Patent Application
20130277100
This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0040986, filed on Apr. 19, 2012, entitled “Touch Panel and Method of Manufacturing The same”, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety into this application.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a touch panel and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the development of computers using digital technology, computer assisted devices have been developed, and personal computers, portable transmission devices, information processing devices exclusive for individual, and the like perform a text and graphic process using a variety of input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, and the like.
However, since the use of the computer has been gradually widened with rapid progress of the information society, there are difficulties in effectively driving products only using the keyboard and the mouse currently acting as an input device. Accordingly, there is a demand for an input device which has simple operation and less erroneous operation and allows information input to be easily performed by anyone.
In addition, in input device-related technologies, concerns have been changed toward high reliability, durability, innovativeness, design and processing-related technology, and the like in addition to satisfying general functions. Here, to achieve these purposes, as an input device in which information such as text, graphics, and the like can be input, a touch screen has been developed.
The touch panel is mounted on a display surface of an image display apparatus including a flat panel display device such as an LCD (liquid crystal display) a PDP (plasma display panel), an EL (electroluminescence), or the like, and a CRT (cathode ray tube), and is used to allow a user to select his desired information while viewing the image display apparatus.
Types of touch panels are classified into a resistive type, a capacitive type, an electro-magnetic type, a SAW (surface acoustic wave) type, and an infrared type. The touch panels having these various types are applied to electronic products based on problems of signal amplification, resolution difference, the difficulty of design and processing technology, optical characteristics, electrical characteristics, mechanical characteristics, environment resistance characteristics, durability, input characteristics, and affordability, and a resistive touch panel and a capacitive touch panel are currently and widely used.
These touch panels typically form an electrode layer using ITO (indium tin oxide). However, ITO has excellent electrical conductivity, but indium that is a raw material is very expensive as a rare-earth metal. In addition, since indium is expected to be depleted within the next 10 years, supply/demand thereof will not be smoothly achieved.
For these reasons, as disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2010-0091497, research for forming an electrode layer using metals have been actively conducted. The electrode layer made of metal has excellent electrical conductivity compared to ITO, and has advantages that supply/demand of metals is smoothly achieved. However, the above-described conventional touch panel has a problem such that visibility of the touch panel is deteriorated due to glare occurring on the electrode layer when light is irradiated from the outside. In addition, the conventional touch panel is structurally weak because an electrode pattern is formed to be protrusively formed on a transparent substrate.
The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a touch panel and a method of manufacturing the same which may improve visibility of the touch panel by preventing glare from occurring on an electrode layer made of metals when light is irradiated from the outside.
In addition, the present invention has been made in an effort to provide a touch panel and a method of manufacturing the same which may improve durability by preventing an electrode pattern from being protrusively formed due to a structure of the touch panel.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a touch panel, including: a transparent substrate; an insulating layer that is formed on the transparent substrate and has an intaglio portion formed thereon; an electrode layer that is embedded in the intaglio portion; and a light absorbing layer that is formed in an inner wall of the intaglio portion to be interposed between the inner wall of the intaglio portion and the electrode layer.
Here, the touch panel may further include a seed layer that is formed between the light absorbing layer and the electrode layer.
In addition, the touch panel may further include a protective layer that is formed on the insulating layer.
In this instance, the protective layer may be made of transparent resin.
In addition, the insulating layer may be made of thermosetting resin or photocurable resin.
In addition, the electrode layer may be made of a metal consisting of one of copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), gold (Au), silver (Ag), titanium (Ti), palladium (Pd), and chromium (Cr), or a combination thereof.
In addition, the light absorbing layer may include an ink layer, and more particularly, may be made of black ink.
In addition, the light absorbing layer may be formed of a metal oxide layer, and more particularly, the metal oxide layer may be made of one of copper oxide (CuO or Cu2O), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), silver oxide (AgO or Ag2O), titanium oxide (TiO2), palladium oxide (PdO), and chromium oxide (CrO, CrO3, or Cr2O3), or a combination thereof.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a touch panel, including: forming an insulating layer on a transparent substrate; forming an intaglio portion on the insulating layer; forming a light absorbing layer in an inner wall of the intaglio portion; and forming an electrode layer in the intaglio portion.
Here, the forming of the intaglio portion may pattern the insulating layer using a stamp to form the intaglio portion.
