KR101241469B1 - Touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a touch panel may include a substrate on which an effective area and a dummy area are defined; A transparent electrode formed in the effective region of the substrate; And a wire formed in the dummy region of the substrate and electrically connected to the transparent electrode, wherein the transparent electrode and the wire are formed of the same material in the same layer of the substrate.

Description

TOUCH PANEL {TOUCH PANEL}

The present disclosure relates to a touch panel.

Recently, various electronic products have been applied to a touch panel for inputting a method of contacting an input device such as a finger or a stylus to an image displayed on a display device.

The touch panel can be largely divided into a resistance film type touch panel and a capacitive type touch panel. In the resistive touch panel, the glass and the electrode are short-circuited by the pressure of the input device and the position is detected. A capacitance type touch panel senses a change in electrostatic capacitance between electrodes when a finger touches them, thereby detecting the position.

In such a touch panel, wirings for connecting an electrode to an external circuit are located at least left, right, and bottom of the touch panel. The dummy region located in this way may be located on at least three sides of the effective region, thereby reducing the effective region.

In addition, a bezel for covering the dummy area, particularly the left and right areas, may limit the design.

Embodiments provide a touch panel having a simple structure that can reduce defects and manufacturing costs. Another object of the present invention is to provide a touch panel capable of removing the bezel.

According to an embodiment, a touch panel may include a substrate on which an effective area and a dummy area are defined; A transparent electrode formed in the effective region of the substrate; And a wire formed in the dummy region of the substrate and electrically connected to the transparent electrode, wherein the transparent electrode and the wire are formed of the same material in the same layer of the substrate.

The structure of the touch panel can be simplified to improve transmittance, and to reduce thickness and manufacturing cost. In addition, the bezel needed to cover the wiring electrode can be removed. This ensures the size of the screen and ensures a variety of bezel-free designs.

1 is a schematic plan view of a touch panel according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1.
3 is a schematic plan view of a touch panel according to the second and third embodiments.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the touch panel of FIG. 3 in detail.
5 is a cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to a second embodiment.
6 is a cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to a third embodiment.
7 is a cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to a fourth embodiment.
8 is a cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to a fifth embodiment.
9 is a cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to a sixth embodiment.

In the description of embodiments, each layer, region, pattern, or structure may be “on” or “under” the substrate, each layer, region, pad, or pattern. Substrate formed in ”includes all formed directly or through another layer. Criteria for the top / bottom or bottom / bottom of each layer will be described with reference to the drawings.

The thickness or the size of each layer (film), region, pattern or structure in the drawings may be modified for clarity and convenience of explanation, and thus does not entirely reflect the actual size.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, a touch panel according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

1 is a schematic plan view of a touch panel according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1. 1 and 2, the touch panel 100 according to the embodiment includes an effective area AA for detecting a position of an input device and a dummy area DA positioned outside the effective area AA. Is defined.

Here, the transparent electrode 20a may be formed in the effective area AA to detect the input device. In the dummy area DA, a wiring 30a connected to the transparent electrode 30 and a printed circuit board connecting the wiring 30a to an external circuit (not shown) are the same. Etc. may be located.

When an input device such as a finger is in contact with such a touch panel, a difference in capacitance occurs at a portion where the input device contacts, and a portion where the difference is generated can be detected as a contact position.

The touch panel will be described in more detail as follows.

The substrate 10 may be formed of various materials capable of supporting the transparent electrode 20a, the wiring 30a, and the like formed thereon. The substrate 10 may be made of, for example, a glass substrate or a plastic substrate.

Referring to FIG. 2, in the touch panel 100 according to the first embodiment, the transparent electrode 20a is formed in the effective area AA and the dummy area DA of the substrate 10.

The transparent electrode 20a may be formed in various shapes capable of detecting whether an input device such as a finger is touched.

The transparent electrode 20a may include a transparent conductive material so that electricity can flow without disturbing the transmission of light. To this end, the transparent electrode 30 may include various materials such as indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, copper oxide, and carbon nanotube (CNT). Can be.

A wiring 30a for electrically connecting the transparent electrode 20a is formed in the dummy area DA of the substrate 10. The wiring 30a may include copper, silver, and gold.

Since the transparent electrode 20a is formed also in the dummy area DA, the defect by the disconnection between the wiring 30a and the transparent electrode 20a can be prevented. That is, the electrical connection between the wiring 30a and the transparent electrode 20a may be maintained by the transparent electrode 20a formed in the dummy area DA.

Next, the scattering prevention film 40 can be formed covering the transparent electrode 20a and the wiring 30a.

The anti-scattering film 40 is to prevent the debris from scattering when the touch panel is broken by an impact, and may be formed of various materials and structures.

Although not shown, an insulating layer (not shown) may be formed in place of the scattering prevention film 40. The insulating layer may serve as a protective film to prevent damage to the transparent electrode 20a and the wiring 30a.

The outer dummy layer 40a may be further included in an outer portion of the scattering prevention film 40. The outer dummy layer 40a may be formed by printing on the scattering prevention film 40.

