Photomask, exposure method and touch panel

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a photomask, an exposure method, and a touch panel, the photomask including a first region and a second region, the first region being located on at least one side of the second region, the first region including a first light-blocking bar and a second light-blocking bar, and the second region including a third light-blocking bar, the first light-blocking bar, the second light-blocking bar, and the third light-blocking bar extending in the same direction, the second light-blocking bar being located between the first light-blocking bar and the third light-blocking bar, the first light-blocking bar, the second light-blocking bar, and the third light-blocking bar being arranged to block light, a gap formed by the first light-blocking bars, the second light-blocking bars, and the third light-blocking bars allowing light to pass through, the width of the first light-blocking bar in a first direction being greater than the width of the second light-blocking bar in the first direction, and the width of the second light-blocking bar in the first direction being greater than the width of the third light-blocking bar in the first direction.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims priority to PCT International Application No. PCT / CN2020 / 092806, filed in China on May 28, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The present disclosure relates to the technical field of displays, and in particular to a photomask, an exposure method, and a touch panel. [Background technology]

[0002] With the continuous development of display technology, the size of the display panel or touch panel becomes larger and larger. In order to produce a larger size display panel or touch panel, there is a demand to use a small generation production line to produce the large size display panel or touch panel. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present disclosure provides a photomask, an exposure method, and a touch panel.

[0004] In one aspect, there is provided a photomask including a first region and a second region, the first region being located on at least one side of the second region, the first region including a first light-shielding bar and a second light-shielding bar, the second region including a third light-shielding bar, the first light-shielding bar, the second light-shielding bar, and the third light-shielding bar having the same extending direction, the second light-shielding bar being located between the first light-shielding bar and the third light-shielding bar, the first light-shielding bar, the second light-shielding bar, and the third light-shielding bar being arranged to block light, a gap formed by being surrounded by a plurality of the first light-shielding bars, a plurality of the second light-shielding bars, and a plurality of the third light-shielding bars allows light to pass through, and a width of the first light-shielding bar in a first direction is greater than a width of the second light-shielding bar in the first direction, and the width of the second light-shielding bar in the first direction is greater than a width of the third light-shielding bar in the first direction.

[0005] Optionally, each of the second shading bars includes a first sub-shading bar, a second sub-shading bar and a third sub-shading bar, the second sub-shading bar is located between the first sub-shading bar and the third sub-shading bar, the width of the first sub-shading bar in the first direction is greater than the width of the second sub-shading bar in the first direction, and the width of the second sub-shading bar in the first direction is greater than the width of the third sub-shading bar in the first direction.

[0006] Optionally, a width of the first sub-shading bar in a first direction gradually decreases along a second direction, the second direction being substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

[0007] Optionally, the first sub-shading bar includes a first edge and a second edge opposite to each other in a first direction, an extension line of the first edge intersects with an extension line of the second edge, a first angle of the first edge relative to a center line of the first sub-shading bar is greater than 0° and less than 90°, and a second angle of the second edge relative to the center line of the first sub-shading bar is greater than 0° and less than 90°.

[0008] Optionally, the first angle is between 45° and 55° and the second angle is between 60° and 70°.

[0009] Optionally, the first edge has a length between 1 μm and 10 μm, and the second edge has a length between 1 μm and 10 μm.

[0010] Optionally, the second sub-shading bar includes a third edge and a fourth edge, which are two edges opposing each other in a first direction, the length of the third edge along the second direction is not equal to the length of the fourth edge along the second direction, and the second direction is approximately perpendicular to the first direction.

[0011] Optionally, a width of the third sub-shading bar in a first direction gradually decreases along a second direction, the second direction being substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

[0012] Optionally, the third sub-shading bar includes a fifth edge and a sixth edge opposite to each other in a first direction, an extension line of the fifth edge intersects with an extension line of the sixth edge, a third angle of the fifth edge relative to a center line of the third sub-shading bar is greater than 0° and less than 90°, and a fourth angle of the sixth edge relative to the center line of the third sub-shading bar is greater than 0° and less than 90°.

[0013] Optionally, the third angle is between 45° and 55° and the fourth angle is between 80° and 90°.

[0014] Optionally, the fifth edge has a length between 10 μm and 21 μm, and the sixth edge has a length between 6 μm and 16 μm.

[0015] Optionally, the width of each portion of the second light blocking bar in the first direction is equal along the second direction.

[0016] Optionally, the first light blocking bar, the third light blocking bar and the second light blocking bar have overlapping centerlines.

[0017] Optionally, the center lines of the first light-shielding bar, the third light-shielding bar and the second light-shielding bar form an angle of less than 90° with a side of the photomask.

[0018] Optionally, the first light blocking bar, the third light blocking bar and the second light blocking bar are of a unitary molded structure.

[0019] In another aspect, there is provided an exposure method, comprising the steps of: Preparing any one of the photomasks described above; providing a substrate including a third region and a fourth region; aligning the photomask with a third area of ​​the substrate and performing a first exposure; moving the photomask and the substrate relative to one another; and aligning the photomask with a fourth area of ​​the substrate and performing a second exposure.

[0020] Optionally, aligning the photomask with a third region of the substrate and performing a first exposure includes: forming a first pattern and a second pattern in the third region using a first light-shielding bar and a second light-shielding bar of the photomask; and forming a third pattern in the third region using a third light-shielding bar of the photomask; The line width of the first pattern is larger than the line width of the second pattern, and the line width of the second pattern is larger than the line width of the third pattern.

[0021] Optionally, each of the second light blocking bars includes a first sub-light blocking bar, a second sub-light blocking bar and a third sub-light blocking bar, and the substrate further includes a boundary line located between the third region and the fourth region; The step of aligning the photomask with the third region of the substrate and performing a first exposure includes: forming a second sub-pattern in the third region using the second sub-light-shielding bar; and forming a third sub-pattern in the third region using the third sub-shading bar; Aligning the photomask with the fourth region of the substrate and performing a second exposure includes: forming a fourth sub-pattern in the fourth region by using the second sub-light-shielding bar; forming a fifth sub-pattern in the fourth region by using the third sub-shading bar; The second subpattern, the third subpattern, the fourth subpattern, and the fifth subpattern have overlapping areas, and the area of ​​the overlapping areas is less than a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold being the product of a first width and a second width, the first width being twice the maximum positional misalignment of the photomask between two exposures in a stitching exposure process, and the second width being the width of the first light-shielding bar in a direction parallel to the boundary line.

[0022] Optionally, each of the second light blocking bars includes a first sub-light blocking bar, a second sub-light blocking bar and a third sub-light blocking bar, the third sub-light blocking bar includes a third edge and a fourth edge, an extension line of the third edge intersects with an extension line of the fourth edge, and the substrate further includes a boundary line located between the third region and the fourth region; The step of aligning the photomask with the third region of the substrate and performing a first exposure includes: forming a second sub-pattern in the third region using the second sub-light-shielding bar; and using the third sub-shading bar to form a third sub-pattern in the third region, the third sub-pattern including a fifth edge and a sixth edge corresponding to the third edge and the fourth edge, the fifth edge being parallel to the boundary line, and a distance between the fifth edge and the boundary line being a maximum positional deviation of the photomask between two exposures in a stitching exposure process.

[0023] Optionally, aligning the photomask with a fourth region of the substrate and performing a second exposure includes: forming a fourth sub-pattern in the fourth region by using the second sub-light-shielding bar; and using the third sub-light-shielding bar to form a fifth sub-pattern in the fourth region, the fifth sub-pattern including a seventh edge and an eighth edge corresponding to the third edge and the fourth edge, the seventh edge being parallel to the boundary line, and a distance between the seventh edge and the boundary line being the maximum position deviation; The second subpattern, the third subpattern, the fourth subpattern, and the fifth subpattern have center lines that overlap, and overlapping regions are formed between the second subpattern, the third subpattern, and the fourth subpattern and the fifth subpattern.

[0024] Optionally, aligning the photomask with a fourth region of the substrate and performing a second exposure includes: forming a sixth sub-pattern in the fourth region by using the second sub-shading bar; and forming a seventh sub-pattern in the fourth region using the third sub-shading bar, the seventh sub-pattern including a ninth edge and a tenth edge corresponding to the third edge and the fourth edge, the ninth edge being parallel to the boundary line, and a distance between the ninth edge and the boundary line being in a range from zero to twice the maximum position deviation; An overlapping region is formed between the second sub-pattern, the third sub-pattern, and the sixth sub-pattern, and the seventh sub-pattern.

[0025] Optionally, aligning the photomask with a fourth region of the substrate and performing a second exposure includes: forming an eighth sub-pattern in the fourth region using the second sub-light-shielding bar; and forming a ninth sub-pattern in the fourth region using the third sub-shading bar; An overlapping region is formed between the second subpattern, the third subpattern, and the eighth subpattern and the ninth subpattern, the center lines of the second subpattern and the third subpattern overlap, the center lines of the eighth subpattern and the ninth subpattern overlap, and the distance between the center line of the second subpattern and the center line of the eighth subpattern is in the range from zero to the maximum position deviation.

[0026] Optionally, aligning the photomask with a fourth region of the substrate and performing a second exposure includes: using the third sub-light-shielding bar to form a tenth sub-pattern in the fourth region, the tenth sub-pattern including an eleventh edge and a twelfth edge corresponding to the third edge and the fourth edge, the eleventh edge being parallel to the boundary line, and a distance between the eleventh edge and the boundary line being zero; and forming a fourth pattern in the fourth region by using the third light-shielding bar; The third sub-pattern, the tenth sub-pattern, and the fourth pattern have center lines that overlap with each other, and overlapping regions are formed between the third sub-pattern, the tenth sub-pattern, and the fourth pattern.

[0027] Optionally, the area of ​​the overlap region is less than a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold being a product of a first width and a second width, the first width being twice the maximum misalignment, and the second width being the width of the first light-shielding bar in a direction parallel to the boundary line.

[0028] In yet another aspect, A substrate; A touch drive electrode provided on the substrate; A touch panel including a touch sensing electrode provided on the substrate, At least one of the touch driving electrodes and the touch sensing electrodes has a mesh structure, the mesh structure includes a junction, the junction includes a first protrusion structure and a second protrusion structure distributed on both sides of a center line of a mesh bar, and the first protrusion structure and the second protrusion structure are arranged in a staggered manner along a direction of the center line.

[0029] Optionally, both the first protruding structure and the second protruding structure include an arcuate edge.

