Manufacturing method of conductive circuit of nano-silver transparent conductive film for touch screen
By using laser etching and electrostatic transfer technology to manufacture conductive circuits in nano-silver transparent conductive films for touch screens, the complex processes and environmental issues of existing technologies have been solved, achieving efficient and low-energy-consumption manufacturing of conductive circuits.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TIANJIN BAOXINGWEI TECH
- Filing Date
- 2022-10-15
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-26
AI Technical Summary
The existing technology for manufacturing conductive circuits of nano-silver transparent conductive films for touch screens involves complex processes, numerous steps, high equipment investment, high energy consumption, and is not environmentally friendly.
The conductive lines and electrodes are manufactured using laser etching technology. The nano-silver conductive ink layer and nano-silver paste layer are etched using a laser in the 300nm-400nm band, avoiding the use of strong acids and alkalis. The residual substances in the trenches are cleaned by combining electrostatic transfer film technology.
This has resulted in simplified process flow, reduced equipment investment and energy consumption, reduced environmental impact, and improved product yield and display effect.
Smart Images
Figure CN115734496B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of touch screen technology, specifically to a method for manufacturing conductive circuits of a nano-silver transparent conductive film for touch screens. Background Technology
[0002] Conductive circuitry is an important component of the nano-silver transparent conductive film on a touchscreen. When energized, it forms one of the plates of the capacitor in a capacitive touchscreen, playing a crucial role in completing touch operations.
[0003] To create conductive lines on conductive ink layers, a photolithography process is used in related technologies. The photolithography process mainly involves shining yellow light onto a designed film and then projecting it onto a photosensitive emulsion. The photosensitive emulsion that is exposed to light will cure and protect the ITO (indium tin oxide) pattern, while the parts that are not exposed to light will be etched away by development, ultimately obtaining the desired ITO pattern.
[0004] The inventors have discovered that the related technology has at least the following technical problems:
[0005] 1. The related technologies and processes are complex, involve many steps, require high equipment investment, occupy a large workshop area, and have high energy consumption;
[0006] 2. The related technologies require the use of a large amount of strong acids and alkalis in the photolithography process. Like acid-resistant processes, they belong to wet etching, which has a certain impact on the environment and is not conducive to environmental protection. Summary of the Invention
[0007] This application provides a method for manufacturing conductive circuits of a nano-silver transparent conductive film for touch screens, which solves the technical problems of complex processes, numerous procedures, and environmental disadvantages in related technologies.
[0008] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this application adopts the following technical solution:
[0009] The method for manufacturing the conductive circuit of the nano-silver transparent conductive film for touch screens provided in this application includes the following steps:
[0010] Step A: Prepare a conductive film with unetched lines; the conductive film with unetched lines includes a stacked first nano-silver conductive ink layer, a first oxide bonding layer, a polarizer, a second oxide bonding layer and a second nano-silver conductive ink layer, the edges of the first nano-silver conductive ink layer are screen-printed with a first nano-silver paste layer, and the edges of the second nano-silver conductive ink layer are screen-printed with a second nano-silver paste layer.
[0011] Step B: Use laser etching process to etch the first nano-silver conductive ink layer into a first conductive line, and etch the first nano-silver paste layer into a first electrode connected to the first conductive line;
[0012] Step C: Use laser etching to etch the second nano-silver conductive ink layer into a second conductive line, and etch the second nano-silver paste layer into a second electrode connected to the second conductive line;
[0013] The laser used in the laser etching process did not etch the polarizer during the etching of the first nano-silver conductive ink layer, the second nano-silver conductive ink layer, the first nano-silver paste layer, and the second nano-silver paste layer.
[0014] This application uses laser etching technology, which can efficiently etch qualified conductive lines and electrodes. The process is simple, has few steps, low equipment investment, small workshop area, and low energy consumption. Moreover, it does not require the use of strong acids or alkalis, has little impact on the environment, and is more environmentally friendly.
[0015] Optionally, the laser used in the laser etching process has a wavelength between 300nm and 400nm.
