Conductive film and method for manufacturing the same

Abstract

The present invention provides a conductive film, including a substrate, a structural layer including a plurality of pattern grooves is provided on the substrate, the structural layer includes a sensing area and a lead area located at the edge of the sensing area, the lead area includes a lead part and an electrical connection part, a plurality of pattern grooves are provided in the lead part and the electrical connection part, a first conductive layer is provided in the pattern grooves of the sensing area, the lead part and the electrical connection part, a second conductive layer is provided in the pattern grooves of the electrical connection part, the second conductive layer is overlapped on the first conductive layer, and the sensing area is electrically connected to an external circuit through the electrical connection part. The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing a conductive film. The conductive film and the method for manufacturing the conductive film of the present invention can not only save the steps of filling conductive materials multiple times, but also improve the stability of the electrical connection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of conductive films, and in particular to a conductive film and a manufacturing method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the development of science and technology, more and more terminal devices with touch functions are developing towards flexibility, lightness and thinness. Transparent conductive films are widely used in flat panel displays, photovoltaic devices, touch panels and electromagnetic shielding due to their high transmittance and good conductivity, and have a broad market space.

[0003] The metal grid type transparent conductive film in the prior art generally has a conductive layer made on a transparent substrate, which usually includes a transparent substrate layer and a related metal buried layer. The surface of the transparent substrate layer has a patterned, interconnected groove grid, and the conductive material is filled in the groove grid to form a conductive film. However, in order to increase the stability of the electrical connection between the circuit and the outside world, the existing buried metal grid conductive film needs to meet the filling amount of conductive material. Since the groove can generally be filled to a depth of 2μm at a time, the grooves above 5μm need to be filled with conductive material multiple times, but this also causes an increase in the loss of conductive material. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a conductive film and a method for manufacturing the same, which can save the steps of filling conductive materials multiple times and improve the stability of electrical connection.

[0005] The present invention provides a conductive film, comprising a substrate, on which a structural layer comprising a plurality of graphic grooves is provided, the structural layer comprising a sensing area and a lead area located at the edge of the sensing area, the lead area comprising a lead portion and an electrical connection portion, a plurality of the graphic grooves are provided in the lead portion and the electrical connection portion, a first conductive layer is provided in the graphic grooves in the sensing area, the lead portion and the electrical connection portion, a second conductive layer is provided in the graphic grooves in the electrical connection portion, the second conductive layer is overlapped on the first conductive layer, and the sensing area is electrically connected to the external circuit via the electrical connection portion.

[0006] Furthermore, the second conductive layer is formed on the first conductive layer by printing.

[0007] Furthermore, the lead area is provided with a plurality of leads which are spaced apart and insulated from each other, and each of the leads includes the lead portion and the electrical connection portion.

[0008] Furthermore, the electrical connection portion is arranged at one end of the lead area close to the sensing area, so as to electrically connect the sensing area with the lead area.

[0009] Furthermore, the electrical connection portion is arranged at an end of the lead area away from the sensing area, so as to electrically connect the lead area to a circuit board.

[0010] Furthermore, the thickness of the first conductive layer is smaller than the depth of the graphic groove, and the second conductive layer is at least partially disposed in the graphic groove.

[0011] Furthermore, the width of the graphic groove is 1 to 20 μm, and the depth is 2 to 15 μm.

[0012] Furthermore, the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are made of one or more of silver nano-paste, copper nano-paste or graphene paste.

[0013] Furthermore, the first conductive layer is a nano-particle-level slurry, and the second conductive layer is a micron-level slurry.

[0014] The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing a conductive film, the method being used to manufacture the conductive film, the method comprising:

[0015] Providing a substrate, forming a structural layer on the substrate, wherein a plurality of pattern grooves are formed in the structural layer, wherein the structural layer comprises a sensing region and a lead region located at the edge of the sensing region, wherein the lead region comprises a lead portion and an electrical connection portion, wherein the lead portion and the electrical connection portion are both provided with a plurality of the pattern grooves;

[0016] Filling the pattern grooves of the sensing area, the lead part and the electrical connection part with a conductive material by scraping, and forming a first conductive layer after curing;

[0017] The pattern groove of the electrical connection part is filled with conductive material by printing, and a second conductive layer is formed after curing. The second conductive layer is overlapped on the first conductive layer, and the sensing area is electrically connected to the external circuit through the electrical connection part.

[0018] Furthermore, the step of forming the structural layer includes: coating a layer of UV light-curing glue on the substrate, using a mold to perform a stamping on the UV light-curing glue, and then curing; after curing, the UV light-curing glue forms the structural layer, and a plurality of the graphic grooves are formed in the structural layer.

