Thin Touch Sensor Panel Fabrication Using Glass Sandwiching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing touch sensor panel manufacturing equipment has a minimum thickness tolerance of 0.5 mm, limiting the production of thinner touch sensor panels due to handling and fragility issues with glass sheets, which restricts the thickness of double and single-sided ITO touch sensor panels.
Innovation Solution
The methods involve forming a sandwich of thin glass sheets or laminating a carrier substrate to meet the minimum thickness requirement, allowing for the processing of thin touch sensor panels by existing equipment, and then separating them to achieve thicknesses less than 0.5 mm, enabling the fabrication of thin DITO and SITO panels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If glass sheets thinner than 0.5 mm are used to fabricate touch sensor panels, then the thickness of the touch sensor panels is reduced, but the glass sheets become too fragile to withstand the rigors of the fabrication process and may cause handling problems
Solution Approach 1:
The fabrication process is segmented into multiple stages: first fabricating patterns on thick glass sheets that can withstand processing, then thinning the glass to the desired thin thickness, and finally assembling multiple thin glass sheets with ITO layers to form the complete touch sensor panel. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The ITO patterns and conductive structures are formed on the glass sheets before the glass is thinned to its final thin thickness. This preliminary action ensures that the fragile thin glass is not subjected to high-stress processing operations, while still achieving the desired thin final product.
2Length of moving object
If glass sheets with thickness less than 0.5 mm are processed by existing manufacturing equipment, then thinner touch sensor panels can be produced, but the equipment cannot handle such thin glass sheets due to minimum thickness tolerance
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process is divided into stages: processing thick glass sheets (≥0.5 mm) with existing equipment to form ITO patterns, then separately thinning the glass sheets to the desired thin thickness, and finally assembling the thin processed sheets. This allows existing equipment to operate within its capabilities while still producing thin final products.
Solution Approach 2:
All complex processing operations (ITO deposition, patterning, sintering) are performed preliminarily on thick glass sheets that are compatible with existing equipment. The thinning operation is performed as a separate subsequent step, allowing the use of existing equipment for the critical patterning steps while achieving thin final dimensions.
3Ease of manufacture
If thick glass sheets are used to ensure compatibility with existing equipment, then manufacturing is easier, but the final touch sensor panels cannot be made thin enough for modern electronic devices
Solution Approach 1:
The process separates the manufacturing steps into two distinct phases: Phase 1 uses thick glass sheets (≥0.5 mm) for all processing operations to ensure equipment compatibility, then Phase 2 thins the processed glass sheets to the desired thin thickness (e.g., 0.1-0.3 mm) for the final product. This segmentation resolves the contradiction between manufacturing ease and final thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The glass thinning operation is performed as a preliminary action before final assembly, but after the ITO patterns are formed. This timing allows the glass to be thinned to minimal thickness without compromising the previously formed conductive patterns, achieving both equipment compatibility during processing and thin final dimensions.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for fabricating thin DITO or SITO touch sensor panels with a thickness less than a minimum thickness tolerance of existing manufacturing equipment. In one embodiment, a sandwich of two thin glass sheets is formed such that the combined thickness of the glass sheets does not drop below the minimum thickness tolerance of existing manufacturing equipment when thin film process is performed on the surfaces of the sandwich during fabrication. The sandwich may eventually be separated to form two thin SITO/DITO panels. In another embodiment, the fabrication process involves laminating two patterned thick substrates, each having at least the minimum thickness tolerance of existing manufacturing equipment. One or both of the sides of the laminated substrates are then thinned so that when the substrates are separated, each is a thin DITO/SITO panel having a thickness less than the minimum thickness tolerance of existing manufacturing equipment.