Touch screen panel integrated into liquid crystal display, method of manufacturing the same, and touch sensing method

• US 8,860,669 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2009
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Eok-su, Choi, Jae-young, Choi, Won-mook, Choi, Duk-hyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khoo, Stacy
• Application Number:
  US12/431,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20100103121A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,994 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 349/12, 349/13, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/18.05
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133512 Light shielding layers, e.g. black matrix G02F1/136209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13394 spacers regularly patterned on the cell subtrate, e.g. walls, pillars G02F1/133377 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells

Abstract

A touch screen panel includes: a first substrate and a second substrate, which face each other with respect to a liquid crystal interposed therebetween; and a touch sensor interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate. The touch sensor includes: a plurality of first touch signal lines disposed on the first substrate and extending in a first direction; a protective layer disposed on the first substrate, the protective layer including a dielectric material and substantially the plurality of first touch signal lines; a plurality of contact pads disposed on the protective layer; a plurality of second touch signal lines disposed on the second substrate and extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and a plurality of touch sensor spacers electrically connected to the plurality of second touch signal lines. A gap between the touch sensor spacers and the plurality of contact pads is defined, and the spacers are disposed to face the plurality of contact pads.

Claims

1. A touch screen panel comprising:

a first substrate and a second substrate, which face each other with respect to a liquid crystal interposed therebetween; and

a touch sensor interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the touch sensor comprises a plurality of first touch signal lines disposed on the first substrate and extending in a first direction;

a protective layer disposed on the first substrate, the protective layer comprising a dielectric material which substantially covers the plurality of first touch signal lines and forms a capacitor of the touch sensor;

a plurality of contact pads disposed on the protective layer;

a plurality of second touch signal lines disposed on the second substrate and extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, a capacitive change between the plurality of contact pads and the plurality of the first touch signal lines being sensed through a sensing circuit which are connected to one of the plurality of the first touch signal lines and the plurality of the second touch signal lines;

a plurality of touch sensor spacers electrically connected to the plurality of second touch signal lines, wherein a gap between the touch sensor spacers and the plurality of contact pads is defined, and the touch sensor spacers are disposed to face the plurality of contact pads, and wherein the second substrate includes a black matrix, which comprises a conductive material and a portion of the black matrix is used as the second touch signal lines;

a color filter on the second substrate to cover the black matrix, the color filter having an opening exposing the portion of the black matrix;

a column part on an exposed surface of the portion of the black matrix by the opening;

a conductive film on a surface of the column part, the conductive film electrically connected to the portion of the black matrix; and

a common electrode on the color filter, the common electrode including a transparent conductive material,

wherein the common electrode and the conductive film is separated and insulated from each other by the opening.

2. The touch screen panel of claim 1, wherein one of the first touch signal lines and the second touch signal lines are scan lines and the other of the first touch signal lines and the second touch signal lines are sensing lines.

3. The touch screen panel of claim 1, wherein the black matrix comprises a metal, a metal oxide or a mixture thereof.

4. The touch screen panel of claim 1, wherein the common electrode and the conductive film are made of same material.

5. The touch screen panel of claim 1, wherein the opening is defined around the conductive film on the touch sensor spacers for insulating the conductive film from the common electrode.

6. The touch screen panel of claim 1, wherein the first substrate comprises a plurality of gate lines, a plurality of data lines disposed substantially perpendicular to each other and a thin film transistor, and wherein the first touch signal lines extend in a direction parallel to the gate lines.

7. The touch screen panel of claim 6, wherein the protective layer substantially covers the gate lines, the data lines and the TFT, and a plurality of pixel electrodes electrically connected to a drain electrode of the TFT is disposed on the protective layer.

8. The touch screen panel of claim 6, wherein the pixel electrodes and the contact pads comprise a transparent conductive material.

9. The touch screen panel of claim 1, further comprising a supporting spacer between the first substrate and the second substrate for maintaining a cell gap therebetween, wherein the touch sensor spacers have a height, which is less than a height of the supporting spacer.

10. A method of manufacturing a touch screen panel, the method comprising:

disposing on a first substrate a plurality of first touch signal lines extending in a first direction;

disposing on the first substrate a protective layer comprising a dielectric material, which substantially covers the first touch signal lines and forms a capacitor of the touch sensor;

disposing a plurality of contact pads on the protective layer;

disposing on a second substrate a black matrix comprising a conductive material and extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, a capacitive change between the plurality of contact pads and the plurality of the first touch signal lines being sensed through a sensing circuit which is connected to one of the plurality of the first touch signal lines and the plurality of the second touch signal lines;

disposing on a surface of the black matrix a plurality of touch sensor spacers respectively corresponding to the plurality of contact pads;

combining the first substrate and the second substrate to face each other so as to define a gap between the contact pads and the touch sensor spacers; and

disposing a liquid crystal in a space between the first substrate and the second substrate, and

wherein the disposing of the plurality of touch sensor spacers comprises;

disposing color filters on the second substrate to substantially cover the black matrix;

patterning the color filters to define an opening partially exposing the black matrix;

disposing a column part of the touch sensor spacers on the surface of the black matrix exposed through the openings;

disposing a transparent conductive material on a surface of the color filters and a surface of the column part to form a common electrode on the surface of the color filters and a conductive film on the surface of the column part; and

removing the transparent conductive material disposed on the opening so as to insulate the common electrode on the surface of the color filters from the conductive film on the surface of the column part.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the disposing of the plurality of first touch signal lines comprises disposing a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines disposed to cross each other, and a TFT disposed at each intersection of the gate lines and the data lines on the first substrate.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the disposing of the plurality of contact pads comprises disposing a plurality of pixel electrodes electrically connected to a drain electrode of the TFT on the protective layer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the contact pads and the pixel electrodes comprise a transparent conductive material.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the disposing of the column part comprises simultaneously disposing a supporting spacer on the surface of the color filter.