Touch panel, liquid crystal display screen using the same, and methods for making the touch panel and the liquid crystal display screen

• US 8,390,580 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2009
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Inventors: Jiang, Kai-Li, Liu, Liang, Fan, Shou-Shan, Chen, Ga-Lane, Cheng, Jia-Shyong, Wu, Jeah-Sheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala, Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOWDHURY, AFROZA Y
• Application Number:
  US12/459,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20100007619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-175, 977/842, 977/952
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A liquid crystal display screen includes an upper board, a lower board opposite to the upper board, and a liquid crystal layer located between the upper board and the lower board. The upper board includes a touch panel. The touch panel includes an amount of transparent electrodes. At least one of the transparent electrodes includes a transparent carbon nanotube structure. The lower board includes a thin film transistor panel. The thin film transistor panel includes an amount of thin film transistors. Each of the thin film transistors includes a semiconducting layer. The semiconducting layer includes a semiconducting carbon nanotube structure.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display screen comprising:

an upper board comprising a touch panel, the touch panel comprising a plurality of transparent electrodes, at least one of the plurality of transparent electrodes comprises a transparent carbon nanotube structure, the transparent carbon nanotube structure comprises metallic carbon nanotubes;

a lower board comprising a thin film transistor panel, the thin film transistor panel comprising a plurality of thin film transistors, each of the plurality of thin film transistors comprises a semiconducting layer, the semiconducting layer comprises a semiconducting carbon nanotube structure, the semiconducting carbon nanotube structure comprises semiconducting carbon nanotubes, wherein at least one of the transparent carbon nanotube structure and the semiconducting carbon nanotube structure comprises an ordered carbon nanotube film, wherein the ordered carbon nanotube film comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes aligned along a same direction; and

a liquid crystal layer located between the upper board and the lower board.

2. The liquid crystal display screen of claim 1, wherein the plurality of carbon nanotubes are successive and commonly oriented and joined end to end by van der Waals attractive force.

3. The liquid crystal display screen of claim 1, wherein at least one of the transparent carbon nanotube structure and the semiconducting carbon nanotube structure comprises two or more stacked ordered carbon nanotube films and an angle between arranged directions of the carbon nanotubes in two adjacent stacked ordered carbon nanotube films is in a range from about 0°

to about 90°

.

4. The liquid crystal display screen of claim 1, wherein the ordered carbon nanotube film comprises a plurality of successively oriented carbon nanotube segments joined end to end by van der Waals attractive force therebetween, and each carbon nanotube segment comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes that are combined by van der Waals attractive force therebetween.

5. The liquid crystal display screen of claim 1, wherein the transparent carbon nanotube structure is a composite structure comprising at least one ordered carbon nanotube film and a polymer material infiltrated in the at least one ordered carbon nanotube film.

6. The liquid crystal display screen of claim 1, wherein the plurality of transparent electrodes comprise a plurality of first transparent electrodes and a plurality of second transparent electrodes;

the touch panel further comprises;

a first electrode plate comprising;

a first substrate,

the plurality of first transparent electrodes, spaced from each other, disposed on the first substrate and aligned along a first direction, and

a plurality of first signal wires, each of the first transparent electrodes is connected to one of the first signal wires;

a second electrode plate, spaced from the first electrode plate, comprising;

a second substrate,

the plurality of second transparent electrodes, spaced from each other, disposed on the second substrate and aligned along a second direction, and

a plurality of second signal wires, and each of the second transparent electrodes is connected to one of the second signal wires.

7. The liquid crystal display screen of claim 6, wherein the plurality of first transparent electrodes are substantially parallel to each other and uniformly spaced from each other, the plurality of second transparent electrodes are substantially parallel to each other and uniformly spaced from each other, and each of the first transparent electrodes and second transparent electrodes has a strip-shaped structure.

8. The liquid crystal display screen of claim 6, wherein a width of the transparent carbon nanotube structure is in a range from about 20 microns to about 250 microns.

9. The liquid crystal display screen of claim 6, wherein a distance between adjacent first transparent electrodes is in a range from about 20 microns to about 50 microns, a distance between adjacent second transparent electrodes is in a range from about 20 microns to about 50 microns.

10. The liquid crystal display screen of claim 6, wherein the carbon nanotubes in the first transparent electrodes are substantially arranged along the first direction, the carbon nanotubes in the second transparent electrodes are substantially arranged along the second direction.

