Apparatus and a Method of Manufacturing an Apparatus

• US 20130148197A1
• Filed: 12/12/2011
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Schiller, Heiko, FRANKE, Thomas, Rasmussen, Jens, Scheuing, Gerhard
• Application Number:
  US13/316,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20130148197A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/483.01
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0018 with means for preventing ghost images anti-reflection coatings G02B1/11
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/30 Polarising elements light-modulating devices with active elements G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material

Abstract

An apparatus including a component of a circular polarizer; and conductive interconnect integrated with the component of the circular polarizer.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a component of a circular polarizer; and

conductive interconnect integrated with the component of the circular polarizer.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conductive interconnect is applied directly to an exterior surface of the circular polarizer.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the circular polarizer comprises a ¼

wave retarder and a linear polarizer, the linear polarizer is integrated at a first surface of the ¼

wave retarder and the conductive interconnect is integrated at a second opposing surface of the ¼

wave retarder.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conductive interconnect is applied directly to an exterior surface of a ¼

wave retarder.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conductive interconnect is applied directly to an exterior surface of a linear polarizer.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conductive interconnect is applied directly to the component of the circular polarizer without an intervening substrate.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the component of the circular polarizer without an intervening substrate comprises a polyethylene terephthalate component to which the conductive interconnect is directly applied.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conductive interconnect is ductile.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conductive interconnect comprises metal.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conductive interconnect comprises a plurality of first conductive lines extending in a first direction and a plurality of second conductive lines extending in a second direction, orthogonal to the first direction, wherein a least some of the plurality of first conductive lines and the plurality of second conductive lines interconnect.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the plurality of first conductive lines are parallel to the first direction and the plurality of second conductive lines are parallel to the second direction.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conductive interconnect is a mesh.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the mesh occupies a single plane.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conductive interconnect comprises a plurality of thin conductive lines having a width that is less than 10 μ

m.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conductive interconnect comprises a plurality of thin conductive lines separated by a distance of greater than twenty times a width of the lines.

16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an additional conductive interconnect.

17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an additional conductive interconnect integrated with the component of the circular polarizer.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the conductive interconnect is a first mesh and the additional conductive interconnect is a second mesh overlying the first mesh and separated from the first mesh by an isolation layer.

19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the first mesh, the isolation layer and the second mesh are integrated on a same side of the component of the circular polarizer.

20. A touch window module comprising the apparatus as claimed in claim 1.

21. A touch window module as claimed in claim 20, wherein the conductive interconnect is positioned and configured to face a display in use.

22. A touch window module as claimed in claim 20, wherein the conductive interconnect provides one or more electrodes for touch detection.

23. A touch window module as claimed in claim 20, wherein the conductive interconnect provides an array of capacitors for touch detection.

24. A method comprising:

providing a component of a circular polarizer having an exterior surface; and

providing a conductive interconnect on an exterior surface of the component of the circular polarizer.

25. A method as claimed in claim 24, wherein providing the conductive interconnect comprises providing the conductive interconnect, using an additive process, directly onto the exterior surface of the component of the circular polarizer.

26. A method as claimed in claim 24, wherein providing the conductive interconnect comprises providing the conductive interconnect, using a subtractive process, directly onto the exterior surface of the component of the circular polarizer.