Touch panel and manufacturing method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10852890-B2
Application number	US-201816111162-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2018
Priority date	Aug 31, 2017
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

A touch panel includes a substrate, a touch sensing electrode, a peripheral conductive trace, a protective layer, and a conductive layer. The substrate has a display area and a peripheral area. The touch sensing electrode is disposed in the display area. The peripheral conductive trace is disposed in the peripheral area. The touch sensing electrode is electrically connected to the peripheral conductive trace. The touch sensing electrode and the peripheral conductive trace at least include metal nanowires. The protective layer is disposed on the touch sensing electrode, and the conductive layer is disposed on the peripheral conductive trace.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A manufacturing method of a touch panel, comprising:
providing a substrate, the substrate having a display area and a peripheral area;
providing a touch sensing electrode disposed in the display area and a peripheral conductive trace disposed in the peripheral area, wherein the touch sensing electrode is electrically connected to the peripheral conductive trace, and wherein the touch sensing electrode and the peripheral conductive trace are formed by patterning a transparent conductive layer at least comprising metal nanowires;
providing a protective layer disposed on the touch sensing electrode, wherein the protective layer is disposed only in the display area; and
providing a conductive layer disposed on the peripheral conductive trace after providing the protective layer, wherein the conductive layer is formed by electro-plating, electroless plating, or a combination thereof.

2. The manufacturing method of the touch panel according to claim 1 , wherein providing the touch sensing electrode disposed in the display area and the peripheral conductive trace disposed in the peripheral area comprises:
providing a film layer, wherein the metal nanowires are embedded into the film layer to form a conductive network, the film layer and the metal nanowires integrally form the transparent conductive layer; and
patterning the transparent conductive layer to form a non-conductive area in the display area and the peripheral area to define the touch sensing electrode and the peripheral conductive trace.

3. The manufacturing method of the touch panel according to claim 2 , wherein the metal nanowires protrude from a surface of the film layer.

4. The manufacturing method of the touch panel according to claim 2 , further comprising:
exposing the metal nanowires in the peripheral conductive trace from a surface of the film layer prior to providing the protective layer.

5. The manufacturing method of the touch panel according to claim 2 , wherein a material of the protective layer is the same as a material of the film layer.

6. The manufacturing method of the touch panel according to claim 2 , wherein the film layer comprises a cross-linking agent, a polymerization inhibitor, an antioxidant, a ultraviolent (UV) stabilizer, a surfactant, a corrosion inhibitor, or a mixture thereof.

7. The manufacturing method of the touch panel according to claim 2 , further comprising:
etching a portion of the transparent conductive layer in the peripheral area after providing the protective layer.

8. The manufacturing method of the touch panel according to claim 7 , wherein etching comprises:
reducing a height of the film layer in the peripheral area, and
reducing a height of the protective layer in the display area.

9. The manufacturing method of the touch panel according to claim 1 , wherein providing the conductive layer disposed on the peripheral conductive trace comprises:
performing electroless plating to form an electroless-plating copper layer on the peripheral conductive trace and an electroless-plating nickel layer on the peripheral conductive trace over the electroless-plating copper layer.

10. The manufacturing method of the touch panel according to claim 9 , wherein providing the conductive layer disposed on the peripheral conductive trace further comprises:
performing electro-plating to form an electro-plating copper layer on the electroless-plating copper layer.

11. The manufacturing method of the touch panel according to claim 1 , wherein providing the conductive layer disposed on the peripheral conductive trace comprises:
performing electroless plating to form an electroless-plating copper layer on the peripheral conductive trace.

12. The manufacturing method of the touch panel according to claim 1 , wherein providing the conductive layer disposed on the peripheral conductive trace comprises:
performing electroless plating to form the conductive layer having a core-shell structure on the peripheral conductive trace.

13. The manufacturing method of the touch panel according to claim 1 , further comprising:
removing the protective layer after providing the conductive layer.

14. The manufacturing method of the touch panel according to claim 1 , wherein providing the touch sensing electrode disposed in the display area and the peripheral conductive trace disposed in the peripheral area comprises:
providing a film layer, wherein the metal nanowires are embedded into the film layer to form a conductive network, the film layer and the metal nanowires integrally form the transparent conductive layer;
masking one or more portions of the transparent conductive layer defining the touch sensing electrode and the peripheral conductive trace using a mask to define a masked portion of transparent conductive layer concealed by the mask and an unmasked portion of the transparent conductive layer not concealed by the mask; and
applying a solvent to remove at least some of the metal nanowires in the unmasked portion of the transparent conductive layer, wherein the film layer remains in the unmasked portion of the transparent conductive layer.

15. The manufacturing method of the touch panel according to claim 1 , wherein an uppermost surface of the conductive layer is below an uppermost surface of the protective layer.

16. A manufacturing method of a touch panel, comprising:
providing a substrate, the substrate having a display area and a peripheral area;
providing a touch sensing electrode disposed in the display area and a peripheral conductive trace disposed in the peripheral area, wherein the touch sensing electrode is electrically connected to the peripheral conductive trace, and wherein the touch sensing electrode and the peripheral conductive trace are formed by patterning a transparent conductive layer at least comprising metal nanowires;
providing a protective layer disposed on the touch sensing electrode; and
providing a conductive layer disposed on the peripheral conductive trace after providing the protective layer, wherein:
the conductive layer is formed by electro-plating, electroless plating, or a combination thereof, and
an uppermost surface of the conductive layer is below an uppermost surface of the protective layer.

17. The manufacturing method of the touch panel according to claim 16 , wherein:
the transparent conductive layer comprises a film layer and the metal nanowires are embedded into the film layer, and
the method further comprises:
performing a plasma etch to etch a portion of the transparent conductive layer in the peripheral area after providing the protective layer.

18. The manufacturing method of the touch panel according to claim 17 , wherein performing the plasma etch comprises:
reducing a height of the film layer in the peripheral area, and
reducing a height of the protective layer in the display area.

19. A manufacturing method of a touch panel, comprising:
providing a substrate, the substrate having a display area and a peripheral area;
providing a touch sensing electrode disposed in the display area and a peripheral conductive trace disposed in the peripheral area, wherein the touch sensing electrode is electrically connected to the peripheral conductive trace, and wherein the touch sensing electrode and the peripheral conductive trace are formed by patterning a transparent conductive layer at least comprising metal nanowires;
providing a protective layer disposed on the touch sensing electrode; and
providing a conductive layer disposed on the peripheral conduct

Assignees

• Tpk Touch Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Liu Chen-Yu
• Jian Bo-Ren
• Liu cheng-ping

Classifications

• Y10T29/49155

  Manufacturing circuit on or in base · CPC title

• G06F3/04164

  Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads · CPC title

• G06F3/0412 Primary

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title

• G06F2203/04111

  Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate · CPC title

• G06F3/0443 Primary

  using a single layer of sensing electrodes · CPC title