[0019] The conductive film and the manufacturing method thereof provided by the present invention have a first conductive layer provided in the graphic grooves of the lead portion and the electrical connection portion of the lead area, a second conductive layer provided in the graphic grooves of the electrical connection portion, and the second conductive layer is overlapped on the first conductive layer. The sensing area is electrically connected to the external circuit through the electrical connection portion, thereby satisfying the filling amount of the conductive layer at the electrical connection between the sensing area and the external circuit, and improving the stability of the electrical connection. During the manufacturing process, the second conductive layer is filled in the electrical connection portion by printing, thereby reducing the number of times the conductive material is filled and reducing the cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the sensing area and the lead area of ​​the conductive film in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the lead area of ​​the conductive film in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3a to Figure 3d Schematic diagram of the steps of a method for manufacturing a conductive film in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The specific implementation of the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and examples. The following examples are used to illustrate the present invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0024] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a conductive film provided in an embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate 1, on which a structural layer 2 including a plurality of pattern grooves 201 is provided, and the substrate 1 is used to carry the structural layer 2, and the substrate 1 has a high light transmittance. Specifically, the material of the substrate 1 can be PET, PC or flexible glass.

[0025] The structural layer 2 includes a sensing region 21 and a lead region 22 located at the edge of the sensing region 21. The lead region 22 is located at least on one side of the sensing region 21 to achieve signal conduction of the conductive film. A sensing circuit (not shown) is provided in the sensing region 21. The lead region 22 is provided with a plurality of leads 3 that are spaced and insulated from each other. The sensing circuits are connected to the leads 3 accordingly. Each lead 3 includes a lead portion 31 and an electrical connection portion 32. A plurality of the graphic grooves 201 are provided in the lead portion 31 and the electrical connection portion 32. The graphic grooves 201 are a grid-shaped patterned structure.

[0026] In this embodiment, a single-layer conductive film is taken as an example. A first conductive layer 310 is provided in the graphic groove 201 of the sensing region 21, the lead portion 31 and the electrical connection portion 32. A second conductive layer 320 is provided in the graphic groove 201 of the electrical connection portion 32. The second conductive layer 320 is overlapped and arranged on the first conductive layer 310 located at the electrical connection portion 32. The sensing region 21 is electrically connected to the external circuit through the electrical connection portion 32. The first conductive layer 310 and the second conductive layer 320 are overlapped and arranged, so that the filling amount in the graphic groove 201 is satisfied, thereby improving the stability of the electrical connection of the conductive film. In addition, the electrical connection portion 32 is a component of the lead 3. It is only necessary to set the second conductive layer 320 overlapped on the first conductive layer 310 in a partial area of ​​the lead 3, and it is not necessary to fill the entire lead 3 with the second conductive layer 320, which saves the filling amount of the conductive material and reduces the cost.

[0027] In other embodiments, when the conductive film is double-layered, the lead portions 31 of the two conductive layers are both provided with electrical connection portions 32, and the conductive layer arrangement in the graphic groove 201 of the electrical connection portion 32 is the same as the conductive layer arrangement in the electrical connection portion 32 of the single-layer conductive film, that is, both the first conductive layer 310 and the second conductive layer 320 are arranged in the graphic groove 201 of the electrical connection portion 32.

[0028] Since the electrical connection area between the sensing area 21 and the external circuit is generally small, preferably, the electrical connection part 32 is arranged at the two ends of the lead area 22, that is, the electrical connection part 32 is respectively connected to the two ends of the lead part 31. For example, the electrical connection part 32 is arranged at an end of the lead area 22 close to the sensing area 21, so as to electrically connect the sensing area 21 with the lead area 22; the electrical connection part 32 is arranged at an end of the lead area 22 away from the sensing area 21, such as a gold finger, that is, an end close to the external circuit, so as to electrically connect the lead area 22 with the circuit board 4.

[0029] In this embodiment, the thickness of the first conductive layer 310 is less than the depth of the graphic groove 201, and the width is equal to the width of the graphic groove 201, wherein the depths of the various graphic grooves 201 are the same. The second conductive layer 320 is at least partially disposed in the graphic groove 201, and optionally, the thickness of the second conductive layer 320 may be greater than the thickness of the first conductive layer 310 filled in the graphic groove 201. It can be understood that the thickness of the second conductive layer 320 may be greater than the remaining depth of the graphic groove 201 having the first conductive layer 310, and the width is the same as the width of the graphic groove 201, that is, the thickness of the second conductive layer 320 exceeds the top of the graphic groove 201.

[0030] Furthermore, the width of the pattern groove 201 is 1-20 μm, and the depth is 2-15 μm.

