TWM528470U - Touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a touch panel, including: a first substrate including a first region and a second region disposed around the first region. The touch panel further includes at least one align mark in the first region. The touch panel further includes a second substrate disposed over the first substrate. The second substrate includes a first transparent substrate and a shielding layer disposed over the first transparent substrate. The shielding layer is disposed corresponding to the second region of the first substrate.

Description

Touch panel

This creation is related to touch panels, and in particular to a touch panel with alignment marks.

In recent years, touch methods have gradually become the most important input method, and are widely used in various electronic products, such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) or palm-sized personal computers. The touch panel used in the touch device generally includes a substrate and components formed on the substrate, such as a sensing electrode and a touch signal wire. Generally, the substrate forming the component needs to be attached to a cover, and the cover is usually It is divided into a visible area and a non-visible area surrounding the visible area. However, the alignment mark of the substrate is located in the non-visible area of the corresponding cover plate, and the alignment mark is easily blocked by the black shielding layer. Therefore, the two closely spaced substrates and the cover plate are respectively aligned with the two observation elements. Distance, then fit. However, this method has three chances of causing errors, which are the error of the alignment of the two substrates, and the error of moving the substrate when the two substrates are bonded. The above errors result in inaccurate alignment.

In response to the above problems, the industry still needs a touch panel that can further improve the process yield. The present invention provides a touch panel comprising: a first base The second substrate includes a first section and a second section disposed around the first section, wherein the first section has at least one pair of bit marks; and the second substrate is disposed on the first substrate, and the second substrate comprises: a mask The layer is disposed on the second substrate, and the shielding layer is disposed corresponding to the second interval of the first substrate, the shielding layer includes a first side and a second side adjacent to the alignment mark, wherein the first side The second side is located at a corner.

The above structure and method can simultaneously observe the alignment mark of the first substrate and the rotation angle of the second substrate with only one observation element, instead of observing the alignment mark of the first substrate by two observation elements as in the conventional method. And the angle of rotation of the second substrate or an observation unit is observed twice and then aligned.

In order to make the features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, the preferred embodiments are described below, and are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

100‧‧‧ touch panel

102‧‧‧First substrate

104‧‧‧second substrate

108‧‧‧ alignment mark

108A‧‧‧ alignment mark

108B‧‧‧ alignment mark

108C‧‧‧ alignment mark

108D‧‧‧ alignment mark

108L‧‧‧ length

108W‧‧‧Width

112‧‧‧Shielding layer

114‧‧‧ corner

116A‧‧‧First interval

116B‧‧‧Second interval

118‧‧‧ Observation elements

120‧‧‧square area

122A‧‧‧First axial induction electrode

122B‧‧‧Second axial sensing electrode

122B1‧‧‧Second axial sensing electrode

122B2‧‧‧Second axial sensing electrode

124‧‧‧Connecting line

126‧‧‧Bridge structure

128‧‧‧Virtual electrode

130‧‧‧Insulation

130A‧‧‧Insulation

130B‧‧Insulation block

132‧‧‧Adhesive layer

134‧‧‧ hollow mesh structure

S1‧‧‧ first side

S2‧‧‧ second side

D1‧‧‧ distance

D2‧‧‧ distance

D3‧‧‧ distance

L‧‧‧Bian Chang

X1‧‧‧first axial direction

X2‧‧‧second axial

6A-6A’‧‧‧ Segment

7B-7B’‧‧‧ Segment

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view showing a touch panel according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a top view of a touch panel according to some embodiments of the present invention.

2 is a top view showing a first substrate and a second substrate in one step of the manufacturing method of the touch panel according to some embodiments of the present invention.

3A is a cross-sectional view showing a first substrate and a second substrate in one step of a method of manufacturing a touch panel according to some embodiments of the present invention.

3B is a diagram showing the manufacture of a touch panel according to some embodiments of the present creation. A top view of the first substrate and the second substrate in one step of the method.

Figure 4 is a different form of the alignment mark of this creation.

Fig. 5 is a top view of the first substrate of the present embodiment.

Figures 6A-6C are different embodiments of the present creation.

Fig. 7A is a top view of the first substrate of another embodiment of the present creation.

Fig. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7B-7B' of Fig. 7A.

The touch panel of the present invention and its manufacturing method will be described in detail below. It will be appreciated that the following description provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing the present invention. The specific components and arrangements described below are only for the sake of simplicity and clarity. Of course, these are by way of example only and not by the definition of the present invention. Moreover, repeated numbers or labels may be used in different embodiments. These repetitions are merely for the purpose of simplicity and clarity of the present invention and are not intended to be any limitation of the various embodiments and/or structures discussed. Furthermore, when a first material layer is on or above a second material layer, the first material layer is in direct contact with the second material layer. Alternatively, it is also possible to have one or more layers of other materials interposed, in which case there may be no direct contact between the first layer of material and the second layer of material.

