CN114489367A - Electronic device and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a touch panel and a manufacturing method of the touch panel, wherein the touch panel includes a substrate, a first conductive layer, a first insulating layer and a second conductive layer. The first conductive layer is arranged on the substrate, the first insulating layer is arranged on the first conductive layer, and the second conductive layer is arranged on the first insulating layer and the substrate. The first conductive layer is located between the substrate and the first insulating layer, wherein at least part of the first conductive layer is located between the substrate and the second conductive layer, and at least part of the first insulating layer is located between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer between, and one of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer includes a conductive photoresist.

Description

Electronic device and method of manufacturing the same

technical field

The present invention relates to an electronic device and a manufacturing method thereof, in particular to an electronic device and a manufacturing method thereof which can simplify the manufacturing process and/or reduce the manufacturing cost.

Background technique

Electronic devices such as notebook computers, smart phones, wearable devices, smart watches, and automotive display screens are widely used today and become indispensable products. Due to the widespread use of electronic devices, the yield and cost of electronic devices are critical to their production process. Accordingly, the industry is devoted to improving electronic devices and manufacturing methods thereof, so as to increase the yield of electronic devices and/or reduce manufacturing costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a touch panel and a manufacturing method thereof. The conductive photoresist is used as the touch layer of the touch panel, so as to simplify the manufacturing process of the touch panel and/or reduce the manufacturing cost of the touch panel.

In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a touch panel, which includes a substrate, a first conductive layer, a first insulating layer and a second conductive layer. The first conductive layer is arranged on the substrate, the first insulating layer is arranged on the first conductive layer, and the second conductive layer is arranged on the first insulating layer and the substrate. The first conductive layer is located between the substrate and the first insulating layer, at least part of the first conductive layer is located between the substrate and the second conductive layer, and at least part of the first insulating layer is located between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer , and one of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer includes a conductive photoresist.

In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention also provides a manufacturing method of a touch panel, which includes: forming a first insulating layer and a patterned first conductive layer on a substrate, wherein the first conductive layer is located between the substrate and the first conductive layer. between insulating layers; and forming a patterned second conductive layer on the first insulating layer and the substrate, so that at least part of the first insulating layer is located between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, wherein the first conductive layer is at least partially between the substrate and the second conductive layer, and one of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer includes a conductive photoresist.

According to the touch panel and the manufacturing method thereof of the present invention, compared with the conventional prior art, the present invention can simplify the steps of the patterning process to improve the manufacturing efficiency, and can omit the extra film formation and the extra etching process, so as to reduce the The use of materials and process equipment reduces manufacturing costs. In addition, if the second conductive layer includes a conductive photoresist, the damage to the underlying film layer (eg, the first conductive layer) during the patterning process of the second conductive layer can be reduced, so as to improve the reliability of the touch panel.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a conductive photoresist layer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of the first conductive layer, the first insulating layer and the second conductive layer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the section line A-A' of Fig. 4 .

Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the section line B-B' of Fig. 4 .

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a manufacturing method of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

9 to 12 are schematic cross-sectional views showing examples of the formation methods of the first conductive layer, the first insulating layer and the second conductive layer in the touch panel according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of reference numerals: 100, 200, 300-touch panel; 110-substrate; 120-first conductive layer; 120m-first conductive material layer; 122-first repeating unit; 122a-sensing part; 122b-connection part; 124-third repeating unit; 130-first insulating layer; 132-insulating repeating unit; 140-second conductive layer; 142-second repeating unit; 150-second insulating layer; 210-buffer layer; 310- Low reflection layer; CP1-first pattern; CP2-second pattern; CPi-insulation pattern; CPS-conductive particle; D1-first direction; D2-second direction; Dn-normal direction; PRC-conductive photoresist layer ; PRM - photoresist; ST1, ST2 - steps; Vo - voids.

Detailed ways

In order to enable those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention are listed below, and the constituent contents and desired effects of the present invention are described in detail with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the accompanying drawings are simplified schematic diagrams, therefore, only the components and combination relationships related to the present invention are shown to provide a clearer description of the basic structure or implementation method of the present invention, and the actual components and layout may be more for complex. In addition, for the convenience of description, the components shown in the drawings of the present invention are not drawn in equal scale with the actual number, shape, and size, and the detailed scale can be adjusted according to the design requirements.

