JP2015052985A - Method for manufacturing touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify manufacturing of a touch panel by making an exposure process and a developing process unnecessary and to reduce a cost of equipment by making an exposure apparatus and a developing apparatus unnecessary.SOLUTION: A method for manufacturing a touch panel including a metal film, an insulating film and a transparent electrode film is provided. A patterning process of the metal film and the insulating film includes: steps S4, S5, S10, S11 of printing a photoresist pattern by using a printing mask; and steps S6, S12 of forming the pattern of the photoresist in a mask by wet etching. A process of forming the transparent electrode film includes a step of forming a patterned transparent electrode film by sputtering using a sputtering mask having an opening pattern corresponding to the pattern to be formed. As a photo process can be eliminated in the method, a cost for equipment and a running cost can be decreased.

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a touch panel, and more particularly, an exposure process by forming a photoresist pattern by printing using a printing mask and forming a patterned film using a sputtering mask. Further, the present invention relates to a pattern forming method and a touch panel manufacturing method that simplify the manufacturing by eliminating the development process and reduce the cost of the equipment by eliminating the exposure apparatus and the developing apparatus.

  A conventional capacitive touch panel is composed of a metal film, an insulating film, a transparent electrode film, etc., and detects the capacitance of the fingertip to detect where in the panel is touched by X and Y coordinates. . In the patterning of the metal film, the insulating film and the transparent electrode film, after forming each film, a photoresist is applied on the film, and exposure and development are performed to form a photoresist pattern, and this photoresist is masked. Then, each film is etched (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-197754 A

  However, the conventional method for manufacturing a touch panel requires a photoresist coating process, an exposure process, a development process, an etching process, and a photoresist peeling process on a film to be patterned. For this reason, it is necessary to repeat a complicated and many photo process for each of the metal film, the insulating film, and the transparent electrode film. Since the photo line uses an exposure apparatus and a developing apparatus, capital investment and running cost are also increased. There was a problem of growing.

  Accordingly, the problem to be solved by the present invention that addresses such problems is that a photoresist pattern is formed by printing using a printing mask, and a patterned film is formed using a sputtering mask. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a touch panel that eliminates the exposure process and the development process, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process, and eliminates the exposure apparatus and the development apparatus, thereby reducing the cost of the equipment.

  In order to solve the above problems, a touch panel manufacturing method according to the present invention is a touch panel manufacturing method including a metal film, an insulating film, and a transparent electrode film, and the patterning of the metal film and the insulating film is a printing mask. And forming a pattern of the photoresist by using the photoresist pattern and performing a wet etching process using the photoresist pattern as a mask. The formation of the transparent electrode film corresponds to the pattern to be formed. The method includes a step of sputtering a patterned transparent electrode film using a sputtering mask having an opening pattern.

  Further, the printing mask is formed on the printing surface side, and has a printing groove pattern corresponding to the pattern to be printed, and a mask base having a through hole having an inner diameter smaller than the bottom width of the printing groove pattern. And a holding member having an opening pattern that is laminated on the mask base material, communicates with the print groove pattern through the through holes of the mask base material, and is filled with a photoresist as a transfer material, The printing groove pattern may be connected in a peripheral region other than the through hole.

  Furthermore, the sputtering mask may include a mask sheet having the opening pattern, and a frame body that surrounds the mask sheet and on which the mask sheet is stretched.

  Furthermore, the mask sheet is laminated on one surface of a resin mask sheet in which the opening pattern is formed in a resin film, a metal film in which a plurality of slit-shaped through holes are arranged in parallel, and the through hole Any of a composite mask sheet having a resin film having at least one opening pattern formed therein and a metal mask sheet having the opening pattern formed in a metal film may be included.

  According to the touch panel manufacturing method of the present invention, the metal film and the insulating film are patterned by printing a photoresist pattern using a printing mask, and the transparent electrode film is formed using a sputtering mask. A patterned transparent electrode film is formed by sputtering. Accordingly, the manufacturing process can be simplified by eliminating the exposure process and the development process, and the cost of the equipment can be reduced by eliminating the exposure apparatus and the development apparatus.

