Touch panel, method for making the same, and display device adopting the same

• US 8,542,212 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Issued: 09/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Inventors: Liu, Chang-Hong, Jiang, Kai-Li, Liu, Liang, Fan, Shou-Shan
• Primary Examiner(s): HINDI, NABIL Z
• Application Number:
  US12/286,228
• Publication Number:
  US 20090153516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,821 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.1, 345/173, 345/174, 428/1.4, 428/297.4, 428/411.1, 349/123, 205/159
• US Class Current: 345/174
• 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 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49105 Switch making

Abstract

A touch panel includes a first electrode plate, and a second electrode plate separated from the first electrode plate. The first electrode plate includes a first substrate and a first conductive layer located on a lower surface of the first substrate. The second electrode plate includes a second substrate and a second conductive layer located on an upper surface of the second substrate. At least one of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer includes a carbon nanotube layer. The carbon nanotubes in the carbon nanotube layer form a carbon nanotube floccule structure.

Claims

1. A touch panel comprising:

a first electrode plate comprising a first substrate and a first conductive layer located on a lower surface of the first substrate; and

a second electrode plate separated from the first electrode plate, and comprising a second substrate and a second conductive layer located on an upper surface of the second substrate;

wherein at least one of the first and second conductive layers comprises a carbon nanotube layer;

the carbon nanotube layer comprises a carbon nanotube floccule structure comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes, the plurality of carbon nanotubes in the carbon nanotube layer are isotropic, and a majority of adjacent carbon nanotubes of the plurality of carbon nanotubes are entangled with each other.

2. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein a thickness of the carbon nanotube layer approximately ranges from 0.5 nanometers to 100 micrometers.

3. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adjacent carbon nanotubes are adhered together by van der Waals attractive force therebetween, and form the carbon nanotube floccule structure having micropores.

4. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carbon nanotubes in the carbon nanotube layer are selected from the group consisting of single-walled carbon nanotubes, double-walled carbon nanotubes, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

5. The touch panel as claimed in claim 4, wherein diameters of the single-walled carbon nanotubes approximately ranges from 0.5 nanometers to 50 nanometers, diameters of the double-walled carbon nanotubes approximately ranges from 1 nanometer to 50 nanometers, and diameters of the multi-walled carbon nanotubes approximately ranges from 1.5 nanometers to 50 nanometers.

6. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first electrode plate further comprises two first-electrodes located separately at opposite ends of the first conductive layer thereof, a second direction is substantially perpendicular to a first direction, and each of the two first-electrodes is oriented along the second direction and electrically connected to the first conductive layer.

7. The touch panel as claimed in claim 6, wherein the second electrode plate further comprises two second-electrodes located separately at opposite ends of the second conductive layer thereof, and each of the two second-electrodes is oriented along the first direction and electrically connected to the second conductive layer.

8. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an insulative layer that insulates the first electrode plate from the second electrode plate.

9. The touch panel as claimed in claim 8, further comprising one or more dot spacers located between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.

10. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a shielding layer located on a lower surface of the second substrate, and a material of the shielding layer being selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxides, antimony tin oxides, and carbon nanotube films.

11. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a transparent protective film located on an upper surface of the first electrode plate, and a material of the transparent protective film being selected from the group consisting of silicon nitrides, silicon dioxides, benzocyclobutenes, polyester films, and polyethylene terephthalates.

18. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second conductive layers consists of a carbon nanotube layer, the carbon nanotube layer consists of a carbon nanotube floccule structure consisting of a plurality of carbon nanotubes.

12. A display device comprising:

a touch panel comprising;

a first electrode plate comprising a first substrate and a first conductive layer located on a lower surface of the first substrate;

a second electrode plate separated from the first electrode plate and comprising a second substrate and a second conductive layer located on an upper surface of the second substrate; and

wherein at least one of the first and second conductive layers comprises a carbon nanotube layer comprising a carbon nanotube floccule structure;

the carbon nanotube floccule structure consists of a plurality of carbon nanotubes, and the carbon nanotube floccule structure is isotropic; and

a display element opposite and adjacent to the touch panel.

13. The display device as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a first controller, a central processing unit, and a second controller;

wherein the display element is connected to the first controller, and the central processing unit is connected to the second controller.

14. The display device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the touch panel is spaced from the display element with a distance.

15. The display device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the touch panel is located on the display element.

16. The display device as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a passivation layer located on a surface of the touch panel, and a material of the passivation layer being selected from the group consisting of silicon nitride and silicon dioxide.

17. The touch panel as claimed in claim 12, wherein adjacent carbon nanotubes are entangled with each other, and the carbon nanotube floccule structure has a plurality of micropores defined by the plurality of carbon nanotubes.

19. A touch panel comprising:

a first electrode plate comprising a first substrate and a first conductive layer located on a lower surface of the first substrate; and

a second electrode plate separated from the first electrode plate, and comprising a second substrate and a second conductive layer located on an upper surface of the second substrate;

wherein at least one of the first and second conductive layers consists of a carbon nanotube layer;

the carbon nanotube layer consists of a carbon nanotube floccule structure consisting of a plurality of carbon nanotubes, a majority of adjacent carbon nanotubes of the plurality of carbon nanotubes are entangled with each other and adhered together by van der Waals attractive force therebetween, and the carbon nanotube floccule structure has a plurality of micropores defined by the plurality of carbon nanotubes.

20. The touch panel as claimed in claim 19, wherein the carbon nanotubes in the carbon nanotube layer are isotropic and a length of the carbon nanotubes is above 10 micrometers.

21. The touch panel as claimed in claim 19, wherein the micropores have a diameter less than 10 micrometers.

22. The touch panel as claimed in claim 19, further comprising one or more dot spacers located between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.

23. The touch panel as claimed in claim 19, wherein a thickness of the carbon nanotube layer approximately ranges from 0.5 nanometers to 100 micrometers.

24. The touch panel as claimed in claim 19, further comprising a shielding layer located on a lower surface of the second substrate, and a material of the shielding layer being selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxides, antimony tin oxides, and carbon nanotube films.