Apparatus and method for reducing charge time and power consumption of a sensing device

• US 20070262962A1
• Filed: 05/10/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monterey Research, LLC (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: XiaoPing, Jiang, Hua, Liu
• Granted Patent: US 8,803,813 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/32 Means for saving power
• 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 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03548 Sliders, in which the moving part moves in a plane
• 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 3/0448 Details of the electrode shape, e.g. for enhancing the detection of touches, for generating specific electric field shapes, for enhancing display quality

Abstract

An apparatus and method for reducing charge time and power consumption of a sensor element of a sensing device. The apparatus may include a sensor element of a sensing device that has a surface area of conductive material and one or more gaps in the conductive material. The sensor element may include a plurality of evenly-spaced, parallel bars of conductive material and a plurality of interconnect lines coupled to the evenly-spaced, parallel bars to form the one or more gaps in the conductive material of the sensor element.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a sensor element of a sensing device, the sensor element having a surface area comprising;

a conductive material; and

one or more gaps in the conductive material.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor element comprises:

a plurality of evenly-spaced, parallel bars of the conductive material; and

a plurality of interconnect lines coupled between the evenly-spaced, parallel bars, wherein the plurality of evenly-spaced, parallel bars and the plurality of interconnect lines are configured to form the one or more gaps in the conductive material.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of interconnect lines are coupled to the plurality of evenly-spaced, parallel bars substantially at a center of each of the plurality of evenly-spaced, parallel bars.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of interconnect lines are coupled to the plurality of evenly-spaced, parallel bars substantially at one end of each of the plurality of evenly-spaced, parallel bars.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of interconnect lines and the plurality of evenly-spaced, parallel bars are comprised of a same material.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of interconnect lines and the plurality of evenly-spaced, parallel bars are comprised of a different material.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more gaps are configured to from a honeycomb pattern on the sensor element.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the honeycomb pattern is hexagonal honeycomb pattern.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor element is at least one of:

a substantially rectangular shape;

a substantially square shape;

a substantially diamond shape;

a substantially hexagonal shape;

a substantially trapezoidal shape;

or

a substantially circular shape.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more gaps of the surface area is at least one of:

a substantially rectangular shape;

a substantially square shape;

a substantially diamond shape;

a substantially hexagonal shape;

a substantially trapezoidal shape;

or

a substantially circular shape.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more gaps are configured to have a similar shape as a shape of the sensor element.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensing device is at least one of a touch-sensor pad, a touch-sensor slider, or a touch-sensor button.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a processing device coupled to the sensing device, wherein the processing device is operable to detect a presence of a conductive object on the sensing device.

14. A method, comprising:

providing a sensor element of conductive material; and

generating one or more gaps in the conductive material of the sensor element.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein generating the one or more gaps in the conductive material of the sensor element comprises using additive photolithography techniques.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the additive photolithography techniques comprise:

depositing the conductive material on an insulation layer to form the sensor element;

depositing a photoresist layer on the conductive material;

exposing the photoresist layer to light through a photomask, having a pre-determined pattern, wherein the pre-determined pattern is configured to form the one or more gaps in the conductive material of the sensor element, and wherein the photoresist layer deposited on the one or more gaps is not exposed to the light; and

etching the photoresist layer to remove the photoresist layer and the conductive material of the one or more gaps, wherein etching is configured to reduce a total surface area of the sensor element.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein generating the one or more gaps in the conductive material of the sensor element comprises using subtractive photolithography techniques.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the subtractive photolithography techniques comprise:

depositing the conductive material on an insulation layer to form the sensor element;

depositing a photoresist layer on the conductive material;

exposing the photoresist layer to light through a photomask, having a pre-determined pattern, wherein the pre-determined pattern is configured to form an inverse of the pre-determined pattern having one or more gaps in the conductive surface of the sensor element, and wherein the photoresist layer deposited on the one or more gaps is exposed to the light; and

etching the photoresist layer to remove the photoresist layer and the conductive material of the sensing area not exposed to the light, wherein etching is configured to reduce the surface area a total surface area of the sensor element.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein generating the sensor element comprises using impurity doping techniques.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein exposing the photoresist layer comprises at least one of directly imaging the pre-determined pattern of the photomask onto the photoresist layer, or projecting an image of the photomask onto the photoresist layer to produce the pre-determined pattern on the photoresist layer.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein generating the one or more gaps in the conductive material of the sensor element comprises filling the one or more gaps with at least one of coating material or dielectric material.

22. An apparatus, comprising:

a sensing device comprising a plurality of sensor elements; and

means for reducing charge time of each of the plurality of sensor elements.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising means for reducing power consumption of the sensing device.