Thin film sensor, capacitive touch panel having the same and preparation method thereof and terminal product

• US 9,285,405 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Anhui Jingzhuo Optical Display Technology Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Shenzhen O-Film Tech Company Limited
• Inventors: Cheng, Zhizheng, Meng, Kai, Tang, Genchu
• Primary Examiner(s): Haley, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Iluyomade, Ifedayo
• Application Number:
  US14/000,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20140111708A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/2605 Measuring capacitance capacitive sensors G01D5/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1692 the I/O peripheral being a secondary touch screen used as control interface, e.g. virtual buttons or sliders
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49105 Switch making

Abstract

The present invention relates to a thin film sensor, capacitive touch panel having the sensor and preparation method thereof and terminal product. The thin film sensor of the present invention has only one optically conductive substrate. Specifically, only one optically transparent substrate is used, a sensing electrode layer and a driving electrode layer are coated on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate, respectively, which helps to reduce the thickness of the thin film sensor on one hand, thus contributes to the development of light and thin of a touch panel and touch electronics; on the other hand, the material selection and the preparation process are simple, the selection of two substrates is not necessary to prepare two optically conductive thin film.

Claims

1. A preparation method for a capacitive touch panel, the capacitive touch panel comprising:

a cover lens provided with a window frame on a surface thereof;

the window frame being fabricated on a surface of the cover lens by screen printing;

a thin film sensor comprising a sensing electrode layer, and a driving electrode layer, and an optically transparent substrate;

a surface of the cover lens having the window frame being bonded to the sensing electrode layer of the thin film sensor by optical glue;

the substrate having two surfaces, the sensing electrode layer and the driving electrode layer being coated on the two surfaces, respectively;

the substrate being a single layer film; and

the sensing electrode layer being closer to the cover lens compared to the driving electrode layer;

the method comprising preparing the thin film sensor by;

coating two surfaces of the substrate with an optically transparent electrode material;

etching the electrode material located on one surface of the substrate to form a sensing electrode pattern;

etching the electrode material located on the other surface of the substrate to form a driving electrode pattern; and

preparing the sensing electrode layer and the driving electrode layer by coating said two surfaces of the substrate with an ITO conductive film;

bonding a first portion of a printed circuit board to the thin film sensor above the sensing electrode pattern using an anisotropic conductive adhesive; and

bonding a second portion of the printed circuit board to the thin film sensor below the driving electrode pattern using an anisotropic conductive adhesive.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a single layer PET film.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the substrate is in the range of 0.05 to 0.2 mm.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sensing electrode layer and the driving electrode layer are both provided with metal electrode traces on surfaces thereof away from the substrate.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the surface having the window frame and the sensing electrode layer are bonded by optical glue.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the optically transparent electrode material is coated on two surfaces of the thin film substrate by vacuum evaporation and magnetron sputtering.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the bonding steps are carried out by:

bonding the first portion of the printed circuit board directly to a first metal electrode trace using the anisotropic conductive adhesive, the first metal electrode trace being located between the first portion of the printed circuit board and the sensing electrode pattern; and

bonding the second portion of the printed circuit board directly to a second metal electrode trace using the anisotropic conductive adhesive, the second metal electrode trace being located between the second portion of the printed circuit board and the driving electrode pattern.