It should be noted that, in the following embodiments, features in several different embodiments may be replaced, recombined, and mixed to complete other embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. As long as the features of the various embodiments do not violate the spirit of the invention or conflict with each other, they can be mixed and matched arbitrarily.

The touch panel of the present invention can be any panel with touch function. For example, the touch panel can be a touch sensing device or a touch display device. Wherein, the present invention can perform touch sensing in any suitable manner, such as capacitive sensing (eg, self-capacitance or mutual-capacitance), but does not limited. It should be noted that the touch panel may have an active area and a non-active area on at least one side outside the active area, wherein the active area is at least used for touch sensing, and the non-active area is not used for touch sensing. In addition, the active area of the touch panel may also have other functions, such as a screen display function, a fingerprint recognition function, or other suitable functions. It should be noted that the following only describes the components, film layers and structures located in the active region. For example, if the touch panel has the function of displaying images, the active area can also be used to display images, but the invention is not limited to this. In addition, the touch panel and the active area can each be a rectangle, a polygon, a circle, a shape with curved sides, or other suitable shapes, but the invention is not limited thereto.

Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2 . FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a conductive photoresist layer according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , the touch panel 100 of this embodiment includes a substrate 110 , a first conductive layer 120 , a first insulating layer 130 and a second conductive layer 140 . The substrate 110 in this embodiment may include any suitable material. For example, the substrate 110 may be a rigid substrate or a flexible substrate, and may include, for example, glass, plastic, quartz, sapphire, polystyrene, etc., depending on the type of the substrate 110 . Polyimide (PI), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), epoxy resin (which can form FR4 substrate), phenolic resin (bakelite), other suitable materials or combinations thereof, but Not limited to this.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the first conductive layer 120 is disposed on the substrate 110 , the first insulating layer 130 is disposed on the first conductive layer 120 , and the second conductive layer 140 is disposed on the first insulating layer 130 and the substrate 110 . A conductive layer 120 and a second conductive layer 140 are used for touch sensing in the active area, and the first insulating layer 130 can be used to separate at least part of the first conductive layer 120 from the second conductive layer 120 in the normal direction Dn of the substrate 110 . At least portions of the conductive layers 140 are separated from each other. In the present invention, the first conductive layer 120 and the second conductive layer 140 may be patterned film layers. Therefore, the first conductive layer 120 is located between the substrate 110 and the first insulating layer 130 , and at least the first conductive layer 120 is located between the substrate 110 and the first insulating layer 130 . Part of the first insulating layer 130 is located between the substrate 110 and the second conductive layer 140 , and at least part of the first insulating layer 130 is located between the first conductive layer 120 and the second conductive layer 140 . In addition, according to requirements, the first insulating layer 130 can be a complete continuous film layer covering the active region completely, or the first insulating layer 130 can be a patterned film layer covering only part of the active region, but not limit.

The material of the first insulating layer 130 may include any suitable inorganic insulating material and/or organic insulating material, such as polyimide, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, non-conductive photoresist, other suitable materials or combinations thereof, but not This is the limit. The materials of the first conductive layer 120 and the second conductive layer 140 can be any suitable conductive materials, such as metals (such as copper, silver, molybdenum, aluminum), metal oxides (such as indium tin oxide), conductive polymers, conductive light resistance, graphene, other suitable conductive materials or combinations thereof, but not limited thereto. In the present invention, the first conductive layer 120 and/or the second conductive layer 140 may include a conductive photoresist, that is, one of the first conductive layer 120 and the second conductive layer 140 may include a conductive photoresist, or , the first conductive layer 120 and the second conductive layer 140 both include conductive photoresist. For example, in this embodiment, both the first conductive layer 120 and the second conductive layer 140 include conductive photoresist, but not limited thereto.

