Transparent electroconductive film and touch panel

• US 6,787,253 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2002
• Issued: 09/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Inventors: Kusano, Yukihiro, Nishida, Mitsuhiro, Iwabuchi, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): STEIN, STEPHEN J
• Application Number:
  US10/156,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20030012955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 428/336, 428/689, 428/697, 428/698, 428/699, 428/701, 428/702, 428/480, 428/408, 345/173
• US Class Current: 428/698
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/265 1 mil or less
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/30 Self-sustaining carbon mass or layer with impregnant or other layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31667 Next to addition polymer from unsaturated monomers, or aldehyde or ketone condensation product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31786 Of polyester [e.g., alkyd, etc.]

Abstract

A provided transparent electroconductive film has a polymer film and a transparent electroconductive layer deposited on the polymer film, which has no problem of damages and removal of the transparent electroconductive layer. The transparent electroconductive film has a polymer film 4 and a transparent electroconductive layer 5 deposited on the polymer film 4. A protective layer 9 made of material different from that of the transparent electroconductive layer 5 is formed on the transparent electroconductive layer 5. A touch panel has the transparent electroconductive film as an upper electrode 6A or a lower electrode.

Claims

1. A transparent electroconductive film comprising a polymer film, a transparent electroconductive layer deposited on the polymer film, and a protective layer formed on the transparent electroconductive layer, said protective layer mainly consisting of at least one material selected from the group consisting of C, CN_x, BN_x, B_xC, and SiC_x.

2. A transparent electroconductive film as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transparent electroconductive layer is made of oxide, nitride or oxidized nitride of at least one material selected from the group consisting of Si, Ti, Sn, Nb, In, Mg, Ta and Zn.

3. A transparent electroconductive film as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protective layer has a thickness of 0.5 to 100 nm.

4. A transparent electroconductive film as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protective layer is formed by a physical vapor-depositing process selected from vacuum evaporation process, sputtering process, ion plating process, and laser abrasion process, or by a chemical vapor-depositing process.

5. A transparent electroconductive film as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protective layer is formed by coating the transparent electroconductive layer with a material of the protective layer as it is or with a liquid substance including the material of the protective layer and a solvent.

9. A transparent electroconductive film as claimed in claim 1, wherein a surface of the transparent electroconductive film where the protective layer is formed has 300 to 2000 Ω

/Sq. surface resistivity and not larger than 1.5% linearity value.

10. A transparent electroconductive film as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transparent electroconductive layer is one of indium oxide, a composite of indium oxide and tin oxide, and a composite of indium oxide and zinc oxide.

11. A touch panel provided with the transparent electroconductive film as claimed in claim 1.

12. A touch panel provided with the transparent electroconductive film as claimed in claim 2.

6. A transparent electroconductive film comprising a polymer film, a transparent electroconductive layer deposited on the polymer film, and a protective layer formed on the transparent electroconductive layer and being composed of a thin film made of SiC_x, SiC_xO_y, SiC_xN_z, or SiC_xO_yN_z deposited by sputtering of a SiC target.

7. A transparent electroconductive film as claimed in claim 6, wherein the SiC target has a density of not smaller than 2.9 g/cm³.

8. A transparent electroconductive film as claimed in claim 6, wherein the SiC target is prepared by sintering a mixture of SiC powder and a nonmetal-based sintering assistant.