TWM484146U - Touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

A touch panel including a substrate, an ink layer, a first photoresist layer, a touch sensing layer, and fan-out wirings is provided. The substrate includes a sensing region and a peripheral region adjacent to the sensing region. The ink layer is disposed on the substrate and located in the peripheral region. The first photoresist layer is disposed on the substrate and located between the peripheral region and the first photoresist layer, wherein the first photoresist layer partially covers an inner sidewall of the ink layer. The touch sensing layer is disposed on the substrate and located in the sensing region. Each of the fan-out wirings is electrically connected to the touch sensing layer. Each of the fan-out wirings extends from the sensing region to the peripheral region continuously and is disposed on the ink layer and first photoresist layer.

Description

Touch panel

The novel creation is related to a panel, and in particular to a touch panel.

In today's era of information explosion, people are all about efficiency. Therefore, in the current smart terminal products, such as handheld electronic devices such as smart phones or tablet computers, in addition to having the characteristics of multi-function and thinness, users prefer to operate such smart devices. In the process of the terminal product, the required functions can be executed in a short time, and switching between applications is quickly performed.

In order to meet the above requirements, today's smart terminal product manufacturers are designed with smart phones or tablets as examples. Most of the smart phones or tablets are equipped with virtual function keys located outside the sensing display area, such as shortcuts. a key or a hot key, wherein a sensing electrode structure is disposed on or around the virtual function key, and the touch sensing layer in the sensing display area is through a fan-out wiring ) electrically connected to the sensing electrode structure.

However, the sensing electrode structure is disposed on an ink layer, and the ink layer is adapted to shield the touch sensing electrode structure to prevent the sensing line from being visually applied by the user. Look up. However, the ink layer is formed on the surface of the substrate and has a large gap between the surface of the substrate and the substrate, so that the fan is formed in the process of electrically connecting the fan-out wire between the touch sensing layer and the sensing electrode structure. The wire is likely to be broken due to the aforementioned break.

The present invention provides a touch panel which can improve the problem of line breakage due to a gap between the surface of the substrate and the ink layer in the process of forming the fan-out wire and extending it to the ink layer on the peripheral region. .

The touch panel of the present invention comprises a substrate, an ink layer, a first photoresist layer, a touch sensing layer and a plurality of fan-out wires. The substrate has a sensing region and a peripheral region adjacent to the sensing region. The ink layer is disposed on the substrate and located in the peripheral region. The first photoresist layer is disposed on the substrate and located between the sensing region and the ink layer, wherein the first photoresist layer partially covers the inner sidewall of the ink layer. The touch sensing layer is disposed on the substrate and located in the sensing region. Each fan-out wire is electrically connected to the touch sensing layer. Each of the fan-out wires continuously extends from the sensing region to the peripheral region, and is disposed on the ink layer and the first photoresist layer.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the ink layer is greater than the thickness of the first photoresist layer.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the ink layer and the first photoresist layer have a stepped cross section, wherein the cross section is perpendicular to the substrate.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the material of the first photoresist layer is a transparent photoresist material.

In an embodiment of the novel creation, the material of the fan-out wire is Indium tin oxide, indium antimony oxide or indium zinc oxide.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the touch panel further includes a plurality of bridge wires and a second photoresist layer. The wiring is disposed on the substrate and located in the sensing area. The second photoresist layer is disposed on the substrate and located in the sensing region. The second photoresist layer covers a portion of each of the wires and exposes both ends of the respective wires, wherein the touch sensing layer includes a plurality of sensing strings located within the sensing region. The sensing series includes a first sensing series and a second sensing series. Each of the first sensing series is interleaved with the second sensing series. Each of the first sensing series includes a plurality of first electrode portions and a plurality of bridge wires connecting any two adjacent first electrode portions, and the bridge wires partially cover the second photoresist layer. Each of the second sensing series includes a plurality of second electrode portions. Each wire is connected between any two adjacent second electrode portions.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the materials of the first sensing series and the second sensing series include indium tin oxide, indium antimony oxide or indium zinc oxide.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the first photoresist layer is greater than the thickness of the second photoresist layer.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the material of the second photoresist layer is a transparent photoresist material.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the material of the above wiring includes copper, silver or tin.

Based on the above, the touch panel of the present invention is provided with a first photoresist layer adjacent to the ink layer in a peripheral region of the substrate, wherein the thickness of the first photoresist layer is smaller than that of the ink layer, thereby configuring the stepped structure So that the fan-out wires are formed and During the process of extending to the ink layer on the peripheral region, the fan-out wires can be continuously formed along the first photoresist layer and the ink layer in sequence, thereby improving the difference between the ink layer and the substrate surface. And the problem of fan-out wire breakage.

The above described features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent and understood from the following description.

