Touch Panel Wire Electrode Material Merging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Resistive touch panels suffer from performance degradation and susceptibility to scratches with repeated use, and the process efficiency is compromised due to different materials and processes for sensing and wire electrodes, leading to potential disconnection and reduced reliability.
Innovation Solution
A touch panel design featuring a cover substrate with active and inactive areas, where the wire electrodes are formed using the same material as the sensing electrodes and stacked on the inactive area, reducing the number of processes and enhancing reliability by allowing one wire electrode to serve as a backup if the other is damaged.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If wire electrodes are formed on a printing layer with step difference, then the wire electrode structure is established, but the wire electrode may be cracked or disconnected reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by forming a convex portion on the printing layer that protrudes toward the wire electrode, and forming a groove in the wire electrode that corresponds to this convex portion. This pre-designed structural compensation cushions the stress concentration at the step difference location, preventing crack initiation and propagation before they can occur during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by modifying only the specific region where the wire electrode contacts the printing layer (the step difference area) with a convex portion and corresponding groove, while leaving the rest of the wire electrode and printing layer structure unchanged. This localized modification addresses the reliability issue at the critical stress point without complicating the overall structure.
2Reliability
If sensing electrode and wire electrode are provided through mutually different processes, then both electrodes can be formed, but the process efficiency is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies merging by forming both the sensing electrode and wire electrode through the same sputtering process using the same ITO material. This combines two previously separate formation processes into one unified process, eliminating the need for separate material deposition steps while ensuring consistent material properties and reducing overall manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies universality by using ITO material that serves dual functions as both the sensing electrode material and wire electrode material. The same material deposition process and material type are used for both electrode types, making the process universal and eliminating the need for separate specialized processes for each electrode type.
3Adaptability or versatility
If transparent conductive material like ITO is used for wire electrode, then the touch panel can be manufactured, but the resistance may be higher compared to metallic wire electrodes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by increasing the thickness of the wire electrode to 50-200 nm, which is thicker than conventional wire electrodes. This parameter change compensates for the inherently higher resistance of transparent conductive materials like ITO by providing more conductive pathways, thereby reducing overall resistance to levels comparable with or better than metallic wire electrodes.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a touch panel. The touch panel includes a cover substrate comprising an active area and an inactive area, a sensing electrode on the active area, and a wire electrode on the inactive area. The wire electrode includes a material the same as a material constituting the sensing electrode.