The conductive photoresist is a conductive material that can be patterned by a developing process, and can be divided into positive conductive photoresist and negative conductive photoresist according to the reaction of the photoresist to light. The conductive photoresist may include suitable materials, and the conductive photoresist layer PRC may be formed. It should be noted that the development process of the present invention is a process for patterning the conductive photoresist and/or the non-conductive photoresist. For example, a film layer including a conductive photoresist (eg, the first conductive layer 120 and/or the second conductive layer 140 ) may form the conductive photoresist layer PRC shown in FIG. 2 , and the conductive photoresist may include conductive particles CPS and non-conductive photoresist material PRM, wherein the conductive particles CPS can be uniformly distributed in the conductive photoresist layer PRC, and used to transmit electrical signals, while the non-conductive photoresist material PRM is used to make the conductive photoresist The property of being patterned by a development process. In addition, in some embodiments, the conductive photoresist can be cured by baking to form the conductive photoresist layer PRC, and since baking the conductive photoresist will cause part of the material in the conductive photoresist to evaporate, the conductive particles CPS The density of ions will increase, thereby increasing the conductivity of the conductive photoresist layer PRC. It should be noted that the conductive photoresist layer PRC shown in FIG. 2 is only an example, and the conductive photoresist layer PRC is not limited thereto.

In addition, the conductive photoresist may have low reflection properties and/or extinction properties, so as to reduce the reflection of external light (light from outside the touch panel 100 ) after irradiating the conductive photoresist, thereby reducing the user's concern for Visibility of conductive photoresist. In some embodiments, the color of the conductive photoresist may be black, gray, or other opaque colors with low reflection properties and/or matting properties, but not limited thereto.

Since the first conductive layer 120 and the second conductive layer 140 are patterned film layers, the first conductive layer 120 and the second conductive layer 140 can sense the touch in the active area. The pattern and arrangement of the first conductive layer 120 , the second conductive layer 140 and the first insulating layer 130 will be exemplarily described below with some embodiments, but the invention is not limited thereto.

Please refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. 1 at the same time. FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 3 only shows part of the first conductive layer 120 and the second conductive layer. Two conductive layers 140 . As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 3 , the first conductive layer 120 has a first pattern CP1 in the active region, the second conductive layer 140 has a second pattern CP2 in the active region, and both the first pattern CP1 and the second pattern CP2 are The mesh patterns do not completely overlap each other in the normal direction Dn of the substrate 110 , and the touch panel 100 can perform touch sensing in the active area through the first pattern CP1 and the second pattern CP2 . In the embodiment of FIG. 3 , the first pattern CP1 includes a plurality of first repeating units 122, the shape and size of the first repeating units 122 are the same as each other, and the second pattern CP2 includes a plurality of second repeating units 142, the second repeating units The shapes and sizes of 142 are the same as each other, but not limited thereto. In FIG. 3 , the shape and size of the first repeating unit 122 are the same as those of the second repeating unit 142 , but not limited thereto. The first repeating unit 122 and the second repeating unit 142 can be any suitable shape, such as quadrilateral, hexagonal or other suitable polygons (the first repeating unit 122 and the second repeating unit 142 shown in FIG. 3 are both quadrilateral) , but not limited to this. In addition, in the embodiment of FIG. 3 , the first insulating layer 130 may be a complete continuous film layer to completely cover the active region, but not limited thereto.

Please refer to FIG. 4 to FIG. 6 , and refer to FIG. 1 at the same time. FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of the first conductive layer, the first insulating layer and the second conductive layer according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a view along the 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the section line AA', and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional schematic view along the section line BB' of FIG. 4, wherein FIG. The second conductive layer 140 . As shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 6 , the first conductive layer 120 has a first pattern CP1 in the active region, the second conductive layer 140 has a second pattern CP2 in the active region, and the touch panel 100 can pass the first pattern CP1 Touch sensing is performed in the active area with the second pattern CP2. In FIGS. 4 to 6 , the first pattern CP1 includes a plurality of first repeating units 122 and a plurality of third repeating units 124. The first repeating units 122 may extend along the first direction D1 and are arranged along the second direction D2. Three repeating units 124 may be disposed between two first repeating units 122, the first repeating units 122 have the same shape and size as each other, the third repeating unit 124 has the same shape and size as each other, and the first repeating unit 122 and the third repeating unit 124 are the same as each other in shape and size. The units 124 do not overlap each other and are separated from each other in the normal direction Dn of the substrate 110; the second pattern CP2 includes a plurality of second repeating units 142, the second repeating units 142 connect two adjacent third repeating units 124, the second The shape and size of the repeating units 142 are the same as each other, but not limited thereto. In detail, the first repeating unit 122 may include a plurality of sensing parts 122a and a plurality of connecting parts 122b, the connecting parts 122b connect two adjacent sensing parts 122a, and the shape and size of the sensing parts 122a may be the same as an example The shape and size of the third repeating unit 124 are not limited thereto. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 , the first insulating layer 130 can be a patterned film layer and has an insulating pattern CPi. The insulating pattern CPi includes a plurality of insulating repeating units 132 , and each insulating repeating unit 132 is on the normal line of the substrate 110 . The direction Dn is disposed between the connecting portion 122b of the first repeating unit 122 and the second repeating unit 142, and the second repeating unit 142 extends beyond the insulating repeating unit 132 to connect the third repeating unit 124, but not limited thereto. It should be noted that the shape and size of each repeating unit can be designed according to requirements, and are not limited to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 .

