KR20180107613A - Electrode connection structure and touch sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrode connection structure of the present invention comprises: a pad electrode; a passivation layer including a contact hole partially exposing the pad electrode, and partially covering the pad electrode; a conductive capping pattern covering the pad electrode through the contact hole; an intermediate layer covering the conductive capping pattern; and a circuit structure located on the intermediate layer. Corrosion and damage to the pad electrode can be prevented through the conductive capping pattern.

Description

ELECTRODE CONNECTION STRUCTURE AND TOUCH SENSOR < RTI ID = 0.0 >

The present invention relates to an electrode connection structure and a touch sensor. And more particularly, to an electrode connection structure for electrode and circuit connection and a touch sensor using the electrode connection structure.

As information technology (IT) has been developed in recent years, demands for the display field have been presented in various forms. For example, various flat panel display devices, such as a liquid crystal display device, a plasma display panel device, and a liquid crystal display device, which have features of thinning, light weight, and low power consumption, An electro luminescent display device, an organic light-emitting diode display device, and the like have been studied.

On the other hand, a touch screen panel, which is an input device built in the display device and capable of selecting an instruction content displayed on the screen as a human hand or an object and inputting a command of a user, Electronic devices in which a display function and an information input function are implemented together are being developed.

The touch screen panel can be divided into a capacitive type, a light sensing type, and a resistive type according to the operation of the touch sensor. In the case of a capacitive touch sensor, when a human hand or an object touches, the conductive sensing pattern senses a change in the capacitance formed by the surrounding sensing patterns or the ground electrode, thereby converting the contact position into an electrical signal. In addition, the wirings connected to the sensing patterns may be connected to the driving circuit to transmit the electrical signals.

The wirings may be electrically connected to the driving circuit through separate structures such as pads, conductive connecting members, and the like. However, for example, corrosion or denaturation of pads or wirings may occur during the electrical connection process, resulting in poor connection, and in this case, operational reliability of the touch screen panel may deteriorate.

For example, Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-0067795 discloses a pad structure of a flat panel display panel in which signal lines are concentrated and connected to an external circuit, but means for preventing corrosion and degeneration of the pad are not disclosed .

Korea Patent Publication No. 2012-0067795

An object of the present invention is to provide an electrode connection structure with improved reliability of electrical connection.

An object of the present invention is to provide a touch sensor including at least a part of the electrode connection structure.

An object of the present invention is to provide an image display device including the electrode connection structure.

1. pad electrode; A passivation layer including a contact hole partially exposing the pad electrode, the passivation layer partially covering the pad electrode; A conductive capping pattern covering the pad electrode through the contact hole; An intermediate layer covering the conductive capping pattern; And a circuit structure disposed on the mediation layer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the conductive capping pattern comprises at least one of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), indium zinc tin oxide (IZTO), aluminum zinc oxide (AZO), zinc oxide (ZnOx) Wherein the electrode comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of tin oxide (InOx), tin oxide (SnOx), cadmium tin oxide (CTO), gallium-doped zinc oxide (GZO), zinc tin oxide (ZTO) and indium gallium oxide Connection structure.

3. The electrode connection structure of 1 above, wherein the conductive capping pattern is in contact with the pad electrode.

4. The electrode connection structure according to claim 3, wherein the conductive capping pattern is formed along an upper surface of the passivation layer, a side wall of the contact hole, and an upper surface of the pad electrode exposed through the contact hole.

5. The electrode connection structure of 1 above, wherein the pad electrode comprises a first transparent conductive oxide pattern, a metal pattern, and a second transparent conductive oxide pattern sequentially laminated.

6. The electrode connection structure according to item 5 above, wherein the conductive capping pattern contacts the upper surface of the second transparent conductive oxide pattern.

7. The electrode connection structure according to 1 above, wherein the intermediate layer comprises a conductive resin, a conductive paste, a conductive ball or an anisotropic conductive film.

8. The electrode connection structure of claim 7, wherein the medial layer entirely covers an upper surface of the conductive capping pattern and fills the remaining portion of the contact hole.

9. The electrode connection structure of 1 above, wherein said circuit structure comprises a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB).

