TWI588566B - Touch panel structure and fabricating method thereof - Google Patents

Description

Touch panel structure and manufacturing method thereof

The present invention relates to a touch panel structure, and more particularly to a touch panel pattern printing structure.

Touch panels have been widely used in consumer electronics such as mobile phones, PDAs, satellite navigation systems and digital cameras. In order to meet the needs of light, thin, short and small electronic products. Traditional input methods such as keyboards and mice have been replaced by touch on portable electronic products such as tablets and mobile phones.

In general, the touch panel includes a cover and a touch sensing structure. The touch sensing structure is attached to or disposed on the lower surface of the cover. The cover includes a viewable area and a non-visible area surrounding the viewable area. The visible area is the screen display area of the touch panel. The lower surface of the non-visible area of the cover has an opaque shielding layer as a bezel. Among them, the non-visible area will have a button or trademark pattern. Such patterns are achieved by first forming an opening in the masking layer, then covering the opening with ink or providing a decorative layer to impart color to the pattern.

Since the pattern portion of the non-visible area is compared to the portion without the pattern If the ink structure or the decorative layer is added, when the cover is attached to the touch structure, bubbles are easily generated at the ink structure due to the difference in height of the ink structure. Or at the time of subsequent reliability testing, bubbles are generated at the ink structure.

In view of the above, the present invention provides a touch panel structure and a manufacturing method thereof, which can reduce the height difference generated by the ink structure, so that it is difficult to generate bubbles in the pattern in the subsequent touch panel process.

One aspect of the present invention is a touch panel structure including a cover, a first shielding layer, a second shielding layer, an ink layer, and a protective layer. The first shielding layer is formed on the cover plate, and the first shielding layer has a first opening. The second shielding layer is formed on the first shielding layer and has a second opening, wherein the second opening is connected and larger than the first opening. The ink layer is formed within the second opening and fills the first opening, and the ink layer is not formed over the second shielding layer. And a protective layer covering the ink layer.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, the height from the top surface of the protective layer to the cover sheet is less than 18 microns.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, the shortest distance from the sidewall of the second opening to the sidewall of the first opening is 0.25 to 0.45 mm.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, the shortest distance from the sidewall of the second opening to the sidewall of the protective layer is 0.1 to 0.3 mm.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, the ink layer is in contact with the sidewalls of the second opening.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the thickness of the first shielding layer and the thickness of the second shielding layer are both 6 to 8 micrometers, and the thickness of the first shielding layer and the second shielding layer are less than 15 micrometers.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, the thickness of the ink layer is less than the thickness of the first masking layer.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the height from the upper surface of the protective layer to the cover plate is equal to the thickness of the first shielding layer and the second shielding layer.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, the material of the ink layer is a clear or colored ink.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, the material of the protective layer is varnish.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the materials of the first and second shielding layers are black matrix inks.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, the first opening is a trademark or button graphic.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, the cover is glass.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, the material of the protective layer is an insulating material.

Another aspect of the present invention is a method of fabricating a touch panel structure, comprising the steps of: providing a cover. A first shielding layer is formed on the cover, and the first shielding layer has a first opening therein. Forming a second shielding layer on the first shielding layer, and having a second opening in the second shielding layer, wherein the second opening is connected and larger than the first opening. Forming an ink layer in the second opening and filling the first opening, and the ink layer is not formed on the second shielding layer on. And forming a protective layer covering the ink layer.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the height from the upper surface to the cover of one of the protective layers is equal to the thickness of the first shielding layer and the second shielding layer.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the step of forming the ink layer further includes contacting the ink layer with the sidewall of the second opening.

The touch panel structure and the manufacturing method thereof can reduce the height difference of the ink layer in the non-visible area, so that it is not easy to be generated in the pattern in the subsequent touch panel process (for example, the bonding and defoaming processes) bubble. Improve the yield of the touch panel.