In the present embodiment, the alignment mark is disposed in the visible area, so that the first substrate and the second substrate can be aligned by simultaneously observing the alignment mark of the first substrate and the rotation angle of the second substrate by a single observation element. . This can greatly improve the accuracy of substrate alignment.

First, see Figure 1A-1B, where Figure 1A shows the A cross-sectional view of the touch panel of some embodiments is shown, and FIG. 1B is a top view of the touch panel according to some embodiments of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1A-1B, the touch panel 100 of the present invention includes a first substrate 102, a second substrate 104 disposed on the first substrate 102, and an adhesive layer 132 disposed on the first substrate 102 and the second substrate. Between the substrates 104. The first substrate 102 has a first section 116A and a second section 116B disposed around the first section 116A. There is at least one pair of bit marks 108 in this first interval 116A. A shielding layer 112 is disposed on a side of the second substrate 104 relative to the first substrate 102 to define a visible area and a non-visible area of the touch panel 100 , and the non-visible area corresponds to the second interval 116B of the first substrate 102 . The visible area corresponds to the first section 116A of the first substrate 102.

Compared with the shielding layer of the conventional first substrate corresponding to the shielding layer of the second substrate, the alignment mark 108 of the present invention is disposed in an area that does not correspond to the shielding layer 112 (ie, the first interval 116A), and As will be seen later, compared with the conventional touch panel, the touch panel of the present invention can greatly reduce the alignment error. For example, in some embodiments, the alignment error of the present creation can be 0.1 mm or less, for example, 0.05 mm. the following.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a top view of the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 in one step of the manufacturing method of the touch panel 100 according to some embodiments of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, a first substrate 102 and a second substrate 104 are first provided. In one embodiment, the first substrate 102 is an inductive substrate and the second substrate 104 is a cover. The first substrate 102 can be a transparent substrate, and the first portion 116A of the first substrate 102 is provided with an alignment mark 108, and the second substrate 104 can be a transparent substrate, and a shielding layer 112 is disposed around the surface thereof, and The shielding layer 112 has at least one first side and a second side to form at least one corner 114.

In detail, the area of the first substrate 102 is smaller than that of the second substrate 104, that is, after the subsequent alignment or after bonding, the second substrate 104 can completely cover the first substrate 102. In addition, when the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 are aligned, the portion of the first substrate 102 corresponding to the shielding layer 112 of the second substrate 104 is a second interval 116B, and does not correspond to the shielding layer 112. The portion is a first interval 116A, and the second interval 116B is disposed around the first interval 116A. As shown in FIG. 2, the boundary between the first interval 116A and the second interval 116B is indicated by a broken line. The alignment mark 108 is provided in the first section 116A.

In some embodiments, the length 108L of the alignment mark 108 can be about 0.03 mm to 0.5 mm, for example, about 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm, and the width 108W can be about 0.02 mm to 0.1 mm, for example, about 0.03 mm to 0.06 mm. . If the length 108L of the alignment mark 108 is too long, for example, longer than 0.5 mm, the area of the touch panel 100 is excessively occupied, so that the actual touchable area is reduced. However, if the length 108L of the alignment mark 108 is too short, for example, shorter than 0.03 mm, the observation elements are difficult to align and the alignment accuracy is lowered. In addition, if the width 108W of the alignment mark 108 is too wide, for example, wider than 0.1 mm, the area of the touch panel 100 is excessively occupied, so that the actual touchable area is reduced. However, if the width 108W of the alignment mark 108 is too small, for example, less than 0.02 mm, the observation elements are difficult to align and the alignment accuracy is lowered.

The materials of the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 may each be independently selected from the group consisting of glass, ceramic, plastic, sapphire, polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or a combination thereof. The material of the shielding layer 112 may be black photoresist, black printing ink, black resin or any other suitable shading material and color.

In addition, for the purpose of clearly describing the creation, the other on the first substrate 102 The components (eg, subsequent sensing electrodes, insulating layers) are not depicted in Figures 1-4. Other components on the first substrate 102 and alignment marks 108 will be described in detail later and in FIGS. 5-6B.

