Groove-Based Touch Sensor Insulation for Bridge Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional touch panels face issues such as breakage or cracking in the conductive bridge structure due to the need to climb across insulating parts with protuberant heights, leading to open circuits or abnormal resistivity, and poor static resistance and touch-sensing functionality.
Innovation Solution
A touch-sensor structure with grooves on a substrate where insulating layers are placed, allowing first and second axial electrode strips to intersect without climbing over the insulating layer, ensuring flat electrical connections and preventing breakage or cracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional conductive bridge structure is used to electrically connect conductive units across an insulating part, then electrical connection is achieved, but the structure requires climbing across the insulating part which causes breakage or cracks due to height difference
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating part is segmented by forming grooves in the substrate, allowing the insulating material to be placed only in the groove regions rather than as continuous protruding structures. This segmentation eliminates the height difference that causes conductive bridge breakage while maintaining electrical isolation functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating structure is transitioned from a three-dimensional protruding form to a two-dimensional planar form by filling grooves. The insulating material is confined to the groove depth dimension, creating a flat top surface that eliminates the need for conductive bridges to climb across height differences.
2Reliability
If the insulating part has a protuberant height to provide insulation, then insulation is achieved, but the conductive bridge must climb across it causing breakage or cracks
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating property is localized to the groove regions where it is strictly needed for electrical isolation, rather than requiring continuous protuberant structures. The insulating material is applied locally within grooves, providing sufficient insulation without creating harmful height differences.
3Reliability
If conventional conductive bridge structures are used, then electrical connection between conductive units is achieved, but static resistance is poor and touch-sensing function is poor or fails
Solution Approach 1:
The groove structure is prepared in advance to accommodate the insulating material, preventing future breakage of conductive bridges. By anticipating the stress concentration issue at height transitions, the groove design preemptively eliminates the root cause of conductive bridge failure before it occurs.
Data Source
AI summary
A touch-sensor structure includes a substrate having a plurality of grooves formed thereon. A plurality of first axial electrode strips are disposed in the grooves individually. A plurality of second axial electrode strips are disposed on the substrate and intersect with the first axial electrode strips. An insulating layer fills in the grooves and is disposed at the intersections of the first and second axial electrode strips. Furthermore, the manufacturing method of the touch-sensor structure is provided. The insulating layer is disposed in the grooves of the substrate without a protuberant height on the substrate. Therefore, it can overcome a breakage issue in conventional conductive bridges.