11. The liquid crystal display screen of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of first transparent electrodes comprises a first end and a second end;

the first end of each of the plurality of first transparent electrodes is connected to an X-coordinate drive power source, the second end of each of the plurality of first transparent electrodes is connected to a sensor;

each of the plurality of second transparent electrodes comprises a first end and a second end;

the first end of each of the plurality of second transparent electrodes is connected to a Y-coordinate drive power source, the second end of each of the plurality of second transparent electrodes is grounded.

12. The liquid crystal display screen of claim 6, wherein the first signal wires and second signal wires comprise a material selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide, antimony tin oxide, conductive resin, carbon nanotubes, and combinations thereof.

13. The liquid crystal display screen of claim 1, wherein the upper board further comprises a first polarizing layer and a first alignment layer.

14. The liquid crystal display screen of claim 1, wherein the thin film transistor panel further comprises:

a third substrate;

a plurality of parallel source lines;

a plurality of parallel gate lines intersecting with the source lines; and

a plurality of gird regions defined by the source lines and gate lines, each of the plurality of grid regions comprising;

a pixel electrode; and

one of the plurality of thin film transistors, each thin film transistor further comprising;

a source electrode connected with one of the source lines defining the grid regions;

a drain electrode that is spaced from the source electrode and connected with the pixel electrode;

the semiconducting layer connected with the source electrode and the drain electrode; and

a gate electrode connected with one of the gate lines defining the grid regions, and the gate electrode is insulated from the source electrode, the drain electrode, and the semiconducting layer by an insulating layer.

15. The liquid crystal display screen of claim 1, wherein the lower board further comprises a second alignment layer and a second polarizing layer.

16. The liquid crystal display screen of claim 13, wherein the first polarizing layer comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes aligned approximately along a same direction.

17. The liquid crystal display screen of claim 15, wherein the second polarizing layer comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes aligned approximately along a same direction.

18. The liquid crystal display screen of claim 1, wherein the upper board further comprises a first polarizing layer and a first alignment layer;

the lower board further comprises a second alignment layer and a second polarizing layer;

wherein the first polarizing layer and the second polarizing layer both comprise a plurality of carbon nanotubes aligned approximately along a same direction, the carbon nanotubes in the first polarizing layer are substantially perpendicular to the carbon nanotubes in the second polarizing layer.

19. The liquid crystal display screen of claim 1, wherein the upper board further comprises a carbon nanotube layer configured for both polarizing light and aligning liquid crystals, wherein the carbon nanotube layer comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes substantially arranged along a direction.

20. A liquid crystal display screen comprising:

an upper board comprising a touch panel, the touch panel comprising a plurality of transparent electrodes, at least one of the plurality of transparent electrodes comprising a transparent carbon nanotube structure, the transparent carbon nanotube structure comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes oriented substantially along a same direction;

a lower board comprising a thin film transistor panel, the thin film transistor panel comprising a plurality of thin film transistors, each of the plurality of thin film transistors comprising a semiconducting layer, the semiconducting layer comprising a semiconducting carbon nanotube structure, the semiconducting carbon nanotube structure comprising a plurality of semiconducting carbon nanotubes; and

a liquid crystal layer located between the upper board and the lower board.

21. A liquid crystal display screen comprising:

an upper board comprising a resistance-type touch panel, the resistance-type touch panel comprising;

a first electrode plate comprising;

a first substrate,

a plurality of first transparent electrodes located on the first substrate, spaced from each other, and aligned along a first direction, and

a plurality of first signal wires, each of the first transparent electrodes being connected to one of the first signal wires;

a second electrode plate, spaced from the first electrode plate, comprising;

a second substrate,

a plurality of second transparent electrodes located on the second substrate, spaced from each other, and aligned along a second direction, both the second transparent electrodes and the first transparent electrodes comprising a transparent carbon nanotube structure, the transparent carbon nanotube structure comprising a plurality of carbon nanotube oriented substantially along a same direction, and

a plurality of second signal wires, each of the second transparent electrodes being connected to one of the second signal wires; and

a lower board comprising;

a thin film transistor panel, the thin film transistor panel comprising;

a plurality of thin film transistors, each of the plurality of thin film transistors comprising a semiconducting layer, the semiconducting layer comprising a semiconducting carbon nanotube structure, the semiconducting carbon nanotube structure comprising a plurality of semiconducting carbon nanotubes; and

a liquid crystal layer located between the upper board and the lower board;

wherein the first transparent electrodes contact the second transparent electrodes at a position where pressing occurs.