Touch panel

• US 20040165005A1
• Filed: 03/01/2004
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Masato Yoshikawa, Mitsuhiro Nishida, Yoshinori Iwabuchi, Yukihiro Kusano
• Original Assignee: Masato Yoshikawa, Mitsuhiro Nishida, Yoshinori Iwabuchi, Yukihiro Kusano
• Inventors: Kusano, Yukihiro, Yoshikawa, Masato, Nishida, Mitsuhiro, Iwabuchi, Yoshinori
• Granted Patent: US 7,056,603 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/702
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2323/00 Functional layers of liquid crystal optical display excluding electroactive liquid crystal layer characterised by chemical composition
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2323/03 Viewing layer characterised by chemical composition
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2323/033 Silicon compound, e.g. glass or organosilicon
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2323/053 Organic silicon compound, e.g. organosilicon
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/08 oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/22 the conductive material comprising metals or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/25 Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component and including a second component containing structurally defined particles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31663 As siloxane, silicone or silane
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31667 Next to addition polymer from unsaturated monomers, or aldehyde or ketone condensation product

Abstract

A touch panel includes a transparent electro-conductive film. The transparent electro-conductive film comprises a primary layer formed on a polymer film, and a transparent electro-conductive thin film or a multi-lamination film composed of at least one metal-compound layer and at least one electro-conductive-metal layer is formed on the primary layer. The primary layer is made of silicon compound. The primary layer is formed by sputtering, using a target having a density of 2.9 g/cm³ or more.

Claims

1. A touch panel comprising, a transparent electro-conductive film including a polymer film, a primary layer formed on the polymer film, and a transparent electro-conductive thin film formed on the primary layer.

2. A touch panel according to claim 1, wherein said primary layer is made of a silicon compound.

3. A touch panel according to claim 2, wherein said silicon compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of SiC_x, SiN_x, SiC_xO_y, SiC_xN_y, SiO_xN_y, and SiC_xO_yN_x.

4. A touch panel according to claim 1, wherein said primary layer has a thickness of 1 nm to 50 μ

m.

5. A touch panel according to claim 1, wherein said primary layer is formed of ultraviolet-curing resin including particles of at least one silicon compound selected form the group consisting of SiC_x, SiN_x, SiC_xO_y, SiC_xN_y, SiO_xN_y, and SiC_xO_yN_z.

6. A touch panel according to claim. 5, wherein said particles of the silicon compound are provided with acryl groups, epoxy groups or carboxyl groups on surfaces thereof.

7. A touch panel according to claim 6, wherein said particles of the silicon compound are particles of acryl-modified silica produced by condensing colloidal silica and acryl group-modified silane compound.

8. A touch panel according to claim 5, wherein said particles of the silicon compound have an average diameter of 1 nm to 5 μ

m, and are included in the primary layer at a weight percentage of 1 to 90% to the ultraviolet-curing resin.

9. A touch panel according to claim 5, wherein said primary layer has a thickness of 1 nm to 10 μ

m.

10. A touch panel according to claim 1, wherein said electro-conductive thin film consists of metal oxide.

11. A touch panel according to claim 10, wherein said metal oxide is at least one selected from the group consisting of ITO, ATO, ZnO, ZnO doped with Al, and SnO₂.

12. A touch panel according to claim 10, wherein said electro-conductive thin film has a thickness of 1 to 500 nm.

13. A touch panel comprising a transparent electro-conductive film produced by forming a primary layer on a polymer film by coating a silicon compound or a liquid substrate including the silicon compound, or depositing the silicon compound by vapor-deposition;

and forming a transparent electro-conductive thin film on the primary layer.

14. A touch panel according to claim 13, wherein said primary layer has a thickness of 1 nm to 5 μ

m, and said vapor-deposition includes a physical vapor-deposition process including vacuum spraying process, sputtering process and ion plating process, and a chemical vapor-deposition process including CVD process.

15. A touch panel according to claim 14, wherein said sputtering process employs Si, SiC, SiO, SiO₂ or Si₃N₄ as a target material.

16. A touch panel according to claim 15, wherein said SiC target having a density of 2.9 g/cm³ or greater is used as the target material.

17. A touch panel according to claim 15, wherein said SiC target is produced by sintering a mixture composed of silicon carbide powder and a nonmetal-based sintering assistant.

18. A touch panel according claim 13, wherein said silicone compound is formed of at least one selected from the group consisting of SiC_x, SiO_x, SiN_x, SiC_xO_y, SiC_xN_y, SiO_xN_y, and SiC_xO_yN_z, and said process of forming the primary layer is conducted by coating said polymer film with ultraviolet-curing resin including particles of at least one silicon compound selected from the group consisting of SiC_x, SiO_x, SiN_x, SiC_xO_y, SiC_xN_y, SiO_xN_y, and SiC_xO_yN_z.