100‧‧‧Touch panel structure

109‧‧‧ first surface

110‧‧‧ cover

111‧‧‧ second surface

112‧‧‧First shielding layer

114‧‧‧First opening

115‧‧‧Side of the first opening

116‧‧‧Second shelter

117‧‧‧The upper surface of the second shielding layer

118‧‧‧second opening

119‧‧‧ Side wall of the second opening

120, 220‧‧‧ ink layer

130, 230‧‧ ‧ protective layer

132, 232‧‧ ‧ top surface of the protective layer

150‧‧‧visible area

160‧‧‧Invisible area

170‧‧‧ pattern

190‧‧‧Touch panel

234‧‧‧ sidewalls of the protective layer

300‧‧‧ method

310, 320, 330, 340, 350 ‧ ‧ steps

d1‧‧‧The shortest distance from the side wall of the second shielding layer to the side wall of the first shielding layer

d2‧‧‧The shortest distance from the side wall of the second shielding layer to the side wall of the protective layer

H1‧‧‧The thickness of the first masking layer

H2‧‧‧ Thickness of the second masking layer

H3‧‧‧ thickness of protective layer

Ha‧‧‧ Thickness of ink layer

Height of the upper surface of the Hb‧‧ protective layer to the second surface of the cover

The above and other objects, features, advantages and embodiments of the present invention will become more apparent and understood.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for fabricating a touch panel structure according to an embodiment of the invention.

Please refer to FIG. 1 . FIG. 1 is a top view of a touch device 190 according to an embodiment of the invention. The touch device 190 can include a cover 110 and a touch sensing structure (not shown). The first surface of the cover 110 can be seen by looking down the touch device 190. This is the viewing angle when the touch device 190 is used. The touch sensing structure is attached to the cover 110 or disposed on the second surface of the cover 110. The cover plate 110 includes a viewable area 150 and a non-visible area 160 surrounding the viewable area 150. The visible area 150 is the screen display area and the range of the touch when the touch device 190 is used. The non-visible area 160 is typically covered by a masking layer on the second surface of the cover plate 110 to serve as a bezel and to hide the underlying circuitry. There is a pattern 170 in the non-visible area 160. The pattern 170 can be a button or a logo pattern, and the pattern 170 is formed by forming a slit by the hollow mask layer. The touch panel structure 100 is the structure at the pattern 170.

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 . FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a touch panel structure 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. This cross-sectional view is a schematic view of the AA' section in the first figure, showing the cross-sectional structure at the pattern 170 in the non-visible area 160. The touch panel structure 100 includes a cover 110 , a first shielding layer 112 , a second shielding layer 116 , an ink layer 120 , and a protective layer 130 . The first shielding layer 112 is formed on the cover plate 110 , and the first shielding layer 112 has a first opening 114 . The second shielding layer 116 is formed on the first shielding layer 112 and has a second opening 118 , wherein the second opening 118 is connected and larger than the first opening 114 . The ink layer 120 is formed within the second opening 118 and fills the first opening 114, and the ink layer 120 is not formed over the second shielding layer 116. The protective layer 130 is formed over the ink layer 120 and covers the ink layer 120.

The cover plate 110 is a cover glass of the touch panel, and the material of the cover plate 110 may be glass such as tempered glass or plasticized film. The cover plate 110 has a visible area 150 and a non-visible area 160 surrounding the visible area 150. The touch panel structure 100 is located in the non-visible area 160 of the cover 110. The cover plate 110 has a first surface 109 and a second surface 111. The first surface 109 is a touch surface, that is, the surface seen in FIG. After the touch panel structure 100 is formed, the touch sensing component is disposed on the second surface 111 of the cover 110 or on the second surface 111 to form a complete touch device 190.