It is process drawing which shows embodiment of the manufacturing method of the touchscreen by this invention. The 1st process in the manufacturing method of the touchscreen by this invention is shown, (a) is a top view of the glass substrate in which the MAM film | membrane was formed, (b) is an expanded cross section along the XX 'line of (a). FIG. The 2nd process in the manufacturing method of the touchscreen by this invention is shown, (a) is a top view of the mask for printing, (b) is an expanded sectional view along the X-X 'line of (a). The 3rd process in the manufacturing method of the touchscreen by this invention is shown, (a) is a top view of the mask for printing during application | coating of a photoresist, (b) followed the XX 'line | wire of (a). It is an expanded sectional view. The 4th process in the manufacturing method of the touchscreen by this invention is shown, (a) is a top view of a resist pattern, (b) is an expanded sectional view along the X-X 'line of (a). It is a perspective view of the mask for printing used at the 2nd, 3rd process. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a part of the printing mask shown in FIG. 6, (a) is a plan view of the composite mask, and (b) is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line Y1-Y1 ′ of (a). (C) is an expanded sectional view which followed the Y2-Y2 'line of (a). FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 7B when the printing mask shown in FIG. 6 is mounted on a printing apparatus and a photoresist is applied. It is a top view which shows the other structural example of the opening pattern in the magnetic metal member used with the printing mask shown in FIG. The 5th process in the manufacturing method of the touchscreen by this invention is shown, (a) is a top view of a resist pattern, (b) is an expanded sectional view along the X-X 'line of (a). The 6th process in the manufacturing method of the touch panel by this invention is shown, (a) is a top view of a wiring pattern, (b) is an expanded sectional view along the X-X 'line of (a). The 7th process in the manufacturing method of the touch panel by this invention is shown, (a) is the top view which formed the insulating film on the wiring pattern, (b) is the expansion along the XX 'line of (a). It is sectional drawing. The 8th process in the manufacturing method of the touchscreen by this invention is shown, (a) is a top view of the mask for printing during application | coating of a photoresist, (b) followed the XX 'line | wire of (a). It is an expanded sectional view. The 9th process in the manufacturing method of the touchscreen by this invention is shown, (a) is a top view of a resist pattern, (b) is an expanded sectional view along the X-X 'line of (a). The 10th process in the manufacturing method of the touch panel by this invention is shown, (a) is a top view of a resist pattern, (b) is an expanded sectional view along the X-X 'line of (a). The eleventh process in the manufacturing method of the touch panel by this invention is shown, (a) is a top view of a wiring pattern and an insulating film pattern, (b) is expanded sectional drawing along the XX 'line of (a). It is. The twelfth process in the manufacturing method of the touch panel by this invention is shown, (a) is a top view of a sputtering mask, (b) is an expanded sectional view along the X-X 'line of (a). The 13th process in the manufacturing method of the touchscreen by this invention is shown, (a) is a top view of a Y-ITO film | membrane, (b) is an expanded sectional view along the XX 'line of (a). . The 14th process in the manufacturing method of the touchscreen by this invention is shown, (a) is a top view of a sputtering mask, (b) is an expanded sectional view along the X-X 'line of (a). The fifteenth process in the manufacturing method of the touch panel by this invention is shown, (a) is a top view of a X-ITO film | membrane, (b) is an expanded sectional view along the XX 'line of (a). .

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a touch panel manufacturing method according to the present invention. This touch panel manufacturing method includes a metal film (metal) pattern formation step (steps S1 to S7), an insulating film pattern formation step (steps S8 to S13), an ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) film (Y direction). ) Pattern forming step (steps S14 and S15) and ITO film (X direction) pattern forming step (steps S16 and S17).

  In the metal film and insulating film pattern formation processes, a photoresist pattern is formed by printing using a printing mask, and the metal film and the insulating film are wet-etched using the photoresist pattern as a mask to form the pattern. To do. Further, the pattern formation process of the ITO film (Y direction) and the ITO film (X direction) is patterned by performing sputtering film formation using a sputtering mask having an opening pattern corresponding to the pattern to be formed. An ITO film is formed.