[0030] Optionally, the substrate includes a third region, a fourth region, and a boundary line located between the third region and the fourth region, and the bonding points are sequentially arranged along the boundary line.

[0031] Optionally, the mesh structure includes a fifth region, the fifth region being located on at least one side farther from the boundary line in the third region and the fourth region; The third region includes a first mesh bar, the fourth region includes a second mesh bar, and the fifth region includes a third mesh bar, and a width of the third mesh bar in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the third mesh bar is greater than a width of the first mesh bar in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the first mesh bar, and / or a width of the third mesh bar in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the third mesh bar is greater than a width of the second mesh bar in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the second mesh bar.

[0032] Optionally, the mesh structure includes a fourth mesh bar, the fourth mesh bar being connected to at least one end of the junction, a distance between the vertex of the junction and a center line of the fourth mesh bar being d3, a width of the fourth mesh bar being d4, and a ratio of d3 to d4 being n=d3 / d4, where n is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 2.3.

[0033] Optionally, the first protrusion structure has two sides that intersect with the center line of the mesh bar that are unequal in length, and / or the second protrusion structure has two sides that intersect with the center line of the mesh bar that are unequal in length.

[0034] Optionally, the length of a first side edge of the first protrusion structure that is farther from the second protrusion structure is shorter than the length of a second side edge of the second protrusion structure that is closer to the second protrusion structure, and / or the length of a third side edge of the second protrusion structure that is farther from the first protrusion structure is shorter than the length of a fourth side edge of the second protrusion structure that is closer to the first protrusion structure.

[0035] Optionally, at at least one of the junction points, the first protruding structure and the second protruding structure are disposed centrosymmetrically.

[0036] Optionally, both sides of the first protrusion structure include a first side edge farther from the second protrusion structure and a second side edge closer to the second protrusion structure, both sides of the second protrusion structure include a third side edge farther from the first protrusion structure and a fourth side edge closer to the first protrusion structure, and a first included angle β1 is formed between the first side edge and a center line of the mesh bar, a second included angle β2 is formed between the second side edge and the center line of the mesh bar, and a third included angle β3 is formed between the third side edge and the center line of the mesh bar; The fourth side edge and the center line of the mesh bar form a fourth included angle β4, the first side edge and the second side edge form a fifth included angle β5, and the third side edge and the fourth side edge form a sixth included angle β6, where β1 is greater than or equal to 110° and less than or equal to 150°, β2 is greater than or equal to 125° and less than or equal to 165°, β3 is greater than or equal to 110° and less than or equal to 150°, β4 is greater than or equal to 125° and less than or equal to 165°, β5 is greater than or equal to 80° and less than or equal to 100°, and β6 is greater than or equal to 80° and less than or equal to 100°.

[0037] Optionally, the mesh structure includes a fifth mesh bar and a sixth mesh bar connected to both ends of the junction, and the distance between the center line of the fifth mesh bar and the center line of the sixth mesh bar is d5, which is greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 6 microns.

[0038] Optionally, the touch driving electrodes and the touch sensing electrodes are stacked along a direction perpendicular to a substrate, the touch driving electrodes and the touch sensing electrodes both include the mesh structure, and the mesh structure includes junctions, and the junctions in different layers are aligned approximately along the same straight line, or the junctions in different layers are aligned approximately along two straight lines, respectively.

[0039] Optionally, the touch driving electrodes and the touch sensing electrodes are stacked along a direction perpendicular to a substrate, the touch driving electrodes and the touch sensing electrodes both include the mesh structure, and the mesh structure includes junctions, and the junctions in different layers at least partially overlap when orthogonally projected on the substrate. Effect of the Invention

[0040] The embodiments of the present disclosure have the following beneficial effects: In the above technical solution, some of the light-shielding bars on the photomask are designed to be widened by a number of different dimensions, thereby compensating for the misalignment between the two exposures, so that in the finally formed display panel or touch panel, the line width of the conductive line in the substrate joining exposure area is equal to the line width of the conductive line in the substrate normal exposure area, thereby not only reducing or eliminating the mura phenomenon, but also making the dimensions of the conductive line formed at the joining point after the joining exposure appropriate, thereby avoiding the open circuit caused by the conductive line being too thin at the joining point, while avoiding the problem of shadow disappearance caused by the conductive line being too thick at the joining point. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0041] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of a metal mesh electrode. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a photomask according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of a substrate of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5A-C] FIG. 13 is a partially enlarged view showing a schematic view of a substrate connection exposure region in two exposure processes. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a photomask according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 7 is a partial enlarged schematic view of a portion A of the photomask shown in FIG. 6. FIG. [Figure 8A-C] FIG. 8 is a partial enlarged view showing a schematic diagram of a substrate joint exposure region in two exposure processes when a joint exposure process is performed on a substrate using the photomask in FIGS. 6 to 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a joint pattern formed in a substrate joint exposure region when a joint exposure process is performed on a substrate using the photomask in FIGS. 6 to 7. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a photomask according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 11 is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of a portion A of the photomask shown in FIG. 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] 11 is a partially enlarged schematic view of a portion A of the photomask shown in FIG. 10 according to another embodiment. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a photomask according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a photomask according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a photomask according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] 4 is a flow chart of an exposure method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] 14 is a partial top view showing a schematic diagram of a relative positional relationship of a photomask during two successive exposures when a stitch exposure process is performed using the photomask shown in FIG. 13. FIG. [Figure 18] 14 is a perspective view showing a schematic diagram of a relative positional relationship of a photomask during two successive exposures when a stitch exposure process is performed using the photomask shown in FIG. 13. [Figure 19] 14 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of the relative positional relationship of the photomask during two successive exposures when a stitch exposure process is performed using the photomask shown in FIG. 13. FIG. [Figure 20] 14 is a top view showing a schematic diagram of the relative positional relationship of a photomask during two successive exposures when a stitching exposure process is performed using the photomask shown in FIG. 13. FIG. [Figure 21] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a stitch pattern formed in a substrate stitch exposure region when a stitch exposure process is performed on a substrate using the photomask in FIG. 13 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 22]FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a stitch pattern formed in a substrate stitch exposure region when a stitch exposure process is performed on a substrate using the photomask in FIG. 13 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 23] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a stitch pattern formed in a substrate stitch exposure region when a stitch exposure process is performed on a substrate using the photomask in FIG. 13 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 24] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a stitch pattern formed in a substrate stitch exposure region when a stitch exposure process is performed on a substrate using the photomask in FIG. 13 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 25] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a stitch pattern formed in a substrate stitch exposure region when a stitch exposure process is performed on a substrate using the photomask in FIG. 13 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 26] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a touch panel according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 27] 1 is a stitching pattern according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 28] 13 is a stitching pattern according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0042] In order to make the problems to be solved, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure clearer, the following detailed description will be given in conjunction with the drawings and specific embodiments.

[0043] In order to produce a large-sized display panel or touch panel, for example, the size of the photomask must be increased accordingly. At present, the exposure machine has a certain limit on the size of the photomask, and the large-sized photomask has defects such as difficulty in manufacturing, high cost, and inconvenience in daily storage and use. Therefore, when producing a large-sized display panel or touch panel, it is usually necessary to divide a large-sized substrate into several regions, and use a photomask to sequentially expose each region to form a large-sized display panel or touch panel, which process is called a stitching exposure process. For example, taking the G6 generation line at BOE's touch panel factory as an example, the effective exposure area of ​​the photomask is 1100 mm x 752 mm, while a large-sized touch panel, for example a 65-inch panel, has outer dimensions of 1460 mm x 831 mm, and a 75-inch panel has outer dimensions of 1687 mm x 957 mm. Since the outer dimensions exceed the effective exposure area of ​​the photomask, multiple exposures, i.e., the above-mentioned stitching exposure process, are required to form the desired pattern.

[0044] FIG. 1 shows a schematic structure of a metal mesh electrode. With the rapid development of the touch panel industry, the demand for transparent conductors, such as indium tin oxide (ITO), has also increased significantly. However, the high price, low efficacy, fragility, low conductivity, and other shortcomings of ITO have forced researchers to search for electrode materials or electrode structures that can replace ITO. A metal mesh electrode is one of the electrode structures that can replace ITO. As shown in FIG. 1, a metal mesh 10 includes a plurality of metal wires 1, which are arranged in a mesh shape. Each metal wire 1 has a width We greater than zero, and there is a gap Se between every two adjacent metal wires 1. When the metal mesh electrode is used as a touch electrode of a touch panel, the resistance of the metal wires is very low, and most of the areas in the metal mesh (i.e., areas where gaps exist) do not have any light-shielding objects, so that light can pass through completely, thereby increasing the light transmittance.

[0045] The metal mesh electrode can be applied to a large-sized touch panel as at least one of the touch driving electrode and the touch sensing electrode. Taking an OGS (One Glass Solution) touch panel as an example, as shown in FIG. 2, a touch panel 20 may include a substrate 21, a black matrix 22 provided on the substrate 21, a first overcoat (OC) layer 23 provided on the substrate 21 and covering the black matrix 22, a touch sensing electrode 24 provided on the first overcoat layer 23, a second overcoat layer 25 provided on the touch sensing electrode 24, a touch driving electrode 26 provided on the second overcoat layer 25, and a third overcoat layer 27 provided on the touch driving electrode 26. At least one of the touch sensing electrode 24 and the touch driving electrode 26 may include a metal mesh structure shown in FIG. 1.

[0046] It should be noted that in this specification, the overcoat layer is a layer that plays an insulating or protective role, and is generally a transparent optical material layer.

[0047] A patterning process may be used to form the touch sensing electrodes 24 or the touch drive electrodes 26 on the substrate 21. For example, the patterning process may include steps such as metal plating, photoresist coating, exposure using a photomask, development, and etching.

[0048] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the substrate 21 may be a large substrate, for example a 65-inch substrate with an outer dimension of 1460 mm×831 mm, or a 75-inch substrate with an outer dimension of 1687 mm×957 mm. To form the touch sensing electrodes 24 or the touch driving electrodes 26 on the large substrate 21, the exposure step needs to carry out the above-mentioned stitching exposure process.

[0049] The stitching exposure process will be described in more detail below by taking a case including two exposures as an example. As can be understood by those skilled in the art, the stitching exposure process in the embodiments of the present disclosure is not limited to two exposures, and may include more exposures, such as three exposures, four exposures, six exposures, etc.

