TWI545485B - Touch panel and fabrication method thereof - Google Patents

Description

Touch panel and method of manufacturing same

The present invention relates to a touch panel, and more particularly to an electrostatic capacity touch panel.

In general, a capacitive touch panel is a position input device that detects a change in electrostatic capacitance between a fingertip of a person and a conductive film and detects a position of the fingertip. With respect to the capacitive touch panel, there is a surface type and Projection type two touch panels. The surface type touch panel described in Patent Document 1 has a simple structure, but it is not possible to simultaneously sense two or more contacts (Multi Touch). On the other hand, a projection type touch panel is configured by arranging a plurality of electrodes in a matrix form as in a pixel configuration of a liquid crystal display device, and more specifically, a plurality of electrodes arranged in a vertical direction are connected in series. The first electrode group is arranged in the horizontal direction, and a plurality of second electrode groups in which a plurality of electrodes arranged in the horizontal direction are connected in series are arranged in the vertical direction, and a plurality of first electrode groups and a plurality of The 2 electrode group sequentially detects the change in capacity, thereby detecting multi-touch. As a prior art of the projection type capacitive touch panel, for example, a capacitance type input device described in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3 can be cited.

As shown in (a) of FIG. 7 of Patent Document 2, the touch switch disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes a first auxiliary line (24b) formed between the first electrodes (14b) on one surface of the substrate, as shown in FIG. As shown in (b), the second auxiliary line (26b) formed between the second electrodes (16b) is provided on the other surface of the substrate, and the conductor lines of the first electrode, the first auxiliary line, and the second electrode are provided. The conductor wire and the second auxiliary wire form a plurality of lattice shapes in which the intervals of the lines are equal. When the first electrode and the second electrode are seen from the upper portion of the panel, the entire surface becomes a mesh having no gap. However, in this mode, the coincidence of the first electrode and the second electrode requires extremely high precision, and the overlapping portion is liable to cause a gap, and as a result, a problem that thick lines and gaps are easily seen is likely to occur.

As shown in FIGS. 6( a ) to 6 ( e ), the touch panel described in Patent Document 3 describes an electrode in which an upper electrode on the touch side is bundled with a conductive thin wire, and a lower electrode is provided. The configuration of a bar electrode of Indium Tin Oxides (ITO) reduces the capacitive coupling of the upper electrode to the touch electrode and the lower electrode, thereby reducing the amount of the barrier electrode. Responsiveness. However, in this method, problems associated with the visibility of an image are liable to occur, for example, it is easy to select interference fringes, and the difference in reflection due to the difference in electrodes at the upper portion of the upper portion is easily recognized as a difference in minute colors. Wait.

[Previous Technical Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-344163

[Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2010/013679

[Patent Document 3] International Publication No. 2010/014683

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a touch panel capable of preventing interference fringes generated between pixels of a display for display and maintaining an easily viewable image. Moreover, the present invention Another object is to provide a touch panel that is excellent in large-area responsiveness and that can perform multi-touch.

1) A touch panel comprising a plurality of layers, comprising at least a transparent material layer constituting a touch surface, an upper electrode layer having a plurality of sensor electrodes, an insulating layer, a configuration having a plurality of sensor electrodes and an upper electrode a lower electrode layer disposed orthogonally to the direction and one or more transparent substrate layers, wherein the sensor electrode constituting the upper electrode layer is a mesh shape of a lattice including conductive thin wires, and the direction of the fine lines of the lattice is opposite to the sensor electrode The arrangement direction has an inclination angle of 30° or more and 60° or less.

The touch panel of claim 1, wherein a non-conductive strip-shaped boundary region is formed in the upper electrode layer between adjacent sensor electrodes of the plurality of sensor electrodes constituting the electrode, The non-conductive strip-shaped boundary region is formed by disconnecting the mesh-shaped conductive thin wire, and the width of the strip-shaped boundary region is randomly changed in the extending direction of the sensor electrode, and the average width thereof is 15 μm. Above 70 μm.

The touch panel according to Item 2, wherein an average value of the width of the strip-shaped boundary region is 15 μm or more and 70 μm or less, and a maximum value rdmax of the width is 100 μm or less, and a minimum value rdmin of the width is 10 μm or more.

The touch panel of item 2 or 3, wherein an average value of the width of the strip-shaped boundary region is 15 μm or more and 70 μm or less, and a ratio of a standard deviation of the width to an average value of the width (a standard of the width) The average value of the deviation/width is 0.20 or more and 0.65 or less.

The touch panel of any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the mesh-shaped conductive thin wires of the sensor electrodes of the upper electrode layer comprise a metal layer or a A gold layer and a blackening layer formed on the layer.

The touch panel according to any one of the items 1 to 5, wherein the mesh-shaped conductive thin wires of the upper sensor electrodes are formed of silver as a main component by exposure and development of photosensitive silver halide The developed silver contains a layer.

The touch panel according to any one of the items 1 to 6, wherein a width of the mesh-shaped conductive thin wires of the sensor electrodes of the upper electrode layer is 0.5 μm or more and 10 μm or less.

The touch panel according to Item 7, wherein the width of the mesh-shaped conductive thin wires of the upper sensor electrode is 1 μm or more and 8 μm or less.

The touch panel according to any one of the items 1 to 8, wherein the thickness of the metal layer or the alloy layer of the mesh-shaped conductive thin wires of the sensor electrodes of the upper electrode layer is 0.1 μm or more and 3 μm or less.

The touch panel according to Item 9, wherein the metal layer or the alloy layer of the mesh-shaped conductive thin wires of the upper sensor electrode has a thickness of 0.2 μm or more and 1 μm or less.

The touch panel according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the thickness of the blackening layer is 0.1 μm or more and 3 μm or less.

The touch panel according to Item 11, wherein the blackening layer has a thickness of 0.2 μm or more and 2 μm or less.

The touch panel according to any one of items 1 to 12, wherein the developed silver-containing layer has a thickness of 0.5 μm or more and 10 μm or less.

The touch panel according to Item 13, wherein the developed silver-containing layer has a thickness of 1 μm or more and 5 μm or less.

The touch panel of any one of item 1 to item 14, wherein The width of each of the plurality of sensor electrodes forming the upper electrode layer is 3 mm or more and 7 mm or less.

The touch panel of any one of item 1 to item 15, wherein each electrode material of the plurality of sensor electrodes constituting the lower electrode layer is ITO.

The touch panel according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein when the shape of the display portion of the touch panel is represented by a long side and a short side, the sensor electrodes constituting the upper electrode layer are The long sides are arranged in parallel.

18) A method of manufacturing a touch panel according to any one of items 1 to 17, wherein the method of manufacturing the touch panel is characterized by the following steps: a mesh-like conductive thin wire comprising a metal layer or an alloy layer and an upper sensor electrode of the blackening layer formed on the layer: a step of forming a metal layer or an alloy layer on the transparent substrate; forming an electrode on the metal layer or the alloy layer a step of patterning; a step of forming a blackening layer on the metal layer or the alloy layer; and a step of removing the blackened layer of the portion other than the electrode.

The method of manufacturing a touch panel according to Item 18, wherein the step of forming an electrode pattern on the metal layer or the alloy layer is to adhere a photomask of a negative image as an electrode pattern to the metal layer or alloy. The layer is exposed, and then the electrode pattern is formed by photolithography.

The method of manufacturing the touch panel according to any one of the items 1 to 17, wherein the method of manufacturing the touch panel is formed by the following steps Upper sensing of silver containing layer a mesh-shaped conductive thin wire of the electrode: a step of disposing a silver halide photosensitive material layer on the transparent substrate; a step of exposing the halogenated photosensitive material layer in a pattern; and performing a development process on the patterned exposed silver halide photosensitive material layer, and A step of forming a mesh-like conductive thin line pattern.

The method of manufacturing a touch panel according to Item 20, wherein the step of exposing the halogenated photosensitive material layer in a pattern is to expose a photomask as a negative image of the electrode pattern to the silver halide photosensitive material layer and expose the film. Then, an electrode pattern of developed silver is formed by a development processing method.

