TWM528471U - Touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

A touch panel includes a cover plate, a shielding film, a sensing electrode layer and a wiring layer. The cover plate has an inner surface. The shielding film is coated on the inner surface and defines a view area and an opaque area. The shielding film includes at least on coating layer. The sensing electrode layer is at least partially disposed on the view area of the inner surface. The wiring layer is disposed on the opaque area and electrically connected to the sensing electrode layer. The shielding film is located between the cover plate and the wiring layer.

Description

Touch panel

The present invention relates to a touch panel, and in particular to a touch panel and a method of fabricating the same.

With the development of touch technology, more and more electronic products, such as smart phones or tablets, use touch panels, so that users can directly play the commands by touching the patterns displayed on the screen. .

In the touch panel, a transparent sensing electrode is disposed on the cover to sense a user's touch position. In order to transmit the touch signal obtained by the transparent sensing electrode to the processing circuit, the transparent sensing electrode surrounds a plurality of wires, and the wires are electrically connected to the transparent sensing electrode and the processing circuit to transmit the touch signal to the processing circuit. Generally, these wires are metal wires and are not light transmissive. Therefore, in order to prevent the user from seeing the wires, a shielding layer (also called Black Mask; BM) is disposed between the wires and the cover to shield the wires.

In the current manner of making the shielding layer, most of the ink is printed or applied to the surrounding area of the cover by ink printing, and the wire is placed on the ink. However, ink printing has caused a number of disadvantages. For example, in the current printing technology, the thickness of the printed ink is at least Above 8 microns, such a thickness tends to cause the transparent sensing electrode to climb at the shadowing layer to cause breakage. In addition, in the process of forming a transparent sensing electrode, the required vacuum and high temperature environment are liable to cause deflation of the ink, and the released substance adheres to the surface of the transparent sensing electrode, thereby affecting the performance of the transparent sensing electrode. In addition, in the yellow light process, the ink is easily peeled off, so it is impossible to pass the chemical resistance test of the yellow light process. Furthermore, the surface roughness of the printed ink is high, and the shape is unevenly undulated, so that it is difficult to accurately form the transparent sensing electrode and the wire at a desired position. Further, since the ink has fluidity, when printed on the curved cover, it is easy to cause appearance defects such as color abnormality or light leakage due to uneven printing.

The technical solution disclosed in the present invention adopts a masking film different from ink in the touch panel, which can overcome many disadvantages brought by ink printing.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a touch panel includes a protective cover, a shielding film, a sensing electrode layer, and a wiring layer. The protective cover has an inner surface. The masking film is plated on the inner surface and defines a visible area and a non-visible area. The masking film comprises at least one coating layer. The sensing electrode layer is at least partially disposed on the visible area of the inner surface. The wiring layer is disposed in the non-visible area and electrically connected to the sensing electrode layer, and the shielding film is located between the protective cover and the wiring layer.

In the above embodiment, the masking film is formed by physical vapor deposition instead of ink printing or coating. Can effectively overcome the many shortcomings brought by the ink.

The above description is only for explaining the problems to be solved by the present invention, the technical means for solving the problems, the effects thereof, and the like, and the specific details of the present invention will be described in detail in the following embodiments and related drawings.

