Touchscreen panel sensor film and manufacturing method thereof

• US 9,360,897 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2011
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Inventors: Takahashi, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): LEON MUNOZ, EDWIN A
• Application Number:
  US13/704,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20130175154A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,734 Days
• Field of Search: 200/600
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• 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 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• 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 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9622 using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard

Abstract

A touchscreen panel sensor film, with alignment marks or product information assigned thereto is formed so as to improve post-processing accuracy. The touchscreen panel sensor film includes a transparent base film and a transparent electrical conductor pattern provided on at least one surface of the base film, and achieves the improvement of post-processing accuracy by having alignment marks or product information in a non-active area on the sensor film.

Claims

1. A touchscreen panel sensor film, comprising:

a transparent base film; and

a transparent electrical conductor pattern provided on at least one surface of the base film;

wherein alignment marks or product information is formed on a non-active area of the sensor film.

2. The touchscreen panel sensor film according to claim 1, wherein the alignment marks or the product information includes either a two-layer film or a three-layer film;

the two-layer film comprising a transparent electrically conductive layer and a covering electrically conductive layer arranged in that order on the base film, and

the three-layer film comprising a transparent electrically conductive layer, an intermediate layer, and a covering electrically conductive layer arranged in that order on the base film.

3. The touchscreen panel sensor film according to claim 1, wherein the alignment marks or the product information includes either a two-layer film or a three-layer film;

the two-layer film comprising a transparent electrically conductive layer and a covering electrically conductive layer arranged in that order on the base film, and

the three-layer film comprising a transparent electrically conductive layer, an intermediate layer, and a covering electrically conductive layer arranged in that order on the base film;

the alignment marks or the product information being formed on both surfaces of the base film.

4. The touchscreen panel sensor film according to claim 1, wherein unit patterns each constituting individual products as a unit are formed by step-and-repeat imposition.

5. The touchscreen panel sensor film according to claim 4, wherein the alignment marks or the product information is formed for each of the unit patterns.

6. The touchscreen panel sensor film according to claim 4, wherein the alignment marks or the product information is formed for each of a predetermined number of sets of unit patterns formed by step-and-repeat imposition.

7. The touchscreen panel sensor film according to claim 1, wherein the alignment marks are used for purposes of sheet cutting, individual-piece cutting, individual-piece punching-through, FPC attaching, or position matching to a display panel.

8. The touchscreen panel sensor film according to claim 7, wherein the alignment marks are formed for each of the purposes.

9. The touchscreen panel sensor film according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the alignment marks is formed so as to fulfill at least two of the purposes.

10. The touchscreen panel sensor film according to claim 7, wherein the alignment marks includes an alignment mark formed so as to fulfill only one of the purposes, and an alignment mark formed so as to fulfill at least two of the purposes.

11. The touchscreen panel sensor film according to claim 1, wherein, the product information includes at least one kind of information among product name information, lot number information, manufacturing date information, and product grade information.

12. The touchscreen panel sensor film according to claim 11, wherein the product information is formed in a bar code format.

13. A method for manufacturing a touchscreen panel sensor film including

a transparent base film,

a transparent electrical conductor pattern provided on at least one surface of the base film, with a portion of the conductor pattern being linearly formed on the surface of the base film, and

alignment marks or/and product information formed in a non-active area,

the manufacturing method comprising the steps of:

forming a photosensitive layer having a photosensitive property, on a surface of a laminate including the base film, a transparent electrically conductive layer provided on at least one surface of the base film, and a covering electrically conductive layer provided on the transparent electrically conductive layer, the photosensitive layer being formed upon the covering electrically conductive layer;

exposing the photosensitive layer to light;

patterning a sensor portion, a terminal portion, electrical lead-out lines, and the alignment marks or/and the product information by developing the photosensitive layer;

patterning the covering electrically conductive layer by etching the covering electrically conductive layer, using the patterned photosensitive layer as a mask;

patterning the transparent electrically conductive layer by etching the transparent electrically conductive layer using the patterned photosensitive layer and the patterned covering electrically conductive layer as masks;

removing the patterned photosensitive layer;

forming another photosensitive layer on the patterned covering electrically conductive layer;

exposing the other photosensitive layer to light;

patterning the other photosensitive layer by means of development;

removing a portion of the patterned covering electrically conductive layer by etching the patterned covering electrically conductive layer, using the patterned other photosensitive layer as a mask, thereby forming the sensor portion; and

removing the patterned other photosensitive layer.

14. A method for manufacturing a touchscreen panel sensor film including

a transparent base film,

a transparent electrical conductor pattern provided on at least one surface of the base film, with a portion of the conductor pattern being linearly formed on the surface of the base film, and

alignment marks or/and product information formed in a non-active area,

the manufacturing method comprising the steps of:

forming a photosensitive layer having a photosensitive property, on a surface of a laminate including the base film, a transparent electrically conductive layer provided on at least one surface of the base film, and a covering electrically conductive layer provided on the transparent electrically conductive layer, the photosensitive layer being formed upon the covering electrically conductive layer;

exposing the photosensitive layer to light;

developing the photosensitive layer, thereby patterning a sensor portion, a terminal portion, electrical lead-out lines, and the alignment marks or/and the product information;

patterning the covering electrically conductive layer and the transparent electrically conductive layer by etching one surface of the laminate down to the transparent electrically conductive layer, using the patterned photosensitive layer as a mask;

removing the patterned photosensitive layer;

forming another photosensitive layer on the patterned covering electrically conductive layer;

exposing the other photosensitive layer to light;

patterning the other photosensitive layer by means of development;

removing a portion of the patterned covering electrically conductive layer by etching the patterned covering electrically conductive layer, using the patterned other photosensitive layer as a mask, thereby forming the sensor portion; and

removing the patterned other photosensitive layer.

15. A touchscreen panel sensor film, comprising:

a transparent base film;

transparent electrical conductor patterns provided on both surfaces of the base film; and

one pair of index portions formed in non-active areas on both surfaces of the sensor film, the index portion pair being constructed so that one of the paired index portions has a predetermined proximity relationship with respect to the other of the paired index portions.

16. The touchscreen panel sensor film according to claim 15, wherein the index portion pair includes either a two-layer film or a three-layer film;

the two-layer film comprising a transparent electrically conductive layer and a covering electrically conductive layer arranged in that order on the base film, and

the three-layer film comprising a transparent electrically conductive layer, an intermediate layer, and a covering electrically conductive layer arranged in that order on the base film.

17. The touchscreen panel sensor film according to claim 15, wherein:

one of the paired index portions includes an inner profile; and

the other of the paired index portions is at least partly disposed internally to the inner profile.

18. The touchscreen panel sensor film according to claim 15, wherein:

the paired index portions each include a plurality of unit index portions arranged at predetermined pitches in one direction; and

the pitch of the unit index portions of one of the paired index portions is different from that of the unit index portions of the other of the paired index portions.