The method of manufacturing a touch panel according to Item 19 or Item 21, wherein a photomask is used, that is, an image of a non-conductive irregular boundary region between two electrodes of the photomask is a random number (random number) The image of the random boundary region width formed by the generation, and the ratio of the standard deviation of the irregular width to the average value of the width (the average value of the width/the average of the width) is 0.20 or more and 0.65 or less.

23) A touch panel comprising: an upper electrode layer having a plurality of sensor electrodes; and a lower electrode layer having a plurality of sensor electrodes and disposed orthogonally to an arrangement direction of the upper electrodes, constituting the upper electrode layer The sensor electrode is a mesh shape of a lattice including conductive thin wires, and the direction of the thin wires of the lattice has an inclination angle of 30° or more and 60° or less with respect to the arrangement direction of the sensor electrodes.

As described above, according to the electrode layer of the present invention, the method of manufacturing the electrode layer, and the touch panel using the same, the low resistance of the upper electrode can be achieved. The touch sensing responsiveness of the lower electrode can be improved, so that a large-area touch panel (especially a projected capacitive touch panel) can be obtained. Further, a touch panel can be obtained which can reduce interference fringes when the image display device is equipped with the touch panel of the present invention, and eliminate blurring of the display screen caused by the line of the touch sensor electrodes being thickened or the like.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the components of the touch panel of the present invention and the touch panel of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) to 8 .

In the present specification, "~" is used in the sense that the numerical values described before and after are used as the lower limit and the upper limit.

The present invention has been made to provide a touch panel (especially a projection type capacitive touch panel) which is excellent in large-area responsiveness and can perform multi-touch, as described in the above-mentioned "Summary of the Invention". Further, when such a touch panel is mounted on an image display device, the visibility of the display image of the image display device is not impaired. In addition, the touch panel of the present invention has characteristics in the sensor electrode, and can be used for a resistive film type touch panel or a capacitor other than the projection type by changing the detecting means or function when the feature is effectively utilized. Touch panel. That is, as long as it is a touch panel including an upper electrode layer having a plurality of sensor electrodes and a lower electrode layer having a plurality of sensor electrodes and disposed orthogonally to the arrangement direction of the upper electrodes, the following may be employed. The constitution of the present invention.

The problem in the previous section of the above-mentioned object is to cope with the prediction of the future development of the screen. In the present invention, the specific problem is to form a sensor The low resistance value of the conductive thin wires of the touch sensing portion of the electrode and the capacitive coupling of the lower electrode and the touch finger are improved.

Further, as a factor of the latter part of the above-described object, the cause of the visibility of the display image of the image display device is deteriorated, and the problem of interference fringes is generated, and the sensor electrode having low light transmittance is seen. In the case of coloring, the difference in reflectance depending on the material causes uneven vision such as unevenness.

1(a) and 1(b) are cross-sectional views showing a touch panel 10 of the present invention, and FIG. 1(a) illustrates a multi-layered capacitive touch panel as follows: The transparent material layer 16 constituting the touch surface, the adhesive layer 19 which also serves as an insulating layer, the upper electrode layer 11 having a plurality of sensor electrodes, the transparent base layer 15 which also serves as an insulating layer, and the adhesive layer 19 which also serves as an insulating layer have a lower electrode layer 12 of a plurality of sensor electrodes, and a transparent base layer 17. FIG. 1(b) illustrates a multi-layered capacitive touch panel including a transparent material layer 16 constituting a touch surface, an adhesive layer 19 serving as an insulating layer, and a plurality of sensors. The upper electrode layer 11 of the electrode, the transparent base layer 15 which also serves as an insulating layer, the lower electrode layer 12 having a plurality of sensor electrodes, the adhesive layer 19 which also serves as an insulating layer, and the transparent base layer 18 which also serves as an electrode protection.

Further, although not shown in the drawing, the arrangement direction of the plurality of sensor electrodes of the upper electrode and the arrangement direction of the plurality of sensor electrodes of the lower electrode are set to be orthogonal to each other, so that multi-touch can be performed. .

Fig. 1(a) shows a configuration suitable for forming an upper electrode and a lower electrode on each transparent substrate, and Fig. 1(b) shows that it is suitable for A configuration in which the upper electrode and the lower electrode are formed on the front and back surfaces of a transparent substrate.

Hereinafter, each of the above constituent elements will be described.

[Transparent material layer, transparent substrate layer]

The transparent material layer 16 constituting the touch surface, the transparent base layer 15 serving as the insulating layer, the transparent base layer 17, and the transparent material used in the transparent base layer 18 serving as the electrode protection may be the same material, or may be used separately. The material used to use plastic film, plastic sheet, glass plate, etc. It is desirable that the thickness of the layer be appropriately selected depending on the respective uses.

As the raw material of the above plastic film and plastic sheet, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) or the like may be used; polyethylene ( Polyethylene (polypropylene), polypropylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), etc.; vinyl resin; Polycarbonate (PC), polyamide, polyimine, acrylic resin, triacetyl cellulose (TAC), and the like.

Preferred materials are PET (melting point: 258 ° C), PEN (melting point: 269 ° C), PE (melting point: 135 ° C), PP (melting point: 163 ° C), polystyrene (melting point: 230 ° C). , polyvinyl chloride (melting point: 180 ° C), polyvinylidene chloride (melting point: 212 ° C) or TAC (melting point: 290 ° C), etc., melting point of about 290 ° C or less plastic film, or plastic board , from the viewpoint of light transparency or processability, etc. PET. The thickness of the film or sheet is preferably from 50 μm to 300 μm.

An adhesive having no conductivity can be used in the adhesive layer 19 which also serves as an insulating layer. There are various kinds of the following agents, and among them, an acrylic resin, an epoxy resin, a phenol resin, a vinyl resin or the like can be used. The method for forming the layer is not particularly limited, and a screen print method or the like can be used.

2(a) and 2(b) are views for explaining the upper electrode layer 11 of the present invention, and Fig. 2(a) shows the arrangement of a plurality of sensor electrodes (indicated by r-i) constituting the upper electrode layer. Adjacent electrodes are blocked by conduction through a non-conductive boundary region rb formed between the electrodes. 2(a) illustrates that the electrode indicated by r-i extends in the Y direction (the Y direction is the conduction direction of the electrode), and is arranged in the X direction. Rw in the figure represents the width of the sensor electrode r-i, and rd represents the width of the non-conductive boundary region between the sensor electrodes.

Fig. 2(b) shows a detailed structure of the electrode r-i, and has an orthogonal lattice-like mesh structure. The direction of the thin line rm constituting the lattice of the net is inclined at an angle θ with respect to the arrangement direction X of the electrode group r-i. The angle θ is preferably 30° or more and 60° or less, more preferably 35° or more and 55° or less. The tilt angle is set to prevent interference fringes due to interference of the thin wires of the mesh with the electrodes of the image display device. The mesh-shaped electrode may be formed in a polygonal shape other than the above-described orthogonal lattice, but either side of the polygon must be in a parallel relationship with the electrode of the image display device, and therefore it is preferably a simple lattice. In the above, the mesh may be an orthogonal lattice, but may also be a diamond shape, in which case the adjacent two sides must satisfy the above-described tilt angle. Further, the tilt angle must conform to the pixel arrangement of the image display device on which the touch panel of the present invention is mounted, and therefore is approximately 45°, and the absolute value of the angle must be optimized for each image display device.

The width rw of the sensor electrode r-i forming the upper electrode layer is preferably 2 mm or more and 8 mm or less, more preferably 3 mm or more and 7 mm or less. The line width of the conductive thin line rm of the lattice structure of the grid electrode r-i is preferably 0.5 μm or more and 10 μm or less, and more preferably 1 μm or more and 8 μm or less. The length of one side of the lattice constituting the net is preferably 100 μm or more and 700 μm or less, and more preferably 200 μm or more and 600 μm or less.

By forming the sensor electrode r-i into a mesh shape, a plurality of openings can be formed in the electrode, and capacitive coupling between the touched finger and the lower electrode can be realized by the opening, so that the responsiveness can be improved. The material and manufacturing method of the conductive thin wire of the mesh structure will be described below.