100‧‧‧ protective cover

110‧‧‧ inner surface

111‧‧‧Invisible area

112‧‧‧visible area

120‧‧‧ outer surface

200, 200a, 200b‧‧‧ masking film

210‧‧‧ coating layer

220‧‧‧chemical resistant layer

300‧‧‧Induction electrode layer

400‧‧‧Line layer

500‧‧‧Protective film

600‧‧‧Anti-reflective multilayer film

610, 620‧‧‧index matching layer

The above and other objects, features, advantages and embodiments of the present invention can be more clearly understood. The description of the drawings is as follows: FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a schematic structural view of a touch panel according to another embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a schematic structural view of a touch panel according to another embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 4 is a view showing another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic structural view of a touch panel according to another embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 6 is a schematic structural view of a touch panel according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The plural embodiments of the present invention are disclosed in the following drawings, and for the sake of clarity, a number of practical details will be described in the following description. Of course It should be understood by those skilled in the art that, in the present invention, the details of the practice are not essential, and therefore are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, some of the conventional structures and elements are shown in the drawings in a simplified schematic manner in order to simplify the drawings. In addition, the dimensions of the various elements in the drawings are not shown in actual scale for the convenience of the reader.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , the touch panel includes a protective cover 100 , a shielding film 200 , a sensing electrode layer 300 , and a wiring layer 400 . The protective cover 100 has an inner surface 110 and an outer surface 120. The outer surface 120 can be a touch operation surface of the user. In some embodiments, a functional layer such as anti-stain, anti-fingerprint, anti-scratch or anti-glare may be disposed on the outer surface 120. The inner surface 110 is opposite the outer surface 120. In other words, the inner surface 110 and the outer surface 120 are respectively located on opposite sides of the protective cover 100. In some embodiments, the outer surface 120 and the inner surface 110 may be chemically or physically strengthened surfaces to enhance the protective effect on the shielding film 200, the sensing electrode layer 300 and the wiring layer 400 under the protective cover 100. In some embodiments, the protective cover 100 is a transparent cover for the user to view the display of the touch panel. For example, the material of the protective cover 100 may be a light-transmitting material such as glass, sapphire or polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The masking film 200 is disposed on a peripheral area of the inner surface 110 and defines a non-visible area 111 and a visible area 112 of the touch panel, the peripheral area is a non-visible area 111, and the non-visible area 111 surrounds the visible area 112. Further, the masking film 200 is an annular film, and the area where it is located is the non-visible area 111. Induction The pole layer 300 is at least partially disposed within the viewing zone 112. Further, the sensing electrode layer 300 is disposed in the visible region 112 and partially extends to the non-visible region 111. The wiring layer 400 is disposed on the invisible area 111 of the inner surface 110 and electrically connected to the sensing electrode layer 300. Specifically, the wires in the wiring layer 400 are opaque (such as metal wires such as copper wires or silver wires), and the shielding film 200 is located between the wiring layer 400 and the inner surface 110 of the protective cover 100. In order to shield the wiring layer 400, the opaque wires in the wiring layer 400 are not seen by the user. The edge portion of the sensing electrode layer 300 is tied to the masking film 200 to electrically connect the wiring layer 400, and the other portions of the sensing electrode layer 300 are tied to the visible region 112 of the inner surface 110. Since the wiring layer 400 is electrically connected to the sensing electrode layer 300, the touch signal sensed by the sensing electrode layer 300 can be transmitted to an external processing circuit (not shown). Specifically, the sensing electrode layer 300 may include a plurality of transparent conductive patterns therein, and the material thereof may be Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) or Indium Zinc Oxide (IZO), but the present invention does not Limited. The transparent conductive pattern in the sensing electrode layer 300 is electrically connected to the wires in the wiring layer 400, and the wires in the wiring layer 400 are electrically connected to the external processing circuit. In this way, when the transparent conductive pattern in the sensing electrode layer 300 senses the touch signal, the touch signal can be transmitted to the external processing circuit through the wire in the wiring layer 400 to obtain the touch position.

In this embodiment, the masking film 200 includes at least one plating layer 210, which is an opaque layer. Taking a coating layer as an example, the coating layer 210 is plated on the inner surface 110 by physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) and defines a non-visible area 111 and a visible area 112. The material of the coating layer 210 is in the range of 300 to 2000 nm of light. Within the circumference, the light absorption coefficient is between 1.5 and 20 to provide a light-shielding effect, preventing the user from seeing the wiring layer 400. For example, the material of the coating layer 210 may be titanium oxynitride (TiSiON), bismuth (Si), titanium (Ti), aluminum (Al), zinc (Zn), tin (Sn), chromium (Cr), bismuth. (Rh), silver (Ag), bismuth (Bi), or a combination thereof, but the present invention is not limited to the above materials, and other light absorption coefficients are in the range of 300 to 2000 nm of light. The material between 1.5 and 20, or other suitable material, may also be used as the material of the coating layer 210. By selecting materials within the above parameters, the masking properties of the coating layer 210 can be made better than prior art printing inks.