The first shielding layer 112 is formed on the non-visible area 160 of the second surface 111 of the cover 110 and has a first opening 114. The shape of the first opening 114 is the pattern 170 that is to be seen on the touch device 190. Shape, the pattern 170 can be a button graphic, such as a generally common arrow pattern on the previous page or a house pattern back to the main screen; or a trademark, such as a brand logo pattern. The first masking layer 112 has a thickness h1 of from about 6 microns to about 8 microns. The material of the first shielding layer 112 is an opaque material such as a colored ink or a black matrix (BM) ink. In some embodiments, the first shielding layer 112 and the cover 110 do not have a conductive substance. The second shielding layer 116 is formed on the first shielding layer 112. The second shielding layer 116 has a second opening 118 and communicates with the first opening 114. The second opening 118 is larger than the first opening 114 to facilitate alignment during printing. In some embodiments, the second opening 118 is coaxial with the first opening 114. The material of the second shielding layer 116 is the same as the material of the first shielding layer 112, such as a black matrix ink. The second masking layer 116 has a thickness h2 of 6 micrometers to 8 micrometers. And the thickness of the first shielding layer 112 and the second shielding layer 116 are added (h1+h2) to be less than 15 micrometers. In some embodiments, the shortest distance d1 of the sidewall 119 of the second opening 118 to the sidewall 115 of the first opening 114 is 0.25 to 0.45 mm. The second shielding layer 116 can increase the absorbance.

The ink layer 120 is printed within the second opening 118 and fills the first opening 114. In some embodiments, the ink layer 120 fills the first opening 114. In the present embodiment, the ink layer 120 completely covers the first shielding layer 112 in the second opening 118. And the ink layer 120 is in contact with the sidewall 119 of the second opening 118. In some embodiments, the thickness of the ink layer 120 is Ha. The shape of the ink layer 120 depends on the shape of the surface in contact with the ink layer 120. Therefore, since the first opening 114 is located below the second opening 118 and communicates with the second opening 118, the ink layer 120 does not completely fill the second opening 118. There is a recess above the first opening 114. In some embodiments, the thickness Ha of the ink layer 120 is smaller than the thickness h1 of the first shielding layer 112. In some embodiments, the ink layer 120 has a thickness of from about 4 microns to about 5 microns. The ink layer 120 may comprise a color ink, a color photoresist, or a light guiding ink. The color ink is, for example, a mirror silver ink. Different ink layers 120 may cause the patterns 170 to exhibit different colors and effects. The color of the ink layer 120 and the first shielding layer 112 and the second shielding layer 116 are not similar. Therefore, the user can distinguish the pattern 170 or the trademark formed by the first opening 114 from the touch device 190.

The protective layer 130 covers the ink layer 120, and the protective layer 130 serves to protect the formed ink layer 120. The thickness h3 of the protective layer 130 is lower than the thickness Ha of the ink layer 120. In some embodiments, the protective layer 130 has a thickness h3 of from 3 micrometers to 4 micrometers. The protective layer 130 may contain varnish. The varnish may be, for example, a light transmitting resin such as an epoxy resin. In some embodiments, the material of the protective layer is Insulation Materials.

In the touch panel structure 100, the height Hb of the upper surface 132 of the protective layer 130 to the second surface 111 of the cover 110 is less than or equal to 18 micrometers. In the ideal case the height Hb is less than 15 microns. In addition, in this embodiment, the thickness of the first shielding layer 112 and the second shielding layer 116 are added (ie, h1+h2) and the height Hb is similar. In some embodiments, the thickness h1 and the thickness h2 add up to less than the height Hb (ie, h1 + h2 < Hb). In other embodiments, the sum of thickness h1 and thickness h2 may also be greater than height Hb (ie, h1+h2>Hb). The maximum thickness difference of the protective layer 130 in the touch panel structure 100 is such that when the ink layer 120 is printed, it climbs from the second surface 111 of the inner cover 110 of the first opening 114 to the first shielding layer 112 of the second opening 118. The difference in thickness is the thickness h1 of the first shielding layer 112, and the thickness h1 is 6 to 8 micrometers. Therefore, forming the ink layer 120 in the second opening 118 in the touch panel structure 100 can reduce the thickness of the entire touch panel structure 100 and reduce the height difference inside the touch panel structure 100. In the subsequent step of attaching the touch sensing structure, the height difference of the touch panel structure is flatter than the conventional structure for directly printing the ink on the second shielding layer, and it is difficult to form bubbles at the pattern to affect the product. rate.