10. Base layer; Sensing electrodes arranged on the base layer; A pad electrode disposed on the base layer and electrically connected to the sensing electrodes; A passivation layer covering the sensing electrodes on the base layer and including contact holes partially exposing the pad electrodes; And a conductive capping pattern disposed on the passivation layer and covering an upper surface of the pad electrode through the contact hole.

11. The touch sensor of 10, wherein the conductive capping pattern comprises a transparent conductive oxide.

12. The touch sensor of claim 10, wherein the sensing electrode and the pad electrode each include a first transparent conductive oxide pattern, a metal pattern, and a second transparent conductive oxide pattern sequentially stacked from the base layer.

13. The touch sensor of claim 12, wherein the conductive capping pattern contacts an upper surface of the second transparent conductive oxide pattern.

14. The touch sensor of claim 10, wherein the sensing electrode comprises a mesh pattern structure.

15. The touch sensor of claim 10, further comprising a wiring connecting the sensing electrode and the pad electrode.

16. The touch sensor of 15, wherein the wiring comprises a first transparent conductive oxide pattern, a metal pattern, and a second transparent conductive oxide pattern which are sequentially stacked from the base layer.

17. The touch sensor of claim 10, wherein the conductive capping pattern is electrically connected to the circuit structure through the mediation layer.

18. The touch sensor of claim 17, wherein the mediation layer is disposed over the passivation layer as a whole to cover the conductive capping pattern.

19. The touch sensor of claim 10, wherein at least one of the base layer or the passivation layer comprises an organic insulating material.

20. An image display apparatus comprising the electrode connection structure according to any one of items 1 to 9 above.

In the electrode connection structure according to the embodiments of the present invention, a passivation layer is formed that partially covers the pad electrode and includes a contact hole exposing the pad electrode, and the exposed surface of the pad electrode through the contact hole A conductive capping pattern is formed. The conductive capping pattern can prevent corrosion or damage due to external exposure of the pad electrode. Therefore, it is possible to realize an electrical connection with improved durability and reliability against the external environment.

The electrode connection structure is disposed in the wiring region of the touch sensor, so that the reliability of electrical signal transmission to the sensing electrode can be improved. The sensing electrode and the pad electrode may include a multilayer structure including, for example, a first transparent conductive oxide pattern-metal pattern-second transparent conductive oxide pattern, thereby improving the transmittance and reducing the channel resistance A touch sensor can be implemented.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an electrode connection structure according to exemplary embodiments;
2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an electrode connection structure according to exemplary embodiments;
3 and 4 are a top view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of a touch sensor according to exemplary embodiments.
5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an image display device according to exemplary embodiments.

Embodiments of the present invention may include a pad electrode, a passivation layer partially covering the pad electrode and including a contact hole exposing the pad electrode, and a pad electrode electrically connected to the pad electrode through the contact hole, The present invention provides an electrode connection structure including a conductive capping pattern. Embodiments of the present invention also provide a touch sensor and an image display device having improved reliability of electrical connection through the electrode connection structure.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. And shall not be construed as limited to such matters.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an electrode connection structure according to exemplary embodiments;

1, the electrode connection structure includes a pad electrode 50 and a conductive capping pattern 70 and includes a mediation layer 90 and a circuit structure 95 that are electrically connected to the pad electrode 50 .

The pad electrode 50 may be disposed on the base layer 20. The base layer 20 is used to mean a supporting layer for forming the pad electrode 50, or a lower member. For example, the base layer 20 may encompass a film-type member or a substrate, or may encompass a target object (e.g., a display panel of a display device) on which the pad electrode 50 is formed.

The base layer 20 may be formed of, for example, glass, plastic or other materials such as polyimide (PI), polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), triacetylcellulose And may include the same flexible resin.

The pad electrode 50 may include a metal, an alloy, a transparent conductive oxide, a carbon-based conductive material, a conductive polymer, and the like. The pad electrode 50 may include a metal, an alloy, and / or a transparent conductive oxide in terms of improving the signal transmission rate and decreasing the resistance.

