Flexible Touch Screen Vacuum Deposition Adhesion
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing touch screen manufacturing process is complex and results in a thick metal layer, which reduces flexibility and adhesion, making it difficult to achieve both sensitivity and ease of production.
Innovation Solution
A touch screen is manufactured by depositing a transparent conductive material on a flexible plastic film, followed by a metal layer using vacuum deposition, with pre-processing to prevent shrinkage and improve adhesion, and the use of a buffer layer to enhance conductivity and adhesion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If screen printing technology is used to form metal wirings on ITO film, then the manufacturing process is established, but the metal layer becomes thick which reduces flexibility and adhesion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces screen printing (mechanical printing process) with vacuum deposition (physical vapor deposition process). This substitution allows for much thinner metal layers to be formed while maintaining electrical conductivity, thereby improving flexibility and adhesion without sacrificing ease of manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the deposition method parameter from screen printing to vacuum deposition, which fundamentally alters the metal layer thickness parameter. Vacuum deposition enables controlling metal layer thickness at the nanometer scale, whereas screen printing inherently produces thicker layers, thus resolving the contradiction between manufacturability and adhesion.
2Ease of manufacture
If screen printing technology is used to form metal wirings on ITO film, then the manufacturing process is established, but the metal layer becomes thick which reduces flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces screen printing with vacuum deposition, which enables formation of ultra-thin metal layers that do not compromise the flexibility of the flexible substrate. The vacuum deposition process deposits metal atoms directly onto the ITO film, creating a thin conductive layer that maintains the substrate's mechanical properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs thin film technology through vacuum deposition to create a metal layer that is thin enough to preserve the flexibility of the plastic film substrate. This approach transforms the metal layer from a thick rigid structure (screen printing) to a thin flexible film structure.
3Reliability
If a thick metal layer is formed, then electrical conductivity is achieved, but the touch screen loses flexibility and adhesion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the metal layer thickness parameter from thick (screen printing) to thin (vacuum deposition). The vacuum deposition process allows precise control of metal layer thickness at the nanometer level, achieving sufficient electrical conductivity with much thinner layers that maintain better adhesion to the ITO film.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure with multiple thin layers (ITO film + thin metal layer deposited by vacuum deposition) that collectively provide electrical conductivity while maintaining flexibility and adhesion. This composite approach is superior to a single thick metal layer formed by screen printing.
4Reliability
If a thick metal layer is formed, then electrical conductivity is achieved, but flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces screen printing with vacuum deposition, enabling formation of thin metal layers that preserve substrate flexibility while providing necessary electrical conductivity. The vacuum deposition process deposits metal at the atomic level, creating a thin continuous layer that conducts electricity without rigidifying the flexible substrate.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method simplifies the manufacturing process and enhances the flexibility and sensitivity of the touch screen by controlling the metal layer thickness and improving adhesion, resulting in a more effective and efficient touch screen.
Implementation Method 1
a metal layer vacuum-deposited on the transparent conductive
Implementation Method 2
performing heat treatment for preventing an ITO film from shrinking
Data Source
AI summary
A touch screen according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a transparent conductive material deposited on the upper surface of a flexible plastic film; and a metal layer vacuum-deposited on the transparent conductive film. The embodiment of the invention can provide a highly flexible touch screen of which manufacturing process can be simplified, and a manufacturing method thereof.