Please refer to FIG. 3 , which illustrates a cross-sectional view of a touch panel structure according to an embodiment of the invention. The touch panel structure includes a cover 110, a first shielding layer 112, a second shielding layer 116, an ink layer 120, and a protective layer 130. The first shielding layer 112 is formed on the cover plate 110 , and the first shielding layer 112 has a first opening 114 . The second shielding layer 116 is formed on the first shielding layer 112 and has a second opening 118, wherein The two openings 118 are in communication and larger than the first opening 114. The ink layer 220 is formed within the second opening 118 and fills the first opening 114, and the ink layer 220 is not formed over the second shielding layer 116. A protective layer 230 is formed over the ink layer 120 and covers the ink layer 220. The cover plate 110 is a cover glass of the touch panel, and the cover plate 110 is made of glass (for example, tempered glass) or a plasticized film. The materials of the first shielding layer 112 and the second shielding layer 116 are all opaque materials, such as colored ink or black matrix (BM) ink. The ink layer 220 can comprise a color ink, a color photoresist, or a light guiding ink. Protective layer 230 can comprise varnish. The varnish may contain a light-transmitting resin such as an epoxy resin. In some embodiments, the first shielding layer 112 and the cover 110 do not have a conductive substance.

The difference between the embodiment of the touch panel structure of FIG. 3 in FIG. 2 is that the width of the ink layer 220 is different. In the embodiment of the first embodiment, the ink layer 120 is in contact with the sidewall 119 of the second opening 118. . However, in the present embodiment, the ink layer 220 is still located in the second opening 118 but not in contact with the sidewall 119 of the second opening 118. In some embodiments, the second opening 118 is coaxial with the first opening 114. The shortest distance d1 from the side wall 119 of the second opening 118 to the side wall 115 of the first opening 114 is 0.25 to 0.45 mm. And the shortest distance d2 of the sidewall 119 of the second opening 118 to the sidewall 234 of the protective layer 230 is 0.1 to 0.3 mm. In the present embodiment, since the ink layer 220 is not in contact with the sidewall 119 of the second opening 118, the protective layer 230 covers the ink layer 220 and is also in contact with the first shielding layer 112.

In the embodiment of the touch panel structure, above the protective layer 230 The height Hb of the surface 232 to the second surface 111 of the cover plate 110 is less than 18 microns. In some embodiments less than 15 microns. In addition, in this embodiment, the thickness of the first shielding layer 112 and the second shielding layer 116 are added (ie, h1+h2) and the height Hb is similar. In some embodiments, the thickness h1 and the thickness h2 add up to less than the height Hb (ie, h1 + h2 < Hb). In other embodiments, the sum of thickness h1 and thickness h2 may also be greater than height Hb (ie, h1+h2>Hb). In the touch panel structure 100, the ink layer 220 is formed only in the second opening 118 to reduce the thickness of the entire touch panel structure, and the height difference inside the touch panel structure can also be reduced. In the subsequent step of attaching the touch sensing structure, the difference in thickness of the printed structure is gentler than that of the conventional structure, and it is difficult to form bubbles at the pattern to affect the product yield. It is understood in this embodiment that the width of the ink layer 220 can be adjusted for design or product requirements.

Please refer to Figure 4 and refer to Figures 2 and 3 at the same time. FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for fabricating a touch panel structure according to an embodiment of the invention. The method 300 of fabricating a touch panel structure begins in step 310. Step 310 provides a cover that can be glass such as tempered glass or plasticized film, or formed from other suitable see-through materials. The cover can have a viewable area and a non-visible area surrounding the viewable area.

