Touch device and fabrication method thereof

• US 8,952,903 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2011
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TPK Touch Solutions (Xiamen) Inc. (TPK Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: TPK Touch Solutions (Xiamen) Inc. (TPK Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ho, Kwan-Sin, Zhang, Hao
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin M
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALMEIDA, CORY A
• Application Number:
  US13/205,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20120235927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 2203/04111 Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• 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: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

A touch device is provided. The touch device, having a sensing area and a peripheral area, includes a touch-sensing layer, a shielding layer disposed at the peripheral area of and separated from the touch-sensing layer, and an insulating layer disposed between the touch-sensing layer and the shielding layer. Moreover, a fabrication method of a touch device is provided.

Claims

1. A touch device, having a sensing area and a peripheral area surrounding the sensing area, the touch device comprising:

a substrate;

a touch-sensing layer disposed on a bottom surface of the substrate, wherein the touch-sensing layer comprises at least one sensing electrode and at least one signal conveying trace, a major part of the sensing electrode is disposed at the sensing area, and the signal conveying trace is electrically insulated from the shielding layer by the insulating layer, and a major part of the signal conveying trace is disposed at the peripheral area, and the signal conveying trace is electrically connected with the sensing electrode;

a shielding layer disposed on the bottom surface of the substrate and substantially formed at the peripheral area, wherein the shielding layer has a shape surrounding the touch-sensing layer; and

an insulating layer disposed on the bottom surface of the substrate and between the touch-sensing layer and the shielding layer, wherein the shielding layer comprises an induced layer and a conductive layer, a gap is defined between a side portion of the induced layer and a side portion of the sensing electrode, the insulating layer is filled into the gap and covers a portion of a bottom surface of the induced layer, and the conductive layer is disposed on an uncovered portion of the bottom surface of the induced layer to electrically connect with the induced layer.

2. The touch device of claim 1, further comprising a mask layer, wherein the mask layer is disposed on the bottom surface of the substrate and at the peripheral area.

3. The touch device of claim 2, wherein the shielding layer is substantially covered by the mask layer, and the shielding layer and the mask layer are formed into a ring shape surrounding the touch-sensing layer.

4. A touch device, having a sensing area and a peripheral area surrounding the sensing area, the touch device comprising:

a substrate;

a sensing electrode disposed on a bottom surface of the substrate and at the sensing area;

a mask layer disposed on the bottom surface of the substrate and at the peripheral area;

a signal conveying trace electrically connected to the sensing electrode and covered by the mask layer;

a shielding layer disposed on the bottom surface of the substrate and substantially formed at the peripheral area, wherein the shielding layer has a shape surrounding the touch-sensing layer, and the shielding layer comprises an induced layer and a conductive layer;

wherein

the induced layer is covered by the mask layer, and the conductive layer is electrically connected with the induced layer; and

an insulating layer disposed on the bottom surface of the substrate, wherein the insulating layer is located between the induced layer and the signal conveying trace and between the induced layer and the sensing electrode, wherein a gap is defined between a side portion of the induced layer and a side portion of the sensing electrode, the insulating layer is filled into the gap and covers a portion of a bottom surface of the induced layer, and the conductive layer is disposed on a uncovered portion of the bottom surface of the induced layer to electrically connect with the induced layer.

5. The touch device of claim 4, wherein the sensing electrode comprises a plurality of first strip-shaped patterns having a gradually decreased width and a plurality of second strip-shaped patterns having a gradually increased width, and the first strip-shaped patterns and the second strip-shaped patterns are alternately arranged.

6. The touch device of claim 4, wherein the sensing electrode comprises a plurality of first sensing electrodes arranged in columns and a plurality of second sensing electrodes arranged in rows, and the first sensing electrodes are connected with each other and the second sensing electrodes are separated from each other.

7. The touch device of claim 6, further comprising:

a bridging line electrically connecting any two adjacent second sensing electrodes together; and

an isolation portion disposed between the first sensing electrode and the bridging line.

8. The touch device of claim 4, wherein the sensing electrode and the induced layer are made of the same material comprising a transparent conductive material.

9. The touch device of claim 4, wherein the signal conveying trace and the conductive layer are made of the same material comprising a metal material, and the signal conveying trace is electrically insulated from the conductive layer.

10. The touch device of claim 4, wherein the shapes of the mask layer, the induced layer and the conductive layer comprise a ring surrounding the sensing electrode.

11. The touch device of claim 4, further comprising:

a passivation layer entirely disposed over the substrate, covering the sensing electrode, the mask layer, the signal conveying trace, the induced layer, and the conductive layer; and

a display panel bonded with the passivation layer.

12. A method for fabricating a touch device, wherein the touch device has a sensing area and a peripheral area surrounding the sensing area, comprising:

forming a touch-sensing layer on a bottom surface of a substrate, wherein the touch-sensing layer comprises at least one sensing electrode and at least one signal conveying trace;

forming a shielding layer on the bottom surface of the substrate and substantially at the peripheral area, wherein the shielding layer has a shape surrounding the touch-sensing layer and is separated from the touch-sensing layer; and

forming an insulating layer on the bottom surface of the substrate and between the touch-sensing layer and the shielding layer, wherein the shielding layer comprises an induced layer and a conductive layer, a gap is defined between a side portion of the induced layer and a side portion of the sensing electrode, the insulating layer is filled into the gap and covers a portion of a bottom surface of the induced layer, and the conductive layer is disposed on a uncovered portion of the bottom surface of the induced layer to electrically connect with the induced layer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein in the step of forming a touch-sensing layer, a major part of the sensing electrode is formed at the sensing area, and the signal conveying trace is electrically insulated from the shielding layer by the insulating layer, and a major part of the signal conveying trace is formed at the peripheral area, and the signal conveying trace is electrically connected with the sensing electrode.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of forming the sensing electrode comprises forming a plurality of first strip-shaped patterns with a gradually decreased width and forming a plurality of second strip-shaped patterns with a gradually increased width, and the first strip-shaped patterns and the second strip-shaped patterns are alternately arranged.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising a forming process simultaneously forming the sensing electrode and the induced layer.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the sensing electrode and the induced layer are made of the same material comprising a transparent conductive material, and the signal conveying trace is electrically insulated from the conductive layer.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising a forming process simultaneously forming the signal conveying trace and the conductive layer.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the signal conveying trace and the conductive layer are made of the same material comprising a metal material.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the insulating layer is formed between the induced layer and the sensing electrode and between the induced layer and the signal conveying trace.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of forming the sensing electrode comprises:

forming a plurality of first sensing electrodes arranged in columns and forming a plurality of second sensing electrodes arranged in rows, wherein the first sensing electrodes are connected with each other and the second sensing electrodes are separated from each other;

forming a bridging line to electrically connect any two adjacent second sensing electrodes in a same row together; and

forming an isolation portion between the first sensing electrode and the bridging line.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the bridging line, the signal conveying trace and the conductive layer are simultaneously formed by a same process.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the isolation portion and the insulating layer are simultaneously formed by a same process.

23. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

forming a mask layer on the bottom surface of the substrate, wherein the mask layer is formed at the peripheral area.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the shielding layer is substantially covered by the mask layer, and the shielding layer and the mask layer are formed into a ring shape surrounding the touch-sensing layer.

25. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

blanketly forming a passivation layer to cover the touch-sensing layer and the shielding layer; and

providing a display panel to bond with the passivation layer.