display panel, or a package cover of an organic light emitting diode display panel. The latter is, for example, a cover lens applied to the outside of the display panel, but is not limited thereto.

Taking the component substrate in the display panel as an example, the touch component 120, the wires 130, and the pseudo-pattern 140 of the present embodiment are disposed on the outer surface S1 of the component substrate (substrate 110), for example, to form an integrated (on-cell). ) Touch display panel. That is, the above-mentioned components and the display medium (such as the liquid crystal layer or the organic light-emitting layer) in the display panel are respectively located on opposite sides of the substrate 110, but are not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the above components may also be disposed on the inner surface S2 of the substrate 110. That is to say, the above components are located on the same side of the substrate 110 as the display medium in the display panel to form an in-cell touch display panel. In another embodiment, a portion of the touch element 120 and the conductive line 130 electrically connected thereto may be located on the outer surface S1 of the substrate 110, and another portion of the touch element 120 and the conductive line 130 electrically connected thereto may be located on the substrate. On the inner surface S2 of the 110, an in/on-cell touch display panel is formed.

The substrate 110 has a visible area A1 and a peripheral area A2, wherein the peripheral area A2 is located on at least one side of the visible area A1, and is, for example, surrounding the visible area A1, but is not limited thereto. The touch element 120 is disposed at least in the visible area A1. As shown in FIG. 1A , the touch element 120 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of first electrodes 122 , a plurality of second electrodes 124 , a plurality of bridge portions 126 , and a plurality of connecting portions 128 . Each of the bridge portions 126 connects the adjacent two first electrodes 122 in the first direction D1 to form a plurality of first strings arranged in parallel with each other. Column R1. Each of the connecting portions 128 serially connects the adjacent two second electrodes 124 in the second direction D2 to form a plurality of second strings R2 arranged in parallel with each other. The first series R1 and the second series R2 intersect each other and are, for example, perpendicular to each other, but are not limited thereto.

In order to improve the linearity of the touch panel 100 adjacent to the edge of the visible area A1, the first electrode 122 and the second electrode 124 located at the edge of the visible area A1 extend from the visible area A1 to the peripheral area A2, respectively. However, the invention is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the touch panel 100 can set other electrodes in the peripheral area A2 according to the requirements of the functional pattern (such as a hot key), and the electrodes disposed in the peripheral area A2 can be connected with the electrodes in the visible area A1 ( For example, one of the first series R1 or one of the second series R2) is electrically connected. Alternatively, the electrodes disposed in the peripheral region A2 may be electrically independent and structurally separated from the electrodes within the visible region A1.

The first electrode 122 and the second electrode 124 do not cross each other. That is, the orthographic projection of the first electrode 122 on the substrate 110 does not overlap with the orthographic projection of the second electrode 124 on the substrate 110. On the other hand, the bridge portion 126 and the connection portion 128 cross each other and are electrically insulated from each other, for example, through the arrangement of the insulating layer 150. In detail, the insulating layer 150 of the present embodiment includes, for example, a plurality of island-shaped insulating patterns 152, and each of the insulating patterns 152 covers at least a region where each of the connecting portions 128 is spanned by the bridge portion 126 to avoid the connecting portion 128 and the bridge. Portion 126 is shorted in contact.

The wire 130 is disposed in the peripheral area A2. The wires 130 of the present embodiment are electrically connected to one of the first series R1 or one of the second series R2, but the invention is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the wire 130 may further include a ground line or other line electrically independent of the first series R1 and the second series R2. In addition, the touch panel 100 may further include a plurality of pads 160 and signal transmitting elements 170 disposed in the peripheral zone A2. The pads 160 are electrically connected to one of the wires 130, and the pads 160 are electrically connected to the control circuit (not shown) through the signal transmitting component 170. The signal transmission element 170 is, for example, a Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC), but is not limited thereto.