100‧‧‧ touch panel

110‧‧‧Substrate

111‧‧‧Sensing area

112‧‧‧The surrounding area

120‧‧‧Ink layer

121‧‧‧ inner side wall

130‧‧‧First photoresist layer

140‧‧‧Touch sensing layer

141‧‧‧Sensor series

141a‧‧‧First sensing series

141b‧‧‧Second sensing series

142a‧‧‧First electrode section

142b‧‧‧second electrode

143a‧‧‧Bridge wiring

150‧‧‧fanned wire

160‧‧‧ wiring

170‧‧‧second photoresist layer

D1~D3‧‧‧ thickness

FIG. 1 is a partial schematic view of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the touch panel of FIG. 1 taken along line I-I.

3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the touch panel of FIG. 1 taken along line J-J.

FIG. 1 is a partial schematic view of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the touch panel of FIG. 1 taken along the line I-I, in which the substrate is shown in the lowermost layer for clarity and illustration. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , in the embodiment, the touch panel 100 is a capacitive touch panel or a resistive touch panel, and includes a substrate 110 , an ink layer 120 , a first photoresist layer 130 , and a touch control layer . The sensing layer 140 and the plurality of fan-out wires 150.

The substrate 110 is, for example, a cover substrate of an electronic device such as a smart phone or a tablet computer. Here, the cover plate has a function of covering and protecting the touch module or the electronic device, and is, for example, a light-transmissive glass substrate. Or acrylic substrate. specific In other words, the substrate 110 has a sensing region 111 and a peripheral region 112 adjacent to the sensing region 111. In the present embodiment, the peripheral area 112 is exemplified by the circumference of the sensing area 111. However, in other possible embodiments, the peripheral area 112 may be disposed only on either side of the sensing area 111. This novel creation does not limit this on either side or on either side.

On the other hand, the ink layer 120 is disposed on the substrate 110 and located in the peripheral region 112. For example, the ink layer 120a can be subjected to a gravure printing process, a screen printing process, a flexographic printing process, an offset printing, a reverse printing process (reverse) A printing process such as a printing process or an ink jet printing process is formed on the substrate 110, which is, for example, a black ink layer having a high optical density (OD) value, which can effectively reduce the light transmittance. That is to say, by arranging the ink layer 120 on the substrate 110, the user can directly avoid the line layout of the peripheral area 112 of the touch panel 100. Here, in the present embodiment, the thickness D1 of the ink layer is based on the principle of not exceeding 10 μm.

Furthermore, the first photoresist layer 130 disposed between the sensing region 111 and the ink layer 120 is adjacent to the ink layer 120, wherein the first photoresist layer 130 is made of, for example, a transparent photoresist material, and is particularly transparent. The photoresist is made of insulating material. For example, the first photoresist layer 130 is formed on the substrate 110 by, for example, lithography, and the thickness D2 is based on the principle of not exceeding 2.5 micrometers. More specifically, the thickness D1 of the ink layer 120 is, for example, greater than the thickness D2 of the first photoresist layer 130, and thus the first photoresist layer 130 is partially The inner side wall 121 of the ink layer 120 is covered. In other words, in a section perpendicular to the substrate 110, the cross section of the ink layer 120 and the first photoresist layer 130 is, for example, stepped.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , in the present embodiment, the touch sensing layer 140 is disposed on the substrate 110 and located in the sensing region 111 , and the fan-out wire 150 is electrically connected to the touch sensing layer 140 . Specifically, the fan-out wire 150 continuously extends from the sensing region 111 into the peripheral region 112 and is disposed on the ink layer 120 and the first photoresist layer 130. Since the cross section of the ink layer 120 and the first photoresist layer 130 is, for example, stepped, and the thickness D1 of the ink layer 120 is greater than the thickness D2 of the first photoresist layer 130, the fan-out wire 150 can sequentially follow the first photoresist. The layer 130 and the ink layer 120 are continuously formed thereon, thereby improving the problem that the fan-out wire 150 is broken due to a gap between the ink layer 120 and the surface of the substrate 110.

In addition, in the embodiment, the touch panel 100 further includes a plurality of wires 160 and a second photoresist layer 170. The wiring 160 is disposed on the substrate 110 and located in the sensing region 111, and is formed on the substrate 110 by, for example, a patterning process, which may be made of a material such as copper, silver or tin. The fan-out wire 150 and the wire 160 are made of the same material, for example.

In further detail, the touch sensing layer 140 includes a plurality of sensing strings 141 located within the sensing region 111. The sensing series 141 includes a first sensing series 141a and a second sensing series 141b, and the first sensing series 141a are respectively interleaved with the second sensing series 141b, where, for example, a first sense The series 141a are vertically interleaved with the second sensing series 141b, respectively, as an example, but are not intended to limit the novel creation. In addition, the first sensing series 141a and the second sensing series 141b are, for example, transmissive patterned The process is simultaneously formed on the substrate 110, and may be composed of a material such as indium tin oxide, indium antimony oxide or indium zinc oxide.

In this embodiment, the first sensing series 141a includes a plurality of first electrode portions 142a and a plurality of bridge wires 143a connecting any two adjacent first electrode portions 141a, and the bridge wires 143a partially cover the second photoresist Layer 170. The second photoresist layer 170 is disposed on the substrate 110 and located in the sensing region 111, wherein the second photoresist layer 170 covers a portion of each of the wires 160 and exposes both ends thereof.

