Transparent electroconductive film, method for manufacture thereof, and touch panel

• US 20040265602A1
• Filed: 08/18/2004
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Inventors: Oono, Shingo, Kusano, Yukihiro, Yoshikawa, Masato, Kobayashi, Taichi, Nishida, Mitsuhiro, Iwabuchi, Yoshinori, Kotsubo, Hidefumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,534,500 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/458
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14311 using means for bonding the coating to the articles B29C45/14795 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14811 Multilayered articles B29C45/14827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2715/006 Glues or adhesives, e.g. hot melts or thermofusible adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0005 Conductive
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0026 Transparent
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2264/102 Oxide or hydroxide
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/202 Conductive
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2310/022 Electrical resistance
• 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 27/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/36 comprising polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2878 including addition polymer from unsaturated monomer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2891 including addition polymer from alpha-beta unsaturated carboxylic acid [e.g., acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, etc.] Or derivative thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31511 Of epoxy ether
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31529 Next to metal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31605 Next to free metal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31609 Particulate metal or metal compound-containing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31663 : As siloxane, silicone or silane
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31678 : Of metal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31681 : Next to polyester, polyamide or polyimide [e.g., alkyd, glue, or nylon, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31692 : Next to addition polymer from unsaturated monomers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31699 : Ester, halide or nitrile of addition polymer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31721 : Of polyimide
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31786 : Of polyester [e.g., alkyd, etc.]

Abstract

A transparent conductive film comprising a polymer film and a transparent conductive layer provided thereon, especially a transparent conductive film improved in durability and mechanical and electrical properties, a process for the preparation thereof, and a touch panel provided with the transparent conductive film, as well as transparent conductive plate and the process for the preparation thereof. The transparent conductive film comprising a polymer film, an undercoat layer and a transparent conductive layer which are superposed in this order, and the undercoat layer contains a compound having at least one selected from an amino group and a phosphoric acid group.

Claims

1. A transparent conductive film comprising a polymer film, an undercoat layer and a transparent conductive layer which are superposed in this order, wherein the undercoat layer contains a compound having at least one selected from an amino group and a phosphoric acid group.

2. A transparent conductive film as defined in claim 1, wherein the transparent conductive layer comprises at least one compound selected from indium oxide, tin oxide, zinc oxide, indium oxide-tin oxide (ITO), antimony oxide-tin oxide (ATO) and zinc oxide-aluminum oxide (ZAO).

3. A transparent conductive film as defined in claim 1 or 2, wherein a hardcoat layer is provided on a surface having no transparent conductive layer of the polymer film.

4. A transparent conductive film as defined in claim 1, wherein the compound having amino group is derived from a compound selected from dialkylaminoalkyl methacrylate and a silane-coupling agent having an amino group, and the compound having phosphoric acid group is derived from a compound selected from 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphate and dipehnyl-2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphate.

5. A transparent conductive film as defined claim 1, wherein the polymer film comprises polyethylene terephthalate.

6. A transparent conductive film as defined in claim 1, wherein a protective layer comprising a polymeric compound is provided on the transparent conductive layer.

7. A transparent conductive film as defined in claim 6, wherein the polymeric compound is a resin composition containing at least one resin selected from acrylic resin, polyester resin, epoxy resin, urethane resin, phenol resin, maleic acid resin, melamine resin, urea resin, polyimide resin and silicon-containing resin.

8. A transparent conductive film as defined in claim 6 or 7, wherein the protective layer comprises a film formed by curing amino-containing alkoxy-silane.

9. A transparent conductive film as defined in claim 6, wherein the protective layer comprises a film formed by curing UV-curable resin.

10. A transparent conductive film as defined in claim 1, which comprises the polymer film having the transparent conductive layer thereon through the undercoat layer and another polymer film having a hardcoat layer thereon, the two polymer films being bonded to each other through an adhesive layer comprising polyolefin resin such that a surface having no transparent conductive layer of the polymer film and a surface having no hardcoat layer of another polymer film face each other.

11. A transparent conductive film as defined in claim 10, wherein the polyolefin resin of the adhesive layer comprises copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate and/or (meth)acrylate.

12. A transparent conductive film as defined in claim 10, wherein the polyolefin resin of the adhesive layer comprises a film formed by curing copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate and/or (meth)acrylate.

13. A transparent conductive film as defined in claim 1, wherein the transparent conductive layer comprises a first transparent conductive layer comprising a first metal oxide and a second transparent conductive layer comprising a second metal oxide, and the second transparent conductive layer is formed under the condition different from the condition for forming the first transparent conductive layer.

14. A transparent conductive film as defined in claim 13, wherein the first and second transparent conductive layers comprise indium oxide-tin oxide (ITO), zinc oxide-aluminum oxide (ZAO) or antimony oxide-tin oxide (ATO).

15. A transparent conductive film as defined in claim 13 or 14, wherein the first and second transparent conductive layers are formed by a vapor deposition process selected from a sputtering process and a reactive sputtering process.