[0016] The energy in the above bands is relatively low, so they can perform etching without penetrating the polarizer and causing damage.
[0017] Optionally, the width of the trench etched away by the laser between adjacent first conductive lines or between adjacent second conductive lines is less than 40 micrometers.
[0018] The smaller the width of this groove, the better the display effect of the resulting touch screen.
[0019] Optionally, the width of the trench etched away by the laser between adjacent first conductive lines or between adjacent second conductive lines is 30 micrometers, with an allowable error of ±5 micrometers.
[0020] When the groove is within the above-mentioned numerical range, a balance can be achieved between manufacturing efficiency, economy, and display effect.
[0021] Optionally, the width of the laser beam used in the laser etching process is consistent with the width of the trench etched away by the laser on the first or second nano-silver conductive ink layer.
[0022] In this design, the trenches between conductive lines can be obtained with a single laser etching to achieve the required width, eliminating the need for multiple etching processes.
[0023] Optionally, the method for manufacturing the conductive circuit of the nano-silver transparent conductive film for the touch screen further includes the following step D:
[0024] Step D: A process transfer film of polyethylene material is applied to the first conductive line and the first electrode, or to the second conductive line and the second electrode. The process transfer film can electrostatically adsorb residual material that was not vaporized during the trench etching process.
[0025] During the manufacturing process, the transfer film can use electrostatic discharge to clean the trenches, thereby ensuring that the conductive lines do not stick together and thus ensuring the overall yield of the product.
[0026] Optionally, during the laser etching process, the conductive film of the unetched circuit is in a stationary state, and the laser generator is in a horizontally moving state.
[0027] This design helps ensure the etching accuracy of the product.
[0028] Optionally, the laser used in the laser etching process does not penetrate the polarizer during the etching process.
[0029] This design ensures that the polarizer will not be damaged during the etching process, and also prevents the laser from damaging the conductive lines or conductive ink layer on the other side after penetrating the polarizer.
[0030] Optionally, the linewidth of the first conductive line or the second conductive line is 100-200 micrometers.
[0031] This line width, while ensuring adequate conductivity, keeps the manufacturing difficulty within a relatively low range.
[0032] Optionally, when etching the first electrode and the second electrode, the first nano-silver paste layer and the second nano-silver paste layer are etched by laser 2-4 times.
[0033] Multiple laser etching processes can ensure the precision of the first and second electrodes, thereby ensuring the overall yield of the product.
[0034] In summary, this application can produce at least the following technical effects:
[0035] 1. The laser etching process used in this application can efficiently etch qualified conductive lines and electrodes. It is not only simple in process, with fewer steps, low equipment investment, small workshop area, and low energy consumption, but also does not require the use of strong acids and alkalis, thus having less impact on the environment and being more environmentally friendly.
[0036] 2. During the manufacturing process, the transfer film can use electrostatic cleaning to clean the grooves, thereby ensuring that the conductive lines do not stick together, thus ensuring the overall yield of the product.
[0037] 3. The selection of the laser beam width ensures that the trenches between conductive lines can be obtained with a qualified width in a single laser etching, without the need for multiple etching processes. Attached Figure Description
[0038] Figure 1 A planar schematic diagram of the conductive lines and electrodes etched by laser in the manufacturing method of the conductive lines of the nano-silver transparent conductive film for touch screen provided in this application.
[0039] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the cross-section of the layered structure of the conductive lines and electrodes etched by laser in the manufacturing method of the nano-silver transparent conductive film for touch screen provided in this application.
[0040] The markings in the figure are: 1a, conductive film without etched conductive lines; 1b, conductive film with etched conductive lines; 11, trench; 12, conductive line; 13, electrode; 14, conductive ink layer; 15, nano silver paste layer; 16, indicator line indicating the location of the inner edge of the nano silver paste before etching. Detailed Implementation
[0041] The following is combined Figures 1-2 The embodiments of this application provide a detailed description of the technical solution of this application.
