Touch panel and display device using the same

• US 20090167708A1
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Inventors: Fan, Shou-Shan, Jiang, Kai-Li, Liu, Liang
• Granted Patent: US 8,237,669 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/742 Carbon nanotubes, CNTs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249921 Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component

Abstract

A touch panel includes a substrate, a transparent conductive layer, two first electrodes, and two second electrodes. The substrate includes a first surface. The transparent conductive layer is on the first surface of the substrate. The transparent conductive layer includes a first plurality of carbon nanotube strip-shaped film structures arranged in parallel along a first direction and a second plurality of carbon nanotube strip-shaped film structures arranged along a second direction. The two first electrodes is connected to the first plurality of carbon nanotube strip-shaped film structures. The two second electrodes is connected to the second plurality of carbon nanotube strip-shaped film structures. Further, a display device using the above-described touch panel is also included.

Claims

1. A touch panel comprising:

a substrate comprising a first surface;

a transparent conductive layer on the first surface of the substrate, the transparent conductive layer comprising a first plurality of carbon nanotube strip-shaped film structures arranged in parallel along a first direction and a second plurality of carbon nanotube strip-shaped film structures arranged along a second direction;

two first electrodes electrically connected to the first plurality of carbon nanotube strip-shaped film structures; and

two second electrodes electrically connected to the second plurality of carbon nanotube strip-shaped film structures.

2. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein an angle between the first direction and the second direction, and the angle is in a range from greater than 0°

to less than or equal to 90°

.

3. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein a width of each carbon nanotube strip-shaped film structure is in an approximate range from 100 microns to 10 centimeters.

4. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein a distance between adjacent carbon nanotube strip-shaped film structures is in an approximate range from 5 nanometers to 1 millimeter.

5. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein each carbon nanotube strip-shaped film structure comprises at least one carbon nanotube film formed of a plurality of carbon nanotubes arranged along a same direction.

6. The touch panel as claimed in claim 5, wherein each carbon nanotube strip-shaped film structure comprises at least two carbon nanotube films stacked with each other, and the adjacent carbon nanotube films are combined by the van der Waals attractive force therebetween.

7. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein each carbon nanotube film comprises a plurality of successive carbon nanotube segments joined end to end by the van der Waals attractive force therebetween, and each carbon nanotube segments comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes parallel to each other.

8. The touch panel as claimed in claim 5, wherein the carbon nanotubes are selected from a group consisting of single-walled carbon nanotubes, double-walled carbon nanotubes, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

9. The touch panel as claimed in claim 8, wherein a diameter of each single-walled carbon nanotube is in an approximate range from 0.5 nanometers to 50 nanometers, a diameter of each double-walled carbon nanotube is in an approximate range from 1 nanometer to 50 nanometers, and a diameter of each multi-walled carbon nanotube is in an approximate range from 1.5 nanometers to 50 nanometers.

10. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrodes comprise metal electrodes and adhered to the transparent conductive layer by a silver-based slurry.

11. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a transparent protective layer disposed on the surface of the transparent conductive layer.

12. The touch panel as claimed in claim 11, wherein the material of the transparent protective layer is selected from a group consisting of silicon nitrides, silicon dioxides, benzocyclobutenes, polyester films, and polyethylene terephthalates.

13. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a shielding layer disposed on a second surface of the substrate.

14. The touch panel as claimed in claim 13, wherein the material of the shielding layer is selected from a group consisting of indium tin oxides, antimony tin oxides, and carbon nanotube films.

15. A display device comprising:

a touch panel comprising;

a substrate comprising a first surface;

a transparent conductive layer on the first surface of the substrate;

the transparent conductive layer comprising a first plurality of carbon nanotube strip-shaped film structures arranged in parallel along a first direction and a second plurality of carbon nanotube strip-shaped film structures arranged along a second direction;

two first electrodes connected to the first plurality of carbon nanotube strip-shaped film structures;

two second electrodes connected to the second plurality of carbon nanotube strip-shaped film structures; and

a display element opposite and adjacent to the touch panel.

16. The display device as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a touch panel controller, a central processing unit, and a display element controller electrically connected to each other, the touch panel controller being connected to the touch panel, and the display element controller being connected to the display element.

17. The display device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the display element is selected from a group consisting of liquid crystal displays, field emission displays, plasma displays, electroluminescent displays, vacuum fluorescent displays, and cathode ray tubes.

18. The display device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the touch panel is spaced from the display element for a distance.

19. The display device as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a passivation layer disposed on a surface of the touch panel.