TOUCH SCREEN AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20140253826A1
• Filed: 07/08/2013
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nanchang O-Film Tech. Co., Ltd. (OFILM Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Nanchang O-Film Tech. Co., Ltd. (OFILM Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: He, Zhao
• Application Number:
  US13/985,996
• Publication Number:
  US 20140253826A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49105 Switch making

Abstract

A touch screen includes: a first transparent insulating substrate; a second transparent insulating substrate, comprising a first surface which is faced to the first transparent insulating substrate and a second surface opposite to the first surface; a sensing electrode layer, disposed between the first transparent insulating substrate and the second insulating substrate, the sensing electrode layer comprising a plurality of independently disposed sensing electrodes, each sensing electrode comprising a mesh-like conductive circuit; and a driving electrode layer, disposed on the first surface or the second surface of the second transparent insulating layer, the driving electrode layer comprising a plurality of independently disposed driving electrodes. A method of manufacturing a touch screen is also disclosed. The touch screen has a lower cost and a higher sensitivity.

Claims

1. A touch screen, comprising:

a first transparent insulating substrate;

a second transparent insulating substrate comprising a first surface facing the first transparent insulating substrate and a second surface opposite to the first surface;

a sensing electrode layer disposed between the first transparent insulating substrate and the second insulating substrate, the sensing electrode layer comprising a plurality of spaced sensing electrodes, each sensing electrode comprising a mesh-like conductive circuit; and

a driving electrode layer disposed on the first surface or the second surface of the second transparent insulating layer, the driving electrode layer comprising a plurality of spaced driving electrodes.

2. The touch screen according to claim 1, wherein a grid spacing of the mesh-like conductive circuit is defined as d₁, and 100 μ

m≦

d₁<

600 μ

m;

a surface resistance of the mesh-like conductive circuit is defined as R, and 0.1 Ω

/sq≦

R<

200 Ω

/sq.

3. The touch screen according to claim 1, further comprising a third transparent insulating layer formed on a surface of the first transparent insulating substrate, wherein the mesh-like conductive circuit is embedded or buried in the transparent insulating layer.

4. The touch screen according to claim 3, wherein the third transparent insulating layer defines a plurality of interlaced mesh-like grooves, the mesh-like conductive circuit is received in the meshed grooves.

5. The touch screen according to claim 1, wherein the first transparent insulating substrate is a rigid substrate, the second transparent insulating substrate is a flexible substrate.

6. The touch screen according to claim 5, wherein the first rigid transparent insulating substrate is a strengthened glass, the second flexible transparent insulating substrate is made of a material selected from a group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polystyrene and polymethyl methacrylate.

7. The touch screen according to claim 1, wherein the first transparent insulating substrate is a flexible substrate, the second transparent insulating substrate is a rigid substrate or a flexible substrate.

8. The touch screen according to claim 7, further comprising a transparent cover lens attached to a surface of the first transparent insulating substrate.

9. The touch screen according to claim 8, wherein the transparent cover lens is a strengthened glass panel or a flexible transparent panel.

10. The touch screen according to claim 1, further comprising an adhesive layer, wherein the adhesive layer is arranged between the first transparent insulating substrate and the second transparent insulating substrate.

11. The touch screen according to claim 10, wherein the adhesive layer is a layer of optically transparent optical clear adhesive (OCA) or liquid optical clear adhesive (LOCA).

12. The touch screen according to claim 1, wherein the sensing electrode layer is made of a material selected from a group consisting of indium tin oxide, antimony tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, zinc aluminum and polyethylene dioxythiophene.

13. The touch screen according to claim 1, wherein grids of the mesh-like conductive circuit are regular in shape.

14. The touch screen according to claim 1, wherein grids of the mesh-like conductive circuit are irregular in shape.

15. The touch screen according to claim 1, wherein the mesh-like conductive circuit is made of silver, a grid spacing of the mesh-like conductive circuit ranges from 200 μ

m to 500 μ

m;

a surface resistance of the mesh-like conductive circuit is defined as R, and 4 Ω

/sq≦

R<

50 Ω

/sq, a coating amount of silver ranges from 0.7 g/m² to 1.1 g/m².

16. The touch screen according to claim 1, wherein the mesh-like conductive circuit is made of a material selected from a group consisting of gold, silver, copper, aluminum, zinc, gold-plated silver and alloys of at least two above metals.

17. The touch screen according to claim 3, wherein the transparent insulating layer can be formed by curing a light curing glue, thermosetting adhesive or air-drying adhesive.