For example, the pad electrode 50 may be formed of a metal such as Au, Ag, Cu, Al, Pt, Pd, Cr, (Ti), Ta, Fe, Co, Ni, Zr, Te, V, Nb, , Or an alloy of these metals (e.g., silver-palladium-copper (APC)).

The pad electrode 50 may be formed of a material such as indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), indium zinc tin oxide (IZTO), aluminum zinc oxide (AZO), zinc oxide (ZnOx), indium oxide , A transparent conductive oxide such as tin oxide (SnOx), cadmium tin oxide (CTO), gallium-doped zinc oxide (GZO), zinc tin oxide (ZTO), indium gallium oxide (IGO).

In some embodiments, the pad electrode 50 is integrally connected to the wiring 40 and may be disposed at the end of the wiring 40. [ The pad electrode 50 may be connected to one wiring 40, and the plurality of wirings 40 may be combined together.

The passivation layer 80 may be formed to partially cover the pad electrode 50 on the base layer 20. The passivation layer 80 may cover the wiring 40 connected to the pad electrode 50 together.

In some embodiments, the passivation layer 80 may comprise polysiloxane-based, acrylic-based, polyimide-based organic insulating materials. The organic insulating material may include a photosensitive polymer.

In some embodiments, the passivation layer 80 may comprise an inorganic insulating material such as silicon oxide.

According to exemplary embodiments, the passivation layer 80 may include a contact hole 85 that partially exposes the pad electrode 50. For example, the contact hole 85 may be formed through an exposure process and / or a development process using a photomask with respect to the passivation layer 80.

In some embodiments, the top surface of the pad electrode 50 may be partially exposed through the contact hole 85.

The conductive capping pattern 70 may be electrically connected to the pad electrode 50 through the contact hole 85. In some embodiments, the conductive capping pattern 70 may be formed on the sidewall of the contact hole 85 and directly contact the top surface of the pad electrode 50. [ The conductive capping pattern 70 may also extend over the top surface of the passivation layer 80. In this case, the conductive capping pattern 70 may be conformally formed along the upper surface of the passivation layer 80, the side wall of the contact hole 85, and the upper surface of the pad electrode 50.

According to exemplary embodiments, the conductive capping pattern 70 may comprise a transparent conductive oxide having improved corrosion resistance compared to metal. For example, the conductive capping pattern 70 may include ITO, IZO, IZTO, AZO, ZnOx, InOx, SnOx, CTO, GZO, ZTO, IGO, and the like.

The pad electrode 50 may be electrically connected to the external circuit member through the conductive capping pattern 70. According to exemplary embodiments, a mediation layer 90 is formed on the passivation layer 80 to cover the conductive capping pattern 70, and a circuit structure 95 may be disposed on the mediation layer 90.

Accordingly, an electrode connection structure including the pad electrode 50, the conductive capping pattern 70, the intermediate layer 90, and the circuit structure 95 can be realized.

The mediation layer 90 may cover the conductive capping pattern 70 entirely on the passivation layer 80. In some embodiments, the remainder of the contact hole 85 may be filled by the mediation layer 90. For example, the mediation layer 90 may cover a portion of the top surface of the passivation layer 80 while filling the contact holes 85 to cover the conductive capping pattern 70.

In the exemplary embodiments, the mediation layer 90 may be formed using a conductive paste, a conductive resin, or a conductive ball. Therefore, in the connecting process, the shock-absorbing property can be realized by the mediating layer 90, and the contact hole 85 can be easily filled while covering the conductive capping pattern 70. [

For example, the mediation layer 90 may be formed from an anisotropic conductive film (ACF).

Accordingly, the mediating layer 90 may include a structure formed by coating or printing the conductive paste, the conductive resin, or the conductive ball, or a structure formed by attaching the ACF.

The circuit structure 95 may electrically connect the pad electrode 50 to an external circuit such as a driving IC. The circuit structure 95 may include various wires, wires, electrodes, etc., and in some embodiments may include a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB).

The circuit structure 95 may be in direct contact with the mediation layer 90 and may be physically spaced from the conductive capping pattern 70 by the mediation layer 90.