Next, see Figures 3A-3B. 3A is a cross-sectional view showing the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 in one step of the manufacturing method of the touch panel 100 according to some embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. 3B shows some according to the present creation. The manufacturing method of the touch panel 100 according to the embodiment is a top view of the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 in a step after alignment. As shown in FIGS. 3A-3B, the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 are disposed opposite to each other such that the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 are separated by a distance D3. In an embodiment, the distance D3 is from about 1 mm to 5 mm, such as from about 2 mm to 3 mm.

It should be noted that if the distance D3 is too large, for example, greater than 5 mm, the distance D3 between the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 is too large, and the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 are subsequently moved closer to each other and attached. The displacement distance is too large, resulting in reduced accuracy.

Next, the alignment mark 108 of the first substrate 102 and the corner 114 of the second substrate 104 are simultaneously observed by a single observation element 118 to align the first substrate 102 with the second substrate 104. In detail, the present invention designs the alignment mark 108 in the first section 116A of the first substrate 102, that is, in the visible area of the touch panel 100, so that the first substrate 102 can be simultaneously observed with only one observation element 118. The alignment mark 108 and the corner 114 of the second substrate 104 are instead observed by the conventional method with the two observation elements respectively observing the alignment mark 108 of the first substrate 102 and the corner 114 of the second substrate 104 or an observation unit. Two observations were performed again.

In contrast, in the present case, the alignment mark 108 of the first substrate 102 and the corner 114 of the second substrate 104 are simultaneously observed by a single observation element 118 to align the first substrate 102 with the second substrate 104, thereby reducing the number of times. The opportunity to create a misalignment can improve the accuracy of the alignment. In addition, in the present case, the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 are first moved to a very close distance (for example, about 1 mm to 5 mm) before being aligned, so that the error in moving the bonding when the two substrates are further reduced can be further reduced. In some embodiments, the error of the inventive bonded substrate may be 0.1 mm or less, for example, 0.05 mm or less.

In some embodiments, the viewing element 118 described above can include a charge-coupled device (CCD) and can be aligned by focusing on the edge or center of the alignment mark 108.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 3B, it should be noted that in FIG. 3B, since the first substrate 102 and its alignment mark 108 are disposed under the second substrate 104, they are indicated by broken lines. Moreover, in some embodiments, the alignment mark 108 of the first substrate 102 does not overlap the corner 114 of the shielding layer 112 of the second substrate 104.

In detail, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3B, the alignment point of the alignment mark 108 may be disposed at any predetermined position adjacent to the corner 114. For example, in some embodiments, a square region 120 is formed based on the corners 114 and the two sides joined to the corners 114, and the alignment mark 108 is disposed at any predetermined position in the square region 120.

In some embodiments, the shielding layer 112 includes a first side S1 and a second side S2 adjacent to the alignment mark 108, wherein the first side S1 and the second side S2 are located on different sides, and the first The side S1 and the second side S2 form a corner perpendicular to each other. The shortest distance from the center line of the alignment mark 108 to the first side S1 is A distance D1, the shortest distance from the center line of the alignment mark 108 to the second side S2 is the second distance D2, and the distance difference between the first distance D1 and the second distance D2 is about 0 mm to 0.5 mm, for example, about 0.1 mm. To 0.4mm. In one embodiment, if the alignment mark 108 is at the center of the square region 120, the distance difference between the first distance D1 and the second distance D2 is 0 mm.

In other words, in some embodiments, the square length 120 of the square region 120 is about 2 mm to 5 mm, for example, about 3 mm to 4 mm. The distances D1 and D2 of the alignment mark 108 to the two sides connected to the corner 114 may each independently be about 0.1 mm to 4.9 mm, for example, about 1 mm to 4 mm, or about 2 mm to 3 mm. And the distance difference between the distances D1 and D2 may be about 0 mm to 0.5 mm, for example, about 0.1 mm to 0.4 mm.

It should be noted that the alignment of the above-mentioned alignment mark 108 can be set at different positions according to the design of each product, as long as it can be observed and aligned by the observation component 118. Therefore, the scope of this creation is not limited to the embodiment of Figure 3B.

Next, see Figure 1A-1B. As shown in FIG. 1A-1B, after the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 are aligned, the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 are bonded together, and the touch panel 100 is completed.

Next, referring to FIG. 4, which is a schematic diagram of different alignment marks of another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, the alignment marks 108A, 108B, 108C, and 108D may be circular, square, rectangular, or circular. Shape or any other suitable shape.