Next, each manufacturing process described above will be described in detail.
[Metal film pattern formation process]
First, the surface of a transparent substrate, such as a glass substrate, is cleaned and put into a sputtering apparatus (step S1). Subsequently, a metal film such as MAM (Mo / Al / Mo) is formed on the glass substrate 10 by sputtering to form the MAM film 11 on the entire surface of the glass substrate 10 as shown in FIG. 2 (step S2). ).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the printing mask 12 is positioned and installed on the MAM film 11 (step S3). A pattern corresponding to the wiring pattern to be printed is formed on the printing mask 12. In this state, as shown in FIG. 4, a photoresist 14 is applied on the printing mask 12 with a squeegee 13 and printing is performed (step S4). When the printing mask 12 is peeled off, as shown in FIG. 5, a resist pattern (corresponding to the wiring pattern) 14a is formed directly on the MAM film 11 (without exposure and development) (step S5).

  The printing mask 12 is configured, for example, as shown in FIGS. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the printing mask 12 includes a composite mask 1 and a metal frame (plate making frame) 2. The composite mask 1 is stretched inside a rectangular metal frame 2 and is held in a tensioned state.

  The composite mask 1 has a composite structure in which a resin film 4 such as polyimide as a mask base material and a holding member 3 are laminated as shown in FIG. 7 in an enlarged view of a region 100 surrounded by a one-dot chain line in FIG. ing. On the printing surface (lower surface) side of the resin film 4, a printing groove pattern 4a corresponding to the pattern to be printed is formed. Moreover, the through-hole 4b is formed in the bottom face of the printing groove pattern 4a. The thickness of the resin film 4 is, for example, about 12 μm to 24 μm. In this example, a plurality of linear printing groove patterns 4a are arranged adjacent to each other.

  On the upper surface side of the printing surface of the resin film 4, there is provided a holding member 3 having a slit-like opening pattern 3a arranged at a constant pitch in the lateral direction and made of a magnetic metal material in the form of a sheet. The holding member 3 is for holding and fixing the composite mask 1 with magnetic force during printing, and has a thickness that can be held with magnetic force, for example, about 30 μm. The opening pattern 3a of the holding member 3 communicates with the printing groove pattern 4a through the through hole 4b. The inner diameter of the through hole 4b is smaller than the bottom width of the printing groove pattern 4a and the inner diameter of the opening pattern 3a, and the opening pattern 3a and the printing groove pattern 4a communicate with each other through one or more through holes 4b. ing.

  In the area different from FIG. 7B, the composite mask 1 is a peripheral area (area between adjacent through holes 4b) other than the through holes 4b on the bottom surface of the printing groove pattern 4a, as shown in FIG. Connected at 4c. That is, the through-hole 4b in the mask base 4 allows the opening pattern 3a and the printing groove pattern 4a to communicate with each other, and the ink applied to the holding member 3 is transferred from the opening pattern 3a to the printing groove pattern 4a through the through-hole 4b. Functions to fill. Further, since the peripheral region 4c other than the through hole 4b is connected, it functions to suppress the deviation and deformation of the adjacent print groove pattern 4a.

  When the metal frame 2 is mounted on a photoresist printing apparatus, a magnet 6 (see FIG. 8) is disposed on the lower surface (opposite to the printing surface) of the glass substrate 10, and the holding member 3 is attracted by a magnetic force to be combined. The mask 1 is fixed. In this state, as shown in FIG. 4, the photoresist 14 is supplied onto the surface of the printing mask 12 (the surface of the holding member 3), and the composite mask 1 is pressed against the printing surface by the pressure of the squeegee 13. Photoresist 14 is applied by moving 13 in the direction of the arrow. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the photoresist 14 applied to the surface of the holding member 3 is filled into the printing groove pattern 4a from the opening pattern 3a through the through holes 4b of the resin film 4. Subsequently, the photoresist 14 is extruded onto the MAM film 11 and deposited and transferred. When the printing mask 12 is peeled off, the composite mask 1 is peeled off from the glass substrate 10 without being deformed, and the photoresist 14 in the printing groove pattern 4a is transferred onto the MAM film 11 as shown in FIG. A resist pattern 14a is formed.

