Touch screen stack-ups

• US 10,521,065 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2016
• Issued: 12/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hotelling, Steven P., Land, Brian R., Hamblin, Mark Arthur, Tan, Tang Yew
• Primary Examiner(s): Marinelli, Patrick F
• Application Number:
  US15/275,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20170010750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/202 Conductive
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/412 Transparent
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2367/00 Polyesters, e.g. PET, i.e. polyethylene terephthalate
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2457/208 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/12 characterised by using adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/12 using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133302 Rigid substrates, e.g. inorganic substrates
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133308 Support structures for LCD panels, e.g. frames or bezels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133331 Cover glasses
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133345 Insulating layers G02F1/1335, G02F1/1337, G02F1/135, G02F1/136 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133528 Polarisers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/28 Adhesive materials or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04111 Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 : using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 : including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A multi-touch sensor panel is disclosed that can include a glass subassembly having a plurality of column traces of substantially transparent conductive material that can be formed on the back side, wherein the glass subassembly can also act as a cover that can be touched on the front side. Row traces of the same or different substantially transparent conductive material can then be located near the column traces, and a layer of dielectric material can be coupled between the column traces and the row traces. The row and column traces can be oriented to cross over each other at crossover locations separated by the dielectric material, and the crossover locations can form mutual capacitance sensors for detecting one or more touches on the front side of the glass subassembly.

Claims

1. A multi-touch sensor panel, comprising:

a first subassembly having a front side capable of being touched, and a back side opposite the front side;

a plurality of first traces of a first substantially transparent conductive material formed on the back side of the first subassembly;

a plurality of second traces of a second substantially transparent conductive material;

a second subassembly different from the first subassembly, the second subassembly having a front side bonded to the first subassembly and disposed between the first traces and the second traces such that the plurality of second traces are formed on a back side of the second subassembly; and

an adhesive provided to bond the first subassembly to the second subassembly; and

wherein the plurality of second and the plurality of first traces are oriented to cross over each other at crossover locations separated by the dielectric material, the crossover locations forming mutual capacitance sensors for detecting one or more touches on the front side of the first subassembly.

2. The multi-touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein the first and second substantially transparent conductive materials are the same.

3. The multi-touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein the second subassembly comprises a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) material.

4. The multi-touch sensor panel of claim 1, further comprising a passivation layer disposed over the plurality of first traces, wherein the adhesive comprises a pressure sensitive adhesive and the passivation layer prevents acid in the pressure sensitive adhesive from damaging the plurality of first traces.

5. The multi-touch sensor panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a second passivation layer disposed over at least a portion of the plurality of second traces;

a second adhesive disposed over the second passivation layer; and

a display device coupled to the second subassembly with the second adhesive.

6. The multi-touch sensor panel of claim 1, the multi-touch sensor panel incorporated into a computing system.

7. The multi-touch sensor panel of claim 6, the computing system incorporated into a mobile telephone.

8. The multi-touch sensor panel of claim 6, the computing system incorporated into a digital audio player.

9. The multi-touch sensor panel of claim 1, further comprising a liquid crystal display coupled to the second subassembly.

10. The multi-touch sensor panel of claim 9, wherein an air gap is disposed between at least a portion of the second subassembly and the LCD display.

11. A space-efficient touch sensor panel, comprising:

a cover having a front side capable of being touched, and a back side with a plurality of first traces of a first substantially transparent conductive material formed thereon; and

a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate having a top side bonded to the back side of the cover and a bottom side with a plurality of second traces of a second substantially transparent conductive material formed thereon;

wherein the plurality of first traces and the plurality of second traces are oriented to cross over each other at crossover locations separated by the PET substrate, the crossover locations forming mutual capacitance sensors for detecting one or more touches on the front side of the first subassembly.

12. The sensor panel of claim 11, further comprising a passivation layer disposed at least over the plurality of first traces on the back side of the cover.

13. The sensor panel of claim 11, further comprising a passivation layer disposed at least over the plurality of second traces on the bottom side of the PET substrate.

14. A method of forming a space-efficient touch sensor panel, comprising:

forming a plurality of first traces of a first substantially transparent conductive material on a back side of a first subassembly having a front side capable of being touched;

forming a plurality of second traces of a second substantially transpatent conductive material on a back side of a second subassembly;

bonding a front side of the second subassembly to the first subassembly such that the second subassembly is disposed between the plurality of first traces and the plurality of second traces; and

orienting the plurality of first traces and the plurality of second traces to cross over each other at crossover locations separated by the second subassembly, the crossover locations forming mutual capacitance sensors for detecting one or more touches on the front side of the first subassembly.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising using a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) material for the second subassembly.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising forming a passivation layer at least over the plurality of first traces on the back side of the first subassembly.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising forming a passivation layer at least over the plurality of second traces on the back side of the second assembly.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising bonding the front side of the second subassembly to the first subassembly using a pressure sensitive adhesive.