The first series R1 and the second series R2 corresponding thereto may constitute a touch sensing unit U based on mutual capacitance sensing, wherein the first series R1 is used as a driving electrode, for example, and the second series R2 is received, for example. electrode. A boundary electric field is formed between the adjacent first electrode 122 and the second electrode 124 by transmitting a driving signal to the first series R1. When a conductive object (such as a finger) approaches or touches the touch sensing unit U, the edge electric field corresponding to the area close to or in contact changes, and the second series R2 receives the changed signal and transmits the signal via the wire 130 connected thereto. To the pad 160, the pad 160 transmits the signal to the control circuit through the signal transmitting component 170, so that the position or movement of the conductive object can be detected, but the invention is not limited to the above. In other embodiments, each of the first series R1 and each of the second series R2 can also drive and receive signals, and each constitutes a touch sensing unit based on self-capacitance sensing. In the self-capacitance measurement method or the mutual capacitance measurement method, the conductive object can be touch-operated on the outer surface of the touch insulation via an insulator, for example, a protective layer or a cover plate covering the touch element 120. Alternatively, the conductive object can be accessed without touching the touch panel 100 for a floating touch operation.

The wire 130 is used for receiving and transmitting signals, and therefore the material of the wire 130 is usually made of a conductive material such as a metal or a metal alloy. However, the above materials have The high reflection characteristic is easy to reflect the ambient light, so that when the touch panel is used, the user can easily see the wire 130 and affect the visual effect of the touch panel. In view of the above, the wire 130 of the present embodiment adopts a design of a composite laminate to further reduce the visibility of the wire 130 by further forming a film layer having low reflection characteristics on the film layer having high reflection characteristics.

In detail, each of the wires 130 includes a first metal layer 130a and a first anti-reflection layer 130b. The first metal layer 130a may be made of silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), molybdenum (Mo), niobium (Nb) or an alloy of the above materials. A single layer of metal formed by the material. Alternatively, the first metal layer 130a may also be a composite laminate of the above materials (a stacked layer of a plurality of metal layers). On the other hand, the material of the first anti-reflection layer 130b may be an oxide, a nitride or an oxynitride of the above metal, or an oxide, a nitride or an oxynitride of the metal alloy. For example, the first metal layer 130a is, for example, an aluminum layer, an aluminum telluride layer, or the like, and the first anti-reflection layer 130b is, for example, an oxide layer or an oxynitride layer of molybdenum, an oxide layer of bismuth molybdenum oxide, or an oxynitride layer.

Since the reflectance can be lowered by the metal or metal alloy treated by oxidation and/or nitridation, the pattern of the wires 130 can be reduced by providing the first anti-reflective layer 130b between the first metal layer 130a and the user. degree. In particular, the thickness H130b of the first anti-reflective layer 130b is preferably above 300 Å to prevent ambient light from directly penetrating the first anti-reflective layer 130b and causing interface reflection at the interface between the first anti-reflective layer 130b and the first metal layer 130a. . In this embodiment, the substrate 110 is an element substrate of the display panel, that is, the user performs a touch operation on a side close to the outer surface S1 of the substrate 110, so the first metal layer 130a is disposed on the first anti-reflection. The layer 130b is between the substrate 110.

It is worth mentioning that the first anti-reflective layer 130b treated by oxidation and/or nitridation has high impedance characteristics in addition to the above-described anti-reflection ability. Therefore, the arrangement of the first anti-reflective layer 130b can also improve the Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) capability of the wire 130. In addition, when the material of the first metal layer 130a is made of a material such as aluminum or aluminum telluride which is liable to cause a water lock abnormality due to heat treatment, the first anti-reflective layer 130b may be disposed to protect the first metal layer. 130a prevents the occurrence of a sudden abnormality, and the touch panel 100 has good reliability.

Depending on the material and thickness H130b of the first anti-reflection layer 130b, there may be a difference in chromaticity and reflectance between the region where the wire 130 is disposed in the peripheral region A2 and the region where the wire 130 is not provided. Also, the intensity of the wires 130 may also cause differences in chromaticity and reflectance. As shown in FIG. 1A, the intensity of the wires 130 increases, for example, in the opposite direction of the second direction D2. In view of the above, the present embodiment sets the pseudo pattern 140 in a region other than the wire 130 in the peripheral region A2 to reduce the visual difference between the regions in the peripheral region A2.