[0050] In order to form the touch sensing electrodes 24 or the touch driving electrodes 26 on the substrate 21 and to make the touch sensing electrodes 24 or the touch driving electrodes 26 have the metal mesh structure shown in FIG. 1, a photomask corresponding to the metal mesh structure needs to be used in the exposure step. FIG. 3 shows a photomask according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, the photomask 30 includes a light-shielding portion 31 and a light-transmitting portion 32. The light-shielding portion 31 includes a plurality of light-shielding bars 311, which are arranged in a mesh pattern, and each of the light-shielding bars 311 has a width W m A gap surrounded by the light-shielding bars 311 forms a light-transmitting portion 32. A space S is provided between each pair of adjacent light-shielding bars 311. m In one example, the light-shielding bar 311 may be made of a non-light-transmitting material (e.g., metal). When performing exposure using the photomask 30, light can pass through the light-transmitting portion 32, but is blocked by the light-shielding portion 31, so that a pattern corresponding to the photomask 30 is formed on the substrate.

[0051] The substrate 21 is divided into two regions, a first region 21A and a second region 21B, as shown in Fig. 4. In a first exposure process, the first region 21A is exposed using a photomask 30. In a second exposure process, the second region 21B is exposed using a photomask 30. Through two exposures, a complete pattern of the touch sensing electrodes 24 or the touch driving electrodes 26 is formed on the substrate 21, thereby meeting the demand for producing a large-sized display panel or touch panel using a small-generation production line.

[0052] However, in the above exposure process, the adjacent area between the first area 21A and the second area 21B is subjected to two exposure processes, the first exposure and the second exposure, and this area may be called a substrate joint exposure area, and the exposure area on the substrate 21 other than the substrate joint exposure area may be called a substrate normal exposure area. For ease of understanding, the substrate joint exposure area 21C is shown in FIG. 4 in schematic form. Theoretically, after the joint exposure, it is possible to form the metal mesh 10 shown in FIG. 1, and each metal wire 1 is formed to have a width W e and there is a gap S between every two adjacent metal wires 1. e However, in reality, the line width of the metal line 1 formed in the substrate connection exposure region 21C is width W e As a result, in the finally formed display panel or touch panel, the light transmittance of the substrate joint exposure area is higher than that of the substrate normal exposure area, and as a result, the substrate joint exposure area is brighter than the substrate normal exposure area during display, that is, the mura phenomenon is formed.

[0053] Further analysis revealed that the cause of the unevenness phenomenon was misalignment between the two exposure processes. Specifically, Fig. 5A to Fig. 5C are schematic enlarged partial views of the substrate connection exposure region in the two exposure processes. As shown in Fig. 5A, in the first exposure process, a width W e As shown in FIG. 5B, in the second exposure process, due to factors such as the positioning accuracy of the exposure machine, the light shielding bars 311 of the photomask 30 and the first metal wire 51 do not reproduce the perfectly aligned positional relationship as shown in FIG. 5A, and a certain positional deviation δ occurs. Therefore, in the second exposure process, the portion of the first metal wire 51 that is not shielded by the light shielding bars 311 is exposed. As shown in FIG. 5C, the portion of the first metal wire 51 that is not shielded by the light shielding bars 311 is exposed in the second exposure process, and therefore the line width W of the first metal wire 51 that is finally formed is 1.5 mm. e' is width W e and the difference between them is directly proportional to the misregistration between the two exposure steps.

[0054] In order to solve the above problem, a photomask is provided in the related art. As shown in FIG. 6, a photomask 60 includes a light-shielding portion and a light-transmitting portion 62, where the light-shielding portion blocks the passage of light rays and the light-transmitting portion 62 allows the passage of light rays. The light-shielding portion includes a plurality of light-shielding bars, which are arranged in a mesh pattern, and the gaps between the plurality of light-shielding bars form the light-transmitting portion 62. The plurality of light-shielding bars may include a first light-shielding bar 611' and a second light-shielding bar 611. The first light-shielding bar 611' corresponds to the substrate connection exposure region as shown in FIG. 7, and has a first width W m1 The second light-shielding bar 611 corresponds to the normal exposure area of ​​the substrate as shown in FIG. m2 For example, the first light-shielding bar 611' corresponding to the substrate connecting exposure area may be a light-shielding bar located at at least one edge of the photomask 60. In this embodiment, the photomask 60 further includes a boundary line 63 between the photomask connecting exposure area and the photomask normal exposure area.

[0055] In this embodiment, the first width W m1 is the second width W m2 Greater than.

[0056] 8A to 8C are schematic enlarged partial views of the substrate connection exposure region in two exposure processes. With reference to FIGS. 8A to 8C, in the first exposure process, the first region 21A is exposed using a photomask 60. In the second exposure process, the second region 21B is exposed using the photomask 60. By two exposures, a complete pattern of the touch sensing electrodes 24 or the touch driving electrodes 26 is formed on the substrate 21. As shown in FIG. 8A, in the first exposure process, due to the light shielding effect of the first light shielding bar 611' of the photomask 60, a width W e ', and a first metal line 51 having a first width W m1 is the above width W mTherefore, the width W of the first metal line 51 is e ' is the width W e 8B, even if a certain positional deviation δ occurs between the first light-shielding bar 611′ of the photomask 60 and the first metal line 51 due to factors such as the positioning accuracy of the exposure machine, the first light-shielding bar 611′ has a large first width W m1 and the first metal line 51 has a wide width W e In the second exposure process, the first metal line 51 and the first light-shielding bar 611' may partially overlap each other. However, with some ingenuity, the width of the overlapping portion between the wide first light-shielding bar 611' and the wide first metal line 51 can be made equal to the width of the light-shielding bar in the normally exposed region of the substrate, i.e., the second width W of the second light-shielding bar 611. m2 As for the finally formed first metal line 51, as shown in FIG. 8C, the line width of the finally formed first metal line 51 can be set to be equal to the width W e Therefore, by designing some of the light-shielding bars in the photomask to be wider, the misalignment between the two exposures can be compensated for, so that in the finally formed display panel or touch panel, the line width of the metal line in the substrate-joining exposure area becomes equal to the line width of the metal line in the substrate normal exposure area, thereby reducing or eliminating the mura phenomenon.

[0057] However, when a joining exposure process is performed using the photomask 60 shown in Figures 6 to 7, the width of the metal lines formed in the substrate joining exposure area is increased, which may reduce the light transmittance of the substrate joining exposure area and lead to the problem of shadow disappearance in the displayed image.

[0058] 9 shows a joint pattern formed by a first prepattern formed by exposing a first exposure area of ​​a substrate using a photomask 60 during a joint exposure process, and a second prepattern formed by exposing a second exposure area of ​​a substrate using a photomask 60. However, since the width of the joint pattern is wide, the light transmittance of the substrate joint exposure area is reduced, which leads to a problem of shadow disappearance in a displayed image.

[0059] In response to the above-mentioned problems, some embodiments of the present disclosure propose a photomask.

[0060] 10 and 11, the photomask 13 includes a first region 130' (i.e., a photomask joint exposure region) and a second region 130 (i.e., a photomask normal exposure region), and the first region 130' is located on at least one side of the second region 130. The first region 130' includes a first light-shielding bar 131'' and a second light-shielding bar 131', and the second region 130 includes a third light-shielding bar 131, and the first light-shielding bar 131'', the second light-shielding bar 131' and the third light-shielding bar 131 extend in the same direction, and the second light-shielding bar 131' is located between the first light-shielding bar 131'' and the third light-shielding bar 131. The first light-shielding bar 131'', the second light-shielding bar 131' and the third light-shielding bar 131 are arranged to block light, and a gap formed by the plurality of first light-shielding bars 131'', the plurality of second light-shielding bars 131' and the plurality of third light-shielding bars 131 allows light to pass through. The width of the first light-shielding bar 131'' in the first direction is greater than the width of the second light-shielding bar 131' in the first direction, and the width of the second light-shielding bar 131' in the first direction is greater than the width of the third light-shielding bar 131 in the first direction.

[0061] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the width of the second light-shielding bar 131' in the first direction is smaller than the width of the first light-shielding bar 131'' in the first direction, and is larger than the width of the third light-shielding bar 131 in the first direction, so that the dimensions of the conductive line formed at the connecting point after the connecting exposure are appropriate, and the problem of shadow disappearance due to the conductive line being too thick at the connecting point can be avoided while avoiding the open circuit caused by the conductive line being too thin at the connecting point, thereby improving the quality of the connecting exposure and ultimately improving the yield of the display device.

[0062] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 11 , the second shading bar 131' includes a first sub-shading bar 1311', a second sub-shading bar 1312' and a third sub-shading bar 1313', the second sub-shading bar 1312' is located between the first sub-shading bar 1311' and the third sub-shading bar 1313', the width of the first sub-shading bar 1311' in a first direction is greater than the width of the second sub-shading bar 1312' in the first direction, and the width of the second sub-shading bar 1312' in the first direction is greater than the width of the third sub-shading bar 1313' in the first direction.

[0063] By designing the widths of the second light-shielding bars 131' in the first direction to be different, it is possible to more effectively ensure that the conductive lines formed at the joints after joint exposure have appropriate dimensions.

[0064] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 11, the width of the first sub-shading bar 1311' in a first direction gradually decreases along a second direction, and the second direction is approximately perpendicular to the first direction.

[0065] In some embodiments, the second direction is substantially perpendicular to the first direction, and optionally, the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 11, the width of the first sub-shading bar 1311' in the first direction is greater than the width of the second sub-shading bar 1312' in the first direction.

[0067] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 11 , the first sub-shading bar 1311′ includes a first edge L1 and a second edge L2 facing each other in a first direction, an extension line of the first edge L1 intersects with an extension line of the second edge L2, a first angle α1 of the first edge L1 relative to a center line 1310 of the first sub-shading bar is greater than 0° and less than 90°, and a second angle α2 of the second edge L2 relative to the center line 1310 of the first sub-shading bar is greater than 0° and less than 90°.

[0068] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first angle α1 is between 45° and 55°, and the second angle α2 is between 60° and 70°. The first angle α1 may include end values ​​of 45° and 55°. The second angle α2 may include end values ​​of 60° and 70°. In some embodiments, the first angle α1 may be 50°. In some embodiments, the second angle α2 may be 67°.

[0069] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first edge L1 has a length of 1 μm to 10 μm, and the second edge L2 has a length of 1 μm to 10 μm. In some embodiments, the first edge L1 may have a length of 6.5 μm. The second edge L2 may have a length of 5.5 μm.