Fig. 3(a) is a view showing a non-conductive boundary region rb between the sensor electrodes. The adjacent sensor electrode ri and the electrode r-i+1 of the upper electrode layer of the present invention form a non-conductive boundary region rb by providing a disconnection portion in a continuous uniform mesh-shaped conductive thin wire, thereby forming a non-conductive boundary region rb The conduction between the sensor electrode ri and the electrode r-i+1 is blocked.

The non-conductive boundary regions between the sensor electrodes of the upper electrode described above are generally elongated strips in the prior art. The width of the belt is set to be 100 μm or less, which is a small width which is difficult to visually recognize, and is set to, for example, 50 μm or less. However, in this case, since the strip-shaped body is long, the difference in light transmittance between the electrode portion and the non-conductive portion may be caused. The difference in reflectance, the difference in the inherent color of the gloss, and the like are perceived as having regular unevenness. Therefore, an attempt is made to arrange an isolated conductive thin wire in a non-conductive boundary region to uniformize the distribution of the conductive thin wires in the plane, but there is a possibility that conduction between the electrodes occurs due to high-frequency driving of a large screen. Sex.

In the present invention, the width of the non-conductive boundary region is irregularly changed in the extending direction of the sensor electrode, that is, the strip-shaped body having an irregular width and no linearity is used, thereby solving the above-mentioned visual recognition. Sexual problem. Further, by making the width of the boundary region a shape having the same width but no linearity, for example, a sawtooth shape or a corrugated shape, the visibility can be improved to some extent, but it is still recognized as having a rule. The possibility of unevenness in properties is preferably set to a strip-shaped body having an irregular width and no linearity in the present invention. Hereinafter, the shape of the strip-shaped body in which the width of the present invention is irregularly changed, and the method of producing such a strip-shaped body will be described.

Fig. 3(b) is a view showing a non-conductive boundary region rb formed by cutting a mesh thin line of Fig. 3(a) by wire breakage. Rb is a region sandwiched by a line smoothed by the end of the thin line connecting the sensor electrodes ri and a line smoothed by the end of the thin line connecting the sensor electrodes r-i+1, and has a width irregularly Varying band. The width rd of the strip can be calculated as an average value of the distance between the electrode r-i and the electrode r-i+1. Specifically, the intersection of the continuous mesh before the disconnection is cut out (illustrated as cp in FIG. 3(a)), and the width of the boundary region rb (the X direction in FIG. 3(a)) is performed at the intersection. Determination. All the intersections existing in the boundary region rb are taken out, and the width at each intersection is measured, and the average value thereof is obtained and set as the average value rd.

Although the above-described upper electrode has been described as an example, in the case of the lower electrode, the average value of the width can be obtained by the same method as the above upper electrode. Further, when the lower electrode is not a mesh electrode, an imaginary point having the same number of intersections with the upper electrode is provided, and an average value of each width and width is obtained by obtaining a width at the point. .

The width rd (average value) of the strip is preferably 15 μm or more and 70 μm or less, and more preferably 20 μm or more and 50 μm or less from the viewpoint of conduction between the electrodes and visibility. Further, the maximum value rdmax of the width is preferably 100 μm or less, and the minimum value rdmin of the width is 10 μm or more, and more preferably 90 μm or less and 15 μm or more. Further, under the condition that the average value of the width is 15 μm or more and 70 μm or less, the ratio of the standard deviation of the width of the boundary region to the average value of the width (the average value of the width/the average value of the width) is preferably 0.20 to 0.65. If it is less than 0.2, the boundary line is close to a straight line and there is a possibility of unevenness. If it exceeds 0.65, the risk of conduction of the adjacent electrode may occur.

Hereinafter, a method of producing a strip-shaped body in which the width of the present invention is irregularly changed will be described. In the present invention, in general, the desired electrode pattern has a form B (using a metal foil or a film), a form C (using a conductive ink), and a form D (using a silver salt photosensitive material) which will be described later depending on the material to be used. In the form B and the form D, a desired electrode pattern is formed in the mask, and in the form C, the ink layer is provided in a desired pattern. In the form B and the form D, the relationship between the pattern of the mask and the electrode pattern actually formed may be a negative image or a positive image depending on the material to be used. In the following description, it is described that the light is used. A strip-shaped body in which the width of the electrode pattern formed by the cover changes irregularly. The mask used in the actual manufacturing process can generate a mask pattern according to the above description.

A strip-shaped non-conductive region in which the width between the two electrodes is irregularly changed by providing a two-point broken portion in a uniform net including conductive thin wires, and a conductive thin line between the two points Remove and form a neighbor A non-conductive strip boundary region between the electrodes. The present invention is an invention for improving the visibility by irregularly changing the width of the strip when the strip-shaped boundary region is formed. Hereinafter, an example of a method of irregularly changing the width of the strip-shaped body will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 , 10 , 11 ( a ), and 11 ( b ).

Fig. 9 is an example of a uniform net formed. The left side of the figure is the area for forming the electrode r-i, the right side is the area for forming the adjacent electrode r-i+1, and the broken line C is the center line between the adjacent two electrodes. The total number of intersections of the center line C and the conductive thin line rm is M, and the intersection is represented by c1, c2, c3, ... cm, cm+1, ..., cM. The non-conductive and irregular-width strip-shaped boundary region of the present invention is formed by using the intersection point cm of the center line C and the conductive thin line as a base point, but in the present invention, the center line c is included in the strip-shaped boundary region (the lower part) The case of (1) and the case where only a part of the intersection cm is included (the case of the following (2)). In the case of (2), since the center line C is only partially included in the irregular broken region, a method of forming a better boundary region for improving visibility is obtained.

Further, in the present invention, the uniform mesh including the conductive thin wires is preferably a direction in which the conductive thin wires are not parallel to the X direction or the Y direction of the touch panel, and are not perpendicular directions, but are in a direction to maintain θ. . In the following description, the conduction direction of the electrode ri to be formed is the Y direction (upper electrode), but the same operation can be performed in the case where the conduction direction of the formed electrode cj is the X direction (lower electrode).

Calculation of the relationship between the length D (m) of the broken line on the conductive thin line with the intersection point m and the length (width) rd (m) of the boundary region in the X direction Is D(m)*cosθ=rd(m) (* indicates multiplication)

Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience, the calculation is performed with θ of 45°.

Hereinafter, the case of (1) and the case of (2) will be described in detail. In either case, it is characterized in that the length of the portion where the conductive thin wire is broken and removed is determined based on the generation of the random number, thereby making it a feature of the random irregular band.

Further, even in any of the cases (1) and (2), the design values of the boundary regions of the present invention are as follows.

The average width of the strip boundary region rd: 15 μm ≦ rd ≦ 70 μm

The relationship between the maximum value and the minimum value of the width: 10 μm ≦ rd (m) ≦ 100 μm

The ratio of the standard deviation (σ) of the width to the average of the width: 0.20 ≦ σ / rd ≦ 0.65

If the above design value is applied to the disconnection length D (m) of the intersection cm resulting from the conductive thin line of the mesh, the total D of the disconnection length D (m) D (= Σ D (m)), the average disconnection length In D/M, then

Equation 3 0.20≦{σ(standard deviation of D(m))/(D/M)}≦0.65

(1) The case where the intersection of the center line C and the conductive thin line remains in the boundary area

The following symbols in Fig. 10 indicate the following meanings.

The meaning of the left side of the figure is shown on the side of the electrode i which is produced, and is indicated by 1 and the side of the electrode i+1 is the right side, and is denoted by r.

In the removed portion of the conductive thin wire rm passing through the intersection cm, the length on the electrode i+1 side is Dr (m), and the length on the electrode i side is D1 (m).

The random number is generated twice at each intersection m (right electrode side and left electrode side) and is set to R (m1) and R (m2). Where 0 < R (m) < 1.

If the assumed average value of the length of the thin line removed by the disconnection is RB (2*rd is also possible), the length D(m) of the removed portion is D(m)=Dr(m)+D1(m) ) = RB * R (m1) + RB * R (m2), and the portions of Dr (m) and D1 (m) before and after the intersection cm are removed.

The D (m), D, D/M, and σ (standard deviation of D(m)) obtained from the above are determined to satisfy the non-conductivity band between the electrodes under the conditions of the above formulas 1 to 3. The shape of the boundary region is partially removed by Dr (m) and D1 (m) before and after the intersection cm to form a strip-shaped and irregularly-shaped boundary region.