[0042] like Figure 1 As shown, the conductive film 1a without etched conductive lines was laser-etched to obtain a conductive film 1b with etched conductive lines. Figure 1 The nano-silver paste layer 15, outside the indicator line 16 located at the inner edge of the nano-silver paste before etching, is etched into the electrode 13. The conductive ink layer 14, inside the indicator line 16 located at the inner edge of the nano-silver paste before etching, is etched into the conductive line 12. The trench 11 between the conductive lines 12 is obtained by laser etching. The width of the conductive line 12 is wider than the width of the trench 11.
[0043] Figure 2 The diagram illustrates the cross-sectional changes of the conductive film layered structure before and after laser etching, from... Figure 2 It can be seen that the first nano-silver paste layer was etched into the first electrode, the second nano-silver paste layer was etched into the second electrode, the first nano-silver conductive ink layer was etched into the first conductive line, and the second nano-silver conductive ink layer was etched into the second conductive line.
[0044] The specific implementation methods of the embodiments of this application are described in detail below.
[0045] The method for manufacturing the conductive circuit of the nano-silver transparent conductive film for touch screens provided in this application includes the following steps:
[0046] Step A: Prepare a conductive film without etched lines; the conductive film without etched lines includes a stacked first nano-silver conductive ink layer, a first oxide bonding layer, a polarizer, a second oxide bonding layer and a second nano-silver conductive ink layer, the edges of the first nano-silver conductive ink layer are screen-printed with a first nano-silver paste layer, and the edges of the second nano-silver conductive ink layer are screen-printed with a second nano-silver paste layer.
[0047] Step B: Use laser etching technology to etch the first nano-silver conductive ink layer into the first conductive line, and etch the first nano-silver paste layer into the first electrode connected to the first conductive line;
[0048] Step C: Use laser etching to etch the second nanometer silver conductive ink layer into a second conductive line, and etch the second nanometer silver paste layer into a second electrode connected to the second conductive line;
[0049] like Figure 1 As shown, the etched electrode 13 (first electrode or second electrode) is located outside the indicator line 16 at the position of the inner edge of the nano-silver paste before etching, and the etched conductive line 12 (first conductive line or second conductive line) is located outside the inner edge of the nano-silver paste before etching. Figure 1 The location of the inner edge of the nano-silver paste before etching is indicated by the line 16.
[0050] The laser used in the laser etching process did not etch the polarizer during the etching of the first nanometer silver conductive ink layer, the second nanometer silver conductive ink layer, the first nanometer silver paste layer, and the second nanometer silver paste layer.
[0051] This embodiment uses laser etching technology, which can efficiently etch qualified conductive lines and electrodes. It is not only simple in process, with fewer steps, low equipment investment, small workshop area, and low energy consumption, but also does not require the use of strong acids and alkalis, thus having a small impact on the environment and being more environmentally friendly.
[0052] In this embodiment, the laser used in the laser etching process has a wavelength between 300nm and 400nm. This wavelength range has relatively low energy, ensuring that the etching process does not penetrate the polarizer and damage it, nor does it damage the conductive lines and electrodes on the other side of the polarizer.
[0053] In this embodiment, the laser etching between adjacent first conductive lines or adjacent second conductive lines is as follows: Figure 1 The width of the groove 11 shown is less than 40 micrometers. The smaller the width of this groove, the better the display effect of the resulting touch screen.
[0054] In this embodiment, the width of the trenches etched away by laser between adjacent first conductive lines or adjacent second conductive lines is 30 micrometers, with an allowable error of ±5 micrometers. When the trenches are within the above-mentioned value range, a balance can be achieved between manufacturing efficiency, economy, and display effect.
[0055] In this embodiment, the width of the laser beam used in the laser etching process is consistent with the width of the trenches etched away by the laser on the first or second nanometer silver conductive ink layer. With this design, the trenches between conductive lines can achieve the required width with a single laser etching operation, eliminating the need for multiple etching steps.
[0056] The manufacturing method of the conductive circuit of the nano-silver transparent conductive film for touch screen in this embodiment further includes the following step D:
[0057] Step D: A process transfer film made of polyethylene is applied to the first conductive line and the first electrode, or to the second conductive line and the second electrode. The process transfer film can use electrostatic adsorption to adsorb the residual material that was not vaporized during the trench etching process.