[0070] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 11 , the second sub-shading bar 1312′ includes a third edge L3 and a fourth edge L4, which are two edges opposite to each other in a first direction, the length of the third edge L3 along the second direction is not equal to the length of the fourth edge L4 along the second direction, and the second direction is approximately perpendicular to the first direction.

[0071] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 11 , the width of the third sub-shading bar 1313′ in a first direction gradually decreases along a second direction, and the second direction is approximately perpendicular to the first direction.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 11, the width of the third sub-shading bar 1313' in the first direction is smaller than the width of the second sub-shading bar 1312' in the first direction.

[0073] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 11 , the third sub-shading bar 1313′ includes a fifth edge L5 and a sixth edge L6 facing each other in a first direction, an extension line of the fifth edge L5 intersects with an extension line of the sixth edge L6, a third angle α3 of the fifth edge relative to a center line 1310 of the third sub-shading bar 1313′ is greater than 0° and less than 90°, and a fourth angle α4 of the sixth edge L6 relative to the center line 1310 of the third sub-shading bar 1313′ is greater than 0° and less than 90°.

[0074] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the third angle α3 is between 45° and 55°, and the fourth angle α4 is between 80° and 90°. The third angle α3 may include end values ​​of 45° and 55°. The fourth angle α4 may include end values ​​of 80° and 90°. In some embodiments, the third angle α3 may be 50°. In some embodiments, the fourth angle α4 may be 83°.

[0075] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the fifth edge has a length of 10 μm to 21 μm, and the sixth edge has a length of 6 μm to 16 μm. In some embodiments, the fifth edge may have a length of 15 μm. In some embodiments, the sixth edge may have a length of 11 μm.

[0076] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 12, the width of each portion of the second light-blocking bar 131' in the first direction is equal along the second direction.

[0077] That is, the first edge L1 and the second edge L2 of the first sub-shading bar 1311', and the fifth edge L5 and the sixth edge L6 of the third sub-shading bar 1313' are all perpendicular to the center line and form an angle of 90° with the center line.

[0078] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the first light blocking bar 131'', the second light blocking bar 131' and the third light blocking bar 131 overlap each other along their centerlines.

[0079] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 10, the center lines of the first light-shielding bar, the third light-shielding bar and the second light-shielding bar form an angle of less than 90° with the sides of the photomask.

[0080] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first light blocking bar, the third light blocking bar and the second light blocking bar are a one-piece structure.

[0081] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the first light-shielding bar 131'' and the second light-shielding bar 131' corresponding to the photomask joint exposure region 130' are light-shielding bars located at the left edge of the photomask 13. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the first light-shielding bar 131'' and the second light-shielding bar 131' corresponding to the photomask joint exposure region 130' are light-shielding bars located at both left and right edges of the photomask 13. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 14, the first light-shielding bar 131'' and the second light-shielding bar 131' corresponding to the photomask joint exposure region 130' are light-shielding bars located at both left and right edges of the photomask 13 and light-shielding bars located at both top and bottom edges of the photomask 13. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the first light-shielding bar 131'' and the second light-shielding bar 131' corresponding to the photomask joint exposure region 130' are light-shielding bars located at adjacent both edges (upper side edge and left side edge) of the photomask 13. In this embodiment, the first light blocking bar 131'' and the second light blocking bar 131' may be located at at least one edge portion of the photomask 13, and other light blocking bars 131 except for the first light blocking bar 131'' and the second light blocking bar 131' are all third light blocking bars 131. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 13, the third light blocking bar 131 may be located at a portion other than the side edge of the photomask 13. With reference to FIGS. 10, 13, 14, and 15, the photomask 13 includes four side edges, and other positions of the photomask 13 except for the four side edges may be referred to as non-side edge positions of the photomask 13.

[0082] According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the photomask stitch exposure area 130' may be set on the photomask 13 according to the needs of the exposure process, and is not limited to the embodiment shown in the figure. Note that, the side edge of the photomask 13 may have a rectangular shape, the photomask stitch exposure area 130' may have a rectangular shape, the photomask 13 may have a rectangular shape, and the photomask normal exposure area 130 may have a rectangular shape.

[0083] Some embodiments of the present disclosure include an exposure method, comprising: Step 1610 of providing a photomask in any of the above embodiments; providing 1620 a substrate including a third region and a fourth region; Step 1630 aligns the photomask with a third area of ​​the substrate and performs a first exposure; a step 1640 of moving the photomask and the substrate relative to one another; A method of exposure is further proposed, comprising step 1650 of aligning the photomask with a fourth area of ​​the substrate and performing a second exposure.

[0084] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, aligning the photomask with the third region of the substrate and performing a first exposure includes: forming a first pattern and a second pattern in the third region using a first light-shielding bar and a second light-shielding bar of the photomask; and forming a third pattern in the third region using a third light-shielding bar of the photomask; The line width of the first pattern is larger than the line width of the second pattern, and the line width of the second pattern is larger than the line width of the third pattern.

[0085] For the dimensional relationship between the first pattern, the second pattern, and the third pattern formed by the first exposure, reference can be made to the dimensional relationship between the first light-shielding bar, the second light-shielding bar, and the third light-shielding bar shown in Figure 11.

[0086] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, each of the second light blocking bars includes a first sub-light blocking bar, a second sub-light blocking bar and a third sub-light blocking bar, and the substrate further includes a boundary line located between the third region and the fourth region; The step of aligning the photomask with the third region of the substrate and performing a first exposure includes: forming a second sub-pattern in the third region using the second sub-light-shielding bar; and forming a third sub-pattern in the third region using the third sub-shading bar; Aligning the photomask with the fourth region of the substrate and performing a second exposure includes: forming a fourth sub-pattern in the fourth region by using the second sub-light-shielding bar; forming a fifth sub-pattern in the fourth region by using the third sub-shading bar; The second subpattern, the fourth subpattern, and the third subpattern, and the fifth subpattern have overlapping areas, and the area of ​​the overlapping areas is less than a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold being the product of a first width and a second width, the first width being twice the maximum positional misalignment of the photomask between two exposures in a stitching exposure process, and the second width being the width of the first light-shielding bar in a direction parallel to the boundary line.

[0087] In some embodiments, the boundary line may be parallel to the vertical direction shown in FIG.

[0088] Since the width of the second light-shielding bar in the first direction is smaller than the width of the first light-shielding bar in the first direction, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the area of ​​the overlapping region formed by a part of the pattern formed on the substrate by the second light-shielding bar of the photomask in the first exposure and a part of the pattern formed on the substrate by the second light-shielding bar of the photomask in the second exposure is smaller than a predetermined threshold value. The predetermined threshold value may be the area of ​​the overlapping region formed by the pattern formed on the substrate by the first light-shielding bar of the photomask in the first exposure and the pattern formed on the substrate by the first light-shielding bar of the photomask in the second exposure in the related art, and may be, for example, the area of ​​the rectangular region indicated by 91 in FIG. 9.

[0089] 17 is a partial top view showing the relative positional relationship of the photomask 13 during two successive exposures when a stitching exposure process is performed using the photomask 13 shown in FIG. 13; FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing the relative positional relationship of the photomask 13 during two successive exposures when a stitching exposure process is performed using the photomask 13 shown in FIG. 13; FIG. 19 is a front view showing the relative positional relationship of the photomask 13 during two successive exposures when a stitching exposure process is performed using the photomask 13 shown in FIG. 13; and FIG. 20 is a top view showing the relative positional relationship of the photomask 13 during two successive exposures when a stitching exposure process is performed using the photomask 13 shown in FIG. 13.

[0090] In Fig. 17 to Fig. 20, for ease of understanding, "-L" is added to the code of the left photomask joint exposure area (first photomask joint exposure area), "-R" is added to the code of the right photomask joint exposure area (second photomask joint exposure area), "-L" is added to the code of the left border (first border), and "-R" is added to the code of the right border (second border). Then, "-1" is added to the code of the photomask 13 and the components of the photomask 13 during the first exposure, and "-2" is added to the code of the photomask 13 and the components of the photomask 13 during the second exposure. It should be explained that the photomask in Fig. 17 to Fig. 20 is only for explaining the relative positional relationship of the projection formed by the photomask using the exposure light source during two consecutive exposures, and is not the actual positional relationship of the photomask. Therefore, the photomask in Fig. 17 to Fig. 20 may be understood to some extent as a projection formed by the photomask using the exposure light source.

[0091] 17 to 20, the photomask 13-1 on the left side is the position of the photomask 13-1 at the first exposure of the two exposures, and the photomask 13-2 on the right side is the position of the photomask 13-2 at the second exposure of the two exposures. Only a part of the photomask 13-2 at the second exposure is shown in FIG.

[0092] 17 to 20, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in the first exposure process, a first region of the substrate is exposed using a photomask 13-1. In the second exposure process, a second region of the substrate is exposed using a photomask 13-2. Through two exposures, a complete touch sensing electrode or touch driving electrode pattern is formed on the substrate. Therefore, by designing some of the light shielding bars in the photomask 13 to be widened by a plurality of different dimensions, the misalignment between the two exposures is compensated, and in the finally formed display panel or touch panel, the line width of the conductive line in the substrate connection exposure region is equal to the line width of the conductive line in the substrate normal exposure region, so that the unevenness phenomenon can be reduced or eliminated, and the size of the conductive line formed at the connection point after the connection exposure is appropriate, so that the open circuit caused by the conductive line being too thin at the connection point can be avoided, while the problem of shadow disappearance caused by the conductive line being too thick at the connection point can be avoided.

[0093] 10, 17 to 20, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the photomask 13 further includes a first photomask joint exposure region 130'-L, a second photomask joint exposure region 130'-R, and a photomask normal exposure region 130. The first photomask joint exposure region 130'-L and the second photomask joint exposure region 130'-R are respectively formed by two opposing side edges of the photomask 13, and the first photomask joint exposure region 130'-L and the second photomask joint exposure region 130'-R have a rectangular shape. The photomask normal exposure region 130 is located between the first photomask joint exposure region 130'-L and the first photomask joint exposure region 130'-R. A first boundary line 132-L is between the first photomask joint exposure region 130'-L and the photomask normal exposure region 130, and a second boundary line 132-R is between the second photomask joint exposure region 130'-R and the photomask normal exposure region 130. The first light-shielding bar 131'' and the second light-shielding bar 131' are located in the first photomask joint exposure region 130'-L and the first photomask joint exposure region 130'-R of the photomask 13, and the third light-shielding bar 131 is located in the photomask normal exposure region 130.