On the other hand, the second sensing series 141b includes a plurality of second electrode portions 142b, and each of the wires 160 is connected between any two adjacent second electrode portions 142b. That is, each of the wires 160 may be joined to the second electrode portion 142b by both ends not covered by the second photoresist layer 170, and any two adjacent second electrode portions 142b may be electrically connected to each other.

3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the touch panel of FIG. 1 taken along line J-J, wherein For clarity and illustration, Figure 3 shows the substrate in the lowermost layer. Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in the embodiment, the second photoresist layer 170 is made of, for example, a transparent photoresist material, and particularly a transparent photoresist material. For example, the second photoresist layer 170 is formed on the substrate 110, for example, by lithography, and has a thickness D3 of not more than 1.5 micrometers. More specifically, the thickness D2 of the first photoresist layer 130 is, for example, greater than the thickness D3 of the second photoresist layer 170, in other words, the thickness of the ink layer 120, the first photoresist layer 130, and the second photoresist layer 170. For example, the configuration relationship of D1>D2>D3.

In terms of the overall process, for example, after the ink layer 120 is first formed on the substrate 110, a plurality of wires 160 are formed on the substrate 110. Then, by half A mask process such as a half-tone or a gray-tone simultaneously forms the first photoresist layer 130 and the second photoresist layer 170 of two different thicknesses. Finally, a plurality of sensing series 141 and a plurality of fan-out wires 150 electrically connected to the sensing series 141 are sequentially formed.

In detail, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the wiring 160, the second photoresist layer 170, and the bridge line 143a are sequentially stacked, for example, in the sensing region 111 on the substrate 110, and thereby configured to make the first The intersection between the sensing column 141a and the second sensing series 141b can be separated by the second photoresist layer 170 without short circuit or signal interference. On the other hand, the configuration relationship or the connection relationship between the components and the lines is also as described in the above embodiment, and details are not described herein again.

In summary, the touch panel of the present invention provides a first photoresist layer adjacent to the ink layer in a peripheral region of the substrate, wherein the thickness of the first photoresist layer is smaller than that of the ink layer, thereby The structure is configured such that in the process of forming the fan-out wire and extending it to the ink layer on the peripheral region, the fan-out wire can be continuously formed along the first photoresist layer and the ink layer in sequence, thereby The problem of fan-out wire breakage caused by a gap between the ink layer and the substrate surface is improved.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the novel creation, and any person skilled in the art can make some changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel creation. Retouching, the scope of protection of this new creation is subject to the definition of the scope of the patent application attached.

110‧‧‧Substrate

120‧‧‧Ink layer

121‧‧‧ inner side wall

130‧‧‧First photoresist layer

142b‧‧‧second electrode

143a‧‧‧Bridge wiring

150‧‧‧fanned wire

160‧‧‧ wiring

170‧‧‧second photoresist layer

D1, D2‧‧‧ thickness

Claims (10)

A touch panel includes: a substrate having a sensing area and a peripheral area adjacent to the sensing area; an ink layer disposed on the substrate and located in the peripheral area; a first photoresist layer, configured On the substrate and between the sensing region and the ink layer, wherein the first photoresist layer partially covers an inner sidewall of the ink layer; a touch sensing layer is disposed on the substrate and is located on the substrate And a plurality of fan-out wires electrically connected to the touch sensing layer, wherein each of the fan-out wires continuously extends from the sensing region to the peripheral region, and is configured And on the ink layer and the first photoresist layer. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the ink layer has a thickness greater than a thickness of the first photoresist layer. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the ink layer and the first photoresist layer have a stepped cross section, wherein the cross section is perpendicular to the substrate. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the first photoresist layer is made of a transparent photoresist material. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the material of the fan-out wire comprises indium tin oxide, indium antimony oxide or indium zinc oxide. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of wires disposed on the substrate and located in the sensing region; and a second photoresist layer disposed on the substrate and located at the In the sensing region, the second photoresist layer covers a portion of each of the wires, and exposes both ends of each of the wires, wherein The touch sensing layer includes a plurality of sensing series in the sensing area, and the sensing series includes a first sensing series and a second sensing series, each of the first sensing The series is respectively interleaved with the second sensing series, and each of the first sensing series includes a plurality of first electrode portions and a plurality of bridge wires connecting the two adjacent first electrode portions, and is bridged The line partially covers the second photoresist layer, and the second sensing series includes a plurality of second electrode portions, each of the wires being connected between any two adjacent second electrode portions. The touch panel of claim 6, wherein the material of the first sensing series and the second sensing series comprises indium tin oxide, indium antimony oxide or indium zinc oxide. The touch panel of claim 6, wherein the thickness of the first photoresist layer is greater than the thickness of the second photoresist layer. The touch panel of claim 6, wherein the second photoresist layer is made of a transparent photoresist material. The touch panel of claim 6, wherein the material of the wire comprises copper, silver or tin.