TOUCH SENSOR

• US 20140333855A1
• Filed: 05/08/2014
• Published: 11/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Jang Ho, Kim, Woon Chun, Lee, Jin Uk, Oh, Nam Keun
• Granted Patent: US 9,519,366 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04112 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• 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: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A touch sensor includes a transparent substrate, and an electrode pattern formed on the transparent substrate. The electrode pattern is formed by stacking at least two or more electrode layers, thereby enhancing the anti-corrosion and visibility of electrode patterns and ensuring the adhesive reliability of the transparent substrate and the electrode patterns.

Claims

1. A touch sensor comprising:

a transparent substrate; and

an electrode pattern formed on the transparent substrate,

wherein the electrode pattern is formed by stacking two or more electrode layers.

2. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 1, wherein the electrode pattern is formed by sequentially stacking, from one surface of the transparent substrate, a base layer as a first electrode layer and a conductive layer as a second electrode layer.

3. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 2, wherein the electrode pattern is formed by further stacking a surface layer as a third electrode layer on the second electrode layer.

4. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 1, further comprising an electrode wiring connected to the electrode pattern for electrical connection of the electrode pattern, wherein the electrode wiring comprises a plurality of electrode wiring layers corresponding to the respective electrode layers of the electrode pattern.

5. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 1, wherein the electrode pattern is formed with a mesh pattern.

6. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 4, further comprising a mesh type contact pad formed at one end of the electrode wiring for electrical connection of the electrode wiring.

7. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 2, wherein the second electrode layer has higher conductivity than the first electrode layer.

8. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 2, wherein the first electrode layer has lower reflectivity than the second electrode layer.

9. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 2, wherein the first electrode layer includes at least one selected from a group consisting of CuNi, NiCr, titanium (Ti), and molybdenum (Mo), or an alloy thereof.

10. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 2, wherein the second electrode layer includes at least one selected from a group consisting of copper (Cu), aluminium (Al), and silver (Ag) or an alloy thereof.

11. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 3, wherein the third electrode layer includes at least one selected from a group consisting of CuNi, NiCr, Ti, and Mo or an alloy thereof.

12. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 3, wherein the first electrode layer and/or the third electrode layer include at least one selected from a group consisting of manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), or silicon (Si).

13. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 12, wherein the amount of Mn, Fe, or Si included in the first electrode layer and/or the third electrode layer is 0.1 wt % to 3 wt %.

14. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 2, wherein the first electrode layer includes 10 wt % to 80 wt % of Ni.

15. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 2, wherein the first electrode layer includes 20 wt % to 70 wt % of Ni.

16. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 3, wherein the third electrode layer includes 10 wt % to 80 wt % of Ni.

17. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 3, wherein the third electrode layer includes 20 wt % to 70 wt % of Ni.

18. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 2, wherein the second electrode layer is formed of an alloy including Cu and Ni.

19. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 18, wherein the amount of Ni included in the second electrode layer is 0.1 wt % to 5 wt %.

20. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 2, wherein the first electrode layer includes 3 wt % to 50 wt % of chrome (Cr).

21. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 2, wherein the first electrode layer includes 5 wt % to 70 wt % of Cr.

22. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 3, wherein the third electrode layer includes 3 wt % to 50 wt % of Cr.

23. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 3, wherein the third electrode layer includes 5 wt % to 70 wt % of Cr.

24. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 1, wherein the transparent substrate has transmittance equal to or greater than 85%.

25. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 1, wherein the transparent substrate is formed as a resin layer.

26. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 25, wherein the resin layer is formed of at least one of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polyethylenenaphthalate (PEN), polyehtersulfone (PES), cyclic olefin polymer (COP), triacetylcellulose (TAC) film, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film, polyimide (PI) film, polystyrene (PS), K-resin containing biaxially oriented PS (BOPS), or a combination thereof.

27. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 1, wherein the transparent substrate is formed of glass or temperate glass.

28. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 2, wherein the first electrode layer is formed to have a smaller thickness in the stack direction than that of the second electrode layer.

29. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 3, wherein a stack-direction thickness d1 of the first electrode layer, a stack-direction thickness d2 of the second electrode layer, and a stack-direction thickness d3 of the third electrode layer satisfy a following conditional expression:

d1<

d3<

d2.

30. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 3, wherein the sum of a stack-direction thickness d1 of the first electrode layer, a stack-direction thickness d2 of the second electrode layer, and a stack-direction thickness d3 of the third electrode layer is 0.05 μ

m to 2 μ

m.

31. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 3, wherein a stack-direction thickness of the first electrode layer is 0.01 μ

m to 1.935 μ

m.

32. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 3, wherein a stack-direction thickness of the second electrode layer is 0.04 μ

m to 1.975 μ

m.

33. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 3, wherein a stack-direction thickness of the third electrode layer is 0.015 μ

m to 1.95 μ

m.

34. The touch sensor as set forth in claim 3, wherein a stack-direction thickness d1 of the first electrode layer, a stack-direction thickness d2 of the second electrode layer, and a stack-direction thickness d3 of the third electrode layer satisfy a following conditional expression:

2%≦

d2/(d1+d2+d3)×

100≦

98.75%.

35. A touch sensor, comprising:

a transparent substrate; and

a plurality of electrode patterns formed on the transparent substrate, each of the electrode patterns comprising a plurality of electrode layers.

36. The touch sensor of claim 35, wherein the electrode layers comprise:

a base layer formed on one surface of the transparent substrate and bonding the electrode patterns to the transparent substrate; and

a conductive layer, formed on the base layer, having electrical conductivity.

37. The touch sensor of claim 36, wherein the electrode layers further comprise a surface layer formed as an uppermost layer of the electrode patterns, wherein the surface layer is made of a material reducing visibility of the electrode patterns or preventing corrosion of the electrode patterns.

38. The touch sensor of claim 35, further comprising an electrode wiring coupled to the electrode patterns and having a plurality of layers corresponding to the electrode layers of the electrode patterns.