SILVER NANOWIRE TOUCH SENSOR COMPONENT

• US 20180032169A1
• Filed: 03/26/2015
• Published: 02/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kwak, Dong Yeung, Cancel Olmo, Ramon C., Li, Jue
• Application Number:
  US14/915,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20180032169A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• 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

Apparatus and/or methods may provide a substrate and a sensor pattern formed on the substrate based on a visibility level for a touch sensor application. The sensor pattern may include a specified inter-pattern spacing and a specified pattern width to provide the visibility level. For example, the specified inter-pattern spacing may be between about 1 μm and about 60 μm and the specified pattern width may be between about 1 μm and about 250 μm to provide the visibility level for a touch screen sensor application. The sensor pattern may be included in a periodical repeat of sensor patterns. The sensor pattern may include silver nanowire networks, and may not to be observable by visual inspection.

Claims

1-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A touch sensor component comprising:

a substrate; and

two or more sensor patterns formed on the substrate based on a visibility level for a touch screen sensor application, wherein the two or more sensor patterns each include a specified inter-pattern spacing and a specified pattern width to provide the visibility level, and wherein the two or more sensor patterns are each to include silver nanowire networks and are not to be observable by visual inspection.

27. The touch sensor component of claim 26, wherein the substrate includes one or more of a glass material and a polymer material.

28. The touch sensor component of claim 26, wherein the substrate and the two or more patterns are to be included in a touch sensor structure for a capacitance touch sensor.

29. The touch sensor component of claim 28, wherein the touch sensor structure is to include a portion of the two or more patterns being coupled in a dark area of a touch screen to form a subset of patterns, wherein the subset of patterns are to include a reduced resistance relative to a resistance of the portion of the two or more patterns taken individually.

30. The touch sensor component of claim 26, further including a specified pattern periodicy including a period of at least one sensor pattern, wherein the two or more sensor patterns are to include a same specified size of the specified inter-pattern spacing and a same specified size of the specified pattern width when the specified periodicy is to include a period of one sensor pattern to provide a periodical repeat of sensor patterns.

31. The touch sensor component of claim 26, wherein the visibility level is to include a specified average visibility level determined from a specified pitch for a first sensor pattern and a specified pitch for a second sensor pattern.

32. The touch sensor component of claim 31, further including a specified average pitch based on an average of variables of the specified pitch for the first sensor pattern with corresponding variables of the specified pitch for the second sensor pattern, wherein the average visibility level is to be determined based on the average pitch.

33. The touch sensor component of claim 26, further including a dummy pattern interspersed between two sensor patterns of the two or more sensor patterns.

34. The touch sensor component of claim 26, wherein the specified inter-pattern spacing is to be between about 1 μ

m and about 60 μ

m and the specified pattern width is to be between about 1 μ

m and about 250 μ

m to provide the visibility level.

35. The touch sensor component of claim 34, wherein the specified inter-pattern spacing is to be between about 1 μ

m and about 30 μ

m and the specified pattern width is to be between about 1 μ

m and about 100 μ

m to provide the visibility level that is to be substantially the same as a visibility level of an indium tin oxide touch screen sensor material.

36. A method to form and/or to implement a touch sensor component comprising:

providing a substrate;

determining a fabrication rule based at least on a visibility level for a touch screen sensor application, wherein the fabrication rule specifies an inter-pattern spacing and a pattern width to provide the visibility level; and

forming two or more sensor patterns on the substrate based on the fabrication rule, wherein the two or more sensor patterns each include silver nanowire networks and are not observable by visual inspection.

37. The method of claim 36, further including:

forming a touch sensor structure including the substrate and the two or more sensor patterns; and

utilizing the touch sensor structure in a capacitance touch sensor implementation.

38. The method of claim 36, further including coupling a portion of the two or more patterns in a dark area of a touch screen to form a subset of patterns, wherein the subset of patterns includes a reduced resistance relative to a resistance of the portion of the two or more patterns taken individually.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein the fabrication rule is to further specify a periodicy including a period of at least one sensor pattern, wherein the two or more sensor patterns include a same size of the inter-pattern spacing and a same size of the pattern width when the specified periodicy includes a period of one sensor pattern to provide a periodical repeat of sensor patterns.

40. The method of claim 36, further including:

specifying a pitch for a first sensor pattern and a pitch for a second pattern; and

determining an average visibility level from the pitch for the first sensor pattern and the pitch for the second sensor pattern.

41. The method of claim 40, further including:

averaging variables of the pitch for the first sensor pattern with corresponding variables of the pitch for the second sensor pattern to determine an average pitch; and

determining the average visibility level based on the average pitch.

42. The method of claim 36, wherein the fabrication rule specifies that the inter-pattern spacing is between about 1 μ

m and about 60 μ

m and the pattern width is between about 1 μ

m and about 250 μ

m to provide the visibility level for the touch screen sensor application.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the fabrication rule specifies that the inter-pattern spacing is between about 1 μ

m and about 30 μ

m and the pattern width is between about 1 μ

m and about 100 μ

m to provide the visibility level that is substantially the same as a visibility level of an indium tin oxide touch screen sensor material.

44. At least one computer readable storage medium comprising one or more instructions that when executed on a computing device cause the computing device to:

provide a substrate;

determine a fabrication rule based at least on a visibility level for a touch screen sensor application, wherein the fabrication rule is to specify an inter-pattern spacing and a pattern width to provide the visibility level; and

form two or more sensor patterns on the substrate based on the fabrication rule, wherein the two or more sensor patterns are each to include silver nanowire networks and are not to be observable by visual inspection.

45. The at least one medium of claim 44, wherein when executed the one or more instructions cause the computing device to:

form a touch sensor structure that is to include the substrate and the two or more sensor patterns; and

utilize the touch sensor structure in a capacitance touch sensor implementation.

46. The at least one medium of claim 44, wherein when executed the one or more instructions cause the computing device to couple a portion of the two or more patterns in a dark area of a touch screen to form a subset of patterns, wherein the subset of patterns is to include a reduced resistance relative to a resistance of the portion of the two or more patterns taken individually.

47. The at least one medium of claim 44, wherein the fabrication rule is to further specify a periodicy including a period of at least one sensor pattern, wherein the two or more sensor patterns are to include a same size of the inter-pattern spacing and a same size of the pattern width when the specified periodicy is to include a period of one sensor pattern to provide a periodical repeat of sensor patterns.

48. The least one medium of claim 44, wherein the fabrication rule is to specify that the inter-pattern spacing is to be between about 1 μ

m and about 60 μ

m and the pattern width is to be between about 1 μ

m and about 250 μ

m to provide the visibility level for the touch screen sensor application.

49. The least one medium of claim 48, wherein the fabrication rule is to specify that the inter-pattern spacing is to be between about 1 μ

m and about 30 μ

m and the pattern width is to be between about 1 μ

m and about 100 μ

m to provide the visibility level that is to be substantially the same as a visibility level of an indium tin oxide touch screen sensor material.