In some embodiments, the method of manufacturing the touch panel shown in FIG. 1 includes the following steps. First, a protective cover 100 is provided. Next, the masking film 200 may be plated on the inner surface 110 of the protective cover 100 by physical vapor deposition to define the non-visible area 111 and the visible area 112. For example, the opaque material may be deposited on the inner surface 110 by evaporation or sputtering to form the opaque coating layer 210 as the masking film 200. Next, a sensing electrode layer 300 can be formed on the visible region 112 of the inner surface 110. For example, a transparent conductive material may be deposited on the visible region 112 of the inner surface 110 and the partial masking film 200, and then the deposited transparent conductive material is patterned to form the sensing electrode layer 300 having a transparent conductive pattern. . Finally, a wiring layer 400 electrically connected to the sensing electrode layer 300 may be formed on one side of the shielding film 200 away from the inner surface 110. For example, a plurality of metal wires may be disposed on a side of the shielding film 200 away from the inner surface to form the wiring layer 400 and connect the metal wires to the transparent conductive pattern of the sensing electrode layer 300.

An exemplary vapor deposition process for forming the plating layer 210 is as follows. In the evaporation process, the opaque material can be used as the vapor-deposited material, and the opaque material is heated, and the saturated vapor pressure of the opaque material at a high temperature (close to its melting point) is utilized. Depositing the opaque material on the inner surface 110 forms a non-visible area 111 to form an opaque coating layer 210. An exemplary sputtering process used to form the coating layer 210 is as follows. In the sputtering process, the opaque material can be used as a sputtered material, and the opaque material is bombarded with ions generated by the plasma, so that the plasma is impervious in the gas phase. The particles of the optical material (eg, atoms), and then the plasma having the opaque material particles are transferred to the inner surface 110 to form the non-visible region 111, such that the opaque material is adsorbed on the non-visible region 111 of the inner surface 110. The particles are formed to form an opaque coating layer 210.

Since the physical vapor deposition method allows the opaque material to be deposited on the inner surface 110 at an atomic or ion scale, the thickness of the plating layer 210 can be greatly reduced (for example, a coating layer 210 having a thickness of 100 nm can be deposited). Therefore, the climbing of the sensing electrode layer 300 from the visible region 112 to the non-visible region is slowed compared to the thickness of the printing ink, so that the portion of the sensing electrode layer 300 on the coating layer 210 and the portion located on the visible region 112 can be prevented. The connection of the sensing electrode layer 300 is broken. In addition, since the opaque material is deposited on the inner surface 110 on an atomic or ion scale, the surface of the deposited coating layer 210 is relatively flat and rough compared to ink printing. In addition, the plating layer 210 plated by physical vapor deposition is less likely to fall off and has lower fluidity than ink printing. In addition, titanium oxynitride (TiSiON), bismuth (Si), titanium (Ti), aluminum (Al), zinc (Zn), tin (Sn), Materials such as chromium (Cr), rhodium (Rh), silver (Ag), and bismuth (Bi) are inorganic materials. Compared with organic inks, these materials are less prone to release gases under high temperature and vacuum conditions. In some embodiments, the coating layer 210 using the above materials can avoid the release of substances in a high temperature and vacuum environment and affect the performance of the sensing electrode layer 300. Therefore, the coating layer 210 deposited by physical vapor deposition can overcome many of the disadvantages caused by ink printing.