In particular, the wires 130 and the pseudo-pattern 140 are formed, for example, of a light-shielding material such as a material having a light transmittance of less than 20%. In the present embodiment, the dummy pattern 140 and the wires 130 may be simultaneously fabricated from the same material layer to form a decorative layer. In this way, the visual difference between the areas in the peripheral area A2 can be reduced without increasing the number of process paths. As shown in FIG. 1B, the dummy pattern 140 is on the same plane as the wire 130, for example, on the substrate 110, and the pseudo pattern 140 includes a second metal layer 140a and a second anti-reflection layer 140b, wherein the second metal layer 140a Belong to the first metal layer 130a A film layer, and the second anti-reflection layer 140b and the first anti-reflection layer 130b belong to the same film layer.

Since the reflectance and the chromaticity of the second anti-reflective layer 140b are the same as the reflectance and chromaticity of the first anti-reflective layer 130b, the surrounding pattern 140 can be compensated for by providing the pseudo-pattern 140 in a region other than the wire 130 in the peripheral region A2. The visual difference caused by the density of the wires 130 in the area A2, and the visual perception between the human eye for the area where the wire 130 and the wire 130 are not provided in the peripheral area A2 can be homogenized, and the wire 130 can be further reduced. Visibility. In this way, the present embodiment can omit the problem of the arrangement of the ink layer for shielding the wire to avoid the wire breakage, and can avoid the problem that the wire load is increased due to the narrowing of the wire width of the wire. That is to say, the embodiment can reduce the visibility of the wire 130 without affecting the touch effect and the reliability.

Moreover, since the second metal layer 140a of the dummy pattern 140 is also electrically conductive, in order to maintain the electrical properties of the respective wires 130, the pseudo pattern 140 maintains a pitch I with each of the wires 130 to avoid a short circuit. The pitch I is greater than 0 μm and not greater than 100 μm.

In another embodiment, the pseudo pattern 140 and the wires 130 may also be disposed on opposite faces of the substrate 110, respectively. In this way, the setting of the pitch I can be omitted. And under such an architecture, the pseudo pattern 140 may cover only the area of the peripheral area A2 that is not covered (masked) by the wires 130. Alternatively, the pseudo pattern 140 may also cover the peripheral area A2 in its entirety. As such, portions of the quasi-pattern 140 will overlap the wires 130.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned design for reducing the reflectance through the anti-reflection layer can also be used for other components in the touch panel 100 that need to reduce the reflectance. As shown in Figure 1B As shown, when the bridge portion 126 is made of a metal material, it can be fabricated simultaneously with the wire 130 and the pseudo pattern 140 from the same material layer. Each of the bridge portions 126 may include a third metal layer 126a and a third anti-reflective layer 126b, wherein the third metal layer 126a may also belong to the same film layer as the first metal layer 130a and the second metal layer 140a, and the third anti-reflection layer 126b may belong to the same film layer as the first anti-reflective layer 130b and the second anti-reflective layer 140b.

In detail, the manufacturing method of the touch panel 100 of the present embodiment is, for example, forming the first electrode 122, the second electrode 124, and the connecting portion 128 on the substrate 110. The material of the first electrode 122, the second electrode 124 and the connecting portion 128 is, for example, a transparent conductive material such as a metal oxide, a carbon nanotube, a nanowire (such as nanowire), graphene, decene or the like. Suitable transparent conductive materials, but are not limited thereto. The metal oxide includes, for example, indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, aluminum tin oxide, aluminum zinc oxide, indium antimony zinc oxide or other metal oxide. Next, an insulating pattern 152 is formed on each of the connection portions 128. Each of the insulating patterns 152 partially overlaps the corresponding first electrode 122, for example, but is not limited thereto. Then, the bridge portion 126, the wires 130, and the pseudo pattern 140 are formed. By making the bridge portion 126, the wire 130 and the dummy pattern 140 together, the reflectivity of the bridge portion 126, the wire 130 and the pseudo pattern 140 in the touch panel 100 can be reduced without increasing the number of process paths, and the touch can be improved. The visual effect of panel 100. In addition, after the bridge portion 126, the wires 130, and the dummy pattern 140 are formed, the substrate 110, the touch element 120, the wire 130 pseudo-pattern 140, and the insulating layer 150 may be further covered with the protective layer 180 to protect the above elements. The protective layer 180 may be a transparent organic material layer, a transparent inorganic material layer, or a stacked layer of the above. The inorganic material is, for example, an oxide of titanium, an oxide of cerium, an oxide of cerium, and nitriding of cerium. Or a mixture of at least two of the foregoing. Alternatively, the protective layer 180 may also be a stacked layer of at least two inorganic material layers described above. In another embodiment, the protective layer 180 may be replaced by a cover plate (not shown) to protect the substrate 110, the touch element 120, the wires 130, the dummy pattern 140, the insulating layer 150, and the pads 160.