18. A touch screen, comprising:

a rigid transparent insulating substrate;

a sensing electrode layer, formed on a surface of the rigid transparent insulating substrate, the sensing electrode layer comprising a plurality of independently disposed sensing electrodes, each sensing electrode of the sensing electrode layer comprising a mesh-like conductive circuit;

a flexible transparent insulating substrate, comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and

a driving electrode layer, formed on the first surface or the second surface of the flexible transparent insulating substrate, the sensing electrode layer comprising a plurality of independently disposed driving electrodes;

wherein the first surface or the second surface of the flexible transparent insulating substrate is attached to the rigid transparent insulating substrate.

19. The touch screen according to claim 18, wherein a grid spacing of the mesh-like conductive circuit is defined as d₁, and 100 μ

m≦

d₁<

600 μ

m, and wherein a surface resistance of the mesh-like conductive circuit is defined as R, and 0.1 Ω

/sq≦

R<

200 Ω

/sq.

20. The touch screen according to claim 18, further comprising a transparent insulating layer formed on a surface of the flexible transparent insulating substrate, the mesh-like conductive circuit is embedded or buried in the transparent insulating layer.

21. The touch screen according to claim 20, wherein the transparent insulating layer defines a plurality of interlaced mesh-like groove, and wherein the mesh-like conductive circuit is received in the mesh-like groove.

22. The touch screen according to claim 18, wherein the rigid transparent insulating substrate is a strengthened glass, the flexible transparent insulating substrate is made of a material selected from a group consisting of flexible polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polystyrene and polymethyl methacrylate

23. The touch screen according to claim 18, wherein the sensing electrode is made of transparent indium tin oxide.

24. The touch screen according to claim 18, wherein grids of the mesh-like conductive circuit are regular in shape.

25. The touch screen according to claim 18, wherein grids of the mesh-like conductive circuit are irregular in shape.

26. The touch screen according to claim 24, wherein a cell of the mesh is a single triangle, diamond or regular polygon.

27. A method of manufacturing a touch screen, comprising the following steps:

providing a first transparent insulating substrate;

forming a sensing electrode layer on a surface of the first transparent insulating substrate;

a sensing electrode of the sensing electrode layer is a mesh-like conductive circuit which comprises a plurality of mesh cells;

providing a second transparent insulating substrate;

forming a driving electrode layer on a surface of the second transparent insulating substrate; and

attaching the second transparent insulating substrate to the first transparent insulating substrate.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the formation of the sensing electrode layer on a surface of the first transparent insulating substrate comprises:

coating a transparent insulating layer on the first transparent insulating substrate;

defining a mesh-like groove on the transparent insulating layer by stamping;

forming a mesh-like conductive circuit in the mesh-like groove.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the formation of the mesh-like conductive circuit in the mesh-like groove comprises:

filling a metal paste to the mesh-like groove; and

scrape coating, sintering and curing the metal paste.

30. The method according to claim 27, wherein the step of attaching the second transparent insulating substrate to the first transparent insulating substrate comprises:

attaching a surface forming with the driving electrode layer of the second transparent insulating substrate to a surface forming with the sensing electrode layer of the first transparent insulating substrate;

or

attaching a surface forming without the driving electrode layer of the second transparent insulating substrate to a surface forming with the sensing electrode layer of the first transparent insulating substrate.

31. The method according to claim 27, further comprising forming a transparent cover lens on a surface of the first transparent insulating substrate.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the transparent cover lens is a strengthened glass screen or a flexible transparent cover lens.

33. A method of manufacturing a touch screen, comprising the following steps:

providing a first transparent insulating substrate;

providing a second transparent insulating substrate;

forming a driving electrode layer on one surface of the second transparent insulating substrate;

forming a sensing electrode layer on the other surface of the second transparent insulating substrate, an electrode of the sensing electrode layer being a mesh-like conductive circuit comprising a large number of mesh cells; and

attaching the first transparent insulating substrate to the second transparent insulating substrate.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein the formation of the sensing electrode layer on the other surface of the first transparent insulating substrate comprises:

coating a transparent insulating layer on the second transparent insulating substrate;

defining a mesh-like groove on the transparent insulating layer by stamping; and

forming the mesh-like conductive circuit in the mesh-like groove.

35. The method according to claim 34, wherein the formation of the mesh-like conductive circuit in the mesh-like groove comprises:

filling a metal paste to the mesh-like groove; and

scrape coating, sintering and curing the metal paste.

36. The method according to claim 33, the step of attaching the first transparent insulating substrate to the second transparent insulating substrate comprises attaching the first transparent insulating substrate to a surface forming the sensing electrode layer of the first transparent insulating substrate.

37. The method according to claim 33, further comprising forming a transparent cover lens on a surface of the first transparent insulating substrate.

38. The method according to claim 37, wherein the transparent cover lens is a strengthened glass screen or a flexible transparent cover lens.