(2) A case where the intersection of the center line C and the conductive thin line does not remain in the boundary region

The random number is generated twice at each intersection m, the first time is used to determine the position of the start of the disconnection, and the second time is to determine the length of the disconnection. use. The start of the disconnection is started from the electrode i side of Fig. 11 (a) and Fig. 11 (b).

If the assumed average value of the length of the thin line removed by the disconnection is RB, the first random number R(m1) of the intersection m and the product Dm1 of the RB are set from the intersection of the thin line to the start of the disconnection. The distance from the point Xm1. The second random number R(m2) of the intersection m and the product D of the RB (m) are set to the length of the disconnection (starting point Xm1, end point Xm2).

The total length D of the removed portions is D = Σ D (m) from the sum of D (1) to D (M), and the average value of the lengths of the removed portions is D / M.

The D (m), D, D/M, and σ (standard deviation of D(m)) obtained from the above are determined to satisfy the non-conductivity band between the electrodes under the conditions of the above formulas 1 to 3. The shape of the boundary region removes a portion between the point Xm1 and the point Xm2 on the conductive thin line to form a strip-shaped and irregularly-shaped boundary region.

In the non-conductive strip-shaped boundary region of the present invention, a dummy conductive thin wire (not shown) that is not electrically connected to the adjacent electrode as will be described later may be formed. The dummy conductive thin wires may also form a strip boundary portion of the present invention and a dummy conductive layer by disposing a disconnecting portion of 1 μm to 10 μm on a uniform mesh pattern before forming a non-conductive strip-shaped boundary region. Thin line. By doing so, visibility can be further improved.

Fig. 4 is a view for explaining the lower electrode layer 12 of the present invention, showing an arrangement of a plurality of sensor electrodes (indicated by c-j) constituting the lower electrode layer. The electrodes denoted by c-j are exemplified to extend in the X direction and are arranged in the Y direction. The electrode c-j is a so-called bar electrode having no fine structure. Cw in the figure The width of the sensor electrode c-j and cd indicate the width of the boundary region of the non-electroconductive between the sensor electrodes.

Since the sensor electrode c-j constituting the lower electrode layer senses the electric field passing through the opening of the upper electrode, it is preferably a solid electrode having no opening. Since the structure does not have an opening, a conductive material having light transparency is used as the electrode material. The light-transmitting conductive material used in the lower electrode will be separately described. The width cw of the sensor electrode of the lower electrode may be the same as the width rw of the sensor electrode of the upper electrode, but may be wider than rw due to restrictions on the display device side such as the pitch of the pixels or the display area. The width cd of the non-conductive boundary region between the sensor electrodes is preferably 15 μm or more and 70 μm or less, and more preferably 20 μm or more and 50 μm or less. The shape of the boundary region may be the same as that of the upper electrode, and the strip shape may be changed irregularly.

5 is a perspective view of the touch panel of the present invention viewed from the toucher side, showing a case where the sensor electrode group r-i constituting the upper electrode and the sensor electrode group c-j constituting the lower electrode are arranged orthogonally. The area of the rectangle indicated by the dashed line 20 represents the touch area. When the touch region is not square, the longitudinal direction is the Y-axis direction, and the sensor electrode group r-i constituting the upper electrode is disposed in parallel with the Y-axis of the long side. In addition, in FIG. 5, the electrode groups r-i and c-j are arranged orthogonally, but may not be orthogonally arranged according to matching with the display device equipped with the touch panel of the present invention.

Next, a method of forming a conductive material and an electrode which can form the sensor electrodes of the upper and lower electrode layers of the present invention will be described below.

A is a conductive polymer or a part of a metal oxide as a light-transmitting conductive material, but a metal oxide can be used in terms of durability and weather resistance. Examples of the transparent metal oxide include indium tin oxide (ITO), antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO), tin oxide, aluminum-doped zinc oxide (ZnO: Al), and indium zinc oxide (In ₂ O ₃ -ZnO). (IZO)) and so on.

In the present invention, as the sensor electrode forming the lower electrode layer, the above transparent oxide can be used. Among the above oxides, ITO or IZO is preferably used from the viewpoint of resistance value, transparency, and easy formation of a film. In order to form a film of ITO or IZO, a sputtering method, an electron beam method, an ion plating method, or the like can be used.

Since the sensor electrode constituting the upper electrode layer of the present invention is a mesh electrode of a conductive thin wire, it is necessary to use a material having a lower electric resistance than that of the lower electrode. Therefore, it is preferable to use a metal or alloy having high conductivity. Examples of such a metal include copper, silver, gold, platinum, palladium, nickel, tin, aluminum, cobalt, ruthenium, osmium, iron, ruthenium, osmium, manganese, molybdenum, tungsten, ruthenium, osmium, titanium, iridium,锑, lead, etc. Among these, in terms of excellent electrical conductivity, copper, silver, gold, platinum, palladium, nickel, tin, aluminum, and alloys thereof are preferable.

In the electrode formed using these metals or alloys, the following forms B to D can be used.

B is used as a metal foil or film.

In order to use as a film, first, the metal or alloy is formed into a metal thin film on a substrate by a vacuum deposition method, a sputtering method, an ion plating method, or the like, or a gold plating method or a metal foil bonding. Next, the metal film was subjected to the following patterning to form a mesh electrode. Forming the above network image by photolithography In the case of the case, a photoresist film is formed on the metal thin film, exposed using a photomask, and developed by a developing solution, thereby forming a mesh pattern of the resist film. The mesh pattern is etched by an etching solution, and a mesh pattern including fine metal wires is formed by peeling off the resist film. Alternatively, in the case of being formed by printing a resist, a mesh pattern of a resist film is printed on a metal thin film by a method such as screen printing, gravure printing, or ink jetting, and a resist for a metal thin film by an etching solution A portion other than the covered portion is etched, and a mesh pattern of metal thin wires is formed by peeling off the resist film.

C is a method of printing the above-described mesh pattern by an ink (or paste) containing conductive nanoparticles. The conductive nano particles may use carbon in addition to the fine particles of the above metal. The conductive nanoparticle is preferably a particle comprising gold, silver, palladium, platinum, copper, carbon, or a mixture of these. The nanoparticles have an average particle diameter of 2 μm or less, preferably 200 nm to 500 nm, and have a smaller particle diameter than the prior microparticles, but are preferable in forming a mesh pattern. Screen printing or gravure printing is used in web pattern printing. The conductive material contained in the ink (or paste) may not be a metal particle but a conductive fiber. In this case, it is called a fibrous material containing a metal wire or a nanowire in a conductive fiber, a tube of a hollow structure, and a nanotube. The average minor axis length (sometimes referred to as "average short axis diameter" and "average diameter") of the metal nanowire is preferably 100 nm or less, more preferably 1 nm to 50 nm, still more preferably 10 nm to 40 nm, and particularly Good is 15nm~35nm. In the case of using a conductive fiber to form a conductive layer, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-215594, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-242880, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-299162, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-84173, and Japanese Patent No. Open 2010-87105, Japanese Patent Special Formed by the technology disclosed in 2010-86714.

D is a method in which a silver halide photo-sensitive material used in a photograph is used, and the material is subjected to a screen pattern exposure, followed by development and fixing treatment, and a conductive thin line pattern is obtained by developing silver. In the method of obtaining the conductive fine line pattern in the present invention, the following three forms are included depending on the form of the photosensitive material and the development treatment.

(1) A chemical silver halide black-and-white photosensitive material not containing a physical development core is subjected to chemical development or thermal development to form a metal silver portion on the photosensitive material.

(2) A method in which a photosensitive silver halide black-and-white photosensitive material contained in a silver halide emulsion layer of a physical development core is subjected to dissolution physical development to form a metal silver portion on the photosensitive material.

(3) A photosensitive silver halide black-and-white photosensitive material not containing a physical development core is superposed on an image-receiving sheet having a non-photosensitive layer containing a physical development nucleus to perform diffusion transfer development, thereby forming a metallic silver portion in non-photosensitive Subject to the image on the sheet.