In addition, the forming of the light absorbing layer may immerse, in ink, the transparent substrate on which the insulating layer is formed, dry the immersed transparent substrate, and remove the ink formed on the insulating layer excluding the intaglio portion to thereby form the light absorbing layer.
In this instance, the ink may be black ink.
In addition, the forming of the light absorbing layer may form a metal oxide layer on the insulating layer, and remove the metal oxide layer formed on the insulating layer excluding the intaglio portion to thereby form the light absorbing layer.
In this instance, the metal oxide layer may be made of one of copper oxide (CuO or Cu2O), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), silver oxide (AgO or Ag2O), titanium oxide (TiO2), palladium oxide (PdO), and chromium oxide (CrO, CrO3, or Cr2O3), or a combination thereof.
In addition, the forming of the electrode layer may form a seed layer on the insulating layer, form the electrode layer on the seed layer, and remove the seed layer and the electrode layer formed on the insulating layer excluding the intaglio portion.
In this instance, the electrode layer may be made of a metal consisting of one of copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), gold (Au), silver (Ag), titanium (Ti), palladium (Pd), and chromium (Cr), or a combination thereof.
In addition, the method may further include forming a protective layer on the insulating layer, after the forming of the electrode layer.
In addition, the protective layer may be made of transparent resin.
In addition, the insulating layer may be made of thermosetting resin or photocurable resin.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant descriptions thereof are omitted. Further, in the following description, the terms “first”, “second”, “one side”, “the other side” and the like are used to differentiate a certain component from other components, but the configuration of such components should not be construed to be limited by the terms. Further, in the description of the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the related art would obscure the gist of the present invention, the description thereof will be omitted.
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.
As shown in
The transparent substrate 100 is required to have transparency so that a user can recognize an image provided in an image display device. Based on the transparency, the transparent substrate 100 may be preferably made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC), polymethly methacrylate (PMMA), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyethersulfone (PES), a cyclic olefin polymer (COC), a triacetylcellulose (TAC) film, a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film, a polyimide (PI) film, polystyrene (PS), biaxially oriented polystyrene (K resin-containing biaxially oriented PS; BOPS), a glass, a tempered glass, etc., but is not necessarily limited thereto.
The insulating layer 200 is laminated on the transparent substrate 100. The insulating layer 200 includes the intaglio portion 210 that is recessed in the insulating layer 200 by a transcription method and the like, which will be described below. The insulating layer 200 may be made of thermosetting resin or photocurable resin (a dry film or a liquid photosensitive material).
The light absorbing layer 300 is formed in an inner wall of the intaglio portion 210 to be interposed between the inner wall of the intaglio portion 210 and the electrode layer 500 which will be described below. The light absorbing layer 300 is to prevent light reflection (glare) from occurring on the electrode layer 500 which will be described below, and made of a variety of materials which enable light absorption. As an example, the light absorbing layer 300 may be made of a material with a dark color which enables light absorption. For example, the light absorbing layer 300 may be made of ink with a dark color. More specifically, the light absorbing layer 300 may be made of black ink. Here, “ink” includes materials which have liquidity and are cured or fixed over time or in accordance with the subsequent process, for example, metals, organic materials, inorganic materials, or the like in addition to typical ink including polymer materials used in notation of characters, and the like. The ink is not limited to the black ink. Obviously, the light absorbing layer 300 may be made of a variety of ink with dark colors in which a light absorption function can be performed.
Meanwhile, the light absorbing layer 300 may be formed of a metal oxide layer. The light absorbing layer 300 may be made of a variety of metal oxides in which glare does not occur due to the dark color of the light absorbing layer 300 or characteristics of a surface of the light absorbing layer 300. For example, the light absorbing layer 300 may be made of one of the metal oxides such as copper oxide (CuO or Cu2O), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), silver oxide (AgO or Ag2O), titanium oxide (TiO2), palladium oxide (PdO), and chromium oxide (CrO, CrO3, or Cr2O3), or a combination thereof. However, examples of the metal oxides forming the light absorbing layer 300 are not necessarily limited to the above-described metal oxides. Obviously, the light absorbing layer 300 may be made of a variety of metal oxides which have dark colors or prevents glare from occurring when light is irradiated.
