Nano Silver Wire Touch Electrode Design for Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Touch electrodes in electronic devices face instability and durability issues due to physical contact and bending during manufacturing and use, leading to increased impedance and poor touch sensitivity.
Innovation Solution
A touch electrode design utilizing nano silver wires with a pattern of parallel axis wires, featuring sinusoidal waveform strip-shaped electrode wires and axis wires, which enhances flexibility and reduces impedance, while avoiding metal reflection and Moiré effects, thereby improving stability and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional electrode wires are used, then the structure is simple, but the stability and durability are poor due to breaking or scratching during manufacturing and use
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode wire is divided into multiple parallel wire groups, where each group contains multiple parallel wires. This segmentation allows the electrical function to be distributed across multiple paths, so if one wire breaks, others can maintain conductivity, thereby improving reliability without significantly increasing overall structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces axis wires that extend in a direction perpendicular to the electrode wires, creating a two-dimensional wire layout. This dimensional change allows the electrode to maintain electrical connectivity through multiple spatial paths, improving durability during bending and physical contact while managing structural complexity through organized geometric arrangement.
2Strength
If electrode wires are made thicker to improve durability, then strength increases, but light transmittance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single thick wire, the patent uses multiple thinner parallel wires to achieve the same or greater total strength. This segmentation maintains high light transmittance because each thin wire occupies less optical space, while collectively providing the mechanical strength needed for durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrode structure combines multiple materials with different properties: transparent conductive oxides (TCO) for light transmittance and metal nanowires for electrical conductivity and mechanical strength. This composite approach allows the electrode to achieve both high strength and high light transmittance simultaneously.
3Reliability
If metal mesh is used to reduce impedance, then conductivity improves, but metal reflection and Moiré effects occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from traditional metal mesh to metal nanowires with diameters in the nanometer range. This parameter change reduces the scale of the conductive structure, which minimizes light reflection and Moiré effects while maintaining low impedance through the high conductivity of the nanowire material and multiple parallel pathways.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrode uses a composite structure combining transparent conductive oxide layers with metal nanowire networks. This composite material approach achieves the desired electrical conductivity and low impedance while the transparent nature of the TCO and fine scale of nanowires eliminate metal reflection and Moiré effects.
4Strength
If the electrode wire width is increased to improve durability, then mechanical strength improves, but design flexibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode is segmented into multiple thin parallel wires instead of a single thick wire. This segmentation provides design flexibility because the thin wires can be arranged in various patterns and configurations to meet different design requirements, while the collective structure maintains mechanical strength through redundancy and distributed load bearing.
Data Source
AI summary
A touch electrode is provided in the disclosure, including a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer. The first electrode layer includes a plurality of first electrodes. Each of the first electrodes includes a plurality of first electrode wires and a plurality of first axis wires, in which each of the first axis wires is connected to and perpendicular to the first electrode wires. The second electrode layer is electrically insulated and located above or beneath the first electrode layer. The second electrode layer includes a plurality of second electrodes. Each of the second electrodes includes a plurality of second electrode wires, and the second electrodes are spaced apart from each other and connected to each other in parallel. The material of the first and the second electrode layers is metal nanowires. A touch panel and a touch display, including the touch electrode described herein, are also provided.