[0031] In other embodiments, the width of the opening end of the graphic groove 201 of the electrical connection portion 32 is greater than the width of the bottom thereof, for example, the cross-sectional shape of the graphic groove 201 of the electrical connection portion 32 is an inverted trapezoid, an inverted triangle, etc. The advantage of such a configuration is that when the second conductive layer 320 is manufactured by printing, the larger width of the opening end is conducive to printing.

[0032] In other embodiments, the depth and / or width of the graphic groove 201 of the electrical connection portion 32 is greater than the depth and / or width of the graphic groove 201 of the remaining area, for example, the depth and / or width of the graphic groove 201 of the electrical connection portion 32 is greater than the depth and / or width of the sensing area 21 and the lead portion 31. The advantage of such a setting is that the depth of the graphic groove 201 of the electrical connection portion 32 is greater than the depth of the graphic groove 201 of the remaining area, which is conducive to the arrangement of more conductive materials, thereby improving the stability of the electrical connection with the external circuit; the width of the graphic groove 201 of the electrical connection portion 32 is greater than the width of the graphic groove 201 of the remaining area, which is conducive to printing.

[0033] The first conductive layer 310 and the second conductive layer 320 use one or more conductive pastes selected from silver nano-paste, copper nano-paste or graphene paste. Preferably, the first conductive layer 310 is a nano-particle-level paste, and the second conductive layer 320 is a micron-level paste. Since the coverage area of ​​the second conductive layer 320 is smaller than that of the first conductive layer 310, it is cheaper to use a micron-level conductive paste, thereby reducing the cost of the conductive paste.

[0034] like Figure 3a to Figure 3d As shown, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for manufacturing a conductive film, the method being used to manufacture the conductive film, comprising:

[0035] S1: Provide a substrate 1, form a structural layer 2 on the substrate 1, and form a plurality of graphic grooves 201 in the structural layer 2. The structural layer 2 includes a sensing area 21 and a lead area 22 located at the edge of the sensing area 21. The lead area 22 includes a lead portion 31 and an electrical connection portion 32. Both the lead portion 31 and the electrical connection portion 32 are provided with a plurality of graphic grooves 201.

[0036] Specifically, Figure 3a and Figure 3b As shown, a layer of UV light curing adhesive 20 is coated on the substrate 1, and a mold 5 having various conductive layer patterns is used to perform a stamping operation on the UV light curing adhesive 20 to form a plurality of pattern grooves 201 of the same depth, and then the pattern is cured; after curing, the UV light curing adhesive 20 forms a structural layer 2. The pattern formed by the plurality of pattern grooves 201 is in a grid shape.

[0037] S2: filling the pattern grooves 201 of the sensing area 21 , the lead portion 31 and the electrical connection portion 32 with conductive material by scraping, and forming a first conductive layer 310 after curing.

[0038] Specifically, Figure 3c As shown, the conductive material only needs to be filled once in the above-mentioned graphic groove 201 by scraping, and the thickness of the filled conductive material is less than the depth of the graphic groove 201, for example, 2μm thick. After curing, a first conductive layer 310 is formed, that is, a conductive circuit is formed.

[0039] S3: Fill the pattern groove 201 of the electrical connection part 32 with conductive material by printing, and form a second conductive layer 320 after curing. The second conductive layer 320 is overlapped on the first conductive layer 310 , and the sensing area 21 is electrically connected to the external circuit through the electrical connection part 32 .

[0040] Specifically, Figure 3d As shown, the conductive material is filled in part of the pattern groove 201 by printing, wherein the width of the second conductive layer 320 printed by precision printing can be 1-10 μm, and the width of the second conductive layer 320 printed by screen printing can be 10-20 μm. Since the printed conductive material can flow and fill the pattern groove 201 when solidified at high temperature, the pattern groove 201 of the electrical connection part 32 can be filled by a single printing process after the first conductive layer 310 is formed, which satisfies the filling amount of the conductive material in the pattern groove 201 while reducing the number of times the conductive material is filled, thereby reducing the cost.

[0041] Preferably, the conductive material filled when forming the first conductive layer 310 is a conductive paste of nanoparticle level, and the conductive material filled when forming the second conductive layer 320 is a conductive paste of micron level. Since the coverage area of ​​the second conductive layer 320 is smaller than that of the first conductive layer 310, it is cheaper to use a conductive paste of micron level, thereby reducing the cost of the conductive paste.

