Touch panel and display device

• US 8,933,909 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2012
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Saito, Nobuyoshi, Fukuzawa, Hideaki, Fuji, Yoshihiko, Hara, Michiko, Yamaguchi, Hajime, Giddings, Devin
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Xie, Kwin
• Application Number:
  US13/479,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20130076687A1
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04146 using pressure sensitive conductive elements delivering a boolean signal and located between crossing sensing lines, e.g. located between X and Y sensing line layers

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a touch panel includes first interconnections, second interconnections, sensor units and a control unit. The first interconnections are arranged along a first direction, and extend along a second direction intersecting with the first direction. The second interconnections are arranged along a third direction intersecting with the first direction, and extend along a fourth direction intersecting with the third direction. The sensor units are provided in intersection portions of the first and second interconnections, include first and second ferromagnetic layers, and an intermediate layer, allow a current to be passed, and have one end connected to the first interconnections and another end connected to the second interconnections. The control unit is connected to the first and second interconnections. An electric resistance of the sensor units changes in accordance with a stress applied. The control unit senses a change in the electric resistance.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a touch panel including;

a plurality of first interconnections arranged along a first direction, each of the first interconnections extending along a second direction intersecting with the first direction;

a plurality of second interconnections arranged along a third direction intersecting with the first direction, each of the second interconnections extending along a fourth direction intersecting with the third direction;

a plurality of sensor units each provided in an intersection portion between each of the first interconnections and each of the second interconnections, each of the sensor units including a first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer, and an intermediate layer containing a nonmagnetic material, allowing a current to be passed between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer via the intermediate layer, having one end connected to each of the first interconnections, and having another end connected to each of the second interconnections; and

a control unit connected to the first interconnections and the second interconnections,

an electric resistance between the first ferromagnetic layer of each of the sensor units and the second ferromagnetic layer of each of the sensor units being configured to change between a high resistance value and a low resistance value lower than the high resistance value in accordance with a stress applied to the sensor units,

the control unit being configured to sense a change in the electric resistance in the sensor units;

a first transistor provided in each of the intersection portions;

a pixel electrode provided in each of the intersection portions and directly or indirectly connected to one end of each of the first transistors; and

an optical layer configured to emit light or change an optical property of the optical layer including at least one of birefringence, optical rotation, scattering, diffraction, and absorption based on a charge supplied to the pixel electrode via the first transistor,

wherein

a gate of each of the first transistors is connected to each of the first interconnection,

another end of each of the plurality of first transistors is connected to each of the plurality of second interconnections,

the low resistance value is higher than an electric resistance between the one end of the first transistors and the other end of the first transistors when a portion between the one end of the first transistors and the other end of the first transistors is in a conduction state, and

the high resistance value is lower than an electric resistance between the one end of the first transistors and the other end of the first transistors when a portion between the one end of the first transistors and the other end of the first transistors is in a non-conduction state.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein

the low resistance value is higher than 1 megaohm and

the high resistance value is lower than 1 teraohm.

3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of scan interconnections for displaying, the scan interconnections for displaying being arranged along the first direction, each of the scan interconnections for displaying extending along the second direction,

a gate of each of the first transistors being connected to each of the scan interconnections for displaying,

another end of each of the first transistors being connected to each of the second interconnections.

4. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of signal interconnections for displaying, the signal interconnections for displaying being arranged along the third direction, each of the signal interconnections for displaying extending along the fourth direction,

a gate of each of the first transistors being connected to each of the first interconnections,

another end of each of the first transistors being connected to each of the signal interconnections for displaying.

5. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of scan interconnections for displaying; and

a plurality of signal interconnections for displaying,

the scan interconnections for displaying being arranged along the first direction, each of the scan interconnections for displaying extending along the second direction,

the signal interconnections for displaying being arranged along the third direction, each of the signal interconnections for displaying extending along the fourth direction,

the gate of each of the first transistors being connected to each of the scan interconnections for displaying,

another end of each of the first transistors being connected to each of the signal interconnections for displaying.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein a length of the sensor units along a first axis perpendicular to a stacking direction from the first ferromagnetic layer toward the second ferromagnetic layer is not more than 5 micrometers and a length of the sensor units along a second axis perpendicular to the stacking direction and perpendicular to the first axis is not more than 5 micrometers.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein an area of each of the sensor units in a plane including the first direction and the second direction is not more than 5% of an area of each of the pixel electrodes in the plane.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the optical layer contains a liquid crystal.

9. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of third interconnections; and

a plurality of second transistors,

the gate of each of the second transistors being connected to the one end of each of the first transistors,

one end of each of the second transistors being connected to each of the pixel electrodes,

another end of each of the second transistors being connected to each of the third interconnections,

the optical layer containing an organic light emitting material.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein

at least one of the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer includes at least one of Fe, Co, and Ni and

the intermediate layer includes at least one of an oxide of at least one of Mg, Al, and Ti and a nitride of at least one of Mg, Al, and Ti.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the intermediate layer is not less than 1 nanometer and not more than 3 nanometers.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein a magnetization direction of at least one ferromagnetic layer of the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer changes in accordance with the stress and an absolute value of a magnetostrictive coefficient of the at least one ferromagnetic layer is not less than 10⁻

5.

13. A display device comprising:

a touch panel including;

a plurality of first interconnections arranged along a first direction, each of the first interconnections extending along a second direction intersecting with the first direction;

a plurality of second interconnections arranged along a third direction intersecting with the first direction, each of the second interconnections extending along a fourth direction intersecting with the third direction;

a plurality of sensor units each provided in an intersection portion between each of the first interconnections and each of the second interconnections, each of the sensor units including a first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer, and an intermediate layer containing a nonmagnetic material, allowing a current to be passed between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer via the intermediate layer, having one end connected to each of the first interconnections, and having another end connected to each of the second interconnections; and

a control unit connected to the first interconnections and the second interconnections,

an electric resistance between the first ferromagnetic layer of each of the sensor units and the second ferromagnetic layer of each of the sensor units being configured to change between a high resistance value and a low resistance value lower than the high resistance value in accordance with a stress applied to the sensor units,

the control unit being configured to sense a change in the electric resistance in the sensor units;

a first transistor provided in each of the intersection portions;

a pixel electrode provided in each of the intersection portions and directly or indirectly connected to one end of each of the first transistors;

an optical layer configured to emit light or change an optical property of the optical layer including at least one of birefringence, optical rotation, scattering, diffraction, and absorption based on a charge supplied to the pixel electrode via the first transistor,

a first substrate;

a second substrate opposed to the first substrate; and

a plurality of protrusions provided on at least one of a surface of the first substrate opposed to the second substrate and a surface of the second substrate opposed to the first substrate,

the touch panel, the first transistors, and the pixel electrodes being provided on the surface of the first substrate opposed to the second substrate,

the optical layer being disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate,

each of the protrusions including a portion overlapping with the sensor unit when viewed from a direction perpendicular to a plane including the first direction and the second direction,

the protrusions being configured to transfer a stress applied to the first substrate and the second substrate to the sensor units.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the protrusions include a same material as a material used for a spacer defining a spacing between the first substrate and the second substrate.