Parallel Metal and Oxide Jumper Electrodes for Touch Modules
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Solution Overview
Problem
In touch display devices, the visible presence of jumper electrodes due to an excessively large contact area with touch electrodes affects visual clarity, as increasing the contact area to reduce impedance makes the jumper electrodes visible to the user.
Innovation Solution
A touch module design featuring a metal jumper electrode connected in parallel with a metal oxide jumper electrode to reduce contact impedance while minimizing the contact area, utilizing a substrate with bridging layers and touch sensing layers made of materials like indium tin oxide and metal nanowires, with a second bridging layer having an impedance value between 0.20Ω and 0.24Ω to achieve low lap-joint impedance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the contact area between the jumper electrode and the touch electrode is increased to reduce contact impedance, then the contact impedance decreases, but the jumper electrode becomes visible to the user affecting visual clarity
Solution Approach 1:
The jumper electrode is divided into two separate electrodes: a first jumper electrode made of transparent conducting material (metal oxide) and a second jumper electrode made of metal nanowires. These two jumper electrodes are connected in parallel between the same touch electrodes, allowing each to contribute to conductivity while the transparent first jumper electrode remains invisible and the metal nanowire second jumper electrode can be kept small in contact area
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a composite structure combining two different conducting materials: transparent conducting metal oxides (ITO, IZO, CTO, or AZO) for the first jumper electrode and metal nanowires for the second jumper electrode. This composite approach leverages the transparency of metal oxides and the high conductivity of metal nanowires to achieve both visual clarity and low contact impedance
2Reliability
If the volume at the end of the jumper electrode is increased to increase contact area, then the contact impedance decreases, but the overlapping portion becomes visible affecting visual clarity
Solution Approach 1:
The jumper electrode function is segmented into two separate electrodes with different materials and properties. The first jumper electrode (metal oxide) can have smaller contact area since it is transparent, while the second jumper electrode (metal nanowires) provides additional conductivity path. This segmentation allows reducing the contact area of visible portions while maintaining overall low impedance through the parallel configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameter of the jumper electrode from a single material to two different materials with different properties. The metal oxide provides transparency and basic conductivity, while the metal nanowire provides enhanced conductivity with lower required contact area, thus changing the conductivity parameter while reducing the visible contact area parameter
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to the field of touch technology, and provides a touch module, which includes a substrate, a first bridging layer, a first touch sensing layer, a second bridging layer, and a second touch sensing layer. The first bridging layer extends on the substrate along a first direction. The first touch sensing layer is disposed on the substrate and includes a plurality of first touch sensing electrodes, wherein the first bridging layer connects adjacent first touch sensing electrodes of the first touch sensing electrodes. The second bridging layer is disposed on the first bridging layer, located between the adjacent first touch sensing electrodes, and connected in parallel with the first bridging layer. The second touch sensing layer is disposed on the substrate, crosses the second bridging layer along a second direction, and is disposed between the adjacent first touch sensing electrodes.