Although not shown in the drawing, instead of the shatterproof film 40, an insulating layer may be formed to print the outer dummy layer 40a on the insulating layer.

Hereinafter, the second embodiment and the third embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

3 is a schematic plan view of a touch panel according to the second and third embodiments, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the touch panel specifically showing FIG. 3. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the touch panel according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the touch panel according to the third embodiment.

First, referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, the transparent electrode 20b and the wiring 30b are formed of the same material in the same layer of the substrate 10. That is, after the transparent electrode material is formed over the effective area AA and the dummy area DA of the substrate 10, the transparent electrode material formed on the effective area AA is etched by the transparent electrode 20b pattern, and the dummy The transparent electrode material formed in the area DA may be etched in the wiring 30b pattern.

This is the same as that in which the wiring pattern is formed on the outer side of the substrate in the gate in panel (GIP) type touch panel, but in this embodiment, a separate process for covering the wiring 30b may be omitted. That is, in order to mask the wiring pattern formed on the outer side of the substrate in the conventional gate-in panel type touch panel, an outer dummy layer using black pigment or the like is formed on the outer side of the substrate. However, in the present embodiment, since the wiring pattern is formed on the outer side of the substrate, and the wiring 30b includes the same material as the transparent electrode 20b, the wiring pattern is not visible and thus the outer dummy layer can be omitted. have.

Therefore, both the transparent electrode 20b and the wiring 30b are indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, carbon nano tube (CNT), conductive polymer, and silver nanowire (Ag). nanowire) may include any one material.

As a result, process steps for forming the transparent electrode 20b and the wiring 30b can be reduced, and the wiring 30b is formed of a transparent conductive material, so that an outer dummy layer for covering the wiring can be omitted, thereby increasing the variety of designs. It can be secured.

Referring to FIG. 6, the touch panel 300 according to the third embodiment further includes a scattering prevention film 40 in the structure of the touch panel 200 according to the second embodiment. Although not shown, an insulating layer may be further included instead of the scattering prevention film 40.

Hereinafter, the touch panel 400 according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to a fourth embodiment.

In the touch panel 400 according to the fourth embodiment, the outer dummy layer 40a may be further included in the outer portion of the scattering prevention film 40. If the outer dummy layer 40a is necessary for the appearance of the design, it may be formed by printing on the scattering prevention film 40.

Hereinafter, the touch panel 500 according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to a fifth embodiment.

In the touch panel 500 according to the fifth embodiment, an outer dummy layer 40a may be formed on the wiring 30b as necessary. The outer dummy layer 40a may have a color suitable for a desired appearance, and thus various designs may be implemented in the touch panel.

In addition, unlike the structure of the existing touch panel, since the outer dummy layer 40a is formed on the wiring 30b, the outer dummy layer 40a may also serve as electrical insulation. That is, in the related art, since the outer dummy layer is first placed on the substrate and has a laminated structure in which transparent electrodes and wirings are sequentially positioned, the outer dummy layer could only serve to cover the wiring. However, in the present embodiment, since the transparent electrode 20b and the wiring 30b are positioned on the same layer on the substrate 10, the outer dummy layer 40a can be formed on the wiring 30b.

Hereinafter, the touch panel 600 according to the sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to a sixth embodiment.

In the touch panel according to the sixth embodiment, the scattering prevention film 40 may be formed while covering the wiring 30b on which the transparent electrode 20a and the outer dummy layer 40a are formed.

A schematic plan view of a touch panel according to the fourth, fifth and sixth embodiments described above is shown in FIG. 1. That is, the outer dummy layer 40a may be formed in the dummy area DA to represent color.

The features, structures, effects and the like described in the foregoing embodiments are included in at least one embodiment of the present invention and are not necessarily limited to one embodiment. In addition, the features, structures, effects, and the like illustrated in the embodiments may be combined or modified with respect to other embodiments by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments belong. Therefore, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to these combinations and modifications.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It can be seen that various modifications and applications are possible. For example, each component specifically shown in the embodiments may be modified. It is to be understood that the present invention may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

10: substrate
20a, 20b: transparent electrode
30a, 30b: wiring
40: shatterproof film
40a: Outer dummy layer

Claims (6)

A substrate in which an effective region and a dummy region are defined;
A transparent electrode formed in the effective region of the substrate; And
A wire formed in the dummy region of the substrate and electrically connected to the transparent electrode;
The transparent electrode and the wiring are formed of the same material in the same layer of the substrate,
And the wiring is in direct contact with the substrate and connected to an external circuit. The method of claim 1,
And an outer dummy layer in the dummy region of the substrate. The method of claim 2,
The outer dummy layer is formed on the wiring. The method of claim 1,
At least one of an insulating layer and a scattering prevention film is formed while covering the transparent electrode and the wiring. 5. The method of claim 4,
The touch panel including an outer dummy layer on an outer portion of at least one of the insulating layer and the scattering prevention film. The method of claim 1,
The transparent electrode and the wiring are made of indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, carbon nano tube (CNT), conductive polymer and silver nano wire. Touch panel comprising at least one material selected from.

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