Touch panel and display device using the same

• US 8,237,671 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tsinghua University
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Inventors: Jiang, Kai-Li, Liu, Liang, Fan, Shou-Shan
• Primary Examiner(s): Macchiarolo, Peter J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bowman, Mary Ellen
• Application Number:
  US12/286,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20090153507A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,408 Days
• Field of Search: 313582-587, 345173-174, 257/222
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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: Y10T 428/269 including synthetic resin or polymer layer or component

Abstract

A touch panel includes a substrate, a transparent conductive layer, and at least two electrodes. The transparent conductive layer is formed on a surface of the substrate. The transparent conductive layer includes at least two carbon nanotube layers, and each carbon nanotube layer includes a plurality of carbon nanotubes arranged along a same direction. The carbon nanotubes of adjacent carbon nanotube layers are arranged along different directions. The electrodes are electrically connected with the transparent conductive layer. Further, a display device using the touch panel is also included.

Claims

1. A touch panel comprising:

a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other;

a transparent conductive layer located on the first surface of the substrate, and comprising at least two stacked carbon nanotube layers, wherein each of the carbon nanotube layers comprises at least one carbon nanotube film, the at least one carbon nanotube film comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes substantially aligned along a same direction and parallel to a surface of the at least one carbon nanotube film, and the plurality of carbon nanotubes are joined end to end by van der Waals attractive force, and the carbon nanotubes in two adjacent carbon nanotube layers are aligned in different directions; and

at least two electrodes being electrically connected with the transparent conductive layer.

2. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein an angle between the aligned directions of the carbon nanotubes in the two adjacent carbon nanotube layers approximately ranges from greater than 0°

and up to and including 90°

.

3. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the carbon nanotube layers comprises a plurality of coplanar carbon nanotube films.

4. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein a thickness of the carbon nanotube film is in an approximate range from 0.5 nanometers to 100 micrometers.

5. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carbon nanotubes are selected from the group consisting of single-walled carbon nanotubes, double-walled carbon nanotubes, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

6. The touch panel as claimed in claim 5, wherein diameters of the single-walled carbon nanotubes are in an approximate range from 0.5 nanometers to 50 nanometers, diameters of the double-walled carbon nanotubes are in an approximate range from 1 nanometer to 50 nanometers, and diameters of the multi-walled carbon nanotube are in an approximate range from 1.5 nanometers to 50 nanometers.

7. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least two electrodes are separately located on a surface of the transparent conductive layer.

8. The touch panel as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least two electrodes are metal electrodes and adhered to the surface of the transparent conductive layer by a silver-based slurry.

9. The touch panel as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a transparent protective layer located on the surface of the transparent conductive layer.

10. The touch panel as claimed in claim 9, wherein a material of the transparent protective layer is selected from the group consisting of silicon nitride, silicon dioxide, benzocyclobutenes, polyester film, and polyethylene terephthalate.

11. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein a material of the substrate is selected from the group consisting of glass, quartz, diamond, and plastic.

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

13. The touch panel as claimed in claim 12, wherein a material of the shielding layer is a carbon nanotube film, and the carbon nanotube film comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes substantially aligned along a same direction and parallel to a surface of the carbon nanotube film.

20. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surface of the carbon nanotube film is parallel to the first surface of the substrate.

14. A display device comprising:

a touch panel comprising;

a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other;

a transparent conductive layer located on the first surface, and comprising at least two directly stacked carbon nanotube layers, each carbon nanotube layer comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes aligned in a single direction and joined end to end by van der Walls attractive force, wherein the plurality of carbon nanotubes in the each carbon nanotube layer are parallel to the first surface of the substrate, and the carbon nanotubes in two adjacent carbon nanotube layers are aligned in different directions; and

at least two electrodes being electrically connected with the transparent conductive layer;

a shielding layer located on the second surface of the substrate, wherein the shielding layer comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes substantially aligned along a same direction and parallel to the second surface; and

a display element opposite and adjacent to the touch panel.

15. The display device as claimed in claim 14, wherein an angle between the aligned directions of the carbon nanotubes in the two adjacent carbon nanotube layers approximately ranges from greater than 0°

and up to and including 90°

.

16. A touch panel comprising:

a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other;

a transparent conductive layer comprising at least two directly stacked carbon nanotube layers, each carbon nanotube layer comprising a plurality of unfunctionalized carbon nanotubes aligned in a single direction and joined end to end by van der Waals attractive force therebetween, and the plurality of unfunctionalized carbon nanotubes in two adjacent carbon nanotube layers are aligned in different directions; and

at least two electrodes being electrically connected with the transparent conductive layer.

17. The touch panel as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a shielding layer located on the second surface of the substrate, and the shielding layer comprises a carbon nanotube film, and the carbon nanotube film comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes substantially aligned along a same direction.

18. The touch panel as claimed in claim 17, wherein the plurality of carbon nanotubes are parallel to a surface of the carbon nanotube film.

19. The touch panel as claimed in claim 16, wherein the plurality of unfunctionalized carbon nanotubes are parallel to the first surface of the substrate.