TRANSPARENT CAPACITOR WITH MULTI-LAYER GRID STRUCTURE

• US 20130135548A1
• Filed: 11/29/2011
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Burberry, Mitchell Stewart, Cok, Ronald Steven
• Granted Patent: US 9,235,298 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/38
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13439 characterised by their electrical, optical, physical properties; materials therefor; method of making
• 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 2203/04111 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 3/0445 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: H01G 4/005 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 4/008 Selection of materials
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/162 incorporating printed capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/107 Using laser light
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/1194 Thermal treatment leading to a different chemical state of a material, e.g. annealing for stress-relief, aging
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/027 the conductive material being removed by irradiation, e.g. by photons, alpha or beta particles
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/4626 characterised by the insulating layers or materials H05K3/4688 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/4673 Application methods or materials of intermediate insulating layers not specially adapted to any one of the previous methods of adding a circuit layer similar methods for protective coatings H05K3/28

Abstract

A transparent capacitor apparatus includes a first transparent substrate including a first patterned conductive layer having a first conductive material located over the first transparent substrate; a dielectric layer located over the first patterned conductive layer; a second patterned conductive layer including a second conductive material located over the dielectric layer, wherein the second pattern is different from the first pattern; and a second transparent substrate located over the second patterned conductive layer. Portions of the first conductive material of the first patterned conductive layer overlap portions of the second conductive material of the second patterned conductive layer. The overlapping portions of the first and second conductive materials form matching patterned electrical conductor(s) having spatially matching conducting and non-conductive areas, the non-conductive areas of the first and second patterned conductive layers having encapsulated coalesced conductive material structures.

Claims

1. Transparent capacitor apparatus, comprising:

a first transparent substrate including a first patterned conductive layer having a first conductive material located over the first transparent substrate;

a dielectric layer located over the first patterned conductive layer;

a second patterned conductive layer including a second conductive material located over the dielectric layer, wherein the second pattern is different from the first pattern;

a second transparent substrate located over the dielectric layer; and

wherein portions of the first conductive material of the first patterned conductive layer overlap portions of the second conductive material of the second patterned conductive layer and the overlapping portions of the first and second conductive materials form matching patterned electrical conductor(s) having spatially matching conducting and non-conductive areas, the non-conductive areas of the first and second patterned conductive layers having encapsulated coalesced conductive material structures.

2. The transparent capacitor apparatus of claim 1, further including a first electrical connection connected to the first patterned conductive layer and a second electrical connection connected to the second patterned conductive layer, the first and second electrical connections adapted to being electrically connected to an electrical power source or electrical sensing circuit.

3. The transparent capacitor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first conductive material is a metal or metal alloy or the second conductive material is a metal or metal alloy.

4. The transparent capacitor apparatus of claim 3, wherein the metal is nickel, tungsten, silver, gold, titanium, or tin or includes nickel, tungsten, silver, gold, titanium, or tin.

5. The transparent capacitor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first conductive material and the second conductive material are the same material.

6. The transparent capacitor apparatus of claim 1, further including one or more bi-layers located on either or both sides of the dielectric layer, each bi-layer including a patterned conductive layer and a transparent encapsulation layer, located so that each patterned conductive layer is separated from each other patterned conductive layer by a transparent encapsulation layer and wherein each patterned conductive layer has the same pattern.

7. The transparent capacitor apparatus of claim 6, wherein the transparent separation layer includes a polymer.

8. The transparent capacitor apparatus of claim 6, wherein the transparent separation layer includes an electrically conductive material or a dielectric material.

9. The transparent capacitor apparatus of claim 6, wherein the patterned conductive layer of one bi-layer is a different material from the patterned conductive layer of another, different bi-layer.

10. The transparent capacitor apparatus of claim 6, wherein the patterned conductive layer of one bi-layer is a different material having a different reflectivity from the patterned conductive layer of another, different bi-layer.

11. The transparent capacitor apparatus of claim 6, wherein the bi-layers form an optical interference filter.

12. The transparent capacitor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first patterned conductive layer forms a plurality of electrically separate first electrodes extending in a first direction and the second patterned conductive layer forms a plurality of electrically separate second electrodes extending in a second direction different from the first direction, and the first and second electrodes overlap to form charge storage or charge sensing areas.

13. The transparent capacitor apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first and second electrodes, when energized, form a variable electrical field across the overlapping portions of the first and second conductive materials.

14. The transparent capacitor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first transparent substrate or the second transparent substrate is a display device cover or substrate or is affixed to a display device cover or substrate.

15. The transparent capacitor apparatus of claim 1, further including a first encapsulation layer located over the first patterned conductive layer so that the first patterned conductive layer is between the first encapsulation layer and the first substrate or a second encapsulation layer located over the second patterned conductive layer so that the second patterned conductive layer is between the second encapsulation layer and the second substrate.

16. The transparent capacitor apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first substrate, second substrate, first encapsulation layer, or second encapsulation layer is electrically conductive.

17. The transparent capacitor apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first substrate, second substrate, first encapsulation layer, or second encapsulation layer is the dielectric layer or a portion of the dielectric layer.

18. The transparent capacitor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first pattern differs from the second pattern by orientation.

19. The transparent capacitor apparatus of claim 18, wherein the orientation is a ninety degree rotation.

20. An interactive display system, comprising:

the transparent capacitor apparatus of claim 1;

a display device having a substrate or cover; and

wherein the first substrate of the transparent capacitor apparatus is the cover or substrate of the display device or is affixed to the cover or substrate of the display device.

21. The interactive display system of claim 20, wherein the first patterned conductive layer is orthogonal to the second patterned conductive layer, and overlapping portions of the first and second patterned conductive layers form an addressable array of capacitors.

22. The interactive display system of claim 20, wherein the transparent capacitor apparatus forms a capacitive touch screen.