Micro-wire Electrode Grid for Touch Screen Transparency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current transparent conductive electrodes in touch screens face limitations in achieving high transparency and conductivity while avoiding visible interactions with display pixels, leading to reduced power supply to pixel elements and substrate material limitations.
Innovation Solution
The use of micro-wire electrodes formed in a micro-pattern with gap micro-wires located between pixels, extending continuously along the electrode length, which enhances conductivity and transparency by maintaining a thin structure that does not obstruct light emission or reflection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If transparent conductive electrodes are made thicker to improve conductivity, then electrical performance improves, but transparency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode is segmented into multiple thin micro-wire segments arranged in a grid pattern, where each micro-wire has a width of 1-10 micrometers. This segmentation allows the electrode to maintain high transparency while achieving sufficient conductivity through the collective effect of multiple conductive paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrode transitions from a two-dimensional continuous transparent conductor to a three-dimensional micro-wire grid structure. By adding the vertical dimension with wire thickness control and creating a spatial grid arrangement, the design achieves both transparency and conductivity that cannot be obtained with a single thick layer.
2Illumination intensity
If micro-wire electrodes are used to improve transparency, then light transmission improves, but electrical conductivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple thin micro-wire electrodes are merged into a grid pattern to form a collective conductive structure. The combined effect of numerous parallel conductive paths compensates for the low conductivity of individual thin wires, achieving sufficient overall electrical performance while maintaining high transparency.
Solution Approach 2:
The design changes critical parameters including micro-wire width (1-10 micrometers), wire spacing, grid density, and wire thickness to optimize the balance between transparency and conductivity. By carefully controlling these parameters, the electrode achieves the desired performance characteristics.
3Reliability
If continuous transparent electrodes are used to ensure electrical performance, then conductivity improves, but visible interactions with display pixels occur
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous electrode is segmented into discrete micro-wire segments arranged in a grid pattern. This segmentation creates visual gaps between conductive elements, preventing visible interactions with underlying display pixels while maintaining electrical functionality through the distributed conductive network.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the electrode structure have different properties: micro-wires in inter-pixel gaps have higher conductivity requirements, while micro-wires over pixels have lower conductivity requirements. This local quality differentiation allows optimization of electrical performance where needed while minimizing visual interference in other regions.
Data Source
AI summary
A display device includes a display having an array of pixels, the pixels separated by inter-pixel gaps in at least one dimension and an electrode having a length and width located over the display and extending across at least a portion of the array of pixels, the electrode including a plurality of electrically connected micro-wires formed in a micro-pattern. The micro-pattern includes gap micro-wires located between the pixels in the inter-pixel gaps and substantially extending continuously along the electrode length.