Touch screen panel with integral wiring traces

• US 20040160424A1
• Filed: 02/16/2004
• Published: 08/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Marble, Andrea C., Bottari, Frank J., LaCourse, Michele L.
• Application Number:
  US10/778,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20040160424A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49128 Assembling formed circuit to base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49155 Manufacturing circuit on or in base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24917 including metal layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24926 including ceramic, glass, porcelain or quartz layer

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a touch panel wherein a glass substrate is coated with a resistive layer; a pattern of conductive edge electrodes and a conductive wire trace pattern are applied to the resistive layer; the conductive edge electrodes are electrically isolated from the conductive wire traces; and a protective insulative border layer is applied over the edge electrodes and the wire traces. A touch panel which includes a glass substrate coated with a resistive layer on one surface thereof; a pattern of edge electrodes on the resistive layer; a wire trace pattern on the resistive layer; a trench in the resistive layer between the wire trace pattern and the edge electrode pattern; and a protective insulative border layer over the edge electrode pattern and the wire traces.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a touch panel, the method comprising:

coating an insulative substrate with a resistive layer;

applying a pattern of conductive edge electrodes to the resistive layer and applying a conductive wire trace pattern to the resistive layer;

electrically isolating the conductive edge electrodes from the conductive wire traces; and

applying an insulative material at least between the edge electrodes and the wire traces.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the conductive layer is a tin antimony oxide composition.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the insulative substrate is glass.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the step of applying the pattern of conductive edge electrodes and the wire trace pattern includes screen printing silver/frit paste on the resistive layer in the form of the edge electrode pattern and the wire trace pattern.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the step of electrically isolating includes using a laser beam to ablate the resistive material between the edge electrodes and the wire traces and the resistive material between the wire traces.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the step of applying an insulative material includes applying a protective insulative border layer over the edge electrodes and the wire traces by screen printing an insulative composition over the edge electrodes and the wire traces.

7. The method of claim 6 in which the insulative composition is a lead borosilicate glass composition.

8. The method of claim 1 further including the step of firing the applied edge electrodes, the wire traces, and the insulative border layer.

9. The method of claim 8 in which firing includes subjecting the panel to an elevated temperature in a first period of time to burn off any organic material and then a dwell period at the elevated temperature to cure the elect odes and wire trace materials and to fuse the insulative border layer material.

10. The method of claim 9 in which the elevated temperature is between 500°

C.-525°

C., the first time period is approximately 5 minutes, and the dwell period is approximately 2-3 minutes.

11. A touch panel comprising:

a substrate coated with a resistive layer on one surface thereof;

a pattern of edge electrodes on the resistive layer;

a wire trace pattern on the resistive layer; and

a trench in the resistive layer between the wire trace pattern and the edge electrode pattern to electrically isolate the wire trace pattern from the edge electrode pattern.

12. The touch panel of claim 11 in which the resistive layer is a tin antimony oxide composition.

13. The touch panel of claim 11 in which the substrate is a glass.

14. The touch panel of claim 11 in which the pattern of edge electrodes is made of a silver/frit paste composition.

15. The touch panel of claim 11 in which the wire trace pattern is formed from a silver/frit paste composition.

16. The touch panel of claim 11 further including a protective insulative border layer over the edge electrode pattern and the wire traces.

17. The touch panel of claim 16 in which the protective insulative border layer is formed from a lead borosilicate glass composition.

18. A method of manufacturing a touch panel, the method comprising:

coating an insulative substrate with a resistive layer;

apply a pattern of conductive edge electrodes to the resistive layer and applying a conductive wire trace pattern to the resistive layer;

removing the resistive layer at least between the wire traces and the edge electrodes to electrically isolate them from each other;

applying an insulative material over both the wire traces and the edge electrodes to protect them; and

co-firing the edge electrodes, the wire traces, and the insulative material all at the same time.