16. A transparent conductive film as defined in claim 15, wherein target material used in the vapor deposition process is a ceramic target formed by sintering mixed metal oxides or an alloy target made of metal oxide.

17. A transparent conductive film as defined in claim 13, wherein the second transparent conductive layer comprising the second metal oxide is different from the first transparent conductive layer comprising the first metal oxide in at least one selected from oxygen content, nitrogen content, crystalline state and surface shape.

18. A transparent conductive film as defined in claim 17, wherein the condition for forming the second transparent conductive layer comprising the second metal oxide by a sputtering process is different in pressure and deposition rate in the sputtering from that for forming the first transparent conductive layer comprising the first metal oxide.

19. A touch panel comprising an upper electrode having a hard coat layer, a first polymer film, a first undercoat layer and a first transparent conductive layer superposed in this order, and a lower electrode having a plastic or glass plate, a second polymer film, a second undercoat layer and a second transparent conductive layer superposed in this order, the upper electrode and the lower electrode being bonded to each other through spacers such that both of the transparent conductive layers face each other, wherein the upper electrode and/or the lower electrode includes the transparent conductive film as defined in claim 1.

20. A touch panel as defined in claim 19, wherein the lower electrode has a transparent plate, an adhesive layer, a polymer film and a second transparent conductive layer superposed in this order, and the adhesive layer comprises polyolefin resin.

21. A touch panel as defined in claim 19 or 20, wherein the first transparent conductive layer of the upper electrode is formed from material different from that of the second transparent conductive layer of the lower electrode.

22. A touch panel as defined in claim 21, wherein the first transparent conductive layer and the second transparent conductive layer are a film of metal oxide, a film of combination of two or more metal oxides or a composite film consisting essentially of metal oxide, or a film comprising gold, copper, nickel, aluminum or palladium.

23. A transparent conductive film having a polymer film and a transparent conductive layer provided thereon, wherein a protective layer comprising a polymeric compound is formed on the transparent conductive layer.

30. A touch panel comprising an upper electrode having a polymer film and a transparent conductive layer superposed in this order, and a lower electrode having a plastic or glass plate, a polymer film and a transparent conductive layer superposed in this order, the upper electrode and the lower electrode being bonded to each other through spacers such that both of the transparent conductive layers face each other, wherein the upper electrode includes the transparent conductive film as defined in any of claims 23, 24, 27 and 28.

24. A transparent conductive film comprising a polymer film having a transparent conductive layer provided thereon, and another polymer film having a hard coat layer provided thereon, the two polymer films being bonded to each other through an adhesive layer comprising polyolefin such that two surfaces having no layer of the two polymer films face each other.

25. A transparent conductive plate comprising a transparent plate, an adhesive layer, a polymer film and a transparent conductive layer superposed in this order, and the adhesive layer comprises polyolefin resin.

26. A process for the preparation of a transparent conductive plate as defined in claim 25, comprising the steps of:

applying a material for forming an adhesive layer onto a surface having no transparent conductive layer of a polymer film provided with the transparent conductive layer,

introducing the polymer film provided with the adhesive layer into a mold for molding such that the transparent conductive layer faces a surface of the mold and

injection molding a resin for forming a transparent plastic plate in the mold provided with the polymer film to incorporate the polymer film and the resin.

32. A touch panel comprising an upper electrode having a polymer film and a transparent conductive layer superposed in this order, and a lower electrode having a plastic or glass plate, a polymer film and a transparent conductive layer superposed in this order, the upper electrode and the lower electrode being bonded to each other through spacers such that both of the transparent conductive layers face each other, wherein the lower electrode includes the transparent conductive film as defined in claim 25.

27. A transparent conductive film comprising a polymer film and a transparent conductive layer comprising metal oxide formed thereon by a vapor deposition process, wherein the transparent conductive film comprises a first transparent conductive layer comprising a first metal oxide and a second transparent conductive layer comprising a second metal oxide provided thereon, and the second transparent conductive layer is formed under the condition different from that for forming the second transparent conductive layer.

28. A transparent conductive film as defined in claim 27, wherein the transparent conductive layer comprising metal oxide is an indium oxide-tin oxide (ITO) layer, or a zinc oxide-aluminum oxide (ZAO) layer or an antimony oxide-tin oxide (ATO) layer.

29. A process for the preparation of a transparent conductive film as defined in claim 27 or 28 comprising the steps of:

forming the first transparent conductive layer comprising the first metal oxide onto the polymer film by a vapor deposition process, and

forming the second transparent conductive layer comprising the second metal oxide onto the first transparent conductive layer by a vapor deposition process under the condition different from that for forming the first transparent conductive layer.

31. A touch panel comprising an upper electrode having a polymer film and a first transparent conductive layer superposed in this order, and a lower electrode having a plastic or glass plate, a polymer film and a second transparent conductive layer superposed in this order, the upper electrode and the lower electrode being bonded to each other through spacers such that both of the transparent conductive layers face each other, wherein the first transparent conductive layer of the upper electrode is different in materials from the second transparent conductive layer of the lower electrode