Touch screen panel and fabrication method thereof

• US 9,001,052 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2010
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Rho, Soo-Guy, Cho, Se-Il, Yi, Chung, Lee, Jae-Hyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): MICHAUD, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US12/898,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20110227839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,645 Days
• Field of Search: 345/174, 345/173, 345/175, 345/156, 345/179, 340/12.22, 348/14.02, 348/552, 725/151
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 3/0443 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

Abstract

A touch screen panel including: a transparent substrate that incorporate a display region and a non-display region; first sensing patterns that are arranged in a first direction and include first sensing cells and first connection parts; second sensing patterns that are arranged in a second direction and include second sensing cells and second connection parts; an insulating layer that is formed on each of the second connection parts in an island shape; the second sensing cells contact the ends of exposed second connection parts; a plurality of first sensing cells that are arranged on the display region in the first direction intersecting with the second direction; connection parts that connect the adjacent first sensing cells to each other; and metal patterns that are formed in the non-display region and are connected to each of the sensing cells disposed at the ends of the display region.

Claims

1. A touch screen panel, comprising:

a transparent substrate that incorporates a display region and a non-display region formed at the outside of the display region;

first sensing patterns that are arranged in a first direction and include first sensing cells and first connection parts;

second sensing patterns that are arranged in a second direction and include second sensing cells and second connection parts;

an insulating layer comprising spatially separated first insulating portions, each first insulating portion having an island shape, and formed on the second connection parts to expose ends of the second connection parts;

metal patterns that are formed in the non-display region and are connected to each of the first sensing cells and the second sensing cells disposed at ends of the display region; and

a pair of auxiliary patterns that are disposed underneath the insulating layer and are spaced by an interval from both sides of the second connection parts,

wherein;

the second connection parts are arranged on the display region in the second direction,

the second sensing cells contact the exposed ends of the second connection parts to be electrically connected to each other,

the first sensing cells are arranged on the display region in the first direction to intersect with the second direction,

the first connection parts connect adjacent first sensing cells to each other and are formed on the insulating layer,

the auxiliary patterns are electrically connected to corresponding ones of the first sensing cells, and

at least a portion of the insulating layer is interposed between the pair of auxiliary patterns.

2. The touch screen panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein an upper portion of each metal pattern is further provided with a conductive protective layer made of a transparent conductive material.

3. The touch screen panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the insulating layer further comprises second insulating portions, each second insulating portion formed on a corresponding conductive protective layer to expose ends of the conductive protective layer.

4. The touch screen panel as claimed in claim 3, wherein, for each conductive protective layer, an exposed end of the conductive protective layer contacts a corresponding one of the first sensing cells or the second sensing cells disposed at an end of the display region.

5. The touch screen panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein each end of the pair of auxiliary patterns is exposed to the outside of a corresponding one of the first insulating portions.

6. The touch screen panel as claimed in claim 5, wherein each end of the auxiliary pattern contacts a corresponding one of the first sensing cells.

7. The touch screen panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second connection parts and the metal patterns are formed on a same level and are made of metal having a lower resistance value than that of a material forming the sensing cells.

8. The touch screen panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first sensing cells and second sensing cells are made of a transparent conductive material.

15. The touch screen panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the auxiliary patterns comprise a first portion extending in a direction parallel to the second connection parts and a second portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the second connection parts.

9. A fabrication method for a touch screen panel comprising first sensing patterns that are arranged in a first direction and include first sensing cells and first connection parts and second sensing patterns that are arranged in a second direction and include second sensing cells and second connection parts, a transparent substrate that incorporates a display region and a non-display region formed at the outside of the display region and an insulation layer, the method comprising:

forming the second connection parts arranged in the second direction on the display region of the transparent substrate;

forming an insulating layer comprising spatially separated first insulating portions on the second connection parts, each first insulating portion having an island shape to expose ends of the second connection parts;

forming the second sensing cells that are arranged in the second direction and contact the exposed ends of the second connection parts to be electrically connected to each other;

arranging the first sensing cells on the display region in the first direction to intersect with the second direction; and

further comprising

forming a pair of auxiliary patterns that are positioned under the insulating layer and are spaced by an interval from a corresponding side of the second connection parts,

wherein the first connection parts that connect adjacent first sensing cells to each other are formed on the insulating layer, the auxiliary patterns are electrically connected to corresponding ones of the first sensing cells, and at least a portion of the insulating layer is interposed between the pair of auxiliary patterns.

10. The fabrication method of the touch screen panel as claimed in claim 9, further comprising forming metal patterns in the non-display region and electrically connecting each of the metal patterns to a corresponding one of the first sensing cells or the second sensing cells disposed at an end of the display region.

11. The fabrication method of the touch screen panel as claimed in claim 10, wherein the second connection parts and the metal patterns are formed on a same level in a same process and are made of metal having a lower resistance value than that of a material forming the sensing cells.

12. The fabrication method of the touch screen panel as claimed in claim 10, further comprising forming conductive protective layers that are made of transparent conductive materials on upper portions of each of the metal patterns.

13. The fabrication method of the touch screen panel as claimed in claim 12, wherein the forming the insulating layer further comprises forming second insulation portions on each of the conductive protective layers and exposing the ends of the conductive protective layers.

14. The fabrication method of the touch screen panel as claimed in claim 9, wherein each end of the pair of auxiliary patterns is exposed to the outside of a corresponding one of insulating portions and each end of the exposed auxiliary patterns contacts a corresponding one of the first sensing cells.