Metal Touch Electrodes on Display Substrate
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing capacitive touch screen technologies, particularly single layer ITO, face issues with high cost, increased panel thickness, noise disturbance to the electric field, and susceptibility to scratches, limiting their effectiveness and market adoption.
Innovation Solution
A display substrate with multiple metal touch electrodes formed in the same layer on both sides of a base substrate, using molybdenum or molybdenum-aluminum alloy, which reduces the need for mask plates, eliminates high-temperature annealing, and enhances scratch resistance, while maintaining low resistance and effective capacitance for touch control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If single layer ITO technology is used, then the touch screen can be manufactured, but the resistance is high and annealing temperature damages the display
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from ITO to metal materials (such as aluminum, silver, or copper), which fundamentally alters the electrical resistance characteristics and eliminates the need for high-temperature annealing processes, thereby resolving the contradiction between achieving touch functionality and maintaining display quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structures by combining metal touch electrodes with transparent insulating layers and transparent conductive layers, creating a multi-layer composite that achieves both low resistance and display protection without requiring damaging annealing processes
2Reliability
If multilayer technology is used, then the touch screen performance is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes complex with multiple exposure and development steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex photoresist coating, exposure, and development steps from the manufacturing process by using metal materials that can be directly patterned or deposited, significantly simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining touch screen performance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the chemical-based photolithography process with physical deposition or patterning methods for metal materials, substituting complex chemical processes with simpler physical processes that achieve the same patterning function with fewer steps
3Reliability
If ITO is used for touch electrodes, then the touch function is achieved, but the ITO layer is easily scratched during production process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from ITO to metal materials (aluminum, silver, copper), which possess inherently higher mechanical strength and scratch resistance, thereby resolving the contradiction between achieving touch function and improving scratch resistance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure where the metal touch electrode is protected by transparent insulating layers and transparent conductive layers, forming a composite material system that enhances the scratch resistance of the underlying metal layer while maintaining touch functionality
4Device complexity
If in cell technology is used, then the touch circuit is embedded in the display panel, but the touch circuit noise disturbs the electric field inside the display panel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the touch circuit from the display panel structure by using transparent conductive materials for the touch electrodes, which eliminates the need for separate touch circuit boards and their associated noise, thereby resolving the contradiction between structural integration and electric field stability
Data Source
AI summary
The embodiments of the present invention disclose a display substrate, a method for manufacturing the display substrate, a liquid crystal display device and an OLED display device. The display substrate comprises: a base substrate; and multiple metal touch electrodes formed in the same layer on the first/second side of the base substrate; each touch electrode comprising an emitting electrode and a receiving electrode. Since the multiple metal touch electrodes are formed in the same layer on the first/second side of the base substrate, this technology uses mask plates as less as possible; the resistance is relatively small; the high temperature annealing is not required; and the scratch resistance ability is strong; many defects of the existing single layer ITO touch panel technology can be eliminated effectively.