Referring to Fig. 5-6A, Fig. 5 is a top view of the first substrate 102 of the present embodiment, and Fig. 6A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6A-6A' of Fig. 5. The first substrate 102 includes a sensing layer 122 disposed thereon. In an embodiment The sensing layer 122 is disposed on the first interval 116A, and the second interval 116B surrounds the sensing layer 122. The sensing layer 122 includes a plurality of first axial sensing electrodes 122A arranged along the first axis X1 and a plurality of second axial sensing electrodes 122B arranged along the second axis X2. The plurality of first axial sensing electrodes The 122A and the plurality of second axial sensing electrodes 122B are electrically insulated from each other, and the first axial direction X1 is perpendicular to the second axial direction X2.

The sensing layer 122 further includes a plurality of connecting lines 124 connecting adjacent first axial sensing electrodes 122A, and each of the second axial sensing electrodes 122B is disposed on both sides of the connecting line 124. The first substrate 102 further includes a bridging structure 126 disposed on the sensing layer 122. The bridging structure 126 electrically connects the adjacent two second inductive electrodes 122B (eg, 122B1 and 122B2) in the second axial direction X2.

The sensing layer 122 further includes a plurality of dummy electrodes 128 disposed in a region other than the first axial sensing electrodes 122A and the plurality of second axial sensing electrodes 122B in the first interval. As shown in FIG. 5, in some embodiments, the alignment mark 108 is disposed on the first substrate 102 in a region corresponding to the dummy electrode 128, and may be disposed on the dummy electrode 128 or may be disposed on the dummy electrode. The region of the electrode 128 is not connected to the dummy electrode 128. In addition, the dummy electrode 128 is not electrically connected to the first axial sensing electrode 122A and the second axial sensing electrode 122B.

The material of the first axial sensing electrode 122A, the second axial sensing electrode 122B, the connecting line 124, the bridging structure 126 and the dummy electrode 128 may be a transparent conductive material, such as indium tin oxide (ITO) tin oxide (TO). ), indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), indium tin zinc oxide (ITZO), antimony tin oxide (ATO), antimony zinc oxide (AZO), combinations thereof, or other Suitable for transparent conductive materials. The first axial sensing electrode 122A, the second axial sensing electrode 122B, the connecting line 124, the bridge structure 126 and the dummy electrode 128 can be formed by a deposition process and a process such as lithography and etching. The deposition process can be sputtering, electroplating, resistance heating evaporation, electron beam evaporation, or any other suitable deposition method. This etching process includes dry etching, wet etching, or a combination thereof. In other embodiments, the bridge structure 126 can comprise a metallic material.

Figure 6A is a cross-sectional view of the first substrate 102 of another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6A, the alignment mark 108 is a consistent hole in the dummy electrode 128 that completely penetrates the dummy electrode 128.

In detail, in an embodiment, a transparent conductive material layer may be blanket deposited on the first substrate 102, and then the transparent conductive material layer is separately patterned by a lithography and etching process to form a first axial direction. The sensing electrode 122A, the second axial sensing electrode 122B, the connecting line 124, and the dummy electrode 128 having a through hole as the alignment mark 108.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6B , the first substrate 102 further includes an insulating layer 130 disposed on the sensing layer 122 , and the insulating layer 130 includes an insulating portion 130A disposed between the sensing layer 122 and the bridge structure 126 . And an alignment mark 108 disposed on the dummy electrode 128 of the sensing layer 122. In other words, in this embodiment, the alignment mark 108 is a tangible pattern made of an insulating material.

In detail, the material of the insulating layer 130 (that is, the insulating portion 130A and the material provided on the sensing layer 122) may include Polyimide, Polypropylene, Acrylic, and Cerium Oxide ( Silicon Dioxide, SiO2), Silicon Nitride (Si3N4), Aluminium Oxide (Al2O3) or Hexamethyl Diazoxide (Hexamethyldisilazane, HMDS), or a combination of the foregoing, or any other suitable insulating material.

In addition, in an embodiment, an insulating material layer may be blanket deposited on the first substrate 102, and then the dielectric material layer is separately patterned by a lithography and etching process to form the insulating portion 130A and the alignment mark. 108 (ie, insulating layer 130). Therefore, in this embodiment, the height of the insulating portion 130A is the same as the height of the alignment mark 108.

In another embodiment, please refer to FIG. 6C. The alignment mark in this embodiment is an insulating block 130B in the region of the dummy electrode 128. Specifically, a uniform hole is disposed in the dummy electrode 128, and one is disposed. The insulating block 130B is embedded in the through hole, wherein the insulating block is not connected to the dummy electrode.