Step 320 is to form a first shielding layer on the cover plate, and the first shielding layer has a first opening therein. The first masking layer can be printed in a non-visible area on the cover by printing, such as screen printing or ink jet printing, for shielding the structure below it. The material of the first shielding layer is an opaque material such as a colored ink or a black matrix (BM) ink. A first opening is also formed in the first shielding layer when the first shielding layer is formed. This first opening is the place The pattern shape to be seen on the touch panel, the pattern may be a button graphic or a trademark. The first masking layer has a thickness of 6 to 8 microns.

Step 330 is to form a second shielding layer on the first shielding layer, and the second shielding layer has a second opening therein, wherein the second opening is connected and larger than the first opening. The second shielding layer can be printed on the first shielding layer by printing, such as screen printing or inkjet printing, and the first opening is allowed to form a second opening. In some embodiments, the second opening is coaxial with the first opening, and the shortest distance from the sidewall of the second opening to the sidewall of the first opening is 0.25 to 0.45 mm. The material of the second shielding layer is an opaque material such as a colored ink or a black matrix (BM) ink. The second shielding layer can enhance the shading effect. In some embodiments, the second masking layer has a thickness of 6 to 8 microns. And the thickness of the first shielding layer and the second shielding layer are added less than 15 micrometers.

Step 340 is to form an ink layer in the second opening and fill the first opening, and the ink layer is not formed on the second shielding layer. The ink layer is printed in the second opening by printing such as screen printing or ink jet printing and fills the first opening. In some embodiments, the ink layer can be printed on the second opening by a mask and not printed on the second mask layer. Or reducing the printing width such that the width of the printed ink layer is smaller than the second opening but larger than the first opening. In some embodiments, the ink layer completely covers the first shielding layer and the first shielding layer in the second opening, and contacts the sidewall of the second opening. In some embodiments, the ink layer completely covers the first opening, but only covers the first shielding layer within a portion of the second opening and contacts the sidewall of the second opening. In some embodiments, the ink layer fills the first opening. The ink layer can contain color Color ink, color photoresist or light guide ink. The colored ink can be, for example, a mirror silver ink. The color of the ink layer is the color of the pattern seen on the touch device. In some embodiments, the ink layer is not similar in color to the first shielding layer and the second shielding layer. In some embodiments, the thickness of the ink layer is less than the thickness of the first masking layer. In some embodiments, the ink layer has a thickness of 4 to 5 microns. In some embodiments, the thickness of the ink layer is greater than the thickness of the first and second shielding layers.

Step 350 covers the ink layer to form a protective layer. The protective layer is printed on the ink layer and covers the ink layer to protect the ink layer from subsequent processes. The protective layer may be a transparent resin such as varnish or epoxy resin. In some embodiments, the material of the protective layer is an insulating material. The protective layer has a thickness of from about 3 to about 4 microns. In some embodiments, the thickness of the protective layer is less than the thickness of the ink layer. In some embodiments, the protective layer is in contact with the sidewalls of the second shielding layer. In some embodiments. The protective layer is in contact with the first shielding layer, and the shortest distance from the sidewall of the second opening to the sidewall of the protective layer is 0.1 to 0.3 mm. In some embodiments, the first shielding layer and the second shielding layer are added to have the same thickness as the upper surface of the protective layer to the cover. In some embodiments, the thickness of the first shielding layer and the second shielding layer is less than the height of the upper surface of the protective layer to the cover. In other embodiments, the thickness of the first shielding layer and the second shielding layer is greater than the height of the upper surface of the protective layer to the cover. In some embodiments, the height from the top surface of the protective layer to the cover is less than or equal to 18 microns. In some embodiments, the height from the top surface of the protective layer to the cover is less than 15 microns.