The aspect of the above (1) is an integrated black-and-white development type, and a light-transmitting conductive film such as a light-transmitting conductive film is formed on the photosensitive material. The developed silver obtained is chemically developed silver or thermally developed silver, which is highly active in subsequent plating or physical development in terms of a filament having a high specific surface area.

In the aspect of the above (2), in the exposed portion, the silver halide particles having a close relative to the physical development nucleus are dissolved and deposited on the developing nucleus, thereby forming a light-transmitting conductive property such as a light-transmitting conductive film on the photosensitive material. membrane. This type is also one Type black and white development type. The development is highly active due to precipitation onto the physical development nucleus, but the developed silver has a spherical shape with a small specific surface area.

In the aspect of the above (3), the unexposed portion of the silver halide particles is dissolved and diffused to be deposited on the developing core on the image receiving sheet, thereby forming a light transmissive conductive film or the like on the image receiving sheet. Conductive film. It is a so-called separation type, and is a state in which the image-receiving sheet is peeled off from the photosensitive material.

Any of the negative development processing and the reverse development processing can be selected for any of the aspects (in the case of the diffusion transfer method, negative development can be performed by using a direct positive photosensitive material as a photosensitive material) deal with).

Here, chemical development, thermal development, dissolved physical development, and diffusion transfer development refer to the meanings of terms commonly used in the industry, and general textbooks in photochemistry, such as Kikuchi, "Photography Chemistry" (Kyoritsu Publishing Co., Ltd.) , published in 1955), CEK Mees edited "The Theory of Photographic Processes, 4th ed." (Mcmillan, 1977). This case is an invention of liquid treatment, and it is also possible to refer to a technique using a thermal development method as another development method. For example, the techniques described in each of the specifications of JP-A-2004-184693, JP-A-2004-334077, JP-A-2005-010752, and JP-A-2004-085655 can be used.

In addition, as for the method of producing the material and the conductive pattern used in the present invention, the invention and the technique of the invention of the capacitive touch panel, that is, the invention of the capacitive touch panel can be used. Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-265467.

Next, a method of forming a mesh-shaped sensor electrode constituting the upper electrode will be described.

First, as a material for forming the upper electrode layer, a method of forming a metal foil or a film (the above B) will be described with reference to FIGS. 6(a) to 6(e). Fig. 6(a) shows a transparent substrate 15 which also serves as an insulating layer, for example, a PET film of about 100 μm. The surface of the film is cleaned, and a thin layer of metal or alloy is placed next to the surface of the film (Fig. 6(b)). As the metal, the material described in the above B can be used, but it is preferred to use silver, copper, aluminum or these alloys. A sputtering method or the like is used in the method of forming the thin layer, and other methods are also possible. The thickness of the formed thin metal layer can be appropriately adjusted depending on the desired electric resistance value, but is preferably 0.1 μm or more and 3 μm or less, and more preferably 0.2 μm or more and 1 μm or less.

Next, a photoresist film is formed on the metal thin film formed as described above, and exposed using a photomask, and developed by a developing solution, thereby forming a mesh pattern of the resist film. The mesh pattern is etched by an etching solution, and a mesh pattern including fine metal wires is formed by peeling off the resist film ((c) of FIG. 6). Reference numeral 31 (c) of Fig. 6 denotes a conductive thin line of the formed mesh pattern.

Next, a coating layer is provided on the sensor electrode formed as described above ((d) of Fig. 6). In the present invention, the coating layer is referred to as a blackening layer. The blackening layer has a visual function of making the metallic luster of the metal or alloy inconspicuous, and a function of improving the durability of metal anti-embroidery and migration prevention. The material of the blackening layer (coating layer) will be described below. The thickness of the blackening layer (coating layer) is preferably 5 μm or less, more preferably 3 μm or less, and particularly preferably 0.2 μm or more 2 Below μm.

Then, by removing the blackened layer on the visible portion of the blackened layer (coating layer) which is not covered with the electrode thin line, an electrode having a mesh pattern excellent in visibility and durability can be formed ((e) of FIG. 6) .

Next, a material for forming the blackening layer (coating layer) and a method of forming the same will be described.

Examples of a preferred lamination method of the black portion of the present invention include a plating treatment and a chemical etching method. As the plating treatment, any treatment method known as black plating can be used, and black Ni plating, black Cr plating, black Sn-Ni alloy plating, and Sn-Ni-Cu alloy can be used. Plating, black zinc chromate treatment, etc. are exemplified. Specifically, a black plating bath (trade name, Nikka black, Sn-Ni alloy system) manufactured by Nippon Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., and a black plating bath manufactured by the metal chemical industry (trade name, ebony chromium) can be used. 85 series, Cr series), a chromate agent manufactured by dipsol (trade name, ZB-541, zinc plated black chromate agent). The plating method may be any method of electroless plating or electrolytic plating, or may be high-speed plating under mildening conditions. The thickness of the plating is not limited as long as it can be recognized as black, and the usual plating thickness is preferably from 1 μm to 5 μm.

In the present invention, a part of the conductive metal portion may be subjected to an oxidation treatment or a vulcanization treatment to form a black portion. For example, when the conductive metal portion is copper, an example of a blackening treatment agent for the copper surface can be produced using meltex (trade name), enplate MB438A, B; manufactured by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co., Ltd., trade name nPE- 900; mec (stock) manufacturing, trade name mecetchbond BO-7770V; manufactured by isol Chemical Institute, trade name copper black CuO, trade name copper black CuS, selenium copper black no. 65 and so on. In addition to the above, for example, sulfide can be treated to produce hydrogen sulfide (H ₂ S), thereby blackening the surface of copper into copper sulfide (CuS). The thickness is not limited as long as it can be recognized as black, but it is usually preferably 3 μm or less, and more preferably 0.2 μm to 2 μm.

In the case of using an ink (or paste) containing conductive nanoparticles (B), the mesh pattern can be directly printed on a transparent substrate layer which also serves as an insulating layer.

Next, the case of using the silver halide photo-sensitive material used in the photograph (the above D) will be described using (a) to (d) of FIG. 7 .

In addition, the silver halide photo-sensitive material used in the present invention is described in detail in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei. No. 2006-352073, which is an invention of an electromagnetic wave shielding film which is a thin line pattern for developing silver.

Fig. 7(a) shows a transparent substrate 15 which also serves as an insulating layer, for example, a PET film of about 100 μm. The surface of the film was cleaned, and a thin layer 41 of a silver halide photo-sensitive material was placed next to the surface of the film (Fig. 7(b)). The silver halide photo-sensitive material contains various additives such as silver halide and gelatin which are excellent in characteristics of a photo sensor, a coating aid, and various additives for sensitivity adjustment. The amount of coated silver (coating amount of silver salt) is preferably 1 g/m ² to 30 g/m ² , more preferably 1 g/m ² to 25 g/m ² , and still more preferably 5 g/m ² . 20g/m ² . By setting the amount of coated silver to the above range, the desired surface resistance can be obtained by the conductive sheet after exposure and development treatment. As for the formation of the film, a multilayer coater used in the production of a photographic material is preferably used.

Next, in order to form a conductive thin wire on the thin layer 41 of the above silver halide photo-sensitive material, a mesh pattern-like exposure is performed. (c) of Fig. 7 denotes a region where a photosensitive core is generated by exposure. (d) of Fig. 7 shows a film obtained by subjecting the film subjected to exposure to a development fixing treatment. Reference numeral 44 denotes an aggregate of silver formed on the periphery of the photosensitive core by development, and 45 denotes a state in which a silver salt or the like contained in the unphotosensitive silver halide photo-sensitive material portion is removed from the layer by a fixing treatment to form a transparent film. Thus, a mesh-like fine line pattern can be formed by developing silver.