In addition, the touch panel 100 may optionally include other layers, such as insulating layers, protective layers, passivation layers, optical layers (eg, polarizers, low-reflection layers), dielectric layers, other suitable layers or the like. combination. For example, in FIG. 1 , the touch panel 100 may optionally include a second insulating layer 150 disposed on the second conductive layer 140 to protect the first conductive layer 120 and the second conductive layer 140, but not This is the limit. The material of the second insulating layer 150 may include any suitable inorganic insulating material and/or organic insulating material, such as polyimide, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, non-conductive photoresist, other suitable materials or combinations thereof, but not This is the limit. In this embodiment, the material of the first insulating layer 130 may be the same or different from that of the second insulating layer 150 . For example, if the touch panel 100 has the function of displaying images, the touch panel 100 may further include film layers and/or structures for displaying images, such as pixel structures, color conversion layers, display medium layers, polarizers, Other suitable film layers or combinations thereof.

Please refer to FIG. 7 and FIGS. 1 to 6 at the same time. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing the touch panel 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that the flowchart of the manufacturing method of the touch panel 100 shown in FIG. 7 is exemplary, and the manufacturing method of the touch panel 100 of the present invention is not limited to the process and steps shown in FIG. 7 .

In step ST1 of FIG. 7 , a first insulating layer 130 and a patterned first conductive layer 120 are formed on the substrate 110 , wherein the first conductive layer 120 is located between the substrate 110 and the first insulating layer 130 . In detail, since both the first conductive layer 120 and the second conductive layer 140 in this embodiment include conductive photoresist, a continuous and complete conductive photoresist layer PRC can be formed on the substrate 110 first as the first conductive layer 120 , then, performing an exposure process on the first conductive layer 120 to illuminate a portion of the first conductive layer 120 , and then patterning the first conductive layer 120 through a developing process to form a patterned first conductive layer 120 . After the formation of the patterned first conductive layer 120 is completed, the first insulating layer 130 is formed on the patterned first conductive layer 120 (that is, the first insulating layer 130 in this embodiment is formed on the patterned first conductive layer 120 ). formed after 120). The first insulating layer 130 can be formed by a corresponding process according to the touch design or other requirements, wherein the first insulating layer 130 can be a complete continuous film layer covering the active region completely, or the first insulating layer 130 can be a pattern The chemical film layer only covers part of the active region, but not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the first insulating layer 130 may be subjected to a developing process (eg, the material of the first insulating layer 130 is non-conductive photoresist) or an etching process (eg, the first insulating layer The material of 130 is not non-conductive photoresist) to pattern the first insulating layer 130 . It should be noted that the etching process of the present invention is a process for patterning a film layer that does not contain photoresist materials (eg, does not contain conductive photoresist and non-conductive photoresist).

In step ST2 of FIG. 7 , a patterned second conductive layer 140 is formed on the first insulating layer 130 and the substrate 110 , so that at least part of the first insulating layer 130 is located between the first conductive layer 120 and the second conductive layer 140 , wherein at least part of the first conductive layer 120 is located between the substrate 110 and the second conductive layer 140 . In detail, since both the first conductive layer 120 and the second conductive layer 140 in this embodiment include conductive photoresist, a continuous and complete conductive photoresist layer PRC can be formed on the first insulating layer 130 and the substrate 110 first. As the second conductive layer 140, the second conductive layer 140 is then subjected to an exposure process to expose a portion of the second conductive layer 140 to light, and then the second conductive layer 140 is patterned through a development process to form a patterned first conductive layer 140. Two conductive layers 140 .

