Structure for pixelated self-capacitance

• US 10,268,295 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2014
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Yang, Byung Duk, Huang, Chun-Yao, Kim, Kyung-Wook, Chang, Shih-Chang, Lee, Szuhsien, Kim, Yong Kwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Carolyn R
• Application Number:
  US15/304,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20170038876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• 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 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• 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 having layers. The touch screen can include a substrate upon which the layers of the touch screen are disposed, and a touch region including a touch pixel electrode, a first display sub-pixel and a second display sub-pixel. The touch screen can also include a sense connection coupled to touch sensing circuitry. An intermediate connection can be disposed between the touch pixel electrode and the sense connection, and can be coupled to the sense connection at the first display sub-pixel and the touch pixel electrode at the second display sub-pixel. In some examples, the sense connection can be disposed at least partially underneath a structure in the first display sub-pixel, such as a data line. In some examples, the intermediate connection can be comprised of a same material type as a structure in the first display sub-pixel, such as a gate line material.

Claims

1. A touch screen having layers, the touch screen comprising:

a substrate upon which the layers of the touch screen are disposed;

a touch region including a touch pixel electrode, a first display sub-pixel and a second display sub-pixel;

a sense connection coupled to touch sensing circuitry, the sense connection disposed between the touch pixel electrode and the substrate; and

an intermediate connection disposed between the touch pixel electrode and the sense connection, the intermediate connection being electrically coupled to;

the sense connection at the first display sub-pixel, and

the touch pixel electrode at the second display sub-pixel.

2. The touch screen of claim 1, wherein:

the intermediate connection is coupled to the sense connection at the first display sub-pixel by a first via, and

the intermediate connection is coupled to the touch pixel electrode at the second display sub-pixel by a second via.

3. The touch screen of claim 2, wherein the first via and the second via reside in different layers of the touch screen.

4. The touch screen of claim 1, further comprising:

a first structure; and

a third display sub-pixel in the touch region, wherein;

the first display sub-pixel includes the first structure,

the third display sub-pixel includes the first structure, and

the sense connection is disposed between the first structure and the substrate, and underneath the first structure in the third display sub-pixel and partially underneath the first structure in the first display sub-pixel.

5. The touch screen of claim 4, wherein the first structure comprises a data line.

6. The touch screen of claim 1, wherein:

the first display sub-pixel includes a first structure of a first material type,

the second display sub-pixel includes a second structure of the first material type, and

the intermediate connection comprises the intermediate connection of the first material type.

7. The touch screen of claim 6, wherein:

the first structure comprises a first gate line portion of a gate line material,

the second structure comprises a second gate line portion of the gate line material, and

the intermediate connection comprises the intermediate connection of the gate line material.

8. The touch screen of claim 1, wherein the first display sub-pixel is disposed adjacent to the second display sub-pixel.

9. The touch screen of claim 1, further comprising a third display sub-pixel in the touch region, the third display sub-pixel being disposed between the first display sub-pixel and the second display sub-pixel, wherein the intermediate connection passes through the third display sub-pixel.

10. The touch screen of claim 1, wherein:

the first display sub-pixel comprises a first blue display sub-pixel,

and the second display sub-pixel comprises a second blue display sub-pixel.

11. The touch screen of claim 1, wherein the touch pixel electrode comprises a self-capacitance touch pixel electrode.

12. The touch screen of claim 1, wherein:

the touch sensing circuitry comprises an operational amplifier,

the sense connection is coupled to an inverting input of the operational amplifier, and

a voltage source is coupled to a non-inverting input of the operational amplifier.

13. A method for fabricating a touch screen, the method comprising:

forming a sense connection on a substrate, the sense connection configured for coupling to touch sensing circuitry;

forming an intermediate connection on the sense connection such that the sense connection is disposed between the intermediate connection and the substrate, the intermediate connection being configured to couple to;

the sense connection at a first display sub-pixel, and

a touch pixel electrode at a second display sub-pixel, the intermediate connection being disposed between the touch pixel electrode and the sense connection,

wherein the touch pixel electrode, the first display sub-pixel and the second display sub-pixel are included in a touch region in the touch screen.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

forming a first via at the first display sub-pixel for coupling the sense connection to the intermediate connection; and

forming a second via at the second display sub-pixel for coupling the intermediate connection to the touch pixel electrode.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first via and second via are formed in different layers of the touch screen.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

forming a first structure in the first display sub-pixel and a third display sub-pixel in the touch region, wherein the sense connection is disposed between the first structure and the substrate, and underneath the first structure in the third display sub-pixel and partially underneath the first structure in the first display sub-pixel.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein forming the first structure comprises forming a data line.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

forming a first structure of a first material type in the first display sub-pixel, and a second structure of the first material type in the second display sub-pixel, wherein forming the intermediate connection comprises forming the intermediate connection of the first material type.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

forming the first structure comprises forming a first gate line portion of a gate line material,

forming the second structure comprises forming a second gate line portion of the gate line material, and

forming the intermediate connection comprises forming the intermediate connection of the gate line material.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the first display sub-pixel is disposed adjacent to the second display sub-pixel.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the touch region further includes a third display sub-pixel, the third display sub-pixel being disposed between the first display sub-pixel and the second display sub-pixel, wherein the intermediate connection is formed through the third display sub-pixel.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the first display sub-pixel comprises a first blue display sub-pixel, and

the second display sub-pixel comprises a second blue display sub-pixel.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising forming the touch pixel electrode, wherein the touch pixel electrode comprises a self-capacitance touch pixel electrode.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the touch sensing circuitry comprises an operational amplifier,

the sense connection is coupled to an inverting input of the operational amplifier, and

a voltage source is coupled to a non-inverting input of the operational amplifier.