In another embodiment, the material of the first electrode 122, the second electrode 124, and the bridge portion 126 may also be a metal or a metal alloy, and the reflectance thereof may be reduced by the arrangement of the anti-reflection layer. Moreover, the light transmittance of the touch element 120 can be improved by forming a grid pattern having a line width of, for example, between 0.08 μm and 8 μm.

The wire 130 and the pseudo pattern 140 illustrated in FIG. 1A are only one embodiment, but the invention is not limited thereto. Other embodiments of the lead 130 and the pseudo pattern 140 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. 2 and 3 are partial top plan views of other embodiments of the wires and pseudo-patterns of FIG. 1A. Referring to FIG. 2, the cross-sectional structure of the conductive line 130A and the pseudo-pattern 140A of the present embodiment can be referred to the cross-sectional structure of the conductive line 130 and the pseudo-pattern 140 of FIG. 1B, and details are not described herein again. The main difference is that each of the wires 130A includes a plurality of first pattern units 132 and a plurality of connection units 134, and each of the connection units 134 connects the adjacent two first pattern units 132 to form a transmission line. The pseudo pattern 140A includes a plurality of second pattern units 142. The first pattern unit 132 and the second pattern unit 142 are arranged in an array.

In this embodiment, in addition to maintaining the spacing I between the adjacent first pattern unit 132 and the second pattern unit 142, so that the wires 130A maintain independent electrical properties, the adjacent first pattern units 132 are further arranged. The adjacent second pattern units 142 are each maintained at a pitch I therebetween. Through the above design, the cause in the surrounding area A2 can be further reduced. The visual difference caused by the difference in the degree of density of the spacing I, and the visual perception of the human eye to the area in the peripheral area A2. It should be noted that the shapes of the first pattern unit 132 and the second pattern unit 142 are not limited to the type illustrated in FIG. 2 . For example, the shapes of the first pattern unit 132 and the second pattern unit 142 may be other polygons. In addition, the shape and size of the first pattern unit 132 and the second pattern unit 142 may be different.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the main difference between the present embodiment and FIG. 2 is that the second pattern units 142 of the pseudo pattern 140B of the present embodiment are arranged in an array, and the wires 130 are disposed between the second pattern units 142 . Further, each of the wires 130 penetrates through the adjacent plurality of second pattern units 142 and is electrically insulated from the second pattern units 142. As shown in FIG. 3, each of the second pattern units 142 penetrated by the wires 130 is divided into two portions P1, P2. The portion P1 and the portion P2 are separated from each other and maintain a spacing I from each of the wires 130.

Through the above design, the visual difference caused by the difference in the density of the pitch I in the peripheral area A2 can be further reduced, and the visual perception between the human eye and the area in the peripheral area A2 can be uniformized. The shape of the second pattern unit 142 is also not limited to the type illustrated in FIG. For example, the shape of the second pattern unit 142 may be other polygons. In addition, the shape and size of the second pattern unit 142 may be different.

In the above embodiment, the wires 130, 130A and the pseudo patterns 140, 140A, 140B may all adopt the laminated design of the above metal layer and the anti-reflection layer, but are not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the wires 130, 130A and the pseudo-patterns 140, 140A, 140B may also be composed only of a metal layer, that is, the formation of the anti-reflection layer is omitted. Thus, the decorative layer (consisting of the wires 130, 130A and the pseudo-patterns 140, 140A, 140B) can provide a metallic glossy border effect. The following embodiments are also applicable to this improvement and will not be described again.

Figure 4 is a second cross-sectional view taken along line A-A', B-B', and C-C' of Figure 1A. Referring to FIG. 4 , in the architecture of FIG. 1B , the touch panel may further include a plurality of light scattering structures SC disposed on the flat bearing surface S3 provided by the protective layer 180 and located in the peripheral area A2. . The shape of the light scattering structure SC is, for example, hemispherical. The hemisphere is not limited to half of the sphere.

