TOUCH SENSITIVE MODULE WITH INTEGRATED SENSOR AND ARTWORK

• US 20150220183A1
• Filed: 01/31/2014
• Published: 08/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: KANG, Sunggu, ZHONG, John Z., YOUNGS, Lynn R., PEDDER, James Edward Alexander, ZHANG, Hao
• Granted Patent: US 9,971,459 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes

Abstract

A touch sensor panel including artwork formed on the touch sensor panel is disclosed. The touch sensor panel stackup can include a substrate, one or more underlying layers, one or more patterned transparent conductive layers, a passivation layer, artwork, and an adhesive layer. The artwork on the touch sensor panel can be formed by aligning to the touch sensor pattern or alignment marks. In some examples, the artwork can be formed on a discrete touch sensor panel, and the discrete touch sensor panel can be bonded to a cover glass or cover material. In some examples, the touch sensor panel can be a Dual-sided Indium Tin Oxide (DITO) stackup. In some examples, the drive lines and the sense lines of the touch sensor panel can be formed on separate substrates, and the substrates can be bonded together using an adhesive.

Claims

1. A touch sensor panel comprising:

a plurality of first lines of a first conductive material disposed on a first substrate;

a second conductive material electrically connected to the plurality of first lines to create one or more traces for off-panel connections; and

an opaque first layer disposed at least partially on the second conductive material.

2. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a passivation layer disposed on the first substrate.

3. The touch sensor panel of claim 2, wherein the passivation layer is distinct from the first layer.

4. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of second lines of a third conductive material.

5. The touch sensor panel of claim 4, wherein the first conductive material is the same as at least one of the second conductive material and the third conductive material.

6. The touch sensor panel of claim 4, wherein the plurality of first lines are supported on the first substrate and the plurality of second lines are supported on a second substrate, wherein the second substrate is different from the first substrate.

7. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein the first layer is a black mask.

8. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more alignment marks disposed on the first substrate.

9. The touch sensor panel of claim 8, wherein the one or more alignment marks are aligned with one or more edges of the first layer.

10. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a cover material; and

an adhesive layer, wherein the adhesive layer is disposed between the cover material and the first layer.

11. A method for forming a touch sensor panel comprising:

forming a plurality of first lines of a first conductive material on a first substrate;

forming a second conductive material electrically connected to the plurality of first lines to one or more traces for off-panel connections; and

forming an opaque first layer at least partially on the second conductive material.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

forming a passivation layer on the first substrate.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the passivation layer is distinct from the first layer.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

forming a plurality of second lines of a third conductive material.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first conductive material is the same as at least one of the second conductive material and the third conductive material.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of first lines are supported on the first substrate and the plurality of second lines are supported on a second substrate, wherein the second substrate is different from the first substrate.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the first layer is a black mask.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

forming one or more alignment marks on the first substrate.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more alignment marks are aligned with one or more edges of the first layer.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

forming an adhesive layer between a cover material and the first layer.