The electrode layer 500 is embedded in the intaglio portion 210. In this instance, the electrode layer 500 may be directly formed on the light absorbing layer 300, or as shown in
As described above, the electrode layer 500 is embedded in the intaglio portion 210, and thereby may be supported by an inner wall of the intaglio portion 210. Accordingly, the touch panel 1 according to the present embodiment has improved durability compared to the conventional touch panel in which the electrode layer is protrusively formed on the transparent substrate. In addition, a portion of the electrode layer 500 which is exposed through the transparent substrate 100 may be surrounded by the light absorbing layer 300 in a state in which the seed layer 400 is interposed. Accordingly, even though light is irradiated toward the electrode layer 500 through the transparent substrate 100, the light is absorbed in the light absorbing layer 300, so that the electrode layer 500 does not generate light reflection, thereby improving visibility of the touch panel 1.
Meanwhile, the electrode layer 500 may be made of a metal consisting of one of copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), gold (Au), silver (Ag), titanium (Ti), palladium (Pd), and chromium (Cr), or a combination thereof. However, the electrode layer 500 is not limited to these kinds of metals. As long as metals have high electrical conductivity and are easily processed, the electrode layer 500 may be made of the metals. In addition, since the electrode layer 500 is made of metals, the electrode layer 500 may be formed in a mesh pattern so as not to permit light transmittance of the touch panel to be a problem due to characteristics of opaque metals.
The touch panel 1 according to the present embodiment may further include a protective layer 600. The protective layer 600 prevents separation of the electrode layer 500 from the intaglio portion 210, and is formed on the insulating layer 200 to cover the intaglio portion 210. The protective layer 600 is formed on the insulating layer 200, and therefore the intaglio portion 210 is covered by the protective layer 600. As a result, the protective layer 600 and the inner wall of the intaglio portion 210 surrounds around the electrode layer 500 so that the electrode layer 500 is supported by the protective layer 600 and the inner wall of the intaglio portion 210. The electrode layer 500 is not separated from the intaglio portion 210 by the protective layer 600. As a result, durability of the touch panel 1 may be further improved.
The protective layer 600 may be transparent resin, and as a specific example of the protective layer 600, a hard coating layer, an optical clear adhesive (OCA) layer, or an anti-reflection (AR) coating layer may be given. Here, the hard coating layer may be made of one of acrylic, epoxy, and urethane, or a combination thereof.
Meanwhile, as shown in
The method of manufacturing the touch panel according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes step (A) of forming the insulating layer 200 on the transparent substrate 100, step (B) of forming the intaglio portion 210 on the insulating layer 200, step (C) of forming the light absorbing layer 300 in the inner wall of the intaglio portion 210, and step (D) of forming the electrode layer 500 in the intaglio portion 210.
As shown in
The transparent substrate 100 is required to have transparency so that a user can recognize an image provided in an image display device. Based on the transparency, the transparent substrate 100 may be preferably made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC), polymethly methacrylate (PMMA), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyethersulfone (PES), a cyclic olefin polymer (COC), a triacetylcellulose (TAC) film, a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film, a polyimide (PI) film, polystyrene (PS), biaxially oriented polystyrene (K resin-containing biaxially oriented PS; BOPS), a glass, a tempered glass, etc., but is not necessarily limited thereto.
The insulating layer 200 may be made of thermosetting resin or photocurable resin (a dry film or a liquid photosensitive material) so that the insulating layer 200 is subjected to a patterning process which will be described below and then cured by heat or light (UV). A specific patterning process and curing process of the insulating layer 200 will be described below.
In step (B), the intaglio portion 210 is formed on the insulating layer 200.
In step (B), as shown in
The insulating layer 200 is patterned by the stamps 51 and 52, and then cured. A method of curing the insulating layer 200 differs depending on a material of the insulating layer 200. When the insulating layer 200 is made of thermosetting resin, the insulating layer 200 is cured by heat, and when made of photocurable resin, the insulating layer 200 is cured by light (UV).
In step (C), the light absorbing layer 300 is formed in the intaglio portion 210.
The light absorbing layer 300 is to prevent light reflection (glare) of the electrode layer 500 from occurring, and may be made of a variety of materials which enable light absorption. As an example, the light absorbing layer 300 may be made of an ink material with a dark color which enables light absorption. For example, the light absorbing layer 300 may be made of ink, and as a more specific example, the light absorbing layer 300 may be made of black ink. A specific example of a process in which the light absorbing layer 300 is made of ink is as follows.