[0042] The conductive film and the manufacturing method thereof provided by the embodiment of the present invention have a first conductive layer 310 provided in the graphic groove 201 of the lead portion 31 of the lead area 22 and the electrical connection portion 32, a second conductive layer 320 provided in the graphic groove 201 of the electrical connection portion 32, and the second conductive layer 320 is overlapped on the first conductive layer 310. The sensing area 21 is electrically connected to the external circuit through the electrical connection portion 32, thereby satisfying the filling amount of the conductive layer at the electrical connection between the sensing area 21 and the external circuit, and improving the stability of the electrical connection. During the manufacturing process, the second conductive layer 320 is filled in the electrical connection portion 32 by printing, and the conductive material can flow and fill the graphic groove 201 when cured at high temperature in the printing method, replacing the existing method of scraping and filling the conductive material multiple times to meet the filling amount, thereby reducing the number of filling times of the conductive material and reducing the cost.

[0043] In the accompanying drawings, the sizes and relative sizes of layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity. It should be understood that when an element, such as a layer, region, or substrate, is referred to as being "formed on," "disposed on," or "located on" another element, the element may be disposed directly on the other element, or there may be intervening elements. Conversely, when an element is referred to as being "formed directly on" or "disposed directly on" another element, there are no intervening elements.

[0044] In this document, the directions or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "vertical", and "horizontal" are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the clarity of expressing the technical solutions and the convenience of description, and therefore should not be understood as limitations of the present invention.

[0045] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, “plurality” or “several” means two or more.

[0046] In this document, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion of elements other than those listed and may also include additional elements not expressly listed.

[0047] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A conductive film comprising a substrate, characterized in that: A structural layer including a plurality of graphic grooves is provided on the substrate, the structural layer includes a sensing area and a lead area located at the edge of the sensing area, the lead area includes a lead portion and an electrical connection portion, a plurality of the graphic grooves are provided in the lead portion and the electrical connection portion, a first conductive layer is provided in the graphic grooves of the sensing area, the lead portion and the electrical connection portion, a second conductive layer is provided in the graphic grooves of the electrical connection portion, the second conductive layer is overlapped and arranged on the first conductive layer, the sensing area is electrically connected to an external circuit through the electrical connection portion, the thickness of the first conductive layer is less than the depth of the graphic grooves, the second conductive layer is at least partially arranged in the graphic grooves, and the depth and / or width of the graphic grooves of the electrical connection portion are greater than the depth and / or width of the sensing area and the lead portion.

2. The conductive film according to claim 1, wherein The second conductive layer is formed on the first conductive layer by printing.

3. The conductive film according to claim 1, wherein The lead area is provided with a plurality of leads which are spaced apart and insulated from each other, and each of the leads includes the lead portion and the electrical connection portion.

4. The conductive film according to claim 1, wherein The electrical connection portion is disposed at one end of the lead area close to the sensing area, and is used to electrically connect the sensing area with the lead area.

5. The conductive film according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that: The electrical connection portion is disposed at one end of the lead area away from the sensing area, and is used to electrically connect the lead area to a circuit board.

6. The conductive film according to claim 1, wherein The width of the pattern groove is 1 to 20 μm, and the depth is 2 to 15 μm.

7. The conductive film according to claim 1, wherein The first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are made of one or more of silver nano-paste, copper nano-paste or graphene paste.

8. The conductive film according to claim 7, wherein: The first conductive layer is a nano-particle-level slurry, and the second conductive layer is a micron-level slurry.

9. A method for manufacturing a conductive film, characterized in that: The method is used to manufacture a conductive film as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, and the method comprises: Providing a substrate, forming a structural layer on the substrate, wherein a plurality of pattern grooves are formed in the structural layer, wherein the structural layer comprises a sensing region and a lead region located at the edge of the sensing region, wherein the lead region comprises a lead portion and an electrical connection portion, wherein the lead portion and the electrical connection portion are both provided with a plurality of the pattern grooves; Filling the pattern grooves of the sensing area, the lead part and the electrical connection part with a conductive material by scraping, and forming a first conductive layer after curing; A conductive material is filled in the graphic groove of the electrical connection part by printing, and a second conductive layer is formed after curing, the second conductive layer is overlapped and arranged on the first conductive layer, the sensing area is electrically connected to the external circuit through the electrical connection part, the thickness of the first conductive layer is less than the depth of the graphic groove, the second conductive layer is at least partially arranged in the graphic groove, and the depth and / or width of the graphic groove of the electrical connection part is greater than the depth and / or width of the sensing area and the lead part.

10. The method for manufacturing a conductive film according to claim 9, wherein: The steps of forming the structural layer include: coating a layer of UV light-curing glue on the substrate, using a mold to perform a stamping on the UV light-curing glue, and then curing; after curing, the UV light-curing glue forms the structural layer, and a plurality of the graphic grooves are formed in the structural layer.

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