In addition, the opening pattern 3a of the holding member 3 is not limited to the slit shape, but may be an arrangement in which rectangular opening patterns 3b are arranged in a matrix form vertically and horizontally as shown in FIG. In such an opening pattern 3b, the frame-like portions 3c and 3d of the holding member 3 between the adjacent opening patterns 3b can be reinforced in a vertically and horizontally connected state, and therefore, compared with the slit-like opening pattern 3a shown in FIG. Thus, the deviation of the opening pattern 3 b can be reduced when the photoresist 14 is applied by the squeegee 13.
Moreover, although the through-hole 4b showed the circular example, if the photoresist 14 can be filled in the printing groove pattern 4a and the adjacent printing groove pattern 4a can be connected in the peripheral region 4c, it is not limited to a circle. Absent.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 10, the MAM film 11 is etched and patterned using the resist pattern 14a as a mask (step S6). Then, the resist pattern 14a is peeled off (step S7), and a wiring pattern 11a of the MAM film is formed as shown in FIG.
Thereafter, cleaning is performed, and the formed wiring pattern 11a is inspected.

[Insulating film pattern formation process]
Next, as shown in FIG. 12, an insulating film 15, for example, an organic insulating film such as SOG (Spin on Glass) is applied and formed on the entire surface (step S8). Then, as shown in FIG. 13, a photoresist printing mask 16 is positioned and installed on the insulating film 15 (step S9). In the printing mask 16, square opening patterns 16a are arranged in a matrix. The printing mask 16 shown in FIGS. 6 to 9 can be used as the printing mask 16. In addition, since the opening patterns 16a are relatively simple, a general screen printing mask can be used. Thereafter, the photoresist 17 is applied on the printing mask 16 with the squeegee 13 and printed (step S10). When the printing mask 16 is removed, a resist pattern 17a is formed on the insulating film 15 as shown in FIG. 14 (step S11).

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 15, the insulating film 15 is wet etched using the resist pattern 17a as a mask (step S12). When the resist pattern 17a is peeled off (step S13), the insulating film pattern 15a remains so as to cover a part of the wiring pattern 11a as shown in FIG.
Thereafter, cleaning is performed, and the formed insulating film pattern 15a is inspected.

[Pattern forming process of ITO film (Y)]
Next, as shown in FIG. 17, as described above, the sputtering in which the opening pattern 18a is formed on the glass substrate 10 on which the wiring pattern 11a and the insulating film pattern 15a covering a part of the wiring pattern 11a are formed. The mask 18 is positioned and installed, and the ITO film 19 is sputtered around the insulating film 15a in the opening pattern 18a (step S14). Since the ITO film 19 is patterned and formed in the opening pattern 18a, as shown in FIG. 18, it is electrically connected by the wiring pattern 11a, is continuous in the vertical direction, and specifies the position in the Y direction. A Y-ITO film 19a is formed (step S15).
Thereafter, cleaning is performed, and the formed Y-ITO film 19a is inspected.

  Here, the sputtering mask 18 is formed by, for example, a resin mask sheet in which an opening pattern 18a is formed on a resin film 18b of polyimide or the like stretched inside a rectangular metal frame 18c, and the resin film 18b has a tension. It is held in a hung state. Alternatively, a composite mask in which a resin film is laminated on one surface of a metal film (magnetic metal member) in which a plurality of slit-shaped through holes are arranged in parallel, and at least one opening pattern is formed in the through hole of the metal film. The sheet can be stretched and used inside a rectangular metal frame. When this composite mask is used, the magnetic metal member can be attracted and fixed by a magnetic force. Furthermore, a metal mask sheet in which an opening pattern is formed on a metal film can be stretched and used inside a rectangular metal frame.

[ITO film (X) pattern formation process]
Next, as shown in FIG. 19, on the glass substrate 10 on which the wiring pattern 11a, the insulating film pattern 15a, and the Y-ITO film 19a are formed, the sputtering mask 20 on which the opening pattern 20a is formed is positioned and installed. Then, the ITO film 21 is formed by sputtering on the insulating film in the opening pattern 20a (step S16). The sputtering mask 20 has basically the same configuration as the sputtering mask 18. Since the ITO film 21 is patterned and formed in the opening pattern 20a, as shown in FIG. 20, an X-ITO film 21a that is continuous in the horizontal direction and identifies the position in the X direction is formed ( Step S17). An insulating film pattern 15a is interposed at a portion where the patterned X-ITO film 21a and the Y-ITO film 19a intersect, and the ITO films 21a and 19a are electrically separated.

