ELECTRODE SUBSTRATE, DISPLAY DEVICE, INPUT DEVICE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING ELECTRODE SUBSTRATE

• US 20150268776A1
• Filed: 03/03/2015
• Published: 09/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Inventors: Ishizaki, Koji, Ishigaki, Toshimasa, Sonoda, Daisuke
• Granted Patent: US 10,698,512 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• 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 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• 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

Abstract

An electrode substrate includes a sensing electrode formed on a glass substrate, a concave/convex pattern formed on the glass substrate, and a protective film formed so as to cover the sensing electrode. The concave/convex pattern is disposed closer to an outer periphery of the glass substrate than the sensing electrode is when seen in a plan view. The protective film is formed so as to cover a part of the glass substrate positioned between the sensing electrode and the concave/convex pattern when seen in a plan view.

Claims

1. An electrode substrate comprising:

a first substrate;

a first electrode formed on the first substrate;

a first concave/convex pattern formed on the first substrate; and

a first protective film formed so as to cover the first electrode,

wherein the first concave/convex pattern is disposed closer to an outer periphery of the first substrate than the first electrode is when seen in a plan view, and

the first protective film is formed so as to cover a part of the first substrate positioned between the first electrode and the first concave/convex pattern when seen in a plan view.

2. The electrode substrate according to claim 1,

wherein the first concave/convex pattern includes a first convex portion, and

the first convex portion is formed of a first film that is formed on the first substrate.

3. The electrode substrate according to claim 2,

wherein the first electrode is formed of a first conductive film that is formed on the first substrate, and

the first film is a second conductive film formed in the same layer as the first conductive film on the first substrate.

4. The electrode substrate according to claim 2,

wherein the first substrate has a first side, a second side intersecting the first side, a third side opposed to the first side, and a fourth side opposed to the second side when seen in a plan view, and

the first convex portion is disposed closer to the first side than the first electrode is when seen in a plan view.

5. The electrode substrate according to claim 4,

wherein the first convex portion extends in a first direction along the first side when seen in a plan view.

6. The electrode substrate according to claim 5,

wherein the first concave/convex pattern includes a plurality of the first convex portions, and

each of the plurality of first convex portions extends in the first direction and is arrayed in a second direction that intersects the first direction when seen in a plan view.

7. The electrode substrate according to claim 4,

wherein the first concave/convex pattern includes a plurality of the first convex portions, and

the plurality of first convex portions are arranged in a staggered pattern in a first direction along the first side when seen in a plan view.

8. The electrode substrate according to claim 5,

wherein the first convex portion includes a first side surface portion positioned on a first side in a second direction that orthogonally intersects the first direction when seen in a plan view, and

an upper end portion of the first side surface portion is positioned closer to the first side than a lower end portion of the first side surface portion is in the second direction.

9. The electrode substrate according to claim 1,

wherein an end portion of the first protective film is positioned on the first concave/convex pattern.

10. The electrode substrate according to claim 9, further comprising a second protective film formed so as to cover a part of the first concave/convex pattern exposed from the first protective film.

11. The electrode substrate according to claim 9,

wherein the first concave/convex pattern is a position adjustment pattern for adjusting a position of the end portion of the first protective film.

12. The electrode substrate according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of the first electrodes,

wherein the plurality of first electrodes form a first electrode group,

the first protective film is formed so as to cover the first electrode group,

the first concave/convex pattern is disposed so as to surround the first electrode group when seen in a plan view, and

the first protective film is formed so as to cover a part of the first substrate positioned between the first electrode group and the first concave/convex pattern when seen in a plan view.

13. A display device comprising:

the electrode substrate according to claim 1; and

a display unit for displaying an image,

wherein the first electrode, the first concave/convex pattern, and the first protective film are formed on a first main surface side of the first substrate,

the display unit includes;

a plurality of pixels arrayed with a gap between each other when seen in a plan view;

a plurality of second electrodes provided inside each of the plurality of pixels; and

a third electrode provided so as to be overlapped with the plurality of second electrodes when seen in a plan view,

the electrode substrate includes a plurality of the first electrodes provided with a gap between each other so as to be respectively overlapped with the third electrode when seen in a plan view,

the plurality of pixels and the plurality of second electrodes are provided on a second main surface side on an opposite side of the first main surface of the first substrate,

an image is displayed by applying a voltage between each of the plurality of second electrodes and the third electrode, and

an input position is sensed based on electrostatic capacitance between the third electrode and each of the plurality of first electrodes.

14. An input device comprising:

the electrode substrate according to claim 1; and

a second electrode provided so as to be overlapped with the first electrode when seen in a plan view,

wherein the first electrode, the first concave/convex pattern, and the first protective film are formed on a first main surface side of the first substrate,

the electrode substrate includes a plurality of the first electrodes provided with a gap between each other when seen in a plan view,

the second electrode is provided so as to be overlapped with each of the plurality of first electrodes when seen in a plan view, and

an input position is sensed based on electrostatic capacitance between the second electrode and each of the plurality of first electrodes.

15. A method of manufacturing an electrode substrate comprising the steps of:

(a) preparing a first substrate;

(b) forming a first electrode on the first substrate;

(c) forming a first concave/convex pattern on the first substrate; and

(d) after the step (c), forming a first protective film so as to cover the first electrode,

wherein, in the step (c), the first concave/convex pattern disposed closer to an outer periphery of the first substrate than the first electrode is when seen in a plan view is formed, and

in the step (d), the first protective film is formed so as to cover a part of the first substrate positioned between the first electrode and the first concave/convex pattern when seen in a plan view.

16. The method of manufacturing an electrode substrate according to claim 15,

wherein, in the step (d), the first protective film is formed by applying a coating liquid so as to cover the first electrode by an inkjet method or an electric field jet method.

17. The method of manufacturing an electrode substrate according to claim 15,

wherein, in the step (b), the first electrode formed of a first conductive film that is formed on the first substrate is formed,

in the step (c), the first concave/convex pattern including a first convex portion is formed, and

the first convex portion is formed of a second conductive film formed in the same layer as the first conductive film on the first substrate.

18. The method of manufacturing an electrode substrate according to claim 16,

wherein the step (d) includes the steps of:

(d1) applying the coating liquid by an ink jet method or an electric field jet method; and

(d2) forming the first protective film by curing the applied coating liquid, and

in the step (d1), the coating liquid is applied so that an end portion of the applied coating liquid is positioned on the first concave/convex pattern.

19. The method of manufacturing an electrode substrate according to claim 15,

wherein, in the step (a), the first substrate having a plurality of electrode-substrate forming regions when seen in a plan view is prepared,

in the step (b), the first electrode is formed in each of the electrode-substrate forming regions,

in the step (c), the first concave/convex pattern disposed closer to the outer periphery of each of the electrode-substrate forming regions than the first electrode is when seen in a plan view is formed in each of the electrode-substrate forming regions, and

the method further comprises the step of:

(e) after the step (d), dividing the first substrate into each of the plurality of electrode-substrate forming regions.

20. The method of manufacturing an electrode substrate according to claim 19,

wherein, in the step (a), the first substrate having a frame region that surrounds the plurality of electrode-substrate forming regions when seen in a plan view is prepared,

an alignment mark is formed on the first substrate in the frame region, and

the method of manufacturing an electrode substrate further comprises the step of:

(f) before the step (d), forming a second concave/convex pattern disposed so as to surround the alignment mark when seen in a plan view on the first substrate in the frame region.