In addition, other required film layers, such as insulating layers, protective layers, passivation layers, optical film layers (such as polarizers, low-reflection layers), dielectric layers, and other suitable film or its resistance. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , after the patterned second conductive layer 140 is formed, the second insulating layer 150 may be formed on the second conductive layer 140 , but not limited thereto. For example, if the touch panel 100 has the function of displaying images, a film and/or structure for displaying images may also be formed in the touch panel 100 before, during or after the above steps, such as pixel structures, Color conversion layers, display medium layers, polarizers, other suitable film layers, or combinations thereof.

Compared with the traditional method, the patterning process of the conductive layer of the present invention can simplify the steps of the patterning process to improve the manufacturing efficiency, and can reduce the use of materials and process equipment in the patterning process and reduce the manufacturing cost. In detail, according to the present invention, when the conductive layer (the first conductive layer 120 and/or the second conductive layer 140 ) includes a conductive photoresist, the conductive layer including the conductive photoresist can be patterned directly through a developing process. In the traditional patterning process of the conductive layer by an etching process, a photoresist layer for defining the pattern of the conductive layer needs to be additionally formed on the conductive layer. The layer is subjected to an etching process, and the etching substance (eg, etching solution, etching gas) used in the etching process is different from the developer of the developing process. Therefore, compared with the traditional method, the patterning process of the conductive layer of the present invention can simplify the steps of the patterning process to improve the manufacturing efficiency, and can omit the formation of additional layers and the additional etching process, so as to reduce the cost of materials and process equipment. use to reduce manufacturing costs.

In addition, since the second conductive layer 140 in this embodiment includes a conductive photoresist, and the conductive photoresist can have low reflection properties and/or extinction properties, it is not necessary to perform an additional blackening process on the second conductive layer 140, such as setting The low reflection layer (or called blackening layer) is on the second conductive layer 140 . It can be seen that the design of the second conductive layer 140 including the conductive photoresist can reduce the manufacturing steps of the touch panel 100 and reduce the material cost.

In addition, since the second conductive layer 140 in this embodiment includes a conductive photoresist, when the development process (ie, patterning process) of the second conductive layer 140 is performed, the development process is compared with the traditional etching process. The damage of the underlying film layer (eg, the first conductive layer 120 ) can be reduced. Accordingly, the design of the touch panel 100 and the manufacturing method of the touch panel 100 of the present embodiment can improve the reliability of the touch panel 100 .

In the touch panel of some embodiments, the first conductive layer 120 includes a conductive photoresist, and the second conductive layer 140 includes other conductive materials, such as metals (eg, copper, silver, molybdenum, aluminum), metal oxides (eg, Indium tin oxide), conductive polymer or graphene, but not limited thereto. In this case, the arrangement of such embodiments may be similar to that of FIG. 1 . It should be noted that, since the second conductive layer 140 is not a conductive photoresist, the second conductive layer 140 can be patterned through an etching process or other processes.

Please refer to FIG. 8 . FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the touch panel according to the second embodiment of the present invention, wherein the first conductive layer 120 , the second conductive layer 140 and the first insulating layer 130 shown in FIG. The patterns and arrangements may be the same as those of FIG. 3 , the patterns and arrangements of FIGS. 4 to 6 , or other suitable patterns and arrangements. As shown in FIG. 8 , the difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that the second conductive layer 140 of the touch panel 200 of this embodiment includes a conductive photoresist, and the first conductive layer 120 does not include a conductive photoresist, but These include, for example, metals (eg, copper, silver, molybdenum, aluminum), metal oxides (eg, indium tin oxide), conductive polymers, graphene, other conductive materials, or combinations thereof. In order to improve the reliability of the first conductive layer 120 disposed on the substrate 110, the touch panel 200 may optionally include a buffer layer 210 disposed between the substrate 110 and the first conductive layer 120, wherein the buffer layer 210 may include any suitable The buffer layer 210 can be transparent or opaque, but the material of the buffer layer 210 is not limited thereto. Materials of the first insulating layer 130 and the second insulating layer 150 (optionally) may include any suitable inorganic insulating material and/or organic insulating material. According to requirements, the first insulating layer 130 may be a complete continuous film layer covering the active area completely, or the first insulating layer 130 may be a patterned film layer covering only part of the active area, but not limited thereto.

