Substrate with conductive layers, substrate with touch-panel transparent electrodes, and method for fabricating same

• US 10,353,497 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2016
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kaneka Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kaneka Corporation
• Inventors: Fujimoto, Takahisa, Tamai, Hitoshi, Yamamoto, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Xiaoliang
• Application Number:
  US15/551,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20180032167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,244 Days
• Field of Search: 174255, 174256, 428214, 428216, 428336, 359265, 359267, 359360, 359883, 257 43, 257 79, 257762
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/04 comprising metal as the main or only constituent of a layer, which is next to another layer of the same or of a different material next to a bituminous or tarry layer B32B11/08; next to a water-setting substance layer B32B13/06; next to a glass layer B32B17/061; next to a cellulosic plastic layer B32B23/042
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/20 comprising aluminium or copper B32B15/016 and B32B15/017 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/202 Conductive
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/412 Transparent
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2309/105 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2457/208 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 13/0036 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 5/14 comprising conductive layers or films on insulating-supports

Abstract

The present invention provides a substrate with conductive layers, capable of improving both glare preventing properties and etching characteristics; a method for fabricating the same; and a substrate with touch-panel transparent electrodes. A substrate with conductive layers has, on at least one side of a transparent film substrate, a thin film underlayer, a metal oxide layer, and a first metal layer formed in this order. The thin film underlayer comprises nickel and copper or nickel oxide and copper oxide, the metal oxide layer comprises nickel oxide and copper oxide, and the first metal layer comprises of at least one of gold, silver, and copper. The substrate preferably satisfies the following relational expressions: [1] the thickness of the thin film underlayer is 20 nm or less; [2] the thickness of the metal oxide layer is 80 nm or less; and [3] the thickness of the thin film underlayer is equal to or less than the thickness of the metal oxide layer.

Claims

1. A substrate with conductive layers, comprising, on at least one surface of a transparent film substrate, a thin film underlayer, a metal oxide layer, and a first metal layer formed in this order, wherein

the thin film underlayer contains nickel and copper or oxides thereof as a main component, the metal oxide layer contains oxides of nickel and copper as a main component, and the first metal layer contains at least one of gold, silver, and copper as a main component, and wherein

the substrate satisfies the following relational expressions (1) to (3):

(1) the thin film underlayer has a thickness of 20 nm or less,

(2) the metal oxide layer has a thickness of 80 nm or less, and

(3) a thickness of the thin film underlayer≤

a thickness of the metal oxide layer.

2. The substrate with conductive layers according to claim 1, which satisfies the following relational expression (4):

(4) a ratio of O/(Ni+Cu) at a position of ½

of a thickness of the thin film underlayer≤

a ratio of O/(Ni+Cu) at a position of ½

of a thickness of the metal oxide layer.

3. The substrate with conductive layers according to claim 1, wherein a second metal layer containing any one of gold, silver, and copper as a main component is further laminated on the first metal layer.

4. The substrate with conductive layers according to claim 1, which satisfies the following relational expression (5):

(5) a ratio of O/(Ni+Cu) at a position of ¼

of a thickness from a surface of the metal oxide layer<

a ratio of O/(Ni+Cu) at a position of 9/10 of a thickness from a surface of the metal oxide layer.

5. The substrate with conductive layers according to claim 1, which satisfies the following relational expression (6):

(6) a ratio of O/(Ni+Cu) at a position of 9/10 of a thickness from an interface between the thin film underlayer and the metal oxide layer<

a ratio of O/(Ni+Cu) at a position of 9/10 of a thickness from a surface of the metal oxide layer.

6. The substrate with conductive layers according to claim 3, wherein the first metal layer has a thickness of 10 nm or more and 500 nm or less and the second metal layer has a thickness of 100 nm or more and 10 μ

m or less, and wherein

the total of the thickness of the thin film underlayer, the thickness of the metal oxide layer, the thickness of the first metal layer, and the thickness of the second metal layer is 10 μ

m or less.