When ambient light is incident on the touch panel, ambient light transmitted to the light scattering structure SC may be reflected out in different directions due to the uneven surface of the light scattering structure SC. That is to say, the light scattering structure SC can provide a diffuse reflection effect, which helps to soften the color exhibited by the wires 130 and the pseudo pattern 140, and makes the appearance of the touch panel more beautiful.

In this embodiment, the material of the light scattering structure SC may be a liquid photoresist or a dry film photoresist. Further, the maximum thickness H of the light scattering structure SC falls within the range of 0.5 μm to 10 μm, and the width W of the light scattering structure SC falls within the range of 0.5 μm to 60 μm. In addition, the light scattering structure SC may exhibit a regular arrangement or an irregular arrangement. Furthermore, the size of the light scattering structures SC may be the same or different.

Under the structure provided with the light scattering structure SC, the touch panel may further include another protective layer 190 to protect the light scattering structure SC from environmental or human factors. The protective layer 190 covers at least the light scattering structure SC and is, for example, further covered on the protective layer 180, but is not limited thereto. Protective layer 190 The material is preferably a scratch-resistant inorganic material such as an oxide of titanium, an oxide of cerium, an oxide of cerium, a nitride of cerium or a mixture of at least two of the foregoing. Alternatively, the protective layer 190 may also be a stacked layer of at least two inorganic material layers described above. In another embodiment, the cover can also be substituted for the arrangement of the protective layer 190.

Fig. 5 is another schematic cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' of Fig. 1A. Referring to FIG. 5 , the touch panel of the embodiment is substantially the same as the touch panel of FIG. 4 . The main difference is that the arrangement of the pads in FIG. 4 is omitted in the embodiment, and the signal transmission component 170 is electrically connected to the traces 130 through the conductive paste AD. The conductive paste AD is, for example, an anisotropic conductive film (ACF), but is not limited thereto.

Since the sheet resistance value of the first anti-reflective layer 130b is higher than the sheet resistance value of the first metal layer 130a, the first anti-reflective layer 130b is located on the first metal layer 130a and the signal in consideration of the signal transmission capability. A partial region between the transfer elements 170 forms an opening W1 in which the opening W1 exposes the first metal layer 130a such that the conductive paste AD can be in direct contact with the first metal layer 130a.

6A to 6C are third cross-sectional views along the line A-A', B-B', and C-C' in Fig. 1A. 7A to 7C are fourth cross-sectional views along the line A-A', B-B', and C-C' in Fig. 1A. 8A to 8C are schematic cross-sectional views showing a fifth section taken along line A-A', B-B', and C-C' in Fig. 1A. Referring to FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C , the touch panel of the present embodiment is substantially the same as the touch panel of FIG. 4 , and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the relative arrangement and function of the components will not be described herein. The main difference is that the wire 130, the dummy pattern 140, and the bridge portion 126 of the present embodiment are formed before the first electrode 122, the second electrode 124, and the connecting portion 128. In addition, Under the consideration of the signal transmission capability, the first anti-reflective layer 130b is located in a partial region between the first metal layer 130a and the pad 160 to form an opening W2, wherein the opening W2 exposes the first metal layer 130a, so that the pad 160 is transparent. The opening W2 is in direct contact with the first metal layer 130a.

Referring to FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C and FIG. 8A to FIG. 8C , the touch panels of the embodiments of FIGS. 7A to 7C and FIGS. 8A to 8C are substantially the same as the touch panels of FIGS. 4 and 6 , and the same components are the same. The reference numerals indicate that the relative arrangement and function of the components will not be described herein. The main difference is that the substrate 110 of the embodiment of FIGS. 7A to 7C and FIGS. 8A to 8C is a cover plate.

The cover plate refers to a hard material having high mechanical strength to protect (for example, scratch-resistant) covered members, or a flexible plastic film having high toughness. The hard material having high mechanical strength is, for example, a material having a hardness higher than 1000 Hv. In order to prevent the cover from shielding the display beam from the display panel, the material of the cover is preferably a transparent material. The transparent material generally refers to a material that generally has a high transmittance, and is not used to define a material having a transmittance of 100%.

