Touch screen stack-ups

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9710095-B2
Application number	US-81839507-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2007
Priority date	Jan 5, 2007
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

A multi-touch sensor panel is disclosed that can include a glass subassembly having a plurality of column traces of substantially transparent conductive material that can be formed on the back side, wherein the glass subassembly can also act as a cover that can be touched on the front side. Row traces of the same or different substantially transparent conductive material can then be located near the column traces, and a layer of dielectric material can be coupled between the column traces and the row traces. The row and column traces can be oriented to cross over each other at crossover locations separated by the dielectric material, and the crossover locations can form mutual capacitance sensors for detecting one or more touches on the front side of the glass subassembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multi-touch sensor panel, comprising:
a transparent cover having a front side capable of being touched and a back side opposite the front side;
a subassembly including:
a substrate having a front surface adhered to the back side of the cover and a back surface, opposite the front surface for adhering to a liquid crystal display;
a plurality of first traces of a first substantially transparent conductive material formed by patterning on the front surface of the substrate; and
a plurality of second traces of a second substantially transparent material formed by patterning on the back surface of the substrate; and
wherein the substrate forms a dielectric material between the plurality of first traces and the plurality of second traces; and
wherein the plurality of first and the plurality of second traces are oriented to cross over each other at crossover locations separated by the dielectric material, the crossover locations forming mutual capacitance sensors for detecting one or more touches on the front side of the transparent cover;
wherein an adhesive, distinct from the substrate, is used to adhere the subassembly to the back side of the transparent cover and to adhere at least a portion of the subassembly to the liquid crystal display; and
wherein a passivation layer is disposed between the adhesive and the plurality of first traces and between the adhesive and the plurality of second traces.

2. The multi-touch sensor panel of claim 1 wherein the adhesive comprises a pressure sensitive adhesive and the passivation layer prevents acid in the pressure sensitive adhesive from damaging the plurality of first traces and the plurality of second traces.

3. The multi-touch sensor panel of claim 1 , wherein the first and second substantially transparent conductive materials are the same.

4. The multi-touch sensor panel of claim 1 , further comprising a flexible printed circuit (FPC) coupled to the plurality of second traces on the back side of the substrate.

5. The multi-touch sensor panel of claim 4 , further comprising another flexible printed circuit coupled to the plurality of first traces on the front side of the substrate.

6. The multi-touch sensor panel of claim 1 ,
the panel further comprising a flexible printed circuit (FPC) coupled to at least one of the plurality of first or second traces, and
wherein the adhesive is a pressure sensitive adhesive and adheres the portion of the glass subassembly to a polarizer of the liquid crystal display.

7. The multi-touch sensor panel of claim 6 , wherein flexible printed circuit board is coupled to the plurality of second traces and an anisotropic conductive film is used to bond the flexible printed circuit to at least the back side of glass subassembly.

8. A method for forming a multi-touch sensor panel comprising:
providing a transparent cover having a front side capable of being touched and a back side opposite the front side;
forming a plurality of first traces of a first substantially transparent conductive material by patterning the plurality of first traces on a front surface of a substrate;
forming a plurality of second traces of a second substantially transparent material by patterning the plurality of second traces on a back surface of the substrate, opposite the front surface;
orienting the plurality of first traces and the plurality of second traces to cross over each other at crossover locations separated by the substrate serving as a dielectric material, the crossover locations forming mutual capacitance sensors for detecting one or more touches on the front side of the subassembly; and
disposing a first passivation layer over the plurality of first traces on a front surface of the substrate;
disposing a second passivation layer over the plurality of second traces on a back surface of the substrate;
disposing an adhesive over the first and second passivation layers, the adhesive begin distinct from the substrate;
adhering the transparent cover to the adhesive disposed on the first passivation layer; and
adhering a display to the adhesive on the second passivation layer.

Assignees

• Hotelling Steve Porter
• Land Brian Richards
• Hamblin Mark Arthur
• Tan Tang Yew
• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Hotelling Steve Porter
• Land Brian Richards
• Hamblin Mark Arthur
• Tan Tang Yew

Classifications

• G06F3/044 Primary

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F2203/04103

  Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices · CPC title

• G06F3/0446

  using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes · CPC title

• B32B2307/412

  Transparent · CPC title

• G06F2203/04104

  Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger · CPC title