The exposed portion of the pad electrode 50 is partially covered by the passivation layer 80 and the exposed portion of the pad electrode 50 is covered by the conductive capping pattern 70. In this embodiment, ). ≪ / RTI > Therefore, it is possible to prevent the pad electrode 50 from being directly exposed to the external environment or the intermediate layer 90. Therefore, the pad electrode 50 can be prevented from being oxidized, corroded, or damaged by being exposed to an external corrosion-inducing substance such as outside air, water, or an organic substance.

The conductive capping pattern 70 may also be formed not only on the inner walls of the contact holes 85 but also on the upper surface of the passivation layer 80 so that the contact area with the mediate layer 90 can be increased. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the corrosion of the pad electrode 50 while suppressing the increase in resistance.

The conductive capping pattern 70 may also function as a buffer pattern for relieving the stress, impact, etc. applied to the pad electrode 50 during the connection process of the intermediate layer 90 and the circuit structure 95. Therefore, the mechanical reliability of the pad electrode 50 can be improved as well.

2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an electrode connection structure according to exemplary embodiments;

Referring to FIG. 2, the pad electrode 50 may have a multi-layer structure including different materials. In some embodiments, the pad electrode 50 includes a first transparent conductive oxide pattern 31, a metal pattern 33, and a second transparent conductive oxide pattern 35 sequentially stacked from the top surface of the base layer 20, Or a triple-layered structure including the three-layer structure.

The first and second transparent conductive oxide patterns 31 and 35 may include ITO, IZO, IZTO, AZO, ZnOx, InOx, SnOx, CTO, GZO, ZTO and IGO. The metal pattern 33 is formed of a metal such as Au, Ag, Cu, Al, Pt, Pd, Cr, W, Ti, Ta, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, Te, V, Nb, Mo, . ≪ / RTI >

According to exemplary embodiments, as the metal pattern 33 including the low-resistance metal is sandwiched by the first and second transparent conductive oxide patterns 31 and 35, oxidation or corrosion of the metal pattern 33 Can be more effectively suppressed. For example, the organic material diffused from the base layer 20 by the first transparent conductive oxide pattern 31 can be blocked. Further, on the metal pattern 33, a multilayered external environmental barrier including the second transparent conductive oxide pattern 35 and the conductive capping pattern 70 may be disposed. Therefore, the corrosion-causing material caused by the lower member and the external environment of the metal pattern 33 can be substantially blocked.

In some embodiments, the wire 40 shown in FIG. 1 may also have a substantially same multi-layer structure as the pad electrode 50.

3 and 4 are a top view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of a touch sensor according to exemplary embodiments. For example, FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a film-type touch sensor or touch screen panel that includes at least a portion of the electrode connection structure described with reference to FIG.

For convenience of explanation, the illustration of the interlayer insulating layer 60, the passivation layer 80 and the like is omitted in Fig. A detailed description of the substantially same constitution and materials as those described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 is omitted.

3 and 4, the touch sensor 10 includes sensing electrodes 30 disposed on the base layer 20, wirings 40 branched from the sensing electrodes 30, and wirings 40 And the pad electrodes 50 connected to the ends of the pad electrodes 50.

The touch sensor 10 or the base layer 20 may be divided into a first area A and a second area B indicated by a dotted rectangle in FIG. The sensing electrodes 30 may be arranged in the first area A of the touch sensor and the wires 40 and the pad electrodes 50 may be arranged in the second area B.

The first area A may correspond to, for example, a sensing area for detecting touch points to generate position information. The second area B may correspond to a wiring area or a trace area of the touch sensor 10. [

In some embodiments, the sensing electrodes 30 may include first sensing electrodes 30a and second sensing electrodes 30b arranged on the base layer 20.

For example, the first sensing electrodes 30a may extend and extend in a first direction through connection portions of polygonal unit patterns. Accordingly, a first sensing line in the first direction may be defined, and a plurality of the first sensing lines may be arranged in the second direction. For example, the first direction and the second direction may be parallel to the upper surface of the base layer 20, and may refer to two directions perpendicular to each other.

The second sensing electrodes 30b are electrically connected to each other by, for example, bridging electrodes 39 as shown in Fig. 4, so that polygonal unit patterns physically spaced from each other can be extended in the second direction have. For example, the unit patterns of the second sensing electrode 30b may be arranged to face each other with the connection portion of the first sensing electrode 30a in the second direction.

