METHOD FOR FABRICATING THIN TOUCH SENSOR PANELS

• US 20110030209A1
• Filed: 10/20/2010
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John Z. Zhong, Lili Huang, Lynn Youngs, Seung Jae Hong, Shih Chang Chang
• Original Assignee: John Z. Zhong, Lili Huang, Lynn Youngs, Seung Jae Hong, Shih Chang Chang
• Inventors: CHANG, Shih Chang, Hong, Seung Jae, Zhong, John Z., Youngs, Lynn, Huang, Lili
• Granted Patent: US 8,997,339 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/847
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• 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 1/0306 Inorganic insulating substrates, e.g. ceramic, glass
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0317 Thin film conductor layer; Thin film passive component
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0326 Inorganic, non-metallic conductor, e.g. indium-tin oxide [ITO]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/1536 Temporarily stacked PCBs
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0097 Processing two or more printed circuits simultaneously, e.g. made from a common substrate, or temporarily stacked circuit boards H05K3/0052 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49126 Assembling bases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49128 Assembling formed circuit to base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49147 Assembling terminal to base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49155 Manufacturing circuit on or in base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49156 with selective destruction of conductive paths

Abstract

A method for fabricating thin DITO or SITO touch sensor panels with a thickness less than a minimum thickness tolerance of existing manufacturing equipment. In one embodiment, a sandwich of two thin glass sheets is formed such that the combined thickness of the glass sheets does not drop below the minimum thickness tolerance of existing manufacturing equipment when thin film process is performed on the surfaces of the sandwich during fabrication. The sandwich may eventually be separated to form two thin SITO/DITO panels. In another embodiment, the fabrication process involves laminating two patterned thick substrates, each having at least the minimum thickness tolerance of existing manufacturing equipment. One or both of the sides of the laminated substrates are then thinned so that when the substrates are separated, each is a thin DITO/SITO panel having a thickness less than the minimum thickness tolerance of existing manufacturing equipment.

Claims

1. A method for fabricating thin touch sensor panels, comprising:

providing a first substrate having a first thickness, a first surface, and a second surface;

providing a second substrate having a second thickness, a third surface, and a fourth surface;

forming thin film patterns on the first surface;

forming thin film patterns on the third surface;

joining the first substrate and the second substrate together to form a first sandwich with the first surface and the third surface facing each other;

thinning both outer surfaces of the first sandwich; and

separating the first substrate and the second substrate of the first sandwich from each other.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first substrate is a first glass sheet and the second substrate is a second glass sheet.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

coating each of the second surface and the fourth surface with a layer of shielding after the separating step.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the layer of shielding is ITO.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first substrate and the second substrate has a thickness no less than a minimum thickness tolerance of existing touch sensor panel manufacturing equipment before the thinning step.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the first substrate and the second substrate has a thickness less than a minimum thickness tolerance of existing touch sensor panel manufacturing equipment after the thinning step.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein joining comprises sealing the edges of the first substrate and the second substrate together.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein separating comprises unsealing sealed-together edges of the first substrate and the second substrate.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein joining comprises inserting at least one separator between the first substrate and the second substrate to prevent the first substrate and the second substrate from contacting each other.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein separating comprises detaching the separators from the first substrate and the second substrate.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

forming thin film patterns on the thinned outer surfaces of the first sandwich before the first substrate and the second substrate of the first sandwich are separated from each other.