TOUCH PANEL, DISPLAY DEVICE AND TOUCH PANEL MANUFACTURING METHOD

• US 20090096759A1
• Filed: 01/31/2007
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global OLED Technology LLC (LG Display Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kawashima, Shingo, Nishiwaki, Shogo, Urabe, Takayuki, Nishiyama, Yukihiko, Daito, Toru, Kataoka, Yoshiharu, Tanaka, Shinya, Kaigawa, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,243,032 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0444 using a single conductive element covering the whole sensing surface, e.g. by sensing the electrical current flowing at the corners

Abstract

A touch panel includes an insulating substrate, a transparent touch electrode provided on the insulating substrate, and a frame portion connected to a periphery of the touch electrode. The touch panel detects a touched position on the touch electrode based on an electric signal through the frame portion. The frame portion is provided between the insulating substrate and the touch electrode.

Claims

1. A touch panel, comprising:

an insulating substrate;

a transparent touch electrode provided on the insulating substrate; and

a conductive portion connected to a periphery of the touch electrode, for detecting a touched position on the touch electrode based on an electric signal through the conductive portion, wherein the conductive portion is provided between the insulating substrate and the touch electrode.

2. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the conductive portion is a frame portion provided along the periphery of the touch electrode, and a wiring portion connected to the touch electrode through the frame portion is connected to the frame portion.

3. The touch panel according to claim 2, wherein the frame portion and the wiring portion are formed by a same material.

4. The touch panel according to claim 2, wherein the frame portion has a rectangular frame shape, and four wiring portions are provided so as to be respectively connected to four corners of the frame portion.

5. The touch panel according to claim 2, wherein the frame portion and the wiring portion are formed by an alloy film containing silver and palladium or an alloy film containing silver, palladium, and copper.

6. The touch panel according to claim 5, wherein the insulating substrate is a glass substrate, and an interlayer film for improving an adhesion property between the insulating substrate and the frame portion and wiring portion is provided between the insulating substrate and the frame portion and wiring portion.

7. The touch panel according to claim 5, wherein the interlayer film is provided only in a region overlapping the frame portion and the wiring portion.

8. The touch panel according to claim 5, wherein the touch electrode is extended so as to cover the frame portion and the wiring portion.

9. The touch panel according to claim 8, wherein the touch electrode is extended at an end of the wiring portion, and a terminal portion of the wiring portion is formed by the extended portion of the touch electrode at the end of the wiring portion.

10. The touch panel according to claim 5, wherein the touch electrode is formed by a compound of indium oxide and tin oxide.

11. A display device, comprising:

the touch panel according to claim 1; and

a display panel provided so as to face the touch panel.

12. A method for manufacturing a touch panel including an insulating substrate, a transparent touch electrode provided on the insulating substrate, and a conductive portion connected to a periphery of the touch electrode, for detecting a touched position on the touch electrode based on an electric signal through the conductive portion, comprising:

a conductive portion formation step of forming the conductive portion by forming a metal conductive film on the insulating substrate and patterning the metal conductive film; and

a touch electrode formation step of forming the touch electrode by forming a transparent conductive film so as to cover the formed conductive portion and patterning the transparent conductive film.

13. The method for manufacturing a touch panel according to claim 12, wherein the conductive portion is a frame portion provided along the periphery of the touch electrode, a wiring portion connected to the touch electrode through the frame portion is connected to the frame portion, and the frame portion and the wiring portion are formed in the conductive portion formation step.

14. The method for manufacturing a touch panel according to claim 12, wherein the metal conductive film is patterned by dry etching in the conductive portion formation step.

15. The method for manufacturing a touch panel according to claim 12, wherein the insulating substrate is a glass substrate, and the conductive portion is formed by an alloy film containing silver and palladium or an alloy film containing silver, palladium, and copper, the method further comprising, before the conductive portion formation step, an interlayer film formation step of forming on the insulating substrate an interlayer film for improving an adhesion property to the conductive portion.

16. The method for manufacturing a touch panel according to claim 15, wherein, in the interlayer film formation step, the interlayer film is formed in a region overlapping the conductive portion by using a metal mask.

17. The method for manufacturing a touch panel according to claim 15, wherein the conductive portion is a frame portion provided along the periphery of the touch electrode, a wiring portion connected to the touch electrode through the frame portion is connected to the frame portion, and in the touch electrode formation step, a terminal portion of the wiring portion is formed by patterning the transparent conductive film so that the transparent conductive film extends to an end of the wiring portion.