It should be noted that although in some embodiments, the alignment mark 108 is a transparent material formed structure, the alignment mark 108 can still observe the element 118 as being observed by light of a particular wavelength. It should be noted that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

7A-7B are cross-sectional views of a first substrate 102 of another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7A is a top view of the first substrate 102 of another embodiment of the present creation. Fig. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7B-7B' of Fig. 7A. The structure of this embodiment is substantially the same as that of the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6A, except that the alignment mark 108 of the present embodiment is the hollow mesh structure 134 in the dummy electrode 128. The portion of the mesh may be the same transparent conductive material as the sensing layer 122.

In detail, in an embodiment, the alignment mark 108 may be the same insulating material as the insulating portion 130A, and may be in the same process as the insulating portion 130A. Formed in the middle. However, in other embodiments, the alignment mark 108 may be the same transparent conductive material as the sensing layer 122 and may be formed in the same process as the sensing layer 122. Those of ordinary skill in the art will also appreciate that the alignment mark 108 can also be the same conductive material or metallic material as the bridge structure 126 and can be formed in the same process as the bridge structure 126.

In summary, the structure designing the alignment mark 108 is located in the first section 116A of the first substrate 102, that is, in the visible area of the touch panel 100, so that the alignment mark of the first substrate can be simultaneously observed by a single observation component. And the corner of the second substrate to align the first substrate and the second substrate, so that the chance of the alignment error is reduced once, so the accuracy of the alignment can be improved. In addition, in this case, the first substrate and the second substrate are first moved to a very close distance (for example, about 1 mm to 5 mm), and then the alignment is aligned, unlike the conventional method, after the first alignment, the two are far apart. Since the substrate is moved and attached, the present embodiment can reduce the error when moving and bonding the two substrates. In some embodiments, the error of the inventive bonded substrate may be 0.1 mm or less, for example, 0.05 mm or less.

It should be noted that the component sizes, component parameters, and component shapes described above are not limitations of this creation. Those of ordinary skill in the art can adjust these settings according to different needs. In addition, the touch panel of the present invention and the method of manufacturing the same are not limited to the state illustrated in FIGS. 1-7B. This creation may include only any one or more of the features of any one or a plurality of embodiments of Figures 1-7B. In other words, not all of the illustrated features must be implemented simultaneously in the touch panel of the present invention and its method of manufacture.

100‧‧‧ touch panel

102‧‧‧First substrate

104‧‧‧second substrate

108‧‧‧ alignment mark

108L‧‧‧ length

108W‧‧‧Width

112‧‧‧Shielding layer

114‧‧‧ corner

116A‧‧‧First interval

116B‧‧‧Second interval

Claims (8)

A touch panel includes: a first substrate having a first interval and a second interval disposed around the first interval, wherein the first interval has at least one pair of bit marks; and a second substrate, The second substrate includes a shielding layer disposed on the second substrate, and the shielding layer is disposed corresponding to the second interval of the first substrate. The shielding layer includes a first side adjacent to the alignment mark and a second side, wherein the first side and the second side form a corner. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein a shortest distance from a center line of the alignment mark to the first side is a first distance, and an edge of the alignment mark to the second side The shortest distance is a second distance, and the distance difference between the first distance and the second distance is 0 mm to 0.5 mm. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the first substrate is a sensing substrate, the second substrate is a cover, and the first substrate further comprises: a sensing layer disposed on the first On the substrate, the sensing layer includes: a plurality of first axial sensing electrodes; a plurality of second axial sensing electrodes, wherein the plurality of first axial sensing electrodes and the plurality of second axial sensing electrodes are mutually Electrically insulated, and the first axial direction is perpendicular to the second axial direction; and a dummy electrode disposed in the first interval, the plurality of first axial sensing electrodes and the plurality of second axial sensing electrodes An outer region, wherein the alignment mark is disposed in a region of the first substrate corresponding to the dummy electrode. The touch panel of claim 3, wherein the first substrate further comprises: a bridge structure disposed on the sensing layer, the bridge structure electrically connecting the adjacent two in the second axial direction The second axial sensing electrode; and an insulating layer disposed on the sensing layer, wherein the insulating layer comprises: an insulating portion disposed between the sensing layer and the bridge structure; and the alignment mark is disposed on the The dummy layer of the sensing layer is on the electrode. The touch panel of claim 3, wherein the alignment mark is a tangible pattern made of an insulating material. The touch panel of claim 3, wherein the alignment mark is a hollow mesh structure of the dummy electrodes. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the alignment mark has a length of 0.03 mm to 0.5 mm and a width of 0.02 mm to 0.1 mm. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the pair of pixels is marked as a cross, a circle, a square or a rectangle.