[0058] During the manufacturing process, the transfer film can use electrostatic discharge to clean the trenches, thereby ensuring that the conductive lines do not stick together and thus ensuring the overall yield of the product.
[0059] In this embodiment, during the laser etching process, the conductive film of the unetched circuit remains stationary, while the laser generator moves horizontally. This design helps ensure the etching accuracy of the product.
[0060] In this embodiment, the laser used in the laser etching process never penetrates the polarizer during the etching process. This design ensures that the polarizer is not damaged during etching, and also avoids damage to the conductive lines or conductive ink layer on the other side after the laser penetrates the polarizer.
[0061] In this embodiment, the linewidth of the first or second conductive line is 100-200 micrometers.
[0062] This linewidth, while ensuring adequate conductivity, keeps manufacturing difficulty relatively low. In this embodiment, the first and second nano-silver paste layers are etched 2-4 times, preferably 3 times, using laser etching. Multiple laser etching processes ensure the precision of the first and second electrodes, thereby guaranteeing the overall product yield.
[0063] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A method for manufacturing conductive circuitry of a nano-silver transparent conductive film for a touchscreen, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step A: Prepare a conductive film with unetched lines; the conductive film with unetched lines includes a stacked first nano-silver conductive ink layer, a first oxide bonding layer, a polarizer, a second oxide bonding layer and a second nano-silver conductive ink layer, the edges of the first nano-silver conductive ink layer are screen-printed with a first nano-silver paste layer, and the edges of the second nano-silver conductive ink layer are screen-printed with a second nano-silver paste layer. Step B: Use laser etching process to etch the first nano-silver conductive ink layer into a first conductive line, and etch the first nano-silver paste layer into a first electrode connected to the first conductive line; Step C: Use laser etching to etch the second nano-silver conductive ink layer into a second conductive line, and etch the second nano-silver paste layer into a second electrode connected to the second conductive line; Step D: Cover the first conductive line and the first electrode or the second conductive line and the second electrode with a process transfer film made of polyethylene. The process transfer film can use electrostatic adsorption to adsorb the residual material that was not vaporized during the etching process. The laser used in the laser etching process has a wavelength between 300nm and 400nm. The laser used in the laser etching process did not etch the polarizer during the etching of the first nano-silver conductive ink layer, the second nano-silver conductive ink layer, the first nano-silver paste layer, and the second nano-silver paste layer, and the laser used in the laser etching process never penetrated the polarizer during the etching process.
2. The method for manufacturing the conductive circuit of the nano-silver transparent conductive film for touch screens according to claim 1, characterized in that, The width of the trenches etched away by the laser between adjacent first conductive lines or between adjacent second conductive lines is less than 40 micrometers.
3. The method for manufacturing the conductive circuit of the nano-silver transparent conductive film for touch screens according to claim 2, characterized in that, The width of the trench etched away by the laser between adjacent first conductive lines or adjacent second conductive lines is 30 micrometers, with an allowable error of ±5 micrometers.
4. The method for manufacturing the conductive circuit of the nano-silver transparent conductive film for touch screens according to claim 2, characterized in that, The width of the laser beam used in the laser etching process is the same as the width of the groove etched away by the laser on the first or second nano-silver conductive ink layer.
5. The method for manufacturing the conductive circuit of the nano-silver transparent conductive film for touch screens according to claim 1, characterized in that, During the laser etching process, the conductive film of the unetched circuit is in a stationary state, while the laser generator is in a horizontally moving state.
6. The method for manufacturing the conductive circuit of the nano-silver transparent conductive film for touch screens according to claim 1, characterized in that, The linewidth of the first conductive line or the second conductive line is 100-200 micrometers.
7. The method for manufacturing the conductive circuit of the nano-silver transparent conductive film for touch screens according to claim 1, characterized in that, When etching the first electrode and the second electrode, the first nano-silver paste layer and the second nano-silver paste layer are etched by laser 2-4 times.