TOUCH PANEL

• US 20150144920A1
• Filed: 11/24/2014
• Published: 05/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Simiconductor Enargy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: YAMAZAKI, Shunpei, HIRAKATA, Yoshiharu, MIYAKE, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 9,847,380 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• 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 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04184 Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally
• 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 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 10/88 Passivation; Containers; Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/38 comprising colour filters or colour changing media [CCM]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/40 OLEDs integrated with touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 77/111 Flexible substrates

Abstract

A flexible touch panel is provided. Both reduction in thickness and high sensitivity of a touch panel are achieved. The touch panel includes a first flexible substrate, a first insulating layer over the first substrate, a transistor and a light-emitting element over the first insulating layer, a color filter over the light-emitting element, a pair of sensor electrodes over the color filter, a second insulating layer over the sensor electrodes, a second flexible substrate over the second insulating layer, and a protective layer over the second substrate. A first bonding layer is between the light-emitting element and the color filter. The thickness of the first substrate and the second substrate is each 1 μm to 200 μm inclusive. The first bonding layer includes a region with a thickness of 50 nm to 10 μm inclusive.

Claims

1. A touch panel comprising:

a first substrate having flexibility;

a first insulating layer over the first substrate;

a transistor, a light-emitting element, and a wiring over the first insulating layer;

a pair of sensor electrodes over the light-emitting element and the wiring;

a second insulating layer over the pair of sensor electrodes;

a second substrate having flexibility over the second insulating layer; and

a protective layer over the second substrate,

wherein one of the pair of sensor electrodes is electrically connected to the wiring with a conductive connector therebetween.

2. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein each thickness of the first substrate and the second substrate is greater than or equal to 1 μ

m and less than or equal to 200 μ

m.

3. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the transistor comprises a semiconductor layer including an oxide semiconductor.

4. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the transistor comprises a semiconductor layer including polycrystalline silicon.

5. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the protective layer contains aluminum oxide or yttrium oxide.

6. The touch panel according to claim 1, further comprising a color filter over the light-emitting element with a first adhesive layer therebetween.

7. The touch panel according to claim 1, further comprising a second adhesive layer between the first insulating layer and the first substrate.

8. The touch panel according to claim 1, further comprising a third adhesive layer between the second insulating layer and the second substrate.

9. The touch panel according to claim 1, further comprising:

first flexible printed circuits electrically connected to the transistor; and

second flexible printed circuits electrically connected to the one of the pair of sensor electrodes through the wiring,

wherein each of the first flexible printed circuits and the second flexible printed circuits is over the first substrate.

10. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein a touch sensor including the pair of sensor electrodes operates while a pixel including the transistor and the light-emitting element stops operating.

11. A touch panel comprising:

a first substrate having flexibility;

a first insulating layer over the first substrate;

a pair of sensor electrodes and a wiring over the first insulating layer;

a second insulating layer over the pair of sensor electrodes;

a transistor and a light-emitting element over the second insulating layer;

a second substrate having flexibility over the light-emitting element; and

a protective layer below the first substrate,

wherein one of the pair of sensor electrodes is electrically connected to the wiring, and

wherein the one of the pair of sensor electrodes overlaps with the wiring.

12. The touch panel according to claim 11, wherein each thickness of the first substrate and the second substrate is greater than or equal to 1 μ

m and less than or equal to 200 μ

m.

13. The touch panel according to claim 11, wherein the transistor comprises a semiconductor layer including an oxide semiconductor.

14. The touch panel according to claim 11, wherein the transistor comprises a semiconductor layer including polycrystalline silicon.

15. The touch panel according to claim 11, wherein the protective layer contains aluminum oxide or yttrium oxide.

16. The touch panel according to claim 11, further comprising a first adhesive layer between the light-emitting element and the second substrate.

17. The touch panel according to claim 11, further comprising a second adhesive layer between the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer.

18. The touch panel according to claim 11, further comprising a third adhesive layer between the first insulating layer and the first substrate.

19. The touch panel according to claim 11, further comprising:

first flexible printed circuits electrically connected to the transistor; and

second flexible printed circuits electrically connected to the one of the pair of sensor electrodes through the wiring,

wherein each of the first flexible printed circuits and the second flexible printed circuits is over the first substrate.

20. The touch panel according to claim 11, wherein a touch sensor including the pair of sensor electrodes operates while a pixel including the transistor and the light-emitting element stops operating.