TOUCH PANEL AND METHOD FOR FABRICATING THE SAME

• US 20110273386A1
• Filed: 03/11/2011
• Published: 11/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Winsky Technology Limited
• Original Assignee: Winsky Technology Limited
• Inventors: CHAN, Winston
• Granted Patent: US 9,298,322 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means

Abstract

A touch panel and a method for fabricating the same are presented. The method includes the following steps. A glass substrate is strengthened through a chemical method. The glass substrate includes alkali oxide. An indium tin oxide (ITO) layer is formed below the glass substrate. A sensing circuit, a driving circuit, and an interconnection circuit therebetween are formed in the ITO layer.

Claims

1. A method for fabricating a touch panel, comprising:

strengthening a glass substrate through a chemical method, wherein the glass substrate comprises alkali oxide;

forming an indium tin oxide (ITO) layer below the glass substrate; and

forming a sensing circuit, a driving circuit, and an interconnection circuit therebetween in the ITO layer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the chemical method comprises:

immersing the glass substrate in a high temperature nitrous acid or nitric acid solution.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sensing circuit, the driving circuit, and the interconnection circuit therebetween are formed by laser printing.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sensing circuit is formed by printing conductive ink onto the glass substrate in an ink jet manner.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising an annealing process, wherein the temperature is lower than 205°

C.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein conditions of the laser printing comprise UV radiation of a Q-switch continuous wave laser having a radiation wavelength of 355 nm, a linear scanning velocity of about 1000 mm/sec, and energy smaller than 3 W.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein conditions of the laser printing comprise pulse UV radiation having a radiation wavelength of 532 nm, a linear scanning velocity of about 120 mm/sec, and energy smaller than 120 mW.

8. The method according to claim 3, wherein the radiation is infrared radiation, having a wavelength of about 1064 nm, a frequency of 20 kHZ, a linear scanning velocity of about 100 mm/sec to 500 mm/sec, and energy of about 100 mW to 800 mW.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the glass substrate has a surface stress greater than 8 GPa after being strengthened through the chemical method.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the glass substrate has a surface stress of about 9 GPa.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the glass substrate comprises aluminum oxide, and the alkali oxide comprises lithium oxide (Li₂O) and/or sodium oxide (Na₂O).

12. The method according to claim 3, wherein a light absorption rate of the radiation by the glass substrate is about 15%.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein a range of the light absorption rate of the radiation by the ITO is from about 8% to about 10%.

14. A touch panel, comprising:

a glass substrate strengthened through a chemical method, comprising 60 wt % to 80 wt % silicon oxide, 1 wt % to 15 wt % aluminum oxide, and 0.1 wt % to 15 wt % alkali oxide; and

an indium tin oxide (ITO) layer, formed below the glass substrate, wherein a sensing circuit, a driving circuit, and an interconnection circuit therebetween are formed in the ITO layer.

15. The touch panel according to claim 14, wherein the glass substrate further comprises at least one of calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, iron oxide, boron oxide, sulfur oxide, and the like.