High Resistivity Metal Fan Out

• US 20090303189A1
• Filed: 06/06/2008
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Huang, Lili, Grunthaner, Martin Paul
• Granted Patent: US 9,069,418 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04113 Peripheral electrode pattern in resistive digitisers, i.e. electrodes at the periphery of the resistive sheet are shaped in patterns enhancing linearity of induced field
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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: H05K 1/0289 having a matrix lay-out, i.e. having selectively interconnectable sets of X-conductors and Y-conductors in different planes
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0108 Transparent
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/24 Reinforcing the conductive pattern by solder coating H05K3/3457

Abstract

The formation of metal traces in the border areas of a touch sensor panel to provide improved reliability, better noise rejection, and lower manufacturing costs is disclosed. The metal traces can be coupled to rows on the touch sensor panel in an interleaved manner, so that any two successive rows can be coupled to metal traces in border areas on opposite sides of the touch sensor panel. In addition, by utilizing the full width available in the border areas in some embodiments, the metal traces can be formed from higher resistivity metal, which can reduce manufacturing costs and improve trace reliability. The wider traces can also provide better noise immunity from noise sources such as an LCD by providing a larger fixed-potential surface area and by more effectively coupling the drive lines to the fixed potential.

Claims

1. A method of forming conductive traces on a touch sensor panel, comprising:

forming and patterning a stackup of a first conductive material over a substrate in one or more border areas of the touch sensor panel to create one or more traces having widths maximized so that the one or more traces and any separation areas between the traces in any particular portion of the border area occupy a full width of that portion of the border area; and

forming and patterning a layer of a second conductive material over the substrate to create one or more rows, each row coupled to a different trace, the rows forming part of a plurality of sensors on the touch sensor panel.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming and patterning the stackup and the layer such that the one or more traces in each border area are coupled to every other row in an interleaved manner and at least one trace is present along a full length of each border area.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising sizing the one or more traces such that all traces in any particular portion of the border area alongside a row have substantially the same width.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming the stackup from a material having a resistivity greater than about 0.4 ohms per square.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming the stackup from Molybdenum/Niobium (Mo/Nb).

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming the stackup from Molybdenum/Niobium (Mo/Nb), Aluminum Neodymium (Al/Nd) and Mo/Nb.

7. A method of fabricating higher reliability conductive traces on a touch sensor panel, comprising:

routing rows on the touch sensor panel to an edge of the touch sensor panel using conductive traces formed in one or more border areas of the touch sensor panel, the conductive traces having widths maximized so that the conductive traces and any separation areas between the traces occupy a full width of the border areas to enable a single layer of conductive material to be used for the conductive traces.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising coupling the conductive traces in each border area to every other row in an interleaved manner such that at least one conductive trace is present along a full length of each border area.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising sizing the conductive traces such that all traces in any particular portion of a border area alongside a row have substantially the same width.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising forming the conductive traces from a material having a resistivity greater than about 0.4 ohms per square.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising forming the conductive traces from Molybdenum/Niobium (Mo/Nb).

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising forming the conductive traces from Molybdenum/Niobium (Mo/Nb), Aluminum Neodymium (Al/Nd) and Mo/Nb.

13. A method for routing a portion of a plurality of sensors in a touch sensor panel to a single edge of the touch sensor panel with higher reliability, comprising:

forming and patterning a stackup of conductive material into traces in one or more border areas of the touch sensor panel, the traces coupled to the portion of the plurality of sensors and having widths maximized so that the traces and any separation areas between the traces occupy a full width of the border areas.

14. The method of claim 13, the portion of the plurality of sensors formed as rows, the method further comprising coupling the traces in each border area to every other row in an interleaved manner such that at least one trace is present along a full length of each border area.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising sizing the traces such that all traces in any particular portion of a border area alongside a row have substantially the same width.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising forming the traces from a material having a resistivity greater than about 0.4 ohms per square.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising forming the traces from Molybdenum/Niobium (Mo/Nb).

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising forming the traces from Molybdenum/Niobium (Mo/Nb), Aluminum Neodymium (Al/Nd) and Mo/Nb.

19. Higher reliability conductive traces for routing a portion of a plurality of sensors in a touch sensor panel to a single edge of the touch sensor panel, comprising:

a stackup of a first conductive material patterned into traces in a border area of the touch sensor panel, the traces and any separation areas between the traces in any particular portion of the border area configured to occupy a full width of that portion of the border area; and

a second conductive material patterned to create one or more rows, each row coupled to a different trace, the rows forming the portion of the plurality of sensors to be routed to the single edge of the touch sensor panel.

20. The traces of claim 19, wherein the traces are coupled to every other row in an interleaved manner such that at least one trace is present along a full length of the border area.

21. The traces of claim 19, wherein the traces in any particular portion of the border area alongside a row have substantially the same width.

22. The traces of claim 19, wherein the first conductive material has a resistivity greater than about 0.4 ohms per square.

23. The traces of claim 19, wherein the first conductive material is Molybdenum/Niobium (Mo/Nb).

24. The traces of claim 19, wherein the first conductive material is a stackup of Molybdenum/Niobium (Mo/Nb), Aluminum Neodymium (Al/Nd) and Mo/Nb.

25. The traces of claim 19, the traces formed within a touch sensor panel.

26. The traces of claim 19, the touch sensor panel incorporated within a computing system.

27. A touch sensor panel containing higher reliability conductive traces for routing a portion of a plurality of sensors in the touch sensor panel to a single edge of the touch sensor panel, the traces comprising:

a stackup of a first conductive material patterned into traces in a border area of the touch sensor panel, the traces and any separation areas between the traces in any particular portion of the border area configured to occupy a full width of that portion of the border area; and

a second conductive material patterned to create one or more rows, each row coupled to a different trace, the rows forming the portion of the plurality of sensors to be routed to the single edge of the touch sensor panel.

28. A mobile telephone including a touch sensor panel containing higher reliability conductive traces for routing a portion of a plurality of sensors in the touch sensor panel to a single edge of the touch sensor panel, the traces comprising:

a stackup of a first conductive material patterned into traces in a border area of the touch sensor panel, the traces and any separation areas between the traces in any particular portion of the border area configured to occupy a full width of that portion of the border area; and

a second conductive material patterned to create one or more rows, each row coupled to a different trace, the rows forming the portion of the plurality of sensors to be routed to the single edge of the touch sensor panel.

29. A digital media player including a touch sensor panel containing higher reliability conductive traces for routing a portion of a plurality of sensors in the touch sensor panel to a single edge of the touch sensor panel, the traces comprising:

a stackup of a first conductive material patterned into traces in a border area of the touch sensor panel, the traces and any separation areas between the traces in any particular portion of the border area configured to occupy a full width of that portion of the border area; and

a second conductive material patterned to create one or more rows, each row coupled to a different trace, the rows forming the portion of the plurality of sensors to be routed to the single edge of the touch sensor panel.