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural view of a touch panel according to another embodiment of the present invention. The main difference between the present embodiment and the foregoing embodiment is that, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the mask film 200a includes a plating layer 210 and a chemical resistant layer 220. The plating layer 210 and the chemical resistant layer 220 are laminated on the invisible area 111 of the inner surface 110. The material of the chemical resistant layer 220 is different from the material of the plating layer 210. Further, the chemical resistance of the chemical resistant layer 220 is higher than that of the plating layer 210. In this way, the chemical resistant layer 220 can improve the chemical resistance of the masking film 200a, so that the masking film 200a can withstand the high temperature of the yellow light process used to fabricate the sensing electrode layer 300. For example, the material of the chemical resistant layer 220 may be cerium oxide (SiO ₂ ), and the chemical resistant layer 220 is plated by physical vapor deposition. The masking film 200a can be used to withstand the high temperature of the yellow light process used to fabricate the sensing electrode layer 300. In the present embodiment, the material using the ruthenium dioxide as the chemical resistant layer 220 is merely an example. In other embodiments, the material of the chemical resistant layer 220 may be other substances having higher chemical resistance than the coating layer 210. Not limited to cerium oxide.

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural view of a touch panel according to another embodiment of the present invention. Between the present embodiment and the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 The main difference is that in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the number of the plating layer 210 and the chemical resistant layer 220 of the masking film 200b is a plurality of layers, and the plating layer 210 and the chemical resistant layer 220 are They are alternately stacked. Further, in the process of fabricating the masking film 200b, the coating layer 210 and the chemical resistant layers 220 may be alternately plated on the invisible region 111 of the inner surface 110. For example, first, a first layer of coating 210 may be plated on the invisible region 111 of the inner surface 110 by physical vapor deposition. Next, a first chemical resistant layer 220 is plated on the coating layer 210 by physical vapor deposition. Next, a second layer of the plating layer 210 is plated on the chemical resistant layer 220 by means of physical vapor deposition. Next, a second chemical resistant layer 220 is plated on the coating layer 210 by means of physical vapor deposition, and so on. In other embodiments, the plating sequence of the plating layer 210 and the chemical resistant layer 220 may be reversed. Further, a first layer of chemical resistant layer 220 may be first plated on the invisible area 111 of the inner surface 110, and a first layer of the coating layer 210 may be plated on the chemical resistant layer 220, and so on.

By the above-described alternate plating method, the mask film 200b may include the multi-layer plating layer 210 and the multi-layer chemical resistant layer 220 which are alternately laminated, so that the chemical resistance of the mask film 200b can be made better. Further, the masking film 200b formed by alternately laminating the plating layer 210 and the chemical resistant layer 220 may be used as the masking film formed by plating the multi-layer chemical resistant layer 220 after the multi-layer plating layer 210 is plated. It has better chemical resistance and chemical stability. Further, since the masking film 200b has a multilayered laminated structure, such a laminated design can also help to adjust the thickness of the masking film 200b to prevent the masking film 200b from being too thin and there is a risk of light leakage. In addition, by laminating the multi-layer coating layer 210 and The chemical resistant layer 220 can adjust the thickness of the masking film 200b, thereby facilitating the optical density (OD) value required for the masking film 200b.

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural view of a touch panel according to another embodiment of the present invention. The main difference between the present embodiment and the foregoing embodiment is that, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the touch panel may further include the protective film 500. The masking film 200 is located between the protective cover 100 and the protective film 500. As a result, the mask film 200 can be protected by the protective film 500. Further, the protective film 500 is plated on the side of the shielding film 200 away from the protective cover 100 by physical vapor deposition. In other words, the protective film 500 is plated on the surface of the masking film 200 away from the protective cover 100.

As shown in FIG. 4, since the protective film 500 is plated on the lower surface of the mask film 200, the mask film 200 and the wiring layer 400 located under the mask film 200 can be separated. Further, in some embodiments, the protective film 500 is sandwiched between the masking film 200 and the wiring layer 400. In other words, the protective film 500 is plated on the masking film 200 and contacts the wiring layer 400. The protective film 500 is insulated from the wiring layer 400 to prevent unnecessary outflow of the electrical signals of the wiring layer 400.