[0094] 17 to 20, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the projection of the first boundary line 132-L-2 of the photomask 13-2 on the substrate during the second exposure does not overlap with the projection of the second boundary line 132-R-1 of the photomask 13-1 on the substrate during the first exposure. For example, the projection formed on the substrate by the first boundary line 132-L-2 of the photomask 13-2 using an exposure light source during the second exposure does not overlap with the projection formed on the substrate by the second boundary line 132-R-1 of the photomask 13-1 using an exposure light source during the first exposure. For example, when the photomask 13 is translated from the position during the first exposure to the position during the second exposure, the first boundary line 132-L-2 of the photomask 13-2 on the second exposure does not overlap with the second boundary line 132-R-1 of the photomask 13-1 on the substrate during the first exposure, and is shifted by a certain distance.

[0095] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, each of the second light-shielding bars includes a first sub-light-shielding bar, a second sub-light-shielding bar and a third sub-light-shielding bar, the third sub-light-shielding bar includes a third edge and a fourth edge, an extension line of the third edge intersects with an extension line of the fourth edge, and the substrate further includes a boundary line located between the third region and the fourth region; The step of aligning the photomask with the third region of the substrate and performing a first exposure includes: forming a second sub-pattern in the third region using the second sub-light-shielding bar; and using the third sub-shading bar to form a third sub-pattern in the third region, the third sub-pattern including a fifth edge and a sixth edge corresponding to the third edge and the fourth edge, the fifth edge being parallel to the boundary line, and a distance between the fifth edge and the boundary line being a maximum positional deviation of the photomask between two exposures in a stitching exposure process.

[0096] After the first exposure, a corresponding first pre-pattern is formed on the substrate by the photomask 13-1 during the first exposure, and the first pre-pattern includes the second sub-pattern and the third sub-pattern.

[0097] In some embodiments, the fifth edge is parallel to the boundary line, and as shown in FIG. 21, the fifth edge 2304 is parallel to the boundary line 2300, and the distance d2 between the fifth edge 2304 and the boundary line 2300 is the maximum positional misalignment D of the photomask between two exposures in the stitching exposure process.

[0098] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, aligning the photomask with the fourth region of the substrate and performing a second exposure includes: forming a fourth sub-pattern in the fourth region by using the second sub-light-shielding bar; and using the third sub-light-shielding bar to form a fifth sub-pattern in the fourth region, the fifth sub-pattern including a seventh edge and an eighth edge corresponding to the third edge and the fourth edge, the seventh edge being parallel to the boundary line, and a distance between the seventh edge and the boundary line being a maximum positional deviation of a photomask between two exposures in a stitching exposure process; The second subpattern, the third subpattern, the fourth subpattern, and the fifth subpattern have center lines that overlap, and overlapping regions are formed between the second subpattern, the third subpattern, and the fourth subpattern and the fifth subpattern.

[0099] After the second exposure, a corresponding second pre-pattern is formed on the substrate by the photomask 13-1 during the second exposure, and the second pre-pattern includes the fourth sub-pattern and the fifth sub-pattern.

[0100] 21, a seventh edge 2302 is parallel to a boundary line 2300, and a distance d1 between the seventh edge 2302 and the boundary line 2300 is the maximum positional deviation D of the photomask between two exposures in the stitching exposure process, i.e., d1=d2. Note that the center lines of the fourth sub-pattern and the fifth sub-pattern completely overlap with the center lines of the second sub-pattern and the third sub-pattern.

[0101] A portion of the projection onto the substrate of the second shading bar 131' of the first photomask connecting exposure region 130'-L-2 of the photomask 13-2 during the second exposure overlaps with a portion of the projection onto the substrate of the second shading bar 131' of the second photomask connecting exposure region 130'-R-1 of the photomask 13-1 during the first exposure. 21, a fourth sub-pattern and a fifth sub-pattern are formed on the substrate by the second sub-shading bar 1312' and the third sub-shading bar 1313' of the second shading bar 131' in the first photomask connection exposure region 130'-L-2 of the photomask 13-2 during the second exposure, and a second sub-pattern and a third sub-pattern are formed on the substrate by the second sub-shading bar 1312' and the third sub-shading bar 1313' of the second shading bar 131' in the second photomask connection exposure region 130'-R-1 of the photomask 13-1 during the first exposure, and overlapping regions are formed between the fourth sub-pattern, the fifth sub-pattern, the second sub-pattern, and the third sub-pattern, and a pattern corresponding to the overlapping region is a first pattern 230. The first pattern 230 is hexagonal. And the area of ​​the first pattern 230 is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold being the product of a first width and a second width, the first width being twice the maximum misalignment D, i.e., 2D, and the second width being the width of the first light blocking bar in a direction parallel to the boundary line. In some embodiments, the predetermined threshold may correspond to an area corresponding to a rectangle indicated by 91 in FIG. 9.

[0102] 21, the first pattern 230 is composed of a part of an edge 2306 of a fourth sub-pattern formed on the display substrate by the second sub-light-shielding bar of the photomask 13-2 during the second exposure, a seventh edge 2302 and an eighth edge 2301 of a fifth sub-pattern, a part of an edge 2306 of a second sub-pattern formed on the display substrate by the second sub-light-shielding bar of the photomask 13-1 during the first exposure, and a fifth edge 2304 and a sixth edge 2303 of a third sub-pattern. Among them, the extension lines of the seventh edge 2302 and the eighth edge 2301 intersect with each other in a pattern (i.e., a fourth pattern described later) formed correspondingly by the third light-shielding bar of the photomask 13-2 during the second exposure to form one corner of the first pattern 230. Similarly, the fifth edge 2304 and the sixth edge 2303 intersect with each other in a pattern formed correspondingly by the third light-shielding bar of the photomask 13-1 during the first exposure to form another corner of the first pattern.

[0103] FIG. 21 shows a case in which the light-shielding bars of the photomask during the second exposure are perfectly aligned with the conductive lines of the first prepattern formed on the substrate using the photomask during the first exposure.

[0104] As shown in FIG. 21, the center line of the first prepattern completely overlaps with the center line of the second prepattern, and the distance d1 between the seventh edge 2302 and the boundary line and the distance d2 between the fifth edge 2304 and the boundary line are the same, which are both equal to the maximum positional deviation D of the photomask between two exposures in the stitching exposure process. In some embodiments, D may be 6 μm. Here, the maximum positional deviation D is the maximum distance that the light shielding bar of the photomask can be offset in each direction up, down, left, and right relative to the conductive line in the first prepattern shown in FIG. 21 during the second exposure in the actual state. The second subpattern and the third subpattern may be a part of the conductive line.

[0105] However, in reality, due to factors such as the positioning accuracy of an exposure machine, the light shielding bars of the photomask and the conductive lines of the first prepattern are not perfectly aligned during the second exposure, and based on the position of the photomask during the second exposure corresponding to Fig. 21 as a reference, the position of the light shielding bars of the photomask during the second exposure in the actual situation may move in parallel up, down, left, and right relative to the position of the light shielding bars of the photomask during the second exposure in Fig. 21. Each of the up, down, left, and right directions is shown in Fig. 21.

[0106] In reality, cases in which the position of the photomask during the second exposure is offset to the left or right relative to the position of the photomask during the second exposure corresponding to FIG. 21 are as follows.

[0107] After the first prepattern is formed through the first exposure, aligning the photomask and a fourth region of the substrate and performing a second exposure. forming a sixth sub-pattern in the fourth region by using the second sub-shading bar; and forming a seventh sub-pattern in the fourth region using the third sub-light-shielding bar, the seventh sub-pattern including a ninth edge and a tenth edge corresponding to the third edge and the fourth edge, the ninth edge being parallel to the boundary line, and a distance between the ninth edge and the boundary line being in a range from zero to twice the maximum positional deviation, An overlapping region is formed between the second sub-pattern, the third sub-pattern, and the sixth sub-pattern, and the seventh sub-pattern.

[0108] When the position of the light shielding bar of the photomask is translated to the left by the maximum positional deviation D with respect to the position of the photomask at the second exposure corresponding to FIG. 21 during the second exposure, the distance between the ninth edge and the boundary line is twice the maximum positional deviation D. When the position of the photomask is translated to the right by the maximum positional deviation D with respect to the position of the photomask at the second exposure corresponding to FIG. 21 during the second exposure, the distance between the ninth edge and the boundary line is zero. In reality, the position of the photomask may be translated to the left or right by any value between zero and the maximum positional deviation D with respect to the position of the photomask at the second exposure corresponding to FIG. 21 during the second exposure, and an overlapping region is still formed between the second sub-pattern, the third sub-pattern, the sixth sub-pattern, and the seventh sub-pattern, and the pattern dimensions corresponding to the overlapping region are appropriate, and the problem of shadow cancellation due to the pattern being too thick can be avoided while avoiding an open circuit due to the pattern being too thin.

[0109] In actuality, cases in which the position of the photomask during the second exposure is offset upward or downward from the position of the photomask during the second exposure corresponding to FIG. 21 are as follows.

[0110] After the first prepattern is formed through the first exposure, aligning the photomask and a fourth region of the substrate and performing a second exposure. forming an eighth sub-pattern in the fourth region using the second sub-light-shielding bar; and forming a ninth sub-pattern in the fourth region using the third sub-shading bar; An overlapping region is formed between the second subpattern, the third subpattern, and the eighth subpattern and the ninth subpattern, the center lines of the second subpattern and the third subpattern overlap, the center lines of the eighth subpattern and the ninth subpattern overlap, and the distance between the center line of the second subpattern and the center line of the eighth subpattern is in the range from zero to the maximum position deviation.

[0111] When the position of the photomask is translated upward by a maximum positional deviation D with respect to the position of the photomask at the second exposure corresponding to FIG. 21 during the second exposure, the distance between the center line of the eighth subpattern and the center line of the second subpattern is the maximum positional deviation D. When the position of the photomask is translated upward by a maximum positional deviation D with respect to the position of the photomask at the second exposure corresponding to FIG. 21 during the second exposure, the distance between the center line of the second subpattern and the center line of the eighth subpattern is the maximum positional deviation D. In reality, the position of the photomask may be translated upward and downward by any value between zero and the maximum positional deviation D with respect to the position of the photomask at the second exposure corresponding to FIG. 21 during the second exposure, and an overlapping region is still formed between the second subpattern, the third subpattern, the eighth subpattern, and the ninth subpattern, and the pattern dimensions corresponding to the overlapping region are appropriate, and the problem of shadow cancellation due to the pattern being too thick can be avoided while avoiding an open circuit due to the pattern being too thin.