A second sensing line extending in the second direction while being insulated from the first sensing electrodes 30a by the second sensing electrodes 30b may be defined. A plurality of the second sensing lines may be arranged along the first direction.

In some embodiments, the sensing electrodes 30 may include a first transparent conductive oxide pattern 31, a metal pattern 33, and a second transparent conductive oxide pattern 35 sequentially stacked from the top surface of the base layer 20 ). ≪ / RTI >

As the sensing electrode 30 includes the metal pattern 33, the channel resistance is reduced and the sensing sensitivity can be improved. In addition, since the sensing electrode 30 includes the first and second transparent conductive oxide patterns 31 and 35, the transmittance of the touch sensor 10 can be improved and the corrosion of the metal pattern 33 can be prevented. .

According to some embodiments, the sensing electrode 30 may comprise a mesh pattern structure. For example, the first transparent conductive oxide pattern 31, the metal pattern 33, and / or the second transparent conductive oxide pattern 35 included in the sensing electrode 30 may be formed in the mesh pattern structure.

The mesh pattern may include an internal structure in the form of a net or a honeycomb. In addition, the mesh pattern may include a rectangular square mesh structure, a rhombus mesh structure, a hexagonal mesh structure, or the like, and may include a concave polygonal mesh structure.

As the sensing electrode 30 has the mesh pattern structure, the bending characteristic is improved, so that the touch sensor 10 having excellent flexibility and stretchability can be realized and the transmittance of the touch sensor 10 can further be improved.

The wirings 40 may be branched from the respective sensing lines and arranged on the second region B. [ In some embodiments, the wires 40 may also have a multi-layer structure that is substantially the same as or similar to the sensing electrode 30. [

The ends of the wirings 40 may be gathered at the periphery of the base layer 20 and connected to the pad electrode 50, for example. The pad electrode 50 may have a multilayer structure including a first transparent conductive oxide pattern 31 substantially identical to the sensing electrode 30, a metal pattern 33, and a second transparent conductive oxide pattern 35.

In this case, the sensing electrode 30, the wiring 40 and the pad electrode 50 are formed by sequentially forming the first transparent conductive oxide layer, the metal layer and the second transparent conductive oxide layer on the base layer 20, May be simultaneously formed through a batch patterning process.

An interlayer insulating layer 60 may be formed on the base layer 20 to cover the sensing electrodes 30 at least partially. The interlayer insulating layer 60 may include an inorganic insulating material such as silicon oxide, or a transparent organic material such as an acrylic resin. Preferably, the interlayer insulating layer 60 may be formed from an organic resin composition containing a thermosetting or photo-curable material such as an epoxy compound, an acrylic compound, a melanin compound and the like.

The bridge electrode 39 penetrates the interlayer insulating layer 60 and can electrically connect the unit patterns of the second sensing electrode 30b neighboring in the second direction. The unit patterns of the second sensing electrode 30b can be electrically connected to each other while being insulated from the first sensing electrode 30a by the bridge electrode 39. [

In one embodiment, the interlayer insulating layer 60 may have a pattern structure selectively printed on the region where the bridge electrode 39 is formed. In one embodiment, the bridge electrode 39 may also have a multi-layer structure including the first transparent conductive oxide pattern 31, the metal pattern 33, and the second transparent conductive oxide pattern 35.

The passivation layer 80 extends commonly on the first region A and the second region B and includes sensing electrodes 30, an interlayer insulating layer 60, a bridge electrode 39, and a pad electrode 50, Can be covered together.

According to exemplary embodiments, the passivation layer 80 formed on the second region B may be partially removed to form a contact hole 85 that partially exposes the upper surface of the pad electrode 50 .

A conductive capping pattern 70 that protects the pad electrode 50 through the contact hole 85 may be formed on the passivation layer 80, as described with reference to FIGS. The conductive capping pattern 70 includes a transparent conductive oxide and can contact the upper surface of the second transparent conductive oxide pattern 35 included in the pad electrode 50.

