Manufacturing touch sensor panels using laser ablation

Abstract

Fabrication of touch sensor panels using laser ablation is disclosed. The manufactured touch sensor panel may have touch sensors formed on the lower surface of its cover substrate. The fabrication method may include: depositing a conductive layer on the substrate; depositing a dielectric material on the conductive layer; ablating the conductive layer to define different areas for the touch sensor; and depositing the conductive material on the dielectric material. Another fabrication method may include: sputtering a conductive material on the substrate at discrete locations on the substrate; depositing a conductive layer over the substrate; and optionally ablating the conductive layer at the discrete locations to define a Touch different areas of the sensor. Touch sensor panels can be incorporated into mobile phones, digital media players or personal computers.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates generally to touch sensor panels, and more particularly to the use of laser ablation to fabricate touch sensor panels. Background technique [0002] Touch sensor panels are increasingly being used as input devices for computing systems. Generally, a touch sensor panel may include a cover substrate (formed of glass, polymer, or the like) to input information by touch, and a sensor substrate (also formed of glass, polymer, or the like) having a touch sensor to A touch on the cover substrate is sensed. In order to manufacture thinner touch sensor panels, it is desirable to eliminate excess sensor substrate thickness. However, it is not easy to successfully provide a touch sensor panel without a sensor substrate. [0003] Elimination of the sensor substrate requires the touch sensor to preferably be located on another existing surface of the panel. A preferred surface is the lid substrate. However, lid substrates are not ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, traditional touch sensor placement processes, such as photolithography and etching, which were developed for the larger mother glass sheet, are used for the smaller cover glass (cut from the mother glass sheet) after the chemical strengthening has been completed. , they are technically not feasible or too expensive

Therefore, after strengthening, it may be difficult to place the touch sensor on the cover glass using traditional placement processes

[0004] Therefore, the method of thinning the touch sensor panel has become a problem

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