[0112] 22 to 25 are schematic examples of cases in which there is a misalignment between the light shielding bars of the photomask during the second exposure and the conductive lines of the first prepattern formed on the substrate using the photomask during the first exposure. With the position of the second prepattern shown in FIG. 21 as a reference, the second prepattern formed after the second exposure in FIG. 22 is offset to the upper left by the maximum misalignment D compared to the second prepattern in FIG. 21, the second prepattern formed after the second exposure in FIG. 23 is offset to the lower left by the maximum misalignment D compared to the second prepattern in FIG. 21, the second prepattern formed after the second exposure in FIG. 24 is offset to the upper right by the maximum misalignment D compared to the second prepattern in FIG. 21, and the second prepattern formed after the second exposure in FIG. 25 is offset to the lower right by the maximum misalignment D compared to the second prepattern in FIG. 21.

[0113] Specifically, the second prepattern formed after the second exposure in FIG. 22 is offset to the left by the maximum position shift D and offset upward by the maximum position shift D compared to the second prepattern in FIG. 21.

[0114] The projection onto the substrate of the second shading bar 131' of the first photomask connecting exposure region 130'-L-2 of the photomask 13-2 during the second exposure partially overlaps with the projection onto the substrate of the second shading bar 131' of the second photomask connecting exposure region 130'-R-1 of the photomask 13-1 during the first exposure. As shown in FIG. 22, an eleventh sub-pattern and a twelfth sub-pattern are formed on the substrate by the second sub-shading bar 1312' and the third sub-shading bar 1313' of the second shading bar 131' in the first photomask connection exposure region 130'-L-2 of the photomask 13-2 during the second exposure, and a second sub-pattern and a third sub-pattern are formed on the substrate by the second sub-shading bar 1312' and the third sub-shading bar 1313' of the second shading bar 131' in the second photomask connection exposure region 130'-R-1 of the photomask 13-1 during the first exposure, and overlapping regions are formed between the second sub-pattern, the third sub-pattern, the eleventh sub-pattern, and the twelfth sub-pattern, and the pattern corresponding to the overlapping region is the second pattern 240. The second pattern 240 is a hexagon. The area of ​​the second pattern 240 is smaller than the predetermined threshold value.

[0115] 22, the second pattern 240 is composed of a part of an edge 2405 of an eleventh sub-pattern formed on the substrate by the second sub-shading bar 1312' and the third sub-shading bar 1313' of the photomask 13-2 during the second exposure, a fifteenth edge 2402 and a sixteenth edge 2401 of a twelfth sub-pattern, a part of an edge 2306 of a second sub-pattern formed on the substrate by the second sub-shading bar of the photomask 13-1 during the first exposure, and a fifth edge 2304 and a sixth edge 2303 of a third sub-pattern. Among them, the extension lines of the fifteenth edge 2402 and the sixteenth edge 2401 intersect with a pattern (i.e., a fourth pattern described later) correspondingly formed by the third shading bar of the photomask 13-2 during the second exposure to form one corner of the second pattern 240. Similarly, a fifth edge 2304 and a sixth edge 2303 intersect in a pattern correspondingly formed by a third light blocking bar of the photomask 13-1 during a first exposure to form another corner of the second pattern 240.

[0116] Specifically, the second prepattern formed after the second exposure in FIG. 23 is offset to the left by the maximum position shift D and downward by the maximum position shift D compared to the second prepattern in FIG. 21.

[0117] The projection onto the substrate of the second shading bar 131' of the first photomask connecting exposure region 130'-L-2 of the photomask 13-2 during the second exposure partially overlaps with the projection onto the substrate of the second shading bar 131' of the second photomask connecting exposure region 130'-R-1 of the photomask 13-1 during the first exposure. As shown in FIG. 23, a thirteenth sub-pattern and a fourteenth sub-pattern are formed on the substrate by the second sub-shading bar 1312' and the third sub-shading bar 1313' of the second shading bar 131' in the first photomask connection exposure region 130'-L-2 of the photomask 13-2 during the second exposure, and a second sub-pattern and a third sub-pattern are formed on the substrate by the second sub-shading bar 1312' and the third sub-shading bar 1313' of the second shading bar 131' in the second photomask connection exposure region 130'-R-1 of the photomask 13-1 during the first exposure, and overlapping regions are formed between the second sub-pattern, the third sub-pattern, the thirteenth sub-pattern, and the fourteenth sub-pattern, and the pattern corresponding to the overlapping region is the third pattern 250. The third pattern 250 is substantially hexagonal in shape. The area of ​​the third pattern 250 is smaller than the predetermined threshold value.

[0118] As shown in Figure 23, The third pattern 250 isIt is composed of a part of the edge 2505 of the thirteenth sub-pattern, a part of the seventeenth edge 2502 and the eighteenth edge 2501 of the fourteenth sub-pattern, a part of the edge 2306 of the second sub-pattern formed on the substrate by the second and third sub-light-shielding bars of the photomask 13-1 during the first exposure, a part of the fifth edge 2304 and the sixth edge 2303 of the third sub-pattern, and a part of one edge 2307 in the fifteenth sub-pattern formed on the substrate by the first sub-light-shielding bar of the photomask 13-1 during the first exposure. Among them, the extension lines of the seventeenth edge 2502 and the eighteenth edge 2501 intersect in a pattern (i.e., a fourth pattern described later) correspondingly formed by the third light-shielding bar of the photomask 13-2 during the second exposure to form one corner of the third pattern 250. Similarly, a fifth edge 2304 and a sixth edge 2303 intersect in a pattern correspondingly formed by a third light blocking bar of the photomask 13-1 during a first exposure to form another corner of the third pattern 250.

[0119] Specifically, the second prepattern formed after the second exposure in FIG. 24 is offset to the right by the maximum position shift D and offset upward by the maximum position shift D compared to the second prepattern in FIG. 21.

[0120] The projection onto the substrate of the second shading bar 131' of the first photomask connecting exposure region 130'-L-2 of the photomask 13-2 during the second exposure partially overlaps with the projection onto the substrate of the second shading bar 131' of the second photomask connecting exposure region 130'-R-1 of the photomask 13-1 during the first exposure. As shown in FIG. 24, the second sub-shading bar 1312' and the third sub-shading bar 1313' of the second shading bar 131' in the first photomask connection exposure region 130'-L-2 of the photomask 13-2 form a sixteenth sub-pattern and a seventeenth sub-pattern on the substrate, respectively, during the second exposure, and the second sub-shading bar 1312' and the third sub-shading bar 1313' of the second shading bar 131' in the second photomask connection exposure region 130'-R-1 of the photomask 13-1 form a second sub-pattern and a third sub-pattern on the substrate, respectively, during the first exposure, and overlapping regions are formed between the second sub-pattern, the third sub-pattern, the sixteenth sub-pattern, and the seventeenth sub-pattern, and the pattern corresponding to the overlapping region is the fourth pattern 260. The fourth pattern 260 is a hexagon. The area of ​​the fourth pattern 260 is smaller than the predetermined threshold value.

[0121] 24, the fourth pattern 260 is composed of a part of the edge 2605 of the sixteenth sub-pattern, a part of the nineteenth edge 2602 and a part of the twentieth edge 2601 of the seventeenth sub-pattern, a part of the edge 2306 of the second sub-pattern formed on the substrate by the second sub-light-shielding bar of the photomask 13-1 during the first exposure, and a part of the fifth edge 2304 and a part of the sixth edge 2303 of the third sub-pattern. Among them, the extension lines of the nineteenth edge 2602 and the twentieth edge 2601 intersect in a pattern correspondingly formed by the third light-shielding bar of the photomask 13-2 during the second exposure (i.e., a fourth pattern described later) to form one corner of the fourth pattern 260. Similarly, the fifth edge 2304 and the sixth edge 2303 intersect in a pattern correspondingly formed by the third light-shielding bar of the photomask 13-1 during the first exposure to form another corner of the fourth pattern 260.

[0122] Specifically, the second prepattern formed after the second exposure in FIG. 25 is offset to the right by the maximum position shift D and downward by the maximum position shift D compared to the second prepattern in FIG. 21.

[0123] Aligning the photomask with the fourth region of the substrate and performing a second exposure includes: using the third sub-light-shielding bar to form a tenth sub-pattern in the fourth region, the tenth sub-pattern including an eleventh edge and a twelfth edge corresponding to the third edge and the fourth edge, the eleventh edge being parallel to the boundary line, and a distance between the eleventh edge and the boundary line being zero; and forming a fourth pattern in the fourth region by using the third light-shielding bar; The third sub-pattern, the tenth sub-pattern, and the fourth pattern have center lines that overlap, and overlapping regions are formed between the second sub-pattern, the third sub-pattern, and the tenth sub-pattern and the fourth pattern.

[0124] The projection onto the substrate of the second shading bar 131' of the first photomask connecting exposure region 130'-L-2 of the photomask 13-2 during the second exposure partially overlaps with the projection onto the substrate of the second shading bar 131' of the second photomask connecting exposure region 130'-R-1 of the photomask 13-1 during the first exposure. 25, a tenth sub-pattern is formed on the substrate by the third sub-shading bar 1313' of the second shading bar 131' of the first photomask connection exposure region 130'-L-2 of the photomask 13-2 during the second exposure, a fourth pattern is formed on the substrate by the third shading bar 131 of the first photomask connection exposure region 130'-L-2 of the photomask 13-2 during the second exposure, and a third sub-pattern is formed on the substrate by the third sub-shading bar 1313' of the second shading bar 131' of the second photomask connection exposure region 130'-R-1 of the photomask 13-1 during the first exposure, and the third sub-pattern, the tenth sub-pattern, and the fourth pattern have center lines overlapping each other, and an overlapping region is formed between the third sub-pattern, the tenth sub-pattern, and the fourth pattern, and the pattern corresponding to the overlapping region is the fifth pattern 270. The fifth pattern 270 has a hexagonal shape. The area of ​​the fifth pattern 270 is smaller than the predetermined threshold value.

