Corrosion mitigation for metal traces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9236202-B2
Application number	US-201213710417-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2012
Priority date	Sep 10, 2012
Publication date	Jan 12, 2016
Grant date	Jan 12, 2016

Abstract

Processes for manufacturing touch sensors with one or more guard traces to reduce the effect of moisture damage are provided. One example process can include forming one or more guard traces between an edge of the touch sensor and the metal traces that route the drive and sense lines to bond pads. The one or more guard traces can be uncoupled from the drive lines and sense lines to protect the inner metal traces from moisture damage. In some examples, ends of the one or more guard traces can be coupled to ground by copper. In other examples, ends of the one or more guard traces can be coupled to ground by indium tin oxide or the one or more guard traces can be coupled to ground by a strip of indium tin oxide. In yet other examples, the guard trace can be floating (e.g., not coupled to ground).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A touch sensor comprising:
a plurality of sense lines;
a plurality of drive lines;
one or more bond pads;
a plurality of metal traces that couple together the one or more bond pads with the plurality of sense lines and the plurality of drive lines; and
a guard trace positioned between edges of the touch sensor and the plurality of conductive traces, wherein the guard trace is coupled to a sense line of the plurality of sense lines or a drive line of the plurality of drive lines, and wherein the guard trace is coupled to drive circuitry or sense circuitry operable to detect an open circuit in the guard trace.

2. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein the guard trace is uncoupled from the plurality of sense lines and the plurality of drive lines.

3. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein the touch sensor comprises a plurality of guard traces positioned between edges of the touch sensor and the plurality of conductive traces.

4. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein the guard trace is coupled to a metal trace of the plurality of metal traces.

5. A touch sensor comprising:
a plurality of conductive traces that couple together one or more bond pads with a plurality of sense lines and a plurality of drive lines; and
a conductive guard trace positioned between an edge of the touch sensor and the plurality of conductive traces, wherein the conductive guard trace is coupled to one or more outer traces of the plurality of conductive traces and the conductive guard trace is coupled to drive circuitry or sense circuitry operable to detect an open circuit in the conductive guard trace.

6. The touch sensor of claim 5 , wherein the conductive guard trace is coupled to the one or more outer traces of the plurality of conductive traces by copper.

7. The touch sensor of claim 5 , wherein the conductive guard trace is coupled to the one or more outer traces of the plurality of conductive traces by indium tin oxide.

8. The touch sensor of claim 6 , wherein the indium tin oxide is positioned along the conductive guard trace and between the conductive guard trace and the one or more outer traces of the plurality of conductive traces.

9. The touch sensor of claim 6 , wherein the indium tin oxide is coupled between ends of the conductive guard trace and the one or more outer traces of the plurality of conductive traces.

10. A touch sensor comprising:
a plurality of sense lines;
a plurality of drive lines;
one or more bond pads; and
a plurality of conductive traces, wherein a first subset of the plurality of conductive traces is uncoupled from the plurality of sense lines and the plurality of drive lines, and wherein a second subset of the plurality of conductive traces couple together the one or more bond pads with the plurality of sense lines and the plurality of drive lines and ends of the first subset of the plurality of conductive traces are coupled to one or more outer traces of the second subset of the plurality of conductive traces by copper.

11. The touch sensor of claim 10 , wherein the touch sensor comprises an indium tin oxide connector coupled between ends of the first subset of the plurality of conductive traces and one or more outer traces of the second subset of the plurality of conductive traces.

12. The touch sensor of claim 10 , wherein the touch sensor comprises a strip of indium tin oxide along the first subset of the plurality of conductive traces and between the first subset of the plurality of conductive traces and the second subset of the plurality of conductive traces.

13. The touch sensor of claim 10 , wherein the first subset of the plurality of conductive traces comprises copper.

14. The touch sensor of claim 10 , wherein the first subset of the plurality of conductive traces is positioned between an edge of the touch sensor and the second subset of the plurality of conductive traces.

15. A method for manufacturing a touch sensor, the method comprising:
forming a plurality of sense lines;
forming a plurality of drive lines;
forming one or more bond pads; and
forming a plurality of conductive traces, wherein a first subset of the plurality of conductive traces is uncoupled from the plurality of sense lines and the plurality of drive lines, and wherein a second subset of the plurality of conductive traces couple together the one or more bond pads with the plurality of sense lines and the plurality of drive lines and a conductive trace of the first subset of the plurality of conductive traces is coupled to an outer trace of the second subset of the plurality of conductive traces.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first subset of the plurality of conductive traces is positioned between an edge of the touch sensor and the second subset of the plurality of conductive traces.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first subset of the plurality of conductive traces is coupled to an outer trace of the second subset of the plurality of conductive traces.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of conductive traces comprise a metal.

19. A method for manufacturing a touch sensor, the method comprising:
forming a plurality of conductive traces that couple together one or more bond pads with a plurality of sense lines and a plurality of drive lines; and
forming a conductive guard trace positioned between edges of the touch sensor and the plurality of conductive traces, wherein the conductive guard trace is coupled to a sense line of the plurality of sense lines or a drive line of the plurality of drive lines, and the conductive guard trace is coupled to drive circuitry or sense circuitry operable to detect an open circuit in the conductive guard trace.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the conductive guard trace is coupled to ground.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the conductive guard trace is coupled to ground by copper or indium tin oxide.

22. The touch sensor of claim 19 , wherein the guard trace is uncoupled from the plurality of sense lines and the plurality of drive lines.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Mohapatra Siddharth
• Kang Sunggu
• Zhong John Z

Classifications

• H01H11/04 Primary

  of switch contacts · CPC title

• G06F3/0416 Primary

  Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers · CPC title

• H01H1/58

  Electric connections to or between contacts; Terminals {(for high tension switches H01H33/025; for electromagnetic relays H01H50/14; for circuit breakers H01H71/08)} · CPC title

• G06F3/044

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• Y10T29/49105

  Switch making · CPC title