In some embodiments, a mediation layer 90 is formed on the passivation layer 80 to cover the conductive capping pattern 70 and a circuit structure 95 is disposed on the mediation layer 90 to form the pad electrode 50 Can be connected to the driving IC. Accordingly, the touch information generated in the first area A can be transmitted to the driving IC.

The conductive capping pattern 70 protects the pad electrode 50 during the bonding process with the intermediate layer 90 to connect the pad electrode 50 of the touch sensor 10 to the external circuit. have. In addition, the side of the pad electrode 50 can be protected by the passivation layer 80. Accordingly, the pad electrode 50 is prevented from being directly exposed to the external environment, and corrosion and damage due to the external environment can be suppressed.

5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an image display device according to exemplary embodiments.

5, the image display apparatus may include an upper cover 100a, a lower cover 100b, a main board 110, a display panel 120, and a touch sensor 130, for example.

The upper cover 100a may include a window substrate of an image display apparatus. The lower cover 100b may be a back cover of the image display device, and may include, for example, a battery cover.

The main board 110 may be, for example, a printed circuit board (PCB) having a driving circuit, a signal circuit, a ground circuit, and the like. The display panel 120 may include, for example, an OLED panel, an LCD panel, and the like.

The touch sensor 130 may include, for example, a touch sensor or a touch screen panel described with reference to FIGS. The pad electrode included in the touch sensor 130 may be electrically connected to the main board 110 through the circuit structure 140. The circuit structure 140 includes, for example, an FPCB, and a conductive capping pattern and an intermediate layer may be disposed between the pad electrode and the circuit structure 140 as described with reference to FIG. 1 or FIG.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the accompanying claims, It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made in the embodiments within the scope of the claims, and such variations and modifications are within the scope of the appended claims.

Experimental Example 1: Evaluation of corrosion on a triple layer structure pad electrode

A pad electrode and a conductive capping pattern were formed on the glass substrate with the thickness and the material shown in Table 1. [

In the case of Example 1, a pad electrode including a first transparent conductive oxide pattern, a metal pattern, and a second transparent conductive oxide pattern was formed. The width of the pad electrode was patterned to be 30 mu m.

Thereafter, a passivation layer covering the pad electrode is formed using a photosensitive acrylic resin, and the passivation layer is partially removed through an exposure and development process to form a contact hole partially exposing the upper surface of the pad electrode. ITO was deposited on the side wall of the contact hole and the upper surface of the pad electrode to form a conductive capping pattern.

In the case of Comparative Example 1, the same process was performed except that the conductive capping pattern in Example 1 was omitted.

division The first transparent conductive oxide pattern
(IZO) (nm) Metal pattern
(APC) (nm) The second transparent conductive oxide pattern
(IZO) (nm) Conductive capping pattern
(ITO) (nm) Example 1 40 10 140 10 Comparative Example 1 40 10 140 -

The pad electrodes of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 were left under the conditions of 85 캜 and 85% relative humidity, and the time for observing the corrosion of the pad electrode was measured. The evaluation results are shown in Table 2.

time 500 hr 650hr 800hr 1000hr Example 1 X X X X Comparative Example 1 X X X ○

Referring to Table 2, in Example 1 in which the pad electrode having the triple-layer structure and the conductive capping pattern were formed, no corrosion of the pad electrode was observed after 1000 hours. In the case of Comparative Example 1, corrosion of the pad electrode started after about 1,000 hours as the conductive oxide pattern was omitted.

Experimental Example 2: Evaluation of Corrosion on Metal Pattern Single Layer Pad Electrodes

A pad electrode and a conductive capping pattern were formed on the glass substrate with the thickness and material shown in Table 3.

