Touch panel substrate having transparent conductive film

• US 6,473,235 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2001
• Issued: 10/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nippon Sheet Glass Company Limited (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Sheet Glass Company Limited (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Arai, Daisuke, Toyoshima, Takayuki, Anzaki, Toshiaki, Ogino, Etsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Spyrou, Cassandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lavarias, Arnel C.
• Application Number:
  US09/783,331
• Publication Number:
  US 20010040733A1
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 359/582, 359/585, 252/519.5, 252/520.1, 252/582, 252/583, 345/173, 200/512, 428/210, 428/336, 428/432, 428/701, 428/702, 257/72
• US Class Current: 359/585
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10018 comprising only one glass sheet
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10174 Coatings of a metallic or dielectric material on a constituent layer of glass or polymer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A transparent touch panel substrate comprising a transparent substrate and deposited thereon a transparent conductive metal oxide film which contains zinc, indium, and tin as metallic elements and is soluble in acids. The transparent conductive metal oxide film preferably contains zinc in an amount of from 40 to 65 atomic % based on all metals and contains indium in an amount of from 0.25 to 1.3 times the amount of tin on an atomic basis. The film preferably has a thickness of from 100 to 160 nm. Unlike the conventional substrate for resistive film type transparent touch panels which comprises a glass plate coated with a transparent conductive ITO film, the touch panel substrate of the invention combines three properties: high light transmittance; ease of processing in forming a transparent electrode by acid etching; and the transparent conductive film has a moderate sheet resistance of from 500 to 5,000Ω. It therefore realizes a touch panel which combines the three functions of having satisfactory display quality, being of the power-saving type, and enabling touch switch operations to be conducted without fail.

Claims

1. A transparent touch panel substrate comprising a transparent substrate and deposited thereon a transparent conductive metal oxide film which contains zinc, indium, and tin as metallic elements and is soluble in acids, wherein the transparent conductive metal oxide film contains zinc in an amount of from 40 to 65 atomic % based on all metals and contains indium in an amount of from 0.25 to 1.3 times the amount of tin on an atomic basis.

2. The transparent touch panel substrate of claim 1, wherein the transparent conductive metal oxide film has a thickness of from 100 to 160 nm.

3. The transparent touch panel substrate of claim 1, wherein the transparent substrate is a glass plate.

4. A resistive film type transparent touch panel having two substrates, one of which is the transparent touch panel substrate of claim 3.