In the manufacturing method of the touch panel 200, since the first conductive layer 120 does not include a conductive photoresist, the first conductive layer 120 is patterned through an etching process, and since the second conductive layer 140 includes a conductive photoresist, the first conductive layer 120 is patterned through an etching process. The two conductive layers 140 are patterned through a developing process. The formation methods of the first conductive layer 120 , the first insulating layer 130 and the second conductive layer 140 will be described in detail below, but the formation methods are not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the first insulating layer 130 may include a non-conductive photoresist and be a non-conductive photoresist layer, and the first insulating layer 130 is used as an etch stop layer for the first conductive layer 120 during the etching process. For example, please refer to the embodiment of FIG. 3 and refer to FIGS. 9 to 12 at the same time. FIGS. 9 to 12 illustrate the first conductive layer 120 and the first insulating layer in the touch panel 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. A schematic cross-sectional view of an example of the formation method of the layer 130 and the second conductive layer 140 , wherein FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 respectively illustrate different formation results. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 9 , in the step of forming the first insulating layer 130 and the patterned first conductive layer 120 on the substrate 110 (ie, step ST1 ), first, a first conductive material layer is formed on the substrate 110 120m, the first conductive material layer 120m is a continuous film layer and completely covers the substrate 110, then, a first insulating layer 130 is formed on the first conductive material layer 120m, and the first insulating layer 130 is a continuous film layer and completely covers the substrate 110 After that, a developing process is performed on the first insulating layer 130 to pattern the first insulating layer 130 to form the structure shown in FIG. 9 . As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 10 , an etching process is performed on the first conductive material layer 120 m to pattern the first conductive material layer 120 m to form a patterned first conductive layer 120 . The etching process performed on the first conductive material layer 120m may be any suitable process, such as wet etching, dry etching, other suitable processes, or a combination thereof. After that, as shown in FIG. 11 or FIG. 12 , a patterned second conductive layer 140 is formed on the first insulating layer 130 and the substrate 110 . In this embodiment, since the first conductive layer 120 , the second conductive layer 140 and the first insulating layer 130 are all patterned film layers, the lower surface of the first conductive layer 120 and the lower surface of the second conductive layer 140 can be Contact the same film layer (eg, the upper surface of the substrate 110 or the upper surface of the buffer layer 210).

It is worth mentioning that, the etching process performed on the first conductive material layer 120m may be an etching process (such as wet etching) that may cause an undercut phenomenon. For example, in FIG. 10 , since the undercut phenomenon occurs in the etching process, part of the first conductive material layer 120 m under the first insulating layer 130 is removed, so that the insulation of the first insulating layer 130 is removed. The repeating unit 132 is similar to the first repeating unit 122 of the first conductive layer 120 , that is, the width of the first repeating unit 122 of the first conductive layer 120 is smaller than the width of the insulating repeating unit 132 of the first insulating layer 130 . Furthermore, if the thickness of the first conductive layer 120 is smaller than the particle size of the conductive particles CPS of the conductive photoresist of the second conductive layer 140 (for example, the thickness of the first conductive layer 120 is 0.12 μm, and the particle size of the conductive particles CPS is 0.2 μm) ), even if the undercut phenomenon occurs in the etching process, since the gap between the buffer layer 210 (or the substrate 110 ) and the first insulating layer 130 is smaller than the particle size of the conductive particle CPS, as shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 , the conductive particles CPS of the second conductive layer 140 cannot enter the gap between the buffer layer 210 (or the substrate 110 ) and the first insulating layer 130 and cannot contact the first conductive layer 120 , so that the second conductive layer 140 will not directly electrically The first conductive layer 120 is connected. Accordingly, in this case, even if the patterned second conductive layer 140 is directly formed on the first insulating layer 130 and the substrate 110 , the second conductive layer 140 is not directly electrically connected to the first conductive layer 120 . For example, in FIG. 11 , the second conductive layer 140 does not exist between the first insulating layer 130 and the substrate 110 , and a void Vo is created between the first insulating layer 130 and the buffer layer 210 (or the substrate 110 ) 12, a portion of the non-conductive photoresist material PRM in the conductive photoresist of the second conductive layer 140 may be located between the first insulating layer 130 and the buffer layer 210 (or the substrate 110), but the second conductive layer The conductive particles CPS in the conductive photoresist of 140 do not exist between the first insulating layer 130 and the buffer layer 210 (or the substrate 110 ). In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 12 , the non-conductive photoresist material PRM in the conductive photoresist of the second conductive layer 140 may contact the first conductive layer 120 , but the second conductive layer 140 is not directly electrically connected to the first conductive layer 140 . A conductive layer 120, but not limited thereto. In some embodiments (shown in the figure), the non-conductive photoresist material PRM in the conductive photoresist of the second conductive layer 140 may be located between the first insulating layer 130 and the buffer layer 210 (or the substrate 110 ), but not contacting the first conductive layer 120, but not limited thereto.