The touch panel itself is also expected to increase in size in response to an increase in size of an image display device using a touch panel. With respect to the increase in size, it is necessary to reduce the resistance of the electrodes and reduce the parasitic capacitance between the electrodes. Therefore, it is necessary to arrange a dummy electrode between the electrodes. FIG. 8 shows an example in which a sensor electrode and a dummy electrode are disposed on the upper electrode layer. The dummy electrodes are arranged across the sensor electrodes. Both the sensor electrode and the dummy electrode are electrodes including a mesh-shaped thin wire. The distance rd between the sensor electrode and the dummy electrode is the same as the distance between the sensor electrodes in the case where there is no dummy electrode. The width of the dummy electrode is preferably 2 mm or less. Further, ET of the sensor electrode r-i indicates a terminal for connection with an external control unit, and the dummy electrode is an isolated electrode group that is not connected to the external control unit. However, the dummy electrode can also be grounded.

Fig. 8 is an explanatory view of the upper electrode layer, and it is preferable that a dummy electrode is also provided in the lower electrode. The width of the dummy electrode at this time is preferably 2 mm or less, but it must be formed in the same manner as the sensor electrode of the lower portion.

[Example]

The present invention will be more specifically described below by way of examples of the invention. Bright. In addition, the materials, usage amounts, ratios, processing contents, processing procedures, and the like shown in the following examples can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is not limited by the specific examples shown below.

First, a method of manufacturing the upper electrode used in the touch panel of the present invention will be described.

(upper electrode U-1)

A PET (polyethylene terephthalate) film having an A4 size and a thickness of 100 μm was subjected to static elimination, and the surface was purified by air blowing. Next, on the surface of the PET film, a thin layer of metal copper having a thickness of 2 μm is provided by electrolytic plating using an electrolytic copper sulfate plating bath, and then a photoresist film is formed on the copper film formed as described above. The mask is attached to the photoresist film to expose the film, and the developer is developed by the developer to form a mesh pattern of the resist film cured by the exposed portion. The mesh pattern is etched by a ferric chloride etching solution, and the cured resist film is peeled off, thereby forming a sensor electrode including a conductive thin wire of a mesh pattern (FIG. 8). In addition, the following pattern, that is, the parameter used as the pattern of the reticle, is shown in FIG. 8 : the width rw of the sensor electrode is 4 mm, the width dpw of the dummy electrode is 1 mm, and the length of the electrode and the length of the dummy electrode are respectively 200 mm. The width of the conductive thin wire of the net of the measuring electrode is 4 μm, the side length of the lattice of the net is 500 μm, the inclination angle of the thin mesh of the mesh with the X axis is 45°, and the boundary between the sensor electrode and the dummy electrode is non-conductive. The width of the region (broken portion) is irregular and the average value is 30 μm (the maximum value of the width of the boundary region is 45 μm, the minimum value is 15 μm, and the ratio of the standard deviation of the width to the average value of the width is 0.35), which is in the A4 size. 20 of the electrodes were formed on the PET sheet.

(upper electrode U-2)

With respect to the upper electrode U-1, a thin layer of metallic copper having a thickness of 0.5 μm is formed by electroless plating using a palladium colloid as a catalyst core, and the pattern of the photomask is set as follows: sensor electrode The width rw is 6 mm, the width dpw of the dummy electrode is 1 mm, the width of the conductive thin wire of the mesh of the sensor electrode is 6 μm, the side length of the lattice of the mesh is 600 μm, and the inclination angle of the fine mesh of the mesh with the X axis is 45°. The width of the non-conductive boundary region (broken line portion) between the sensor electrode and the dummy electrode is irregular and the average value is 20 μm (the maximum value of the width of the boundary region is 30 μm, the minimum value is 10 μm, and the standard deviation of the width A sensor having a mesh pattern of a coating layer is formed in the same manner as U-1 except that the coating layer is a coating layer of metal tin having a thickness of 0.2 μm, and the coating layer is a coating layer of metal tin having a thickness of 0.2 μm. Electrode U-2.

(upper electrode U-3)

The PET film extracted from the roll having a width of 30 cm was subjected to a purification treatment, and the following coating liquid was applied to the surface of the film so that the amount of silver applied was 8 g/m ² to prepare the (b) of FIG. 7(b). Sample. Further, the coating width at this time was 25 cm, and the coating length was 20 m, and the film having the coating layer was treated in a dark room from the application to the end of the development fixing treatment.

[Coating liquid containing silver halide photosensitive material]

Prepared with 150 g of Ag in water, containing 10.0 g of gelatin, and containing silver iodochlorobromide particles having an average diameter of 0.1 μm (I = 0.2 mol%, Br = 40 Mo) Ear %) of the emulsion. In the emulsion, K ₃ [Rh ₂ Br ₉ ] and K ₂ [IrCl ₆ ] are added at a concentration of 10 ^-7 (mole/mole silver), and Rh ions and Ir are doped in the silver bromide particles. ion. Na ₂ PdCl ₄ was added to the emulsion, and further, gold sulphur sensitization was carried out using sodium tetrachloride and sodium thiosulfate, and then a gelatin hardener was added as a coating liquid. In addition, the Ag/gelatin volume ratio was set to 2/1.

A pattern of conductive thin wires is not formed on the silver halide photo-sensitive material layer 41 of (b) of FIG. 7 . The pattern of the photomask forming the conductive pattern of the upper electrode U-3 is set as follows: the width rw of the sensor electrode is 5.5 mm, the width dpw of the dummy electrode is 1 mm, and the length of the sensor electrode is 200 mm. The width of the conductive thin wire of the net of the measuring electrode is 6 μm, the side length of the lattice of the net is 250 μm, the inclination angle of the thin mesh of the mesh with the X axis is 45°, and the boundary between the sensor electrode and the dummy electrode is non-conductive. The width of the region (broken portion) is irregular and the average value is 50 μm (the maximum value of the width is 75 μm, the minimum value is 25 μm, the ratio of the standard deviation of the width to the average value of the width is 0.35), and is on the A4 size PET sheet. 20 electrodes were formed.

The mask of the pattern is adhered to the photosensitive material 41 of (b) of FIG. 7 produced as described above, and is subjected to surface exposure using parallel light using a high-pressure mercury lamp as a light source, thereby producing a photosensitive portion having a pattern shape and a non-photosensitive portion. Sample ((c) of Figure 7). The sample was subjected to the following development treatment to obtain the upper electrode U-3 in which the sensor electrodes of the fine wire structure having conductivity were arranged. Moreover, the latent image in the emulsion formed in the photosensitive portion in the development process is a core, and an aggregate of developed silver is formed to become a conductive thin wire.

[developer formulation] is calculated per 1 liter of content and the amount of water is omitted

Hydroquinone 20g

[Fixing solution formula] is calculated per 1 liter of content and the water amount is omitted

[Processing process]

Processing machine: Automatic developing machine manufactured by Fujifilm Co., Ltd. (FG-710PTS)

Processing conditions: development 35 ° C 30 seconds

Fixing 34 ° C 23 seconds

The water was washed for 20 seconds in running water (5 L/m).

The calendering treatment of the obtained sample was performed to obtain the upper electrode U-3.

(upper electrode U-4~U-8)

The upper electrode U-4 is produced in the same manner as U-1 except that the side length of the lattice of the mesh is 250 μm with respect to the upper electrode U-1. In the upper electrode U-1, the upper electrode U-5 is formed in the same manner as U-1 except that the side length of the lattice of the mesh is 250 μm, and the line width of the thin wire of the mesh is 6 μm. The upper electrode U-6 was produced in the same manner as U-1 except that the side length of the lattice of the net was 250 μm and the line width of the fine line of the mesh was 8 μm.

Further, with respect to the upper electrode U-1, the width of the non-conductive boundary region (broken portion) between the sensor electrode and the dummy electrode is set to an elongated rectangular strip pattern of 50 μm, and other than U- 1 The upper electrode U-7 was produced in the same manner.

Further, the upper electrode U-8 was produced in the same manner as U-1 except that the inclination angle of the mesh thin line and the X-axis was set to 0° with respect to the upper electrode U-1.

Example 1

Using the upper electrode prepared above, the brightness of the electrode sheet, the visibility of the screen when the touch panel was formed (visibility, interference fringes), and the resistance value were evaluated. The methods and levels of each evaluation are as follows, and the results are shown in Table 1. Further, the aperture ratio is obtained by calculating the area of the grid based on the interval of the grid of the electrodes, and calculating the area of the opening based on the width of the thin line, and obtaining the ratio based on the ratio.

