Touch screen sensor

• US 8,179,381 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2009
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Frey, Matthew H., Zu, Lijun, Hagermoser, Edward S.
• Primary Examiner(s): GIESY, ADAM
• Application Number:
  US12/393,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20090219257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A touch screen sensor includes a visible light transparent substrate and an electrically conductive micropattern disposed on or in the visible light transparent substrate. The micropattern includes a first region micropattern within a touch sensing area and a second region micropattern. The first region micropattern has a first sheet resistance value in a first direction, is visible light transparent, and has at least 90% open area. The second region micropattern has a second sheet resistance value in the first direction. The first sheet resistance value is different from the second sheet resistance value.

Claims

1. A touch screen sensor, comprising:

a visible light transparent substrate;

an electrically conductive micropattern disposed on or in the visible light transparent substrate, the micropattern having;

a conductor trace width of about X+0.5 in units of micrometers; and

an open area fraction between about [98.5−

(2.5X÷

3.5)]% and [99.5−

(X÷

3.5)]% wherein 0≦

X≦

3.5.

2. The touch screen sensor of claim 1 having a haze value of less than 10% and greater than 75% transmission.

3. The touch screen sensor of claim 1 having a haze value of less than 5% greater than 85% transmission.

4. The touch screen sensor of claim 1, wherein the conductor trace width is less than about 4 micrometers and having a pitch of less than about 300 micrometer.

5. The touch screen sensor of claim 1, wherein the conductor trace is selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, palladium, platinum, aluminum, copper, nickel, tin, alloys thereof, indium tin oxide, and combinations thereof.

6. The touch screen sensor of claim 1, wherein the conductor trace has a thickness of less than about 500 nanometers.

7. A touch screen sensor, comprising:

a visible light transparent substrate; and

an electrically conductive micropattern disposed on or in the visible light transparent substrate, the micropattern comprising a first region micropattern within a touch sensing area;

wherein the first region micropattern includes metallic linear electrically conductive features having a width between about 0.5 and 5 micrometers;

wherein the first region micropattern is visible light transparent and having between about 95% and 99.5% open area; and

wherein for the first region micropattern of the sensor having 1 millimeter by 1 millimeter square regions, none of the square regions have a shadowed area fraction that differs by greater than about 75% from the average for all of the square regions.

8. A touch screen sensor of claim 7, wherein the metallic linear electrically conductive features have a thickness of less than about 500 nanometers.

9. The touch screen sensor of claim 7, wherein the electrically conductive micropattern includes electrically isolated conductor deposits.

10. The touch screen sensor of claim 7, wherein the first region micropattern has a first sheet resistance value in a first direction between 5 and 100 ohm per square.

11. A touch screen sensor, comprising:

a visible light transparent substrate; and

an electrically conductive micropattern disposed on or in the visible light transparent substrate, the micropattern comprising a first region micropattern within a touch sensing area;

wherein the first region micropattern includes metallic linear electrically conductive features have a width between about 0.5 and 5 micrometers;

wherein the first region micropattern is visible light transparent and having between about 95% and 99.5% open area; and

wherein for the first region micropattern of the sensor having 5 millimeter by 5 millimeter square regions, none of the square regions have a shadowed area fraction that differs by greater than 50% from the average for all of the square regions.

12. The touch screen sensor of claim 11, wherein the metallic linear electrically conductive features have a thickness of less than about 500 nanometers.

13. The touch screen sensor of claim 11, wherein the electrically conductive micropattern includes electrically isolated conductor deposits.

14. A touch screen sensor, comprising:

a visible light transparent substrate; and

an electrically conductive micropattern disposed on or in the visible light transparent substrate, the micropattern comprising a first region micropattern within a touch sensing area;

wherein the first region micropattern includes conductive traces with width between about 0.5 and 10 micrometers;

wherein the first region micropattern is visible light transparent and having between 90% and 99.9% open area; and

wherein for the first region micropattern having 5 millimeter by 5 millimeter square regions, none of the square regions have a shadowed area fraction that differs by greater than about 75% from the average for all of the square regions.

15. The touch screen sensor of claim 14, wherein none of the regions have a shadowed area fraction that differs by greater than about 50% from the average for all of the regions.

16. The touch screen sensor of claim 14, wherein none of the regions have a shadowed area fraction that differs by greater than about 25% from the average for all of the regions.

17. The touch screen sensor of claim 14, wherein none of the regions have a shadowed area fraction that differs by greater than about 10% from the average for all of the regions.

18. The touch screen sensor according to claim 14, wherein the electrically conductive micropattern includes conductive traces with width between about 1 and 5 micrometers.

19. The touch screen sensor of claim 18, wherein the electrically conductive micropattern includes conductive traces with width between 1 and 3 micrometers.

20. The touch screen sensor of claim 14, wherein the first region micropattern has between 95% and 99.5% open area.

21. The touch screen sensor of claim 14, wherein the first region micropattern has between 97% and 98% open area.

22. A touch screen sensor, comprising:

a visible light transparent substrate; and

an electrically conductive micropattern disposed on or in the visible light transparent substrate, the micropattern comprising a first region micropattern within a touch sensing area;

wherein the first region micropattern includes a metallic linear electrically conductive features have a width between about 1 and 10 micrometers;

wherein first region micropattern is visible light transparent and having between about 90% and 99.5% open area and

wherein the first region micropattern including selective breaks in conductive traces within an otherwise continuous and uniform mesh, wherein the first region micropattern can be subdivided into 5 millimeter by 5 millimeter square regions and wherein none of the square regions have a shadowed area fraction that differs by greater than about 75% from the average for all of the square regions.

23. The touch screen sensor of claim 22, wherein none of the square regions have a shadowed area fraction that differs by greater than about 50% from the average for all of the square regions.

24. The touch screen sensor of claim 22, wherein none of the square regions have a shadowed area fraction that differs by greater than 25% from the average for all of the square regions.

25. The touch screen sensor of claim 22, wherein none of the regions have a shadowed area fraction that differs by greater than 10% from the average for all of the square regions.

26. A touch screen sensor, comprising:

a visible light transparent substrate; and

,

a touch-sensitive electrically conductive micropattern disposed on or in the visible light transparent substrate;

wherein the micropattern includes conductive traces with width between about 1 and 2 micrometers, wherein for the first region micropattern having 5 millimeter by 5 millimeter square regions, none of the square regions have a shadowed area fraction that differs by greater than about 75% from the average for all of the square regions.

27. The touch screen sensor of claim 26, wherein the electrically conductive micropattern comprises a first region micropattern within a touch sensing area, and wherein the first region micropattern is visible light transparent and having between 90% and 99.9% open area.

28. The touch screen sensor of claim 26, wherein the electrically conductive micropattern comprises a first region micropattern within a touch sensing area, and wherein the first region micropattern is visible light transparent and having between 90% and 99.95% open area.

29. The touch screen sensor of claim 26, wherein the conductive micropattern is a micro-contact printed conductive micropattern.

30. The touch screen sensor of claim 26, wherein the conductive micropattern is a micro-replicated conductive micropattern.