For example, the cover may be a tempered glass, plastic, sapphire substrate or ceramic substrate. The tempered glass may be a glass that has been chemically or physically strengthened. The plastic may be made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), Cycloolefin polymer (COP), Single layer board made of methyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC) or polyimide (PI) A composite layer of a material or a stack of at least two single-layer sheets as described above. The thickness of the cover can be between 0.25 mm and 2 mm. Further, the shape of the cover plate may be a planar shape, a curved shape, or a combination of the foregoing shapes. The surface S5 of the cover plate relative to the component placement surface S4 is an operation surface, and the operation surface is a surface of the touch panel close to the user when the touch operation is performed. In an embodiment, an anti-stain coating may be selectively disposed on the operation surface.

As apparent from the above, the operation faces of the embodiments of Figs. 7A to 7C and Figs. 8A to 8C are exactly opposite to the operation faces of Figs. 4 and 6. Therefore, in this embodiment, the first anti-reflective layer 130b is disposed between the first metal layer 130a and the substrate 110 by reversing the order of fabrication of the first anti-reflective layer 130b and the first metal layer 130a to achieve the above-mentioned reduced reflectance. Effect.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C, under the consideration of signal transmission capability, a portion of the first anti-reflective layer 130b located between the first metal layer 130a and the pad 160 may form an opening W3, wherein the opening W3 is exposed. The pad 160 is such that the first metal layer 130a can directly contact the pad 160 through the opening W3. In addition, in the structure of FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the arrangement of the pads 160 may be omitted, so that the signal transmitting element 170 directly overlaps the first metal layer 130a. As such, the arrangement of the opening W3 in FIG. 7 can be omitted. In addition, before forming the wire 130, the dummy pattern 140, and the bridge portion 126, the light scattering structure SC of FIG. 4 may be formed on the component mounting surface S2 of the substrate 110, and then covered with an insulating layer not shown. The structure SC and the substrate 110 are scattered to provide a flat bearing surface. Then, the process of the wire 130, the dummy pattern 140, and the bridge portion 126 is continued.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1B to FIG. 1D, FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C to FIG. 8A to FIG. 8C, the wire, the pseudo-pattern and the bridge are both shown as a two-layer stack structure, but the invention is not limited thereto. Figure 9 is a partial cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the wire. Referring to FIG. 9, the stacked structure of the wires 130B is substantially the same as the stacked structure of the wires 130 of FIG. 1B. The main difference is that the first metal layer 130a' of the wire 130B is a stacked layer of the multilayer metal layers a1, a2. In the present embodiment, the material of the metal layers a1, a2 may be selected from the material of the first metal layer 130a in FIG. 1B. For example, the material of the metal layer a1 is, for example, aluminum or aluminum telluride or the like. On the other hand, the material of the metal layer a2 is, for example, molybdenum or molybdenum telluride. By forming the metal layer a2 and the first anti-reflective layer 130b on the upper and lower sides of the metal layer a1 made of aluminum or aluminum telluride, respectively, it is possible to further prevent the aluminum or aluminum telluride from being heated and sharply abnormal. In addition, the two-layer stack structure of the pseudo pattern 140 and the bridge portion 126 in the embodiment of FIG. 1B and FIG. 4 to FIG. 8 can be improved with the three-layer stack structure in FIG. 9 , and details are not described herein again.

It should be noted that the present invention does not need to limit the shape of the touch element. FIG. 10A is a partial top plan view showing still another embodiment of the touch element of FIG. 1A. FIG. Fig. 10B and Fig. 10C are schematic cross-sectional views taken along line D-D' and E-E' in Fig. 10A. The main difference between the touch element 120A of the present embodiment and the touch element 120 of FIG. 1A is that the first electrodes 122A and the second electrodes 124A of the touch element 120A are respectively stripped. And the first electrode 122A and the second electrode 124A cross each other.

