Low-Resistance Electrodes

• US 20130155001A1
• Filed: 12/19/2011
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: David Brent Guard, Esat Yilmaz, Jalil Shaikh, Michael Thomas Morrione
• Inventors: Yilmaz, Esat, Shaikh, Jalil, Morrione, Michael Thomas, Guard, David Brent
• Application Number:
  US13/330,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20130155001A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• 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

Abstract

In one embodiment, an apparatus includes one or more substrates and a touch sensor disposed on one or more of the substrates. The touch sensor has a substantially transparent electrode made of lines of substantially opaque conductive material and the substantially transparent electrode having an effective sheet resistance within a range of approximately 5 to approximately 20 ohms per square.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

one or more substrates; and

a touch sensor disposed on one or more of the substrates, the touch sensor comprising one or more substantially transparent electrodes made of lines of substantially opaque conductive material, the substantially transparent electrodes having an effective sheet resistance within a range of approximately 5 to approximately 20 ohms per square.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lines of substantially opaque conductive material form one or more conductive meshes.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein one or more of the conductive meshes have an optical attenuation within a range of approximately 1% to approximately 10%.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conductive material comprises carbon nanotubes, copper, or silver.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lines of substantially opaque conductive material have widths within a range of approximately 1 to approximately 10 microns.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the effective sheet resistance of the substantially transparent electrodes is approximately 10 ohms per square.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one or more of the substrates are flexible.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch sensor is a mutual-capacitance touch sensor or a self-capacitance touch sensor.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the substantially transparent electrodes are all disposed only on one surface of one of the substrates;

or

some of the substantially transparent drive electrodes are disposed on a first surface of one of the substrates and some of the transparent sense electrodes are disposed on a second surface of the one of the substrates opposite the first surface.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein some of the substantially transparent drive electrodes are disposed on a surface of one of the substrates and some of the transparent sense electrodes are disposed on a surface of another of the substrates.

11. A device comprising:

a touch sensor disposed on one or more substrates, the touch sensor comprising one or more substantially transparent electrodes made of lines of substantially opaque conductive material, the substantially transparent electrodes having an effective sheet resistance within a range of approximately 5 to approximately 20 ohms per square; and

one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying logic that is configured when executed to control the touch sensor.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the lines of substantially opaque conductive material form one or more conductive meshes.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the conductive material comprises carbon nanotubes, copper, or silver.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the lines of substantially opaque conductive material have widths within a range of approximately 1 to approximately 10 microns.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the effective sheet resistance of the substantially transparent electrodes is approximately 10 ohms per square.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein:

the substantially transparent electrodes are all disposed only on one surface of one of the substrates;

or

some of the substantially transparent drive electrodes are disposed on a first surface of one of the substrates and some of the transparent sense electrodes are disposed on a second surface of the one of the substrates opposite the first surface.

17. The device of claim 11, wherein some of the substantially transparent drive electrodes are disposed on a surface of one of the substrates and some of the transparent sense electrodes are disposed on a surface of another of the substrates.

18. The device of claim 11, wherein one or more of the substrates are flexible.

19. The device of claim 11, wherein the touch sensor is a mutual-capacitance touch sensor or a self-capacitance touch sensor.

20. The device of claim 11, further comprising a display located substantially underneath the touch sensor, the display being substantially visible through the touch sensor.