Methods of making composite electrodes

• US 8,726,497 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2009
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Geaghan, Bernard O.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, THIEM D
• Application Number:
  US12/511,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20100028811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,756 Days
• Field of Search: 298/46, 298/25, 298/29, 298/31, 341/22, 341/26, 341/33, 341/34, 345/156, 345/173, 345/174
• US Class Current: 29/846
• 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 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• 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: Y10T 156/10 Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
• 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 29/49128 Assembling formed circuit to base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49155 Manufacturing circuit on or in base

Abstract

A method of making a component for use in a touch sensor includes modifying a substrate having disposed on it a plurality of electrically isolated conductors. Subsets of the conductors are electrically coupled to form composite electrodes. The component can be used as a set of electrodes in a customized touch sensor.

Claims

1. A method of making a touch sensor component, comprising, in sequence:

providing a substrate having disposed upon it a plurality of electrically isolated conductors;

roll-to-roll printing on the substrate a plurality of uniformly spaced, parallel conductors; and

modifying the substrate to electrically couple one or more subsets of the plurality of conductors to one another to form interleaved composite electrodes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the conductors are metal or metal-alloy micro-wires.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the conductors have a maximum cross sectional dimension of 10 microns.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

assembling the modified substrate as a layer into a multi-layer component that includes as another layer a second substrate that has disposed upon it a plurality of electrodes, the composite electrodes of the modified substrate and the electrodes of the second substrate oriented such to produce in the multi-layer component an electrode matrix, and wherein the modified substrate and the second substrate are separated.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein some of the electrodes disposed on the second substrate are comprised of ITO.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the electrodes of the modified substrate and the second substrate are orthogonal to one another.

7. The method of claim 4, the modified substrate and the second substrate are separated by a dielectric layer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is glass, PMMA, or PET.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the conductors have a center-to-center spacing of less than 4 mm.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the substrate comprises applying a conductive ink across two or more conductors.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

electrically coupling at least some of the composite electrodes to an interconnect circuit configured to interface with an electronics controller.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the substrate comprises depositing a conductive material to electrically interconnect at least two of the plurality of conductors to one another.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing a substrate step comprises manufacturing a substrate having a plurality of parallel conductors spaced apart by a fixed distance and electrically isolated from one another.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein a first conductor of the plurality of conductors has a first width and a second conductor of the plurality of conductors has a second width different from the first width.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the substrate comprises connecting a first subset of conductors to one another and connecting a second subset of conductors to one another, the first subset of conductors having a lesser number of conductors than the second subset of conductors.