In addition, the first electrode 122A of the embodiment and the wire 130 electrically connected thereto are disposed on the inner surface S2 of the substrate 110, and the second electrode 124A and the second electrode 124A are electrically connected thereto The electrically connected wires 130 and the pseudo pattern 140 are disposed on the outer surface S1 of the substrate 110. The substrate 110 is, for example, an element substrate of a display panel. That is, the user performs a touch operation on a side close to the outer surface S1 of the substrate 110. For the purpose of reducing the reflectance described above, the first anti-reflective layer 130b of each of the wires 130 disposed on the inner surface S2 of the substrate 110 is located between the first metal layer 130a and the substrate 110, and is disposed on the outer surface S1 of the substrate 110. The first metal layer 130a of each of the wires 130 is located between the first anti-reflective layer 130b and the substrate 110, and the second metal layer 140a of each of the dummy patterns 140 is located between the second anti-reflective layer 140b and the substrate 110. In another embodiment, the touch element 120A and the wire 130 may also be disposed on the outer surface S1 or the inner surface S2 and electrically insulated from each other through an insulating layer not shown. When the touch element 120A and the wires 130 are all disposed on the outer surface S1, the first metal layer 130a of each of the wires 130 is located between the first anti-reflective layer 130b and the substrate 110. On the contrary, when the touch element 120A and the wire 130 are disposed on the inner surface S2, the first anti-reflection layer 130b of each of the wires 130 is located between the first metal layer 130a and the substrate 110. In addition, the dummy patterns 140 may also be disposed on the inner surface S2, and the second anti-reflective layer 140b of each of the pseudo patterns 140 is located between the second metal layer 140a and the substrate 110.

In the present embodiment, the material of the touch element 120A is, for example, the transparent conductive material described above, but is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the material of the touch element 120A may also be a metal or a metal alloy, and the touch element 120A can achieve the above-mentioned purpose of reducing the reflectance through the arrangement of the anti-reflection layer. In addition, each of the first electrodes 122A and each of the second electrodes 124A can improve the light transmittance of the touch element 120A by forming a grid pattern having a line width of, for example, between 0.08 μm and 8 μm.

Although the touch panels of FIGS. 1A to 10 are all described with a two-layer conductive structure, the present invention is not limited thereto. 11 is a partial top plan view showing another embodiment of the touch element of FIG. 1A. Referring to FIG. 11 , the main difference between the touch component 120B of the present embodiment and the touch component 120 of FIG. 1A is that the touch component 120B is a single-layer touch structure. In detail, the touch element 120B includes a plurality of electrodes 122B that are electrically insulated from each other. The electrodes 122B do not cross each other and the electrodes 122B are electrically connected to one of the wires 130. The shape of the electrode 122B of the present embodiment is, for example, a triangle, but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the shape of the electrode 122B may also be other polygons, such as a rectangle. In addition, the material of the touch element 120B is, for example, the above-described transparent conductive material, but is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the material of the touch element 120B may also be a metal or a metal alloy, and the touch element 120B can achieve the above-mentioned purpose of reducing the reflectance through the arrangement of the anti-reflection layer. In addition, each of the electrodes 122B can improve the light transmittance of the touch element 120B by forming a grid pattern having a line width of, for example, between 0.08 μm and 8 μm.

In summary, the touch panel of the above embodiment of the present invention provides a pseudo pattern in a region other than the wires in the peripheral region to compensate for visual differences between the regions in which the wires are disposed and the wires in which the wires are not disposed. When the decorative layer (including the wire and the pseudo-pattern) is a metal layer, the decorative layer can provide a metallic bright border effect. On the other hand, when the decorative layer (including the wires and the pseudo-pattern) is composed of the metal layer and the anti-reflection layer, the arrangement of the anti-reflection layer contributes to lowering the high reflection characteristics of the metal layer. Since the touch panel of the above embodiment of the present invention can eliminate the need to provide a decorative layer, the visibility of the wire can be reduced without narrowing the line width of the wire. Therefore, the touch of the above embodiment of the present invention The control panel can reduce the visibility of the wire without affecting the touch effect and increasing the number of process paths.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