[0125] 25, the fifth pattern 270 is composed of a part of a twenty-first edge 2702 and a part of a twenty-second edge 2703 of the tenth subpattern, a part of one edge 2701 in the fourth pattern, and a part of a fifth edge 2304 and a part of a sixth edge 2303 of the third subpattern. Among them, the fifth edge 2304 and the sixth edge 2303 intersect in a pattern correspondingly formed by the third light-shielding bar of the photomask 13-1 during the first exposure to form one corner of the fifth pattern 270.

[0126] The embodiment of the present disclosure includes: A substrate; A touch drive electrode provided on the substrate; A touch panel including a touch sensing electrode provided on the substrate, The present invention further provides a touch panel, wherein at least one of the touch driving electrodes and the touch sensing electrodes has a mesh structure, the mesh structure includes a junction, the junction includes a first protrusion structure and a second protrusion structure distributed on both sides of a center line of a mesh bar, and the first protrusion structure and the second protrusion structure are arranged in a staggered manner along a direction of the center line.

[0127] In some embodiments, the mesh structure may be manufactured by the exposure method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0128] In some embodiments, the mesh structure comprises a metal mesh structure.

[0129] In some embodiments, the touch panel may be a One Glass Solution (OGS) touch panel or a Glass-Glass (GG) touch panel.

[0130] In some embodiments, in a One Glass Solution (OGS) touch panel, as shown in FIG. 2, at least one of the touch sensing electrodes 24 and the touch driving electrodes 26 may include a metal mesh structure.

[0131] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 26, the CG touch panel 170 may include a first substrate 171, a touch driving electrode 172 provided on the first substrate 171, a first overcoat (OC) layer 173 provided on the touch driving electrode 172, a touch sensing electrode 174 provided on the first overcoat layer 173, a second overcoat layer 175 provided on the touch sensing electrode 174, an adhesive material layer 176 provided on the second overcoat layer 175, and a second substrate 177 provided on the adhesive material layer 176. At least one of the touch sensing electrode 174 and the touch driving electrode 172 may include a metal mesh structure. The first substrate 171 and the second substrate 177 may be glass substrates.

[0132] It should be noted that the junctions in this specification may be structures patterned with a single exposure through a photomask or structures patterned with multiple exposures through a photomask, but in this disclosure, the junctions will be primarily described as structures patterned with multiple exposures through a photomask.

[0133] In some embodiments, the mesh structure includes a connecting junction 2710, which includes a first protrusion structure 2711 and a second protrusion structure 2712 distributed on either side of a center line of the mesh bar, and the first protrusion structure 2711 and the second protrusion structure 2712 are offset along the direction of the center line, as shown in FIG. 27 .

[0134] As shown in FIG. 27, the first protruding structure 2711 and the second protruding structure 2712 both include an arc-shaped edge.

[0135] In some embodiments, the substrate includes a third region, a fourth region, and a boundary line between the third region and the fourth region, and the joint points are arranged sequentially along the boundary line. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 10, the photomask 13 has the first region 130' on only one side. When the joint exposure process is performed once using the photomask 13 as shown in FIG. 10, the formed mesh structure includes a sixth region and a seventh region, the sixth region is a strip-shaped region located on the boundary line and extending along the boundary line, the seventh region is a region other than the sixth region in the mesh structure, the joint points are included in the sixth region, and the joint points are arranged sequentially along the boundary line. In some embodiments, the center line of the sixth region along the direction of the boundary line overlaps with the boundary line.

[0136] In some embodiments, when a stitching exposure process is performed once using a photomask 13 as shown in FIG. 10, during the second exposure, it is necessary to rotate the photomask so that the orthogonal projection of the first region of the photomask on the substrate during the second exposure overlaps with the orthogonal projection of the first region of the photomask on the substrate during the first exposure.

[0137] The sixth region includes a joining junction, such as 2710 in Figure 27. In some embodiments, the joining junction may correspond to any of the first pattern 230, the second pattern 240, the third pattern 250, the fourth pattern 260, and the fifth pattern 270. The mesh bars in the seventh region correspond to the third light blocking bar 131.

[0138] In some embodiments, when a centerline of the sixth region along the direction of the boundary line overlaps with the boundary line, the stitching junctions are arranged sequentially along the centerline of the sixth region along the direction of the boundary line.

[0139] In some embodiments, when the photomask is rectangular, the first region may be further provided on two adjacent sides of the photomask, as shown in FIG. 15. The photomask can be used to perform stitching exposure twice, and two stitching exposure regions are provided. In this case, the substrate may further include a second boundary line between the fourth region and an eighth region, the second boundary line intersecting the boundary line between the third region and the fourth region, and the mesh structure further includes a sixth region located on the second boundary line, i.e., the mesh structure includes two sixth regions.

[0140] In some embodiments, a single stitch exposure may be performed using a photomask as shown in Figure 15, so that the formed mesh structure further includes a fifth region, which corresponds to the first region of the photomask.

[0141] In some embodiments, the mesh structure includes a fifth region, the fifth region being located on at least one side farther from the boundary line in the third region and the fourth region, the third region including a first mesh bar, the fourth region including a second mesh bar, the fifth region including a third mesh bar, and a width of the third mesh bar in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the third mesh bar is greater than a width of the first mesh bar in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the first mesh bar, and / or a width of the third mesh bar in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the third mesh bar is greater than a width of the second mesh bar in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the second mesh bar.

[0142] In some embodiments, the first region may be provided on both opposing sides of the photomask, as shown in FIG. 13. When the photomask is used to enable one stitching exposure, the photomask does not need to be rotated during the second exposure. The mesh structure that can be formed by one stitching exposure using the photomask includes not only the sixth region and the seventh region, but also the fifth region. When the photomask is rectangular, the fifth region is located on both opposing sides of the mesh structure.

[0143] In some embodiments, when the photomask is rectangular, the first region may be provided on any of the four side edges of the photomask, as shown in Fig. 14. A photomask as shown in Fig. 14 can be used to perform stitch exposure four times, and the resulting mesh structure will have the fifth region formed on any of its four side edges.

[0144] In some embodiments, the mesh structure includes a fourth mesh bar, the fourth mesh bar being connected to at least one end of the connecting junction, a distance between a vertex of the connecting junction and a center line of the fourth mesh bar is d3, a width of the fourth mesh bar is d4, and a ratio of d3 to d4 is n=d3 / d4, where n is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 2.3.

[0145] 27, the mesh structure includes a fourth mesh bar 2720 connected to at least one end of the connecting junction 2710, a distance between an apex of the connecting junction 2710 and a centerline of the fourth mesh bar is d3, a width of the fourth mesh bar is d4, and a ratio of d3 to d4 is n=d3 / d4, where n is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 2.3. In some embodiments, n may be 1, 5 / 3, or 6 / 3.

[0146] In some embodiments, the first protrusion structure has unequal lengths on both sides that intersect with the center line of the mesh bar, and / or the second protrusion structure has unequal lengths on both sides that intersect with the center line of the mesh bar.

[0147] 27, the first protrusion structure 2711 includes a first side E1 and a second side E2 that intersect with the center line of the fourth mesh bar, and the first side E1 and the second side E2 are unequal in length. The second protrusion structure 2712 includes a third side E3 and a fourth side E4 that intersect with the center line of the fourth mesh bar, and the third side E3 and the fourth side E4 are unequal in length.

[0148] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 27 , among both sides of the first protrusion structure 2711, the side length of a first side E1 that is farther from the second protrusion structure 2712 is shorter than the side length of a second side E2 that is closer to the second protrusion structure 2712, and / or, among both sides of the second protrusion structure 2712, the side length of a third side E3 that is farther from the first protrusion structure 2711 is shorter than the side length of a fourth side E4 that is closer to the first protrusion structure 2711.

[0149] In some embodiments, at least one of the connecting joints, the first protruding structure and the second protruding structure are disposed centrosymmetrically.

[0150] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 27 , both sides of the first protrusion structure 2711 include a first side E1 that is farther from the second protrusion structure 2712 and a second side E2 that is closer to the second protrusion structure 2712, both sides of the second protrusion structure 2712 include a third side E3 that is farther from the first protrusion structure 2711 and a fourth side E4 that is closer to the first protrusion structure 2711, a first included angle β1 is formed between the first side E1 and the center line of the mesh bar, a second included angle β2 is formed between the second side E2 and the center line of the mesh bar, and a fourth included angle β3 is formed between the third side E3 and the mesh bar. A third included angle β3 is formed between the fourth side E4 and the center line of the mesh bar, a fourth included angle β4 is formed between the first side E1 and the second side E2, a fifth included angle β5 is formed between the first side E1 and the second side E2, and a sixth included angle β6 is formed between the third side E3 and the fourth side E4, where β1 is equal to or greater than 110° and equal to or less than 150°, β2 is equal to or greater than 125° and equal to or less than 165°, β3 is equal to or greater than 110° and equal to or less than 150°, β4 is equal to or greater than 125° and equal to or less than 165°, β5 is equal to or greater than 80° and equal to or less than 100°, and β6 is equal to or greater than 80° and equal to or less than 100°.

[0151] The structure with the above-described joint junctions can avoid open circuits caused by wires that are too thin at the joints, while also avoiding the problem of shadow cancellation caused by wires that are too thick at the joints.

[0152] In some embodiments, the mesh structure includes a fifth mesh bar and a sixth mesh bar connected to both ends of the connecting junction, and d5 is the distance between the center line of the fifth mesh bar and the center line of the sixth mesh bar, and d5 is greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 6 microns.

[0153] As shown in FIG. 28, the mesh structure includes a fifth mesh bar 281 and a sixth mesh bar 282 respectively connected to both ends of the connecting junction 280, and the distance between the center line of the fifth mesh bar and the center line of the sixth mesh bar is d5, where d5 is equal to 0.

[0154] In some embodiments, the distance d5 between the center line of the fifth mesh bar and the center line of the sixth mesh bar corresponds to the component of the photomask misalignment between two exposures in a direction parallel to the boundary between the third and fourth regions. For example, if the component of the photomask misalignment between two adjacent exposures in a direction parallel to the boundary between the third and fourth regions is 6 microns, the distance d5 between the center line of the fifth mesh bar and the center line of the sixth mesh bar is also 6 microns, as shown in Figures 23 and 24.

[0155] In some embodiments, the touch driving electrodes and the touch sensing electrodes are stacked along a direction perpendicular to a substrate, the touch driving electrodes and the touch sensing electrodes both include the mesh structure, and the mesh structure includes connecting junctions, and the connecting junctions in different layers are aligned approximately along the same straight line, or the connecting junctions in different layers are aligned approximately along two straight lines, respectively.