(evaluation of brightness)

The transmittance of the conductive sheet was measured by a spectrophotometer. The transmittance was evaluated at a value of 550 nm.

×Evaluation The transmittance is less than 85% and the picture looks dark.

△ Evaluation The transmittance is 85% or more and less than 90%, which is a brightness that does not have to be worried.

○Evaluation The transmittance is 90% or more and bright.

◎Evaluation The transmittance is 95% or more, which is very bright.

(visuality)

The two upper electrodes were orthogonal to each other and attached to the liquid crystal display device, and the brightness of the image was changed to evaluate the visibility of the image. This includes the extreme cases from the perception of a part of the pattern to the case where the shape cannot be recognized and the picture is rough.

×Evaluation Recognizes shapes other than images, or the lines have a rough or rough line.

△ Evaluation The line becomes thick or rough depending on the direction of observation. And see uneven reflection, linear uneven gloss.

○Evaluation You can view the picture uniformly.

(interference fringes)

The upper electrode of the A4 size was attached to the liquid crystal display device so that the longitudinal direction of the electrode was parallel to the lateral direction of the screen, and whether the interference fringe was detected by changing the brightness of the solid display was examined.

× Evaluation It is easy to observe interference fringes.

△ Evaluation Interference fringes were observed in accordance with changes in brightness, color change, and viewing angle of the screen.

○ Evaluation No interference fringes were observed even if the conditions were changed.

(resistance)

The resistance values of each of the 20 upper electrodes were directly read, and the average value thereof was described.

From the above results, it was confirmed that the mesh-shaped upper electrode of the present invention does not generate interference fringes when the direction of the thin line of the mesh has an inclination angle with respect to the display screen. Further, it has also been confirmed that if the strip-shaped boundary region between the sensor electrode and the dummy electrode is not a clear rectangle and the width is irregular, the visibility can be improved and interference fringes are less likely to occur.

Further, it is understood that in order to secure the brightness of the screen, it is effective to set the aperture ratio of the mesh to 90% or more.

Further, in addition to the above, the following electrodes were produced and their performance was investigated.

In the upper electrode U-3, the average value of the width of the non-conductive boundary region (broken portion) between the sensor electrode and the dummy electrode is set to be the same 50 μm as U-3, and the standard deviation and width of the width are The upper electrode U-9a was produced in the same manner as U-3 except that the ratio of the average values was set to 0.14. After investigating the visibility of the U-9a, similarly to the U-7, the unevenness of the linear luster was observed depending on the direction of the viewing.

On the other hand, the average value of the width of the boundary region (broken portion) is set to 50 μm which is the same as U-3, and the standard deviation of the width and the average value of the width. The upper electrode U-9b was produced in the same manner as U-3 except that the ratio was 0.20. Similarly, the average value of the width is 50 μm which is the same as that of U-3, the minimum value of the width is 10 μm, the maximum value is 100 μm, and the ratio of the standard deviation of the width to the average value of the width is set to 0.65. The upper electrode U-9c was produced in the same manner as U-3. No unevenness in gloss like the above electrode U-9a was observed in the electrodes U-9b, U-9c, and U-3.

According to these results, in the case where the ratio of the standard deviation of the width to the average value of the width is less than 0.20, there is no difference from the case of the boundary region having the previous rectangle, and it cannot be said that the shape has an irregular width, and thus cannot be improved. Uneven gloss.

Next, with respect to the upper electrode U-2, the average value of the width of the non-conductive boundary region (broken portion) between the sensor electrode and the dummy electrode is set to be 20 μm which is the same as U-2, and the standard deviation of the width is The upper electrode U-10 was produced in the same manner as U-2 except that the ratio of the average value of the width was 0.5 and the minimum value of the width was changed to 5 μm. Further, with respect to the upper electrode U-3, the average value of the width of the non-conductive boundary region (broken portion) between the sensor electrode and the dummy electrode is set to 50 μm which is the same as U-3, and the standard deviation of the width is The upper electrode U-9d was produced in the same manner as U-3 except that the ratio of the average value of the widths was 0.94 and the maximum value of the width was 140 μm.

After investigating the insulation between the adjacent electrodes of the electrodes U-10 and U-9d, it is considered to be small, but it may be turned on. Insulation failure in electrodes U-2 and U-3 was also not observed in the same conditions.

Above, from the viewpoint of insulation, a non-conductive boundary region (off The minimum value of the width of the line portion is preferably 10 μm or more. Further, it is understood that when it exceeds 100 μm, even if the ratio of the standard deviation of the width to the average value of the width exceeds 0.65 and there is no rule, insulation failure may occur.

From the above results, it has been confirmed that the width of the non-conductive boundary region (broken portion) is set to be 10 μm or more and 100 μm or less in order to improve the visibility, particularly the improvement in gloss unevenness and the insulation between the electrodes. The range is set to 15 μm or more and 70 μm or less as an average value, and the comparison between the standard deviation of the width and the average value of the width is preferably set to be between 0.20 and 0.65.

Example 2

The upper electrodes U-1 and U-2 were electrolytically plated with black tin at a thickness of 0.5 μm, and black tin of a portion other than the thin wires of copper was removed by photolithography to fabricate upper electrodes U-11 and U-12. If the angles of the electrodes U-1, U-2, U-11, and U-12 are changed and observed, the unshaded electrodes U-1 and U-2 are observed to have external light depending on the angle. In contrast, no reflection was observed in the blackened U-11 and U-12. In addition, no reflection was observed in the electrode U-3.

Example 3 (lower electrode L-1)

An ITO film (formed on a PET film having a sheet resistance of 80 Ω/□ and a thickness of 175 μm) manufactured by Tail Pond Industrial Co., Ltd. was used to form 20 widths by a gap of 1 mm in parallel with the short side of the A4 size by photolithography. 6mm, 16cm long rod electrode, the rod electrodes as the lower electrode L-1.

Using the lower electrode L-1 and the upper electrodes U-1 to U-8 thus produced, the touch panel of the configuration of FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) is constructed, and the touch panel TP-1 is fabricated. To TP-8. Further, a 100 μm PET film was used for the uppermost transparent material layer, and a commercially available film was used for the adhesive.

A commercially available touch panel sensor IC is used to manufacture a simple experimental device using 20 or more X electrodes and Y electrodes (Synaptics Corporation electrode line number 26×22), and the device is connected to the TP-1 to Action test with TP-8. As a result, in particular, no problem occurs in the touch sensing of the above TP-1 to TP-8. On the other hand, the mesh portion of the upper electrode U-1 was formed of the above ITO film, and the dummy electrode was not provided, and the upper electrode U-9 was formed with a gap of 1 mm. In the touch panel TP-9 (the upper and lower ITO electrodes) with the U-9 as the upper electrode, the touch sensing is unstable. When the width of the upper electrode is set to 12 mm, the operation is still unstable. Since the resistance value of the rod electrode when the width of the upper electrode is 12 mm is about 1300 Ω, the resistance value of the upper electrode U-3 is not much different, and it is considered that the instability of the operation is caused by the small opening degree of the upper electrode, so that the opening degree is known. Not only does it affect the brightness of the picture, but it also affects the sensitivity of the touch perception.