In the case of Example 2, the same process as in Example 1 was performed except that the pad electrode was formed as a single layer of the metal pattern. In the case of Comparative Example 2, the same process was performed except that the conductive capping pattern was omitted in Example 2.

division The first transparent conductive oxide pattern
(IZO) (nm) Metal pattern
(APC) (nm) The second transparent conductive oxide pattern
(IZO) (nm) Conductive capping pattern
(ITO) (nm) Example 2 - 100 - 10 Comparative Example 2 - 100 - -

time 500 hr 650hr 800hr 1000hr Example 2 X X ○ ○ Comparative Example 2 ○ ○ ○ ○

Referring to Table 4, in the case of Example 2 in which the pad electrode of the metal pattern single layer and the conductive capping pattern were formed, no corrosion of the metal pattern was observed up to 800 hours. In the case of Comparative Example 2 in which the conductive capping pattern was omitted, corrosion of the metal pattern was observed rapidly before 500 hours elapsed.

20: base layer 30: sensing electrode
31: first transparent conductive oxide pattern 33: metal pattern
35: second transparent conductive oxide pattern 39: bridge electrode
40: wiring 50: pad electrode
60: interlayer insulating layer 70: conductive capping pattern
80: passivation layer 95: contact hole
90: intermediate layer 95: circuit structure
100a: upper cover 100b: lower cover
110: main board 120: display panel
130: touch sensor 140: circuit structure

Claims (20)

Pad electrodes;
A passivation layer including a contact hole partially exposing the pad electrode, the passivation layer partially covering the pad electrode;
A conductive capping pattern covering the pad electrode through the contact hole;
An intermediate layer covering the conductive capping pattern; And
And a circuit structure disposed on the mediation layer.
The method of claim 1, wherein the conductive capping pattern is formed of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), indium zinc tin oxide (IZTO), aluminum zinc oxide (AZO), zinc oxide (ZnOx), indium oxide (InOx) , At least one selected from the group consisting of tin oxide (SnOx), cadmium tin oxide (CTO), gallium-doped zinc oxide (GZO), zinc tin oxide (ZTO), and indium gallium oxide (IGO) .
The electrode connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the conductive capping pattern contacts the pad electrode.
The electrode connection structure according to claim 3, wherein the conductive capping pattern is formed along an upper surface of the passivation layer, a side wall of the contact hole, and an upper surface of the pad electrode exposed through the contact hole.
The electrode connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the pad electrode comprises a first transparent conductive oxide pattern, a metal pattern, and a second transparent conductive oxide pattern which are sequentially stacked.
The electrode connection structure according to claim 5, wherein the conductive capping pattern contacts the upper surface of the second transparent conductive oxide pattern.
The electrode connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the mediation layer comprises a conductive resin, a conductive paste, a conductive ball or an anisotropic conductive film.

8. The electrode connection structure of claim 7, wherein the mediation layer entirely covers an upper surface of the conductive capping pattern and fills the remaining portion of the contact hole.
The electrode connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the circuit structure comprises a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB).
A base layer;
Sensing electrodes arranged on the base layer;
A pad electrode disposed on the base layer and electrically connected to the sensing electrodes;
A passivation layer covering the sensing electrodes on the base layer and including contact holes partially exposing the pad electrodes; And
And a conductive capping pattern disposed on the passivation layer and covering an upper surface of the pad electrode through the contact hole.
11. The touch sensor of claim 10, wherein the conductive capping pattern comprises a transparent conductive oxide.
[12] The touch sensor of claim 10, wherein the sensing electrode and the pad electrode each include a first transparent conductive oxide pattern, a metal pattern, and a second transparent conductive oxide pattern sequentially stacked from the base layer.
13. The touch sensor of claim 12, wherein the conductive capping pattern contacts the top surface of the second transparent conductive oxide pattern.
11. The touch sensor of claim 10, wherein the sensing electrode comprises a mesh pattern structure.
11. The touch sensor of claim 10, further comprising a wire connecting the sensing electrode and the pad electrode.
16. The touch sensor according to claim 15, wherein the wiring includes a first transparent conductive oxide pattern, a metal pattern, and a second transparent conductive oxide pattern which are sequentially stacked from the base layer.
11. The touch sensor of claim 10, wherein the conductive capping pattern is electrically connected to the circuit structure through the mediation layer.
18. The touch sensor of claim 17, wherein the mediation layer is disposed over the passivation layer as a whole to cover the conductive capping pattern.
11. The touch sensor of claim 10, wherein at least one of the base layer or the passivation layer comprises an organic insulating material.
An image display device comprising the electrode connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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