Transparent conductive coating for capacitive touch panel or the like

• US 10,082,920 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2017
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Guardian Glass LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Guardian Glass LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Den Boer, Willem, Weng, Jian-gang
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H
• Application Number:
  US15/409,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20170139507A1
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3618 Coatings of type glass/inorganic compound/other inorganic layers, at least one layer being metallic
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3626 one layer at least containing a nitride, oxynitride, boronitride or carbonitride
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3642 the multilayer coating containing a metal layer
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3644 the metal being silver
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3655 the multilayer coating containing at least one conducting layer
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3657 the multilayer coating having optical properties
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3671 specially adapted for use as electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/211 SnO2
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/212 TiO2
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/216 ZnO
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/256 Ag
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/281 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/154 by sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/34 Sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/115 Multilayers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes

Abstract

This invention relates to a transparent conductive coating that is substantially transparent to visible light and is designed to have a visible reflectance which more closely matches that the visible reflectance of the underlying substrate. In certain example embodiments, the transparent conductive multilayer coating includes a silver layer(s) and may be used as an electrode(s) in a capacitive touch panel so as to provide for an electrode(s) transparent to visible light but without much visibility due to the substantial matching visible reflection design.

Claims

1. A capacitive touch panel, comprising:

a multi-layer transparent conductive coating supported by a substrate,

wherein the multi-layer transparent conductive coating comprises at least one conductive layer comprising silver located between at least a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer,

wherein the multi-layer transparent conductive coating, comprising at least the conductive layer comprising silver located between at least the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer, is patterned into a plurality of electrodes and/or conductive traces for the touch panel;

a processor configured to measure capacitance in detecting touch position regarding the touch panel; and

wherein there is no more than a 2.0 difference at 600 nm between (a) a glass side visible reflectance percentage of the multi-layer transparent conductive coating on the substrate in at least some areas where the coating is present, and (b) a visible reflectance percentage of the substrate in at least some areas where the multi-layer transparent conductive coating is not present.

2. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a glass substrate.

3. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein there is no more than a 1.5 difference at 600 nm between (a) a glass side visible reflectance percentage of the multi-layer transparent conductive coating on the substrate in at least some areas where the coating is present, and (b) a visible reflectance percentage of the substrate in at least some areas where the multi-layer transparent conductive coating is not present.

4. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein there is no more than a 1.0 difference at 600 nm between (a) a glass side visible reflectance percentage of the multi-layer transparent conductive coating on the substrate in at least some areas where the coating is present, and (b) a visible reflectance percentage of the substrate in at least some areas where the multi-layer transparent conductive coating is not present.

5. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein the first dielectric layer comprises titanium oxide.

6. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein the second dielectric layer comprises tin oxide.

7. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein the multi-layer transparent conductive coating comprises, moving away from the substrate:

a dielectric layer comprising titanium oxide;

another dielectric layer comprising zinc oxide;

the conductive layer comprising silver directly contacting the dielectric layer comprising zinc oxide;

a contact layer over and contacting the conductive layer comprising silver;

another dielectric layer comprising titanium oxide;

another dielectric layer comprising tin oxide; and

another dielectric layer comprising silicon nitride.

8. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein the multi-layer transparent conductive coating has a sheet resistance of less than or equal to about 15 ohms/square.

9. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein the multi-layer transparent conductive coating has a sheet resistance of less than or equal to about 10 ohms/square.

10. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein the multi-layer transparent conductive coating has a sheet resistance of less than or equal to about 5 ohms/square.