10‧‧‧Touch panel

11‧‧‧Upper electrode layer with multiple sensor electrodes

12‧‧‧Lower electrode layer with multiple sensor electrodes

15‧‧‧Transparent transparent substrate layer

16‧‧‧Transparent material layer forming the touch surface

17‧‧‧Transparent substrate layer

18‧‧ ‧ Transparent substrate layer for electrode protection

19‧‧ ‧ an adhesive layer that doubles as an insulating layer

20‧‧‧Scope of touch surface

21‧‧‧Upper electrode formation layer

31‧‧‧ mesh upper sensor electrodes

32‧‧‧Upper electrode coating

33‧‧‧The coating of the mesh upper sensor electrode

41‧‧‧ Coating layer of silver halide photo-sensitive material (not photosensitive)

42‧‧‧ Coating layer of silver halide photo-sensitive material after pattern exposure

43‧‧‧Photosensitive portion of the coating layer of the silver halide photo-sensitive material

44‧‧‧The photosensitive portion becomes part of the developed silver by development and fixing

45‧‧‧Unexposed portion of the emulsion which is removed and transparent by developing and fixing treatment

C‧‧‧Center line between two adjacent electrodes

C1, c2, c3, cm, cm+1, cM‧‧‧ intersection

Cb‧‧‧ non-conductive boundary region between the electrodes of the sensor electrodes of the lower electrode layer

Cd‧‧‧Width of the non-conductive boundary region between the electrodes of the sensor electrodes of the lower electrode layer

C-j‧‧‧Sensor electrode number of the lower electrode layer

Cm‧‧‧ intersection of centerline C and conductive thin wire rm

The intersection before the removal of the conductive thin wires of cp‧‧‧

Cw‧‧‧ electrode width of the sensor electrode of the lower electrode layer

D1‧‧‧The length of the wire removal portion on the r-i side of the electrode on the conductive thin wire rm

Dm‧‧‧The length of the broken part on the conductive thin wire rm

Dm1‧‧‧The distance between the starting point of the broken line on the conductive thin line rm Xm1 and cm

Dm2‧‧‧ The length of the broken part on the conductive thin wire rm, that is, the distance between the starting point Xm1 of the broken wire and the end point Xm2 of the broken wire

The length of the disconnected portion of the electrode r-i+1 on the electrode of the Dr.‧‧ conductive thin wire rm

Number of dp-1, dp-2, dp-3, dp-i‧‧‧ dummy electrodes

Dpw‧‧‧Dummy electrode width

ET‧‧‧electrode terminal

Rb‧‧‧ non-conductive boundary region between the electrodes of the sensor electrodes of the upper electrode layer

rd‧‧‧Width of the non-conductive boundary region between the electrodes of the sensor electrodes of the upper electrode layer

Rd(m)‧‧‧Width of the boundary area of the intersection c of the center line C between the electrodes and the conductive thin line rm

The maximum width of the rdmax‧‧‧ non-conductive boundary region

Rdmin‧‧‧ Minimum of the width of the non-conductive boundary region

R-i‧‧‧Sensor electrode number of the upper electrode layer

R-i+1‧‧‧electrode

Rm‧‧‧The network of conductive thin wires of the sensor electrodes of the upper electrode layer

Rw‧‧‧ electrode width of the sensor electrode of the upper electrode layer

The starting point of the disconnection on the Xm1‧‧‧ conductive thin wire rm

End point of the broken wire on the Xm2‧‧‧ conductive thin wire rm

θ‧‧‧An angle formed by the mesh thin line of the sensor electrode of the upper electrode layer and the direction in which the electrodes are arranged

1(a) and 1(b) are cross-sectional views of a touch panel 10 of the present invention.

2(a) is an example of an arrangement diagram of sensor electrodes in the upper electrode layer, and FIG. 2(b) is a view showing a mesh structure which is a detailed structure of the sensor electrodes.

Figure 3 (a) shows the non-conductive boundary region between the sensor electrode and the electrode FIG. 3(b) is a view showing a boundary region of non-conductivity between electrodes.

4 is an arrangement diagram of sensor electrodes in a lower electrode layer.

Figure 5 is a view taken from the toucher side see-through panel.

6(a) to 6(e) are examples of a method of forming a sensor electrode in the upper electrode layer.

7(a) to 7(d) are another example of a method of forming a sensor electrode in the upper electrode layer.

Fig. 8 is another example of the arrangement diagram of the sensor electrodes in the upper electrode layer.

Fig. 9 is an example of a diagram for forming a non-conductive boundary region between two electrodes.

FIG. 10 is an example of a graph for making the width of the non-conductive boundary region between the two electrodes irregular.

Fig. 11 (a) is an example of a graph for making the width of the non-conductive boundary region between the two electrodes irregular.

Fig. 11 (b) is another example of a graph for making the width of the non-conductive boundary region between the two electrodes irregular.

10‧‧‧Touch panel

11‧‧‧Upper electrode layer with multiple sensor electrodes

12‧‧‧Lower electrode layer with multiple sensor electrodes

15‧‧‧Transparent transparent substrate layer

16‧‧‧Transparent material layer forming the touch surface

17‧‧‧Transparent substrate layer

18‧‧ ‧ Transparent substrate layer for electrode protection

19‧‧ ‧ an adhesive layer that doubles as an insulating layer

Claims (13)

A touch panel comprising a plurality of layers, comprising at least a transparent material layer constituting a touch surface, an upper electrode layer having a plurality of sensor electrodes, an insulating layer, and a plurality of sensor electrodes and the upper electrode layer a lower electrode layer in which the arrangement direction is orthogonally arranged, and one or more transparent substrate layers, wherein the sensor electrode constituting the upper electrode layer is a mesh shape including a lattice of conductive thin wires, and a direction of the thin line of the lattice is relative to the sense The arrangement direction of the detector electrodes has an inclination angle of 30° or more and 60° or less, and the upper electrode layer forms non-conductivity between the sensor electrodes adjacent to the plurality of the sensor electrodes constituting the electrodes. a strip-shaped boundary region, wherein the non-conductive strip-shaped boundary region is formed by disconnecting a mesh-shaped conductive thin wire, and a width of the strip-shaped boundary region randomly changes in a direction in which the sensor electrode extends . The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein an average value of the width of the strip-shaped boundary region is 15 μm or more and 70 μm or less. The touch panel according to claim 2, wherein an average value of widths of the strip-shaped boundary regions is 15 μm or more and 70 μm or less, and a maximum value rdmax of widths of the strip-shaped boundary regions is 100 μm or less, and a minimum width is obtained. The value rdmin is 10 μm or more. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein the average width of the strip boundary region is 15 μm or more. The ratio of the standard deviation of the width of the strip-shaped boundary region to the average value of the width of the strip-shaped boundary region (the standard deviation of the width/the average value of the width) is 0.20 or more and 0.65 or less. The touch panel according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mesh-shaped conductive thin wire of the sensor electrode of the upper electrode layer comprises a metal layer or an alloy layer and is formed on the metal layer Or a blackened layer on the alloy layer. The touch panel according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a width of the mesh-shaped conductive thin wires of the sensor electrodes of the upper electrode layer is 0.5 μm or more and 10 μm or less. The touch panel according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the thickness of the metal layer or the alloy layer of the mesh-shaped conductive thin wires of the sensor electrode of the upper electrode layer is 0.1 μm or more 3 μm or less. The touch panel according to claim 5, wherein the blackening layer has a thickness of 0.1 μm or more and 3 μm or less. The touch panel according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each of the plurality of the sensor electrodes constituting the upper electrode layer has a width of 3 mm or more and 7 mm or less. As described in any one of claims 1 to 3 In the touch panel, each of the electrode materials of the plurality of sensor electrodes constituting the lower electrode layer is ITO. The touch panel according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sensing of the upper electrode layer is performed when the shape of the display portion of the touch panel is represented by a long side and a short side. The electrodes are arranged in parallel with the long sides. A touch panel manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the touch panel manufacturing method is characterized by the following a step of forming a network-shaped conductive thin wire comprising a metal layer or an alloy layer and an upper sensor electrode of the blackening layer formed on the metal layer or the alloy layer: a step of forming the metal layer or the alloy layer on the transparent substrate; a step of forming an electrode pattern on the metal layer or the alloy layer; a step of forming the blackening layer on the metal layer or the alloy layer; and a step of removing a blackened layer from a portion other than the electrode. A touch panel comprising: an upper electrode layer having a plurality of sensor electrodes; and a lower electrode layer having a plurality of sensor electrodes arranged orthogonally to a direction in which the upper electrode layers are disposed, the upper electrode being configured The sensor electrode of the layer is a mesh shape of a lattice including conductive thin wires, and the direction of the thin lines of the lattice is opposite to the above The arrangement direction of the sensor electrodes has an inclination angle of 30° or more and 60° or less, and the upper electrode layer forms a non-conductive between the sensor electrodes adjacent to the plurality of the sensor electrodes constituting the electrodes a strip-shaped boundary region, wherein the non-conductive strip-shaped boundary region is formed by disconnecting a mesh-shaped conductive thin wire, and a width of the strip-shaped boundary region is randomly in a direction in which the sensor electrode extends Variety.