The method 300 for fabricating a touch panel structure utilizes ink layer printing Brushing in the second opening in the second shielding layer, a touch panel structure having a small height difference inside the printed structure and a low total thickness can be manufactured. This structure does not cause bubbles in subsequent bonding and defoaming processes, or bubbles are generated here during subsequent testing. There is no need to use additional technology to process the bubbles, and the structure of the touch panel can be reduced, which is more conducive to the processing of subsequent processes.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and the present invention can be modified and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope is subject to the definition of the scope of the patent application attached.

100‧‧‧Touch panel structure

109‧‧‧ first surface

110‧‧‧ cover

111‧‧‧ second surface

112‧‧‧First shielding layer

114‧‧‧First opening

115‧‧‧Side of the first opening

116‧‧‧Second shelter

117‧‧‧ Height of the second surface of the upper surface plate of the second shielding layer

118‧‧‧second opening

119‧‧‧ Side wall of the second opening

120‧‧‧Ink layer

130‧‧‧Protective layer

132‧‧‧Top surface of the protective layer

d1‧‧‧The shortest distance from the side wall of the second shielding layer to the side wall of the first shielding layer

H1‧‧‧The thickness of the first masking layer

H2‧‧‧ Thickness of the second masking layer

H3‧‧‧protective layer thickness

Ha‧‧‧ Thickness of ink layer

Hb‧‧‧protective layer upper surface to cover

Claims (17)

A touch panel structure includes: a cover; a first shielding layer formed on the cover, and the first shielding layer has a first opening; and a second shielding layer formed on the first a masking layer having a second opening, wherein the second opening is continuous and larger than the first opening; an ink layer formed in the second opening and filling the first opening, and the ink A layer is not formed over the second masking layer; and a protective layer covering the ink layer. The touch panel structure of claim 1, wherein a height from the upper surface of the protective layer to the cover is less than 18 micrometers. The touch panel structure of claim 1, wherein the shortest distance from the sidewall of the second opening to the sidewall of the first opening is 0.25 to 0.45 mm. The touch panel structure of claim 1, wherein the shortest distance from the sidewall of the second opening to the sidewall of the protective layer is 0.1 to 0.3 mm. The touch panel structure of claim 1, wherein the ink layer is in contact with a sidewall of the second opening. The touch panel structure of claim 1, wherein the ink layer has a thickness smaller than a thickness of the first shielding layer. The touch panel structure of claim 1, wherein a height from the upper surface of the protective layer to the cover is equal to a thickness of the first shielding layer and the second shielding layer. The touch panel structure of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the first shielding layer and the thickness of the second shielding layer are both 6 to 8 micrometers, and the thickness of the first shielding layer and the thickness of the second shielding layer are added. Less than 15 microns. The touch panel structure of claim 1, wherein the material of the ink layer is a transparent or color ink. The touch panel structure of claim 1, wherein the material of the protective layer is varnish. The touch panel structure of claim 1, wherein the material of the first and second shielding layers is a black matrix ink. The touch panel structure of claim 1, wherein the first opening is a trademark or a button graphic. The touch panel structure of claim 1, wherein the cover is glass. The touch panel structure of claim 1, wherein the material of the protective layer is an insulating material. A method for manufacturing a touch panel structure includes: providing a cover; forming a first shielding layer on the cover, and having a first opening in the first shielding layer; forming a second shielding layer on the first a shielding layer, wherein the second shielding layer has a second opening, wherein the second opening is continuous and larger than the first opening; forming an ink layer in the second opening and filling the first opening, and the An ink layer is not formed over the second masking layer; and a protective layer is formed to cover the ink layer. The manufacturing method of claim 15, wherein a height from the upper surface of the protective layer to the cover is equal to a thickness of the first shielding layer and the second shielding layer. The manufacturing method of claim 15, wherein the step of forming the ink layer further comprises contacting the ink layer with a sidewall of the second opening.