Besides, in the forming method of some embodiments, the first insulating layer 130 may be disposed on the first conductive layer 120 after the patterning process (ie, the etching process) of the first conductive layer 120 is performed, that is In other words, the first insulating layer 130 does not serve as an etching stopper for the first conductive layer 120 during the etching process. For example, in the step of forming the first insulating layer 130 and the patterned first conductive layer 120 on the substrate 110 (ie, step ST1 ), first, a first conductive material layer 120 m is formed on the substrate 110 , and the first conductive material layer 120 m is formed on the substrate 110 . The material layer 120m is a continuous film layer and completely covers the substrate 110. Then, an etching barrier layer (eg, non-conductive photoresist) is formed on the first conductive material layer 120m, and the etching barrier layer is patterned by a developing process. After that, an etching process is performed on the first conductive material layer 120m to pattern the first conductive material layer 120m to form a patterned first conductive layer 120, and the etching barrier layer is removed after the etching process is completed. Then, the first insulating layer 130 and the patterned second conductive layer 140 are sequentially disposed on the substrate 110 and the patterned first conductive layer 120 . In addition, other required film layers, such as insulating layers, protective layers, passivation layers, optical film layers (such as polarizers, low-reflection layers), dielectric layers, and other suitable film or its resistance.

Please refer to FIG. 13 . FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to a third embodiment of the present invention, wherein the first conductive layer 120 , the second conductive layer 140 and the first insulating layer 130 shown in FIG. The pattern and arrangement can be the same as the arrangement of FIG. 3 , the arrangement of FIGS. 4 to 6 , or other suitable arrangement. As shown in FIG. 13 , the difference between this embodiment and the second embodiment is that the touch panel 300 of this embodiment further includes a low reflection layer 310 (or a blackening layer or a matte layer), which is disposed between the first conductive layer 120 and the first conductive layer 120 . between the first insulating layers 130 to reduce the possibility of the first conductive layer 120 reflecting external light. In this embodiment, the low reflection layer 310 may be a patterned film layer, and the pattern of the low reflection layer 310 may be the same as or similar to the first pattern CP1 of the first conductive layer 120 , but not limited thereto.

Regarding the manufacturing method of the touch panel 300 of the present embodiment, the low reflection layer 310 is formed before the first insulating layer 130 is formed, and the first insulating layer 130 is formed after the patterning process of the first conductive layer 120 . For example, firstly, a first conductive material layer 120m is formed on the substrate 110, the first conductive material layer 120m is a continuous film layer and completely covers the substrate 110, and a continuous and complete low-reflection layer is formed on the first conductive material layer 120m 310. Then, an etching barrier layer (eg, non-conductive photoresist) is formed on the low reflection layer 310, and the etching barrier layer is patterned by a developing process. After that, the low-reflection layer 310 and the first conductive material layer 120m are sequentially subjected to an etching process to pattern the low-reflection layer 310 and the first conductive material layer 120m to form the patterned first conductive layer 120. After the etching process is completed, the etch stop layer is removed. Then, the first insulating layer 130 and the patterned second conductive layer 140 are sequentially disposed on the substrate 110 and the patterned first conductive layer 120 . It should be noted that, in the touch panel 300 manufactured by this method, the pattern of the low reflection layer 310 may be the same as or similar to the first pattern CP1 of the first conductive layer 120 , but the manufacturing method is not limited thereto. In another manufacturing method, the first conductive layer 120 and the low reflection layer 310 are patterned by different patterning processes, and the pattern of the low reflection layer 310 may be different from the first pattern CP1 of the first conductive layer 120, but not This is the limit. In another manufacturing method, the low reflection layer 310 may be a continuous and complete film layer, and the low reflection layer 310 may be formed after the patterning process of the first conductive layer 120 , but not limited thereto. In addition, other required film layers, such as insulating layers, protective layers, passivation layers, optical films (such as polarizers), dielectric layers, other suitable film layers or the like, may also be selectively disposed on the touch panel 300 Blocking.

