SHORTING STRUCTURE IN PLASTIC ROLL-TO-ROLL PROCESS

• US 20140070824A1
• Filed: 12/10/2012
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: MOHAPATRA, Siddharth, Kang, Sunggu, Zhong, John Z., Lin, Albert
• Granted Patent: US 9,733,331 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/684
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 35/00 Testing or calibrating of apparatus covered by the other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 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: H05K 3/0097 Processing two or more printed circuits simultaneously, e.g. made from a common substrate, or temporarily stacked circuit boards H05K3/0052 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/02 in which the conductive material is applied to the surface of the insulating support and is thereafter removed from such areas of the surface which are not intended for current conducting or shielding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49124 On flat or curved insulated base, e.g., printed circuit, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49204 Contact or terminal manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49815 Disassembling

Abstract

Roll-to-roll processes for manufacturing touch sensors on a plastic base film are provided. The touch sensors can be deposited on the base film using various patterning techniques. One or more shorting bars can also be patterned onto the base film to couple together traces, such as drive lines, sense lines, conductive traces, and the like, of the touch sensor to prevent a potential difference from forming between traces due to static buildup during the manufacturing process. After the touch sensor is fully formed on the base film, the touch sensor can be removed from the base film using lithography or a physical cutting process. The removal process can separate the touch sensor from the one or more shorting bars, thereby uncoupling the traces of the touch sensor.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

forming a plurality of touch sensors on a sheet of base film, wherein each of the plurality of touch sensors comprises a bond pad;

for each of the plurality of touch sensors, forming a shorting bar coupling together two or more contacts of the bond pad; and

removing each of the plurality of touch sensors from the sheet of base film, wherein after removing, each touch sensor is separated from its corresponding shorting bar.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sheet of base film comprises cyclo olefin polymer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein removing each of the plurality of touch sensors from the sheet of base film is performed using a die cut process.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein removing each of the plurality of touch sensors from the sheet of base film is performed using a laser cut process.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein removing each of the plurality of touch sensors from the sheet of base film is performed using lithography.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the bond pad for each of the plurality of touch sensors extends beyond an edge of the corresponding touch sensor.

7. A method comprising:

forming a touch sensor on a base film, the touch sensor defining a device area on the base film, wherein forming the touch sensor comprises;

forming a plurality of sense lines on the base film;

forming a plurality of drive lines on the base film;

forming one or more bond pads on the base film; and

forming a plurality of conductive traces that couple together the one or more bond pads with the plurality of sense lines and the plurality of drive lines; and

forming one or more shorting bars coupled to the one or more bond pads, wherein the one or more shorting bars are formed outside the device area of the base film.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a portion of each of the one or more bond pads is formed outside the device area of the base film.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more bond pads comprises a plurality of bond pads, and wherein the one or more shorting bars comprises one shorting bar, and wherein the one shorting bar couples together all contacts of the plurality of bond pads.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more bond pads comprises a first bond pad coupled to the plurality of drive lines and a second bond pad coupled to the plurality of sense lines, and wherein the one or more shorting bars comprises a first shorting bar coupling together contacts of the first bond pad and a second shorting bar coupling together contacts of the second bond pad.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more bond pads comprises a first plurality of bond pads coupled to the plurality of drive lines and a second plurality of bond pads coupled to the plurality of sense lines, and wherein the one or more shorting bars comprises a first shorting bar coupling together contacts of the first plurality of bond pads and a second shorting bar coupling together contacts of the second plurality of bond pads.

12. A method for manufacturing a touch sensor, the method comprising:

depositing a first mask layer on a base film, wherein the base film comprises a layer of indium tin oxide and a layer of copper;

removing a portion of the first mask to define a plurality of drive lines, a plurality of sense lines, a plurality of bond pads, a plurality of conductive traces coupling together the plurality of sense lines and the plurality of drive lines with the plurality of bond pads, and one or more shorting bars coupled to the plurality of bond pads;

etching, using the first mask layer, a first portion of the layer of copper and a first portion of the layer of indium tin oxide to form the plurality of drive lines, the plurality of sense lines, the plurality of bond pads, the plurality of conductive traces, and the one or more shorting bars;

removing the first mask layer;

depositing a second mask layer on the base film over the plurality of conductive traces, the plurality of bond pads, and the one or more shorting bars;

etching, using the second mask, a second portion of the layer of copper located above the plurality of drive lines and the plurality of sense lines;

removing the second mask layer; and

removing the touch sensor from the base film, wherein after removing the touch sensor from the base film, the one or more shorting bars are separated from the touch sensor.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein removing the touch sensor from the base film comprises cutting the touch sensor along a line intersecting the plurality of bond pads.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of bond pads comprises:

a first bond pad coupled to a first end of the plurality of drive lines;

a second bond pad coupled a second end of the plurality of drive lines;

a third bond pad coupled to a first end of the plurality of sense lines; and

a fourth bond pad coupled to a second end of the plurality of sense lines.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more shorting bars comprises:

a first shorting bar coupled to the first bond pad;

a second shorting bar coupled to the second bond pad;

a third shorting bar coupled to the third bond pad; and

a fourth shorting bar coupled to the fourth bond pad.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises, before removing the touch sensor from the base film:

measuring an impedance of the plurality of drive lines using the first shorting bar and the second shorting bar; and

measuring an impedance of the plurality of sense lines using the third shorting bar and the fourth shorting bar.

17. A touch sensor comprising:

a plurality of sense lines;

a plurality of drive lines;

one or more bond pads; and

a plurality of conductive traces that couple together the one or more bond pads with the plurality of sense lines and the plurality of drive lines, wherein the one or more bond pads extend to an edge of the touch sensor.

18. The touch sensor of claim 17, wherein the one or more bond pads comprise indium tin oxide.

19. The touch sensor of claim 17, wherein the one or more bond pads comprise copper.

20. The touch sensor of claim 17, wherein the touch sensor is incorporated within one of a phone, portable media player, tablet computing device, or touch pad.

21. The touch sensor of claim 17, wherein the one or more bond pads have been separated from a shorting bar.