Thereafter, cleaning is performed, and the formed X-ITO film 21a is inspected.
Then, an insulating film is formed on the entire surface of the glass substrate 10, and a cover glass or the like is placed on the insulating film.
Here, as the sputtering mask 20, a mask having the same configuration as that in the case where the Y-ITO film 19 a is formed by sputtering (the shape of the opening pattern 20 a is different) can be used.

  According to the manufacturing method as described above, when patterning each of the metal film, the insulating film, and the transparent electrode film, the photoresist pattern is formed by printing using the printing mask, and the sputtering mask is used. By forming a patterned transparent electrode film, it is possible to completely eliminate the photo process, thus simplifying the manufacturing by eliminating the exposure process and the development process, and eliminating the need for the exposure apparatus and the development apparatus. Equipment costs and running costs can be reduced.

  Also, by combining different pattern formation methods of patterning by printing photoresist pattern and sputter deposition of patterned film, metal film, insulating film and transparent electrode are suitable for each material and pattern shape Can be patterned by different methods. Further, since sputter film formation can form a pattern without etching, combining the two pattern formation processes not only eliminates the exposure process and the development process, but also the total number of manufacturing processes when forming the touch panel. Can be reduced.

  Moreover, when the photoresist is applied with a squeegee and filled in the printing groove pattern, the printing groove pattern is connected in the peripheral region other than the through holes, so that the pressure applied when the photoresist is extended with the squeegee, The positional deviation and deformation of the printing groove pattern formed on the mask base material can be suppressed. Therefore, even with a pattern in which long wirings are arranged close to each other, printing with high pattern accuracy can be performed with little displacement and deformation of the printed photoresist pattern.

  In the above-described embodiment, the method for manufacturing the capacitive touch panel has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the capacitive type, and can be applied to various other touch panel manufacturing methods. . Moreover, although the touch panel manufacturing method has been described as an example to which the pattern forming method of the present invention is applied, it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to the formation of various other patterns that perform wet etching or sputter film formation.

1 ... Composite mask 2 ... Metal frame (plate making frame)
3 ... Holding member 3a, 3b ... Opening pattern 4 ... Resin film (mask base material)
4a ... Print groove pattern 4b ... Through hole 4c ... Peripheral region 10 ... Glass substrate (transparent substrate)
11 ... MAM film (metal film)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12,16 ... Print mask 14, 17 ... Photoresist 14a, 17a ... Resist pattern 15 ... Insulating film 15a ... Insulating film pattern 18, 20 ... Sputtering mask 19, 21 ... ITO film

Claims (4)

A manufacturing method of a touch panel including a metal film, an insulating film, and a transparent electrode film,
The patterning of the metal film and the insulating film includes a step of printing and forming a photoresist pattern using a printing mask, and a step of patterning by performing wet etching using the photoresist pattern as a mask,
The formation of the transparent electrode film includes a step of sputtering a patterned transparent electrode film using a sputtering mask having an opening pattern corresponding to the pattern to be formed.
A manufacturing method of a touch panel characterized by the above.   The mask for printing is formed on the printing surface side, and a mask substrate having a printing groove pattern corresponding to a pattern to be printed, and a through hole having an inner diameter smaller than the bottom width of the printing groove pattern and penetrating through the bottom surface of the printing groove pattern. And a holding member having an opening pattern that is laminated on the mask base material and communicates with the inside of the printing groove pattern through a through-hole of the mask base material, and is filled with a photoresist as a transfer material. The touch panel manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the pattern is connected in a peripheral region other than the through hole.   The touch panel manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the sputtering mask includes a mask sheet having the opening pattern, and a frame that surrounds the mask sheet and on which the mask sheet is stretched.   The mask sheet is a resin mask sheet in which the opening pattern is formed in a resin film, a metal film in which a plurality of slit-shaped through holes are arranged in parallel, and laminated on one surface of the metal film, and at least in the through hole The manufacturing method of the touch panel of Claim 3 containing either the composite mask sheet | seat which has the said resin film in which the one said opening pattern was formed, and the metal mask sheet in which the said opening pattern was formed in the metal film.