[0156] In some embodiments, the interconnection junctions of the touch drive electrodes and the touch sensing electrodes located on different layers may be aligned along the same straight line, or may be aligned along two straight lines, respectively.

[0157] In some embodiments, the touch drive electrodes and the touch sensing electrodes are stacked along a direction perpendicular to a substrate, the touch drive electrodes and the touch sensing electrodes both include the mesh structure, and the mesh structure includes interconnect junctions, and the interconnect junctions in different layers at least partially overlap when orthogonally projected on the substrate.

[0158] In some embodiments, the orthogonal projections of the touch driving electrodes and the touch sensing electrodes located on different layers at least partially overlap on a substrate to avoid the impact of the stitching junctions on the mesh uniformity, as shown in Fig. 28. Among them, the mesh bar 283 and the mesh bar 284 are located on different layers from the fifth mesh bar 281, the sixth mesh bar 282 and the stitching junctions 280.

[0159] It should be noted that each embodiment in this specification is described in a progressive manner, the same or similar parts of each embodiment can be referred to each other, and each embodiment is described by focusing on the differences with other embodiments. In particular, the embodiments are basically similar to the product embodiments, so they are described briefly, but the relevant parts can be referred to the description of the product embodiments.

[0160] Unless otherwise defined, technical or scientific terms used in this disclosure have ordinary meanings that can be understood by those skilled in the art. The terms "first", "second" and similar terms used in this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Similar terms such as "comprise" or "include" mean that the element or member described before the term includes the element or member listed after the term and its equivalents, but does not exclude other elements or members. Similar terms such as "connect" or "join" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether directly or indirectly connected. "Top", "bottom", "left", "right", etc. only indicate relative positional relationships, and when the absolute position of the described object is changed, the relative positional relationships may change correspondingly.

[0161] It will be understood that when an element, such as a layer, film, region, or substrate, is referred to as being "on" or "under" another element, the element may be "directly" located "on" or "under" the other element, or there may be intervening elements.

[0162] In the above description of the embodiments, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more examples or embodiments.

[0163] The above are only specific embodiments of the present disclosure, and the scope of protection of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can easily think of modifications and replacements within the technical scope described in the present disclosure, and all of these modifications and replacements should be within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure should be subject to the scope of the attached claims.

Claims

1. A photomask including a first region and a second region, the first region being located on at least one side of the second region, the first region includes a first light-shielding bar and a second light-shielding bar, the second region includes a third light-shielding bar, the first light-shielding bar, the second light-shielding bar, and the third light-shielding bar extend in the same direction, the second light-shielding bar is located between the first light-shielding bar and the third light-shielding bar, the first light-shielding bar, the second light-shielding bar, and the third light-shielding bar are arranged to block light, and a gap formed by being surrounded by the first light-shielding bars, the second light-shielding bars, and the third light-shielding bars allows light to pass through; a width of the first light-shielding bar in a first direction is greater than a width of the second light-shielding bar in the first direction, and a width of the second light-shielding bar in the first direction is greater than a width of the third light-shielding bar in the first direction; Each of the second shading bars includes a first sub-shading bar, a second sub-shading bar and a third sub-shading bar, the second sub-shading bar is located between the first sub-shading bar and the third sub-shading bar, the width of the first sub-shading bar in the first direction is larger than the width of the second sub-shading bar in the first direction, and the width of the second sub-shading bar in the first direction is larger than the width of the third sub-shading bar in the first direction; A photomask, wherein the second sub-shading bar includes a third edge and a fourth edge, which are two edges opposing each other in a first direction, the length of the third edge along the second direction is not equal to the length of the fourth edge along the second direction, and the second direction is approximately perpendicular to the first direction.

2. a width of the first sub-shading bar in a first direction gradually decreases along a second direction, and the second direction is substantially perpendicular to the first direction; the first sub-shading bar includes a first edge and a second edge facing each other in a first direction, an extension line of the first edge intersects with an extension line of the second edge, a first angle of the first edge relative to a center line of the first sub-shading bar is greater than 0° and less than 90°, and a second angle of the second edge relative to the center line of the first sub-shading bar is greater than 0° and less than 90°; the first angle is between 45° and 55°, and the second angle is between 60° and 70°; and / or 2. The photomask of claim 1, wherein the first edge has a length of 1 μm to 10 μm, and the second edge has a length of 1 μm to 10 μm.

3. a width of the third sub-shading bar in a first direction gradually decreases along a second direction, and the second direction is substantially perpendicular to the first direction; the third sub-shading bar includes a fifth edge and a sixth edge facing each other in a first direction, an extension line of the fifth edge intersects with an extension line of the sixth edge, a third angle of the fifth edge relative to a center line of the third sub-shading bar is greater than 0° and less than 90°, and a fourth angle of the sixth edge relative to the center line of the third sub-shading bar is greater than 0° and less than 90°; the third angle is between 45° and 55°, and the fourth angle is between 80° and 90°; and / or 3. The photomask according to claim 1, wherein the fifth edge has a length of 10 μm to 21 μm, and the sixth edge has a length of 6 μm to 16 μm.

4. An exposure method comprising the steps of: Preparing the photomask according to any one of claims 1 to 3; providing a substrate including a third region and a fourth region; aligning the photomask with a third area of ​​the substrate and performing a first exposure; moving the photomask and the substrate relative to one another; aligning the photomask with a fourth area of ​​the substrate and performing a second exposure.

5. The step of aligning the photomask with the third region of the substrate and performing a first exposure includes: forming a first pattern and a second pattern in the third region using a first light-shielding bar and a second light-shielding bar of the photomask; and forming a third pattern in the third region using a third light-shielding bar of the photomask; a line width of the first pattern is larger than a line width of the second pattern, and the line width of the second pattern is larger than a line width of the third pattern; Each of the second light-shielding bars includes a first sub-light-shielding bar, a second sub-light-shielding bar and a third sub-light-shielding bar, and the substrate further includes a boundary line located between the third region and the fourth region, and aligning the photomask and the third region of the substrate to perform a first exposure includes: forming a second sub-pattern in the third region using the second sub-shading bar; and forming a third sub-pattern in the third region using the third sub-shading bar; Aligning the photomask with the fourth region of the substrate and performing a second exposure includes: forming a fourth sub-pattern in the fourth region by using the second sub-shading bar; and forming a fifth sub-pattern in the fourth region by using the third sub-shading bar; 5. The exposure method of claim 4, wherein the second subpattern, the third subpattern, the fourth subpattern, and the fifth subpattern have overlapping areas, the area of ​​the overlapping areas being less than a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold being a product of a first width and a second width, the first width being twice the maximum positional misalignment of a photomask between two exposures in a stitching exposure process, and the second width being a width of the first light-shielding bar in a direction parallel to the boundary line.

6. Each of the second light-shielding bars includes a first sub-light-shielding bar, a second sub-light-shielding bar and a third sub-light-shielding bar, the second sub-light-shielding bar includes a third edge and a fourth edge, an extension line of the third edge intersects with an extension line of the fourth edge, and the substrate further includes a boundary line located between the third region and the fourth region; The step of aligning the photomask with the third region of the substrate and performing a first exposure includes: forming a second sub-pattern in the third region using the second sub-shading bar; and forming a third sub-pattern in the third region using the third sub-shading bar; The exposure method of claim 5, wherein the third sub-shading bar includes a fifth edge and a sixth edge corresponding to the third edge and the fourth edge, the fifth edge being parallel to the boundary line, and the distance between the fifth edge and the boundary line is the maximum positional deviation of the photomask between two exposures in a stitching exposure process.

7. Aligning the photomask with the fourth region of the substrate and performing a second exposure includes: using the second sub-shading bar to form a fourth sub-pattern in the fourth region; and using the third sub-shading bar to form a fifth sub-pattern in the fourth region, the fifth sub-pattern including a seventh edge and an eighth edge corresponding to the third edge and the fourth edge, the seventh edge being parallel to the boundary line, and a distance between the seventh edge and the boundary line being the maximum position deviation; The second sub-pattern, the third sub-pattern, the fourth sub-pattern, and the fifth sub-pattern have center lines that overlap each other, and overlapping regions are formed between the second sub-pattern, the third sub-pattern, and the fourth sub-pattern and the fifth sub-pattern, Or, Aligning the photomask with the fourth region of the substrate and performing a second exposure includes: forming a sixth sub-pattern in the fourth region using the second sub-shading bar; and forming a seventh sub-pattern in the fourth region using the third sub-shading bar, the seventh sub-pattern including a ninth edge and a tenth edge corresponding to the third edge and the fourth edge, the ninth edge being parallel to the boundary line, and a distance between the ninth edge and the boundary line being in a range from zero to twice the maximum position deviation; The second sub-pattern, the third sub-pattern, the sixth sub-pattern, and the seventh sub-pattern have overlapping regions, 7. The exposure method of claim 6, wherein an area of ​​the overlap region is less than a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold being a product of a first width and a second width, the first width being twice the maximum positional deviation, and the second width being a width of the first light-shielding bar in a direction parallel to the boundary line.

8. Aligning the photomask with the fourth region of the substrate and performing a second exposure includes: forming an eighth sub-pattern in the fourth region by using the second sub-shading bar; and forming a ninth sub-pattern in the fourth region by using the third sub-shading bar; an overlapping region is formed between the second subpattern and the third subpattern and between the eighth subpattern and the ninth subpattern, the second subpattern and the third subpattern have overlapping centerlines, the eighth subpattern and the ninth subpattern have overlapping centerlines, and a distance between a center line of the second subpattern and a center line of the eighth subpattern is within a range from zero to the maximum positional deviation; Or, Aligning the photomask with the fourth region of the substrate and performing a second exposure includes: using the third sub-light-shielding bar to form a tenth sub-pattern in the fourth region, the tenth sub-pattern including an eleventh edge and a twelfth edge corresponding to the third edge and the fourth edge, the eleventh edge being parallel to the boundary line, and a distance between the eleventh edge and the boundary line being zero; and forming a fourth pattern in the fourth region by using the third light-shielding bar, wherein the third sub-pattern, the tenth sub-pattern and the fourth pattern have center lines overlapping each other, and an overlapping region is formed between the third sub-pattern, the tenth sub-pattern and the fourth pattern; 7. The exposure method of claim 6, wherein an area of ​​the overlap region is less than a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold being a product of a first width and a second width, the first width being twice the maximum positional deviation, and the second width being a width of the first light-shielding bar in a direction parallel to the boundary line.

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