110‧‧‧Substrate

124‧‧‧second electrode

126‧‧‧Bridge

126a‧‧‧ third metal layer

126b‧‧‧ third anti-reflective layer

128‧‧‧Connecting Department

130‧‧‧Wire

130a‧‧‧First metal layer

130b‧‧‧First anti-reflective layer

152‧‧‧Insulation pattern

160‧‧‧ pads

170‧‧‧Signal transmission components

180‧‧‧protection layer

A1‧‧‧visible area

A2‧‧‧ surrounding area

H130b‧‧‧ thickness

S1‧‧‧ outer surface

S2‧‧‧ inner surface

A-A’‧‧‧ cut line

Claims (22)

A touch panel includes: a substrate having a visible area and a peripheral area; a touch element disposed at least in the visible area; and a decorative layer disposed in the peripheral area, and the decorative layer is at least And a plurality of wires and a pseudo pattern, wherein at least one of the wires is electrically connected to the touch element, and the pseudo pattern is disposed in a region other than the wires in the peripheral region. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein each of the wires comprises a first metal layer and a first anti-reflection layer. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein the first metal layer of each of the wires is a single metal layer or a stacked layer of a plurality of metal layers. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein the first anti-reflective layer of each of the wires has a thickness of 300 Å or more. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein the material of the first anti-reflective layer is a metal oxide, a nitride or an oxynitride, or the material of the first anti-reflective layer is an oxidation of a metal alloy. Matter, nitride or oxynitride. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein the pseudo pattern is electrically insulated from the wires and includes a second metal layer and a second anti-reflection layer. The touch panel of claim 6, wherein the second metal layer and the first metal layer belong to the same film layer, and the second anti-reflective layer and the first anti-reflective layer belong to the same film layer. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the pseudo-pattern and The wires are located on the same plane of the substrate, and the pseudo pattern is maintained at a distance from each of the wires. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the pseudo pattern and the wires are disposed on opposite sides of the substrate. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein each of the wires comprises a plurality of first pattern units and a plurality of connection units, and each of the connection units is adjacent to the two first pattern units, the pseudo pattern includes a plurality of second pattern units, the first pattern units and the second pattern units being arranged in an array. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the pseudo pattern comprises a plurality of second pattern units, the second pattern units are arranged in an array, and each of the wires is disposed between the second pattern units. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein the substrate is a cover, and the first anti-reflective layer is located between the substrate and the first metal layer. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a color filter substrate of a liquid crystal display panel or a package cover of an organic light emitting diode display panel. The touch panel of claim 13, wherein each of the wires comprises a first metal layer and a first anti-reflection layer, and the first anti-reflection of each of the wires disposed on an inner surface of the substrate A layer is between the first metal layer and the substrate. The touch panel of claim 13, wherein each of the wires comprises a first metal layer and a first anti-reflection layer disposed on an outer surface of the substrate The first metal layer of each of the wires is located between the first anti-reflective layer and the substrate. The touch panel of claim 15, further comprising: a protective layer covering the touch element, the wires and the substrate to provide a flat bearing surface; and a plurality of light scattering structures, On the bearing surface and in the peripheral zone. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the touch element comprises a plurality of electrodes electrically insulated from each other, the electrodes do not cross each other and each of the electrodes is electrically connected to a corresponding one of the wires. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the touch element comprises a plurality of first electrodes, a plurality of second electrodes, a plurality of bridge portions, and a plurality of connection portions, each of the bridge portions being adjacent to the two The first electrodes are connected in series in a first direction, and the connecting portions connect the two adjacent second electrodes in a second direction, and the first electrodes and the second electrodes do not cross each other, and the The bridges and the connecting portions cross each other. The touch panel of claim 18, wherein each of the wires comprises a first metal layer and a first anti-reflection layer, each of the bridge portions comprising a second metal layer and a second anti-reflection layer. The second metal layer and the first metal layer belong to the same film layer, and the second anti-reflection layer and the first anti-reflection layer belong to the same film layer. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the touch element comprises a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes respectively disposed on opposite sides of the substrate, each of the first electrodes and each of the first electrodes The second electrodes are respectively strip-shaped, and the first electrodes and the second electrodes cross each other. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of pads and a signal transmitting component connected to the pads, the pads and the signal transmitting component are disposed in the peripheral area, each The pads are electrically connected to one of the wires, and the wires are electrically connected to the signal transmitting component through the pads. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising: a signal transmission component, which is overlapped with the wires.