To sum up, according to the touch panel and the manufacturing method thereof of the present invention, compared with the conventional prior art, the present invention can simplify the steps of the patterning process to improve the manufacturing efficiency, and can omit the formation of additional layers and additional Etching process to reduce the use of materials and process equipment to reduce manufacturing costs. In addition, if the second conductive layer includes a conductive photoresist, the damage to the underlying film layer (eg, the first conductive layer) during the patterning process of the second conductive layer can be reduced, so as to improve the reliability of the touch panel.

The above descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and changes. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims (17)

1. A touch panel, comprising:

a substrate;

the first conducting layer is arranged on the substrate;

a first insulating layer disposed on the first conductive layer; and

a second conductive layer disposed on the first insulating layer and the substrate,

wherein the first conductive layer is located between the substrate and the first insulating layer, at least a portion of the first conductive layer is located between the substrate and the second conductive layer, at least a portion of the first insulating layer is located between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, and one of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer comprises a conductive photoresist.

2. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer comprise the conductive photoresist.

3. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the first conductive layer does not include the conductive photoresist and the second conductive layer includes the conductive photoresist.

4. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the first conductive layer and the first insulating layer are patterned films, the first conductive layer has a plurality of first repeating units, the first insulating layer has a plurality of insulating repeating units, and the insulating repeating units are similar to the first repeating units.

5. The touch panel of claim 4, wherein the width of the first repeating unit of the first conductive layer is less than the width of the insulating repeating unit of the first insulating layer.

6. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the first insulating layer comprises a non-conductive photoresist and is used as an etch stop layer for the first conductive layer.

7. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the conductive photoresist comprises conductive particles and a photoresist material.

8. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising a second insulating layer disposed on the second conductive layer.

9. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising a low reflection layer disposed between the first conductive layer and the first insulating layer.

10. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising a buffer layer disposed between the substrate and the first conductive layer.

11. A method for manufacturing a touch panel includes the steps of:

forming a first insulating layer and a patterned first conductive layer on a substrate, wherein the first conductive layer is located between the substrate and the first insulating layer; and

forming a patterned second conductive layer over the first insulating layer and the substrate such that at least a portion of the first insulating layer is between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer,

wherein at least a portion of the first conductive layer is between the substrate and the second conductive layer, and one of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer comprises a conductive photoresist.

12. The method of manufacturing according to claim 11, wherein the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer each include the conductive photoresist, the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are patterned by a developing process, and the first insulating layer is formed after patterning the first conductive layer.

13. The manufacturing method of claim 11, wherein the first conductive layer does not include the conductive photoresist, the first conductive layer is patterned by an etching process, the second conductive layer includes the conductive photoresist, and the second conductive layer is patterned by a developing process.

14. The method of manufacturing of claim 13, wherein forming the first insulating layer and the patterned first conductive layer on the substrate comprises:

forming a first conductive material layer on the substrate;

forming the first insulating layer on the first conductive material layer, wherein the first insulating layer is a non-conductive photoresist layer;

carrying out a developing process on the first insulating layer to pattern the first insulating layer; and

and carrying out the etching process on the first conductive material layer to pattern the first conductive material layer to form the patterned first conductive layer.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein an undercut phenomenon occurs in the etching process such that a width of the repeating unit of the first conductive layer is smaller than a width of the repeating unit of the first insulating layer.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the conductive photoresist comprises conductive particles and a photoresist material.

17. The method of manufacturing of claim 11, comprising:

forming a low reflection layer before forming the first insulating layer,

wherein the low reflection layer is located between the first conductive layer and the first insulating layer.

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