Transparent conductive film and method for manufacture thereof, and touch panel

• US 20030087119A1
• Filed: 07/15/2002
• Published: 05/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Inventors: Kusano, Yukihiro, Yoshikawa, Masato, Kobayashi, Taichi, Iwabuchi, Yoshinori, Ohno, Shingo
• Granted Patent: US 6,896,981 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/633
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12618 Plural oxides
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/265 1 mil or less
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2949 Glass, ceramic or metal oxide in coating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/30 Self-sustaining carbon mass or layer with impregnant or other layer

Abstract

A transparent conductive film has a polymer film 4 and a transparent conductive layer 5 formed on the polymer film 4. The transparent conductive layer consists of indium oxide, a zinc oxide system and a tin oxide system. A covering layer 9, made of material different from that of the transparent conductive layer 5, is formed on the transparent conductive layer 5. A touch panel is provided with the transparent conductive film as its upper electrode 6A or lower electrode. The surface of the transparent conductive layer is covered with the covering layer, so that physical or chemical stresses generated during the input to the touch panel do not affect transparent conductive layer directly, thus preventing damages and delamination of the transparent conductive layer. Furthermore, the covering layer formed on the transparent conductive layer improves the strength of the transparent conductive film, thereby enhancing a resistance to wear.

Claims

1. A transparent conductive film comprising a polymer film and a transparent conductive layer formed on the polymer film,

said transparent conductive layer consisting of one of a zinc oxide system and a tin oxide system;

and

said transparent conductive film further having a covering layer formed on the transparent conductive layer.

2. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 1, wherein the covering layer consists mainly of at least one selected from the group consisting of oxide, nitride, carbide, carbon, and the composites thereof.

3. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 2, wherein the covering layer consists mainly of at least one selected from the group consisting of C, CN_x, BN_x, B_xC and SiC_x.

4. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 1, wherein the covering layer consists of oxide, nitride, or oxidized nitride of at least one selected from the group consisting of Si, Ti, Sn, Nb, In, Mg, Ta and Zn.

5. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 1, wherein the covering layer has a thickness of 0.5 to 100 nm.

6. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 1, wherein the covering layer is formed by a physical vapor-depositing process selected from vacuum evaporation process, sputtering process, ion plating process, and laser abrasion process, or by a chemical vapor deposition process.

7. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 1, wherein the covering layer is formed by coating a raw liquid for the transparent conductive layer or a solution of the material of the covering layer dissolved in a solvent such as alcohol, ketone, toluene, hexane, and so on.

8. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 6, wherein the covering layer is a thin film consisting of SiC_x, SiC_xO_y, SiC_x N_z, or SiC_xO_yN_zdeposited by sputtering with a SiC target.

9. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 8, wherein the SiC target has a density of not smaller than 2.9 g/cm³.

10. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 8, wherein the SiC target is prepared by sintering a mixture of SiC powder and a nonmetal- based sintering assistant.

11. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 1, wherein a surface of the transparent conductive film where the covering layer is formed has a surface resistivity of 300 to 2000Ω

/Sq. and a linearity value not larger than 1.5%.

12. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transparent conductive layer consists of zinc oxide applied with doping.

13. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 12, wherein the transparent conductive layer consists of zinc oxide doped with aluminum.

14. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transparent conductive layer is made of tin oxide or antimony tin oxide.

15. A touch panel provided with a transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 1.

16. A transparent conductive film comprising a polymer film and a transparent conductive layer formed on the polymer film, wherein the transparent conductive film further has a covering layer, consisting of dielectrics, formed on the transparent conductive layer.

17. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 16 wherein the ratio (∈

_r/d(m<sup>−

1</sup>) ) of the relative dielectric constant ∈

_r to the thickness d (m<sup>−

1</sup>) of the dielectric layer is more than 10⁶ and less than 10^11.

18. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 17, wherein the ratio ( ∈

_r//d(m<sup>−

1</sup>) ) is more than 10⁶ and less than 10^11.

19. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 16, wherein the dielectric layer consists mainly of at least one selected from the group consisting of oxides, nitrides, carbides, organic polymers, and composites of these compounds.

20. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 16, wherein the covering layer of the dielectrics is formed by a physical gas phase growth process selected from vacuum evaporation process, sputtering process, ion plating process, and laser abrasion process, or by a chemical vapor deposition process.

21. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 16, wherein the covering layer of the dielectrics is formed by coating a raw liquid for the transparent conductive layer or a solution of the material of the covering layer dissolved in a solvent such as alcohol, ketone, toluene, hexane, and so on.

22. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 16, wherein a surface of the transparent conductive film where the covering layer of the dielectrics is formed thereon has a surface resistivity of 300 to 2000Ω

/Sq. and a linearity value of not larger than 1.5%.

23. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 16, wherein the transparent conductive layer consists mainly of at least one selected from the group consisting of indium oxide, tin oxide, and zinc oxide.

24. A touch panel provided with a transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 16.

25. A transparent conductive film comprising a polymer film and a transparent conductive layer formed on the polymer film, wherein the transparent conductive film further has a covering layer consisting of metal, formed on the transparent conductive layer.

26. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 25, wherein the metal is at least one selected from the group consisting of Ti, Si, Nb, In, Zn, Sn, Au, Ag, Cu, Al, Co, Cr, Ni, Pb, Pd, Pt, W, Zr, Ta and Hf, or includes at least one selected from the above as a main component.

27. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 25, wherein the covering layer is formed by a physical vapor-depositing process selected from vacuum evaporation process, sputtering process, ion plating process, and laser abrasion process, or by a chemical vapor-depositing process including CVD.

28. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 25, wherein the covering layer has a thickness of 0.5 to 100 nm.

29. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 25, wherein a surface of the transparent conductive film where the covering layer is formed thereon has a surface resistivity of 300 to 2000Ω

/Sq. and a linearity value of not larger than 1.5%.

30. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 25, wherein the transparent conductive layer consists mainly of at least one selected from the group consisting of indium oxide, zinc oxide and tin oxide.

47. A touch panel provided with a transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 25.

31. A transparent conductive film comprising a polymer film, a transparent conductive layer formed on the polymer film, and a covering layer covering the transparent conductive layer, wherein the covering layer is produced by oxidizing, nitriding or oxynitriding a metal layer formed on the transparent conductive layer.

32. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 31, wherein the metal layer consists of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Ti, Si, Nb, In, Zn, Sn, Ag, Cu, Al, Co, Cr, Ni, Pb, W, Zr, Ta and Hf, or includes at least one metal selected from the above as a main component.

33. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 31, wherein the covering layer is produced by applying heat treatment to the metal layer formed on the transparent conductive layer in an atmosphere of oxygen.

34. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 31, wherein the covering layer is produced by applying surface treatment with oxygen plasma and/or nitrogen plasma to the metal layer formed on the transparent conductive layer.

35. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 31, wherein the covering layer is formed by a physical vapor-depositing process selected from vacuum evaporation process, sputtering process, ion plating process, and laser abrasion process, or by a chemical vapor-depositing process including CVD.

36. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 31, wherein the covering layer has a thickness of 0.5 to 100 nm.

37. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 31, wherein a surface of the transparent conductive film where the dielectric layer is formed thereon has a surface resistivity of 300 to 2000Ω

/Sq. and a linearity value of not larger than 1.5%.

38. A transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 31, wherein the transparent conductive layer has main component including at least one selected from the group consisting of indium oxide, tin oxide, and zinc oxide.

48. A touch panel provided with a transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 31.

39. A method for manufacturing a transparent conductive film comprising a polymer film, a transparent conductive layer formed on the polymer film, and covering layer formed on the transparent conductive layer, wherein the covering layer is produced by forming a metal layer on the transparent conductive layer, followed by oxidizing, nitriding or oxynitriding the metal layer.

40. A method for manufacturing a transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 39, wherein the metal layer consists of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Ti, Si, Nb, In, Zn, Sn, Ag, Cu, Al, Co, Cr, Ni, Pb, W, Zr, Ta and Hf, or includes at least one selected from the above as a main component.

41. A method for the manufacture of a transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 39, wherein the metal layer is applied with heat treatment in an atmosphere of oxygen to oxidize it.

42. A method for the manufacture of a transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 39, wherein the metal layer is applied with surface treatment by oxygen plasma and/or nitrogen plasma to oxidize, nitride or oxynitride it.

43. A method for the manufacture of a transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 39, wherein the metal layer is formed by a physical vapor-depositing process selected from vacuum evaporation process, sputtering process, ion plating process, and laser abrasion process, or by a chemical vapor-depositing process including CVD.

44. A method for the manufacture of a transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 39, wherein the covering layer has a thickness of 0.5 to 100nm.

45. A method for the manufacture of a transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 39, wherein a surface of the transparent conductive film where the covering layer is formed thereon has a surface resistivity of 300 to 2000Ω

/Sq. and a linearity value of not larger than 1.5%.

46. A method for the manufacture of a transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 39, wherein the transparent conductive layer consists mainly of at least one selected from the group consisting of indium oxide, tin oxide, and zinc oxide.

49. A touch panel provided with a transparent conductive film manufactured according to a method for the manufacture of a transparent conductive film as claimed in claim 39.