In some embodiments, the step of plating the protective film 500 is performed prior to forming the trace layer 400. Further, the protective film 500 may be plated on one side of the masking film 200 away from the inner surface 110 by physical vapor deposition before the wiring layer 400 is formed. After the plating of the protective film 500 is completed, the wiring layer 400 is formed on the side of the protective film 500 away from the shielding film 200. In other words, the wiring layer 400 is formed on the surface of the protective film 500 away from the mask film 200. In this way, the protective film 500 can separate the shielding film 200 With the trace layer 400.

In some embodiments, the material of the protective film 500 is an insulating material. When the masking film 200 is a plating layer 210 and the material is made of a conductive material, the protective film 500 can further serve as the insulating coating layer 210 and the wiring layer. The role of 400. For example, the material of the protective film 500 may include cerium oxide, cerium nitride (Si _x N _y ), a resin, or a combination thereof, but the present invention is not limited thereto. When the material of the protective film 500 is ceria, the protective film 500 may have good chemical resistance to facilitate the yellow light process for subsequently forming the sensing electrode layer 300.

In Fig. 4, the mask film 200a shown in Fig. 2 or the mask film 200b shown in Fig. 3 may be used instead of the mask film 200 shown in Fig. 4, in other words, the mask film 200a may be located in the protective film. Between the 500 and the protective cover 100, the masking film 200a includes a laminated coating layer 210 and a chemical resistant layer 220. Similarly, the masking film 200b may also be located between the protective film 500 and the protective cover 100, and the masking film 200b may include a multi-layer plating layer 210 and a plurality of chemical resistant layers 220 that are alternately laminated.

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural view of a touch panel according to another embodiment of the present invention. The main difference between the present embodiment and the foregoing embodiment is that, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the touch panel further includes an anti-reflection multilayer film 600. The anti-reflective multilayer film 600 is at least partially located on the invisible area 111 of the inner surface 110 and is located between the protective cover 100 and the masking film 200. Further, the anti-reflective multilayer film 600 is plated on the non-visible area 111 of the inner surface 110 by physical vapor deposition. The anti-reflective multilayer film 600 includes at least two laminated index matching layers 610 and 620. fold The refractive index matching layers 610 and 620 have different refractive indices to prevent total reflection of light. Furthermore, by the anti-reflection multilayer film 600, the color exhibited by the non-visible area 111 of the inner surface 110 can also be adjusted by optical effect simulation. In some embodiments, a portion of the anti-reflective multilayer film 600 can be located on the visible region 112 of the inner surface 110 and between the inner surface 110 and the sensing electrode layer 300 to prevent total reflection of light in the visible region 112.

In some embodiments, if the color of the masking film 200 is adjusted to be white, the anti-reflective multilayer film 600 may include a titanium layer having a thickness between 1 nm and 40 nm. Anti-reflection. For example, the index matching layer 610 can be a titanium layer and placed on one side of the protective cover 100, and the index matching layer 620 can be a non-titanium layer. In some embodiments, the anti-reflective multilayer film 600 may be formed by laminating at least two of a ceria layer, a niobium nitride (Si _x N _y ) layer, a titanium layer, and a titania layer, by separately adjusting the refractive index. The thickness of the matching layers 610, 620 optically simulates the color required for the non-visible area 111.

In some embodiments, the fabrication steps of the anti-reflective multilayer film 600 are performed prior to plating the masking film 200. Further, the anti-reflective multilayer film 600 may be plated on the invisible region 111 of the inner surface 110 by physical vapor deposition prior to plating the masking film 200. After the plating step of the anti-reflection multilayer film 600 is completed, the mask film 200 may be plated on one side of the anti-reflective multilayer film 600 away from the inner surface 110.

In Fig. 5, the mask film 200a shown in Fig. 2 or the mask film 200b shown in Fig. 3 may be used instead of the mask film 200 shown in Fig. 5. In other words, the mask film 200a may be located in the anti-reflection. Under the multilayer film 600, and covered The mask 200a includes a laminated plating layer 210 and a chemical resistant layer 220. Similarly, the masking film 200b may also be located under the anti-reflective multilayer film 600, and the masking film 200b includes a multi-layer plating layer 210 and a plurality of chemical resistant layers 220 that are alternately laminated.