When the transparent substrate 100 having been subjected to step (B), that is, the transparent substrate 100 having the insulating layer 200 in which the intaglio portion 210 is patterned is immersed in the ink and then dried, the ink is formed, as a coating film, on a surface of the insulating layer 200 including the inner wall of the intaglio portion 210 as shown in
Meanwhile, the light absorbing layer 300 may be formed of a metal oxide layer. The light absorbing layer 300 may be made of a variety of metal oxides with dark colors, or metal oxides which do not cause glare due to characteristics of a surface of the metal oxide. For example, the light absorbing layer 300 may be made of one of copper oxide (CuO or Cu2O), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), silver oxide (AgO or Ag2O), titanium oxide (TiO2), palladium oxide (PdO), and chromium oxide (CrO, CrO3, or Cr2O3), or a combination thereof. However, the metal oxides forming the light absorbing layer 300 are not limited to the above-described examples. Obviously, the light absorbing layer 300 may be made of various other metal oxides which have dark colors or prevent glare from occurring when light is irradiated.
A process in which the light absorbing layer 300 is formed of the metal oxide layer is performed in the similar manner as the process in which the light absorbing layer 300 is made of the ink. Specifically, first, the metal oxide layer is formed on the insulating layer 200 by a vapor deposition method or the like. Next, the metal oxide layer formed on the remaining portion of the insulating layer 200 except the intaglio portion 210 is removed by etching, or the like, so that the light absorbing layer 300 including the metal oxide layer may be formed in the inner wall of the intaglio portion 210.
In step (D), the electrode layer 500 is formed in the inner wall of the intaglio portion 210.
The electrode layer 500 may be formed through a vapor deposition process using sputtering, e-beam evaporation, or the like. However, the electrode layer 500 is not necessarily formed by the vapor deposition process, and may be formed by a plating process, inkjet printing, or the like. When the electrode layer 500 is formed by the plating process, the seed layer 400 may be formed on the light absorbing layer 300. Specifically, the seed layer 400 may be formed on the insulating layer 200 including an exposed surface of the light absorbing layer 300 through electroless plating as shown in
Meanwhile, the electrode layer 500 may be made of a metal consisting of one of copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), gold (Au), silver (Ag), titanium (Ti), palladium (Pd), and chromium (Cr), or a combination thereof, and may be formed the above-described process. However, the electrode layer 500 is not limited to these kinds of metals. As long as metals have high electrical conductivity and are easily processed, the electrode layer 500 may be made of the metals. In addition, since the electrode layer 500 is made of metals, the electrode layer 500 may be formed in a mesh pattern so as not to permit light transmittance of the touch panel 1, which is a problem due to the characteristics of opaque metals.
Meanwhile, in a case in which a process of removing the black ink formed on the remaining portion of the insulating layer 200 except the intaglio portion 210 is performed after the above-described process of forming the electrode layer 500, the black ink formed on the remaining portion of the insulating layer 200 except the intaglio portion 210 is exposed to the outside as shown in
Meanwhile, the method of manufacturing the touch panel may further include step (E) of forming a protective layer 600 on the insulating layer 200 after step (D).
Step (E) is performed in order to prevent separation of the electrode layer 500 toward an open side (upward in
The protective layer 600 may be made of transparent resin, and as specific examples of the protective layer 600, a hard coating layer, an optical clear adhesive (OCA) layer, or an anti-reflection (AR) coating layer may be given. Here, the hard coating layer may be made of one of acrylic, epoxy, and urethane, or a combination thereof.
As described above, according to the embodiments, the electrode layer is embedded in the intaglio portion of the insulating layer to be supported by the inner wall of the intaglio portion, and when the protective layer is further formed, the separation of the electrode layer from the insulating layer may be prevented, thereby improving durability of the touch panel.
In addition, an exposure portion of the electrode layer which is exposed through the transparent substrate may be surrounded by the light absorbing layer, and therefore glare on the electrode layer may be prevented even though light is irradiated toward the electrode layer, thereby improving visibility of the touch panel.
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, it will be appreciated that the present invention is not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
Accordingly, any and all modifications, variations, or equivalent arrangements should be considered to be within the scope of the invention, and the detailed scope of the invention will be disclosed by the accompanying claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1020120040986 | Apr 2012 | KR | national |