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural view of a touch panel according to another embodiment of the present invention. The main difference between the embodiment and the embodiment of FIG. 5 is that in the present embodiment, the touch panel includes a protective film 500 disposed in the non-visible area 111. In another embodiment, the protection is provided. Film 500 can extend to viewing zone 112 (not shown). The masking film 200 is sandwiched between the protective film 500 and the anti-reflective multilayer film 600. Further, the anti-reflective multilayer film 600, the masking film 200 and the protective film 500 are sequentially laminated on the non-visible area 111 of the inner surface 110 of the protective cover 100. In some embodiments, the anti-reflective multilayer film 600, the masking film 200, and the protective film 500 are all plated by physical vapor deposition to reduce the total thickness of the three films, thereby reducing the trace. The distance from the layer 400 to the protective cover 100. For example, when the anti-reflective multilayer film 600, the masking film 200, and the protective film 500 are all formed by physical vapor deposition, the distance between the wiring layer 400 and the protective cover 100 may be less than 2 micrometers. The connection of the portion of the sensing electrode layer 300 on the protective film 500 to the portion of the sensing electrode layer 300 located on the visible region 112 is prevented from being broken. More specifically, the anti-reflective multilayer film 600, the masking film 200 and the protective film 500 are all plated by physical vapor deposition and laminated between the protective cover 100 and the wiring layer 400, and the physical gas is used. The total thickness of the anti-reflective multilayer film 600, the masking film 200 and the protective film 500 plated by phase deposition may be less than 2 micrometers. In addition, in the touch panel shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the distance between the wiring layer 400 and the protective cover 100 may be less than 2 Micron.

In Fig. 6, the mask film 200a shown in Fig. 2 or the mask film 200b shown in Fig. 3 may be used instead of the mask film 200 shown in Fig. 6, in other words, the mask film 200a may be located on the protective film. 500 is interposed between the anti-reflective multilayer film 600, and the masking film 200a comprises a laminated plating layer 210 and a chemical resistant layer 220. Similarly, the masking film 200b may also be located between the protective film 500 and the anti-reflective multilayer film 600, and the masking film 200b includes a multi-layer plating layer 210 and a plurality of chemical resistant layers 220 which are alternately laminated.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any one skilled in the art can make various changes and retouchings 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‧‧‧ protective cover

110‧‧‧ inner surface

111‧‧‧Invisible area

112‧‧‧visible area

120‧‧‧ outer surface

200‧‧‧ masking film

210‧‧‧ coating layer

300‧‧‧Induction electrode layer

400‧‧‧Line layer

Claims (7)

A touch panel comprising: a protective cover having an inner surface; a masking film plated on a peripheral region of the inner surface, the peripheral region being a non-visible region, the mask film comprising at least one coating layer; a sensing electrode layer is disposed at least partially on the shielding film on the inner surface; and a wiring layer disposed in the non-visible area and electrically connected to the sensing electrode layer, and the shielding film is located on the protective cover Between the wiring layers; wherein the distance from the wiring layer to the protective cover is less than 2 micrometers. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the masking film further comprises at least one chemical resistant layer, the coating layer and the chemical resistant layer being laminated on the non-visible area of the inner surface. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the masking film comprises a plurality of coating layers and a plurality of chemical resistant layers, and the coating layers are alternately laminated with the chemical resistant layers. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising a protective film disposed between the protective cover and the protective film. The touch panel of claim 4, wherein the protective film contacts the wiring layer, and the protective film is insulated from the wiring layer. The touch panel of claim 1 further comprising an anti-reflection multilayer film at least partially located on the non-visible area of the inner surface and between the protective cover and the masking film. The touch panel of claim 6, wherein the anti-reflective multilayer film comprises a titanium layer having a thickness between 1 nm and 40 nm.