TWI578215B - Touch device and method of manufacturing same - Google Patents

Description

Touch device and method of manufacturing same

The present invention relates to a touch technology, and more particularly to a touch device and a method of fabricating the same.

The touch device includes a substrate, a plurality of bridge layers spaced apart from each other on the substrate, and a touch circuit layer for generating touch signals. The touch circuit layer includes a plurality of first touch electrodes disposed on the substrate along a first axis direction and respectively located between the bridge layers. The two ends of each of the first touch electrodes respectively extend to the adjacent bridge layers, and the adjacent first touch electrodes are electrically connected to each other by the bridge layer. However, since the thickness of the bridge layer is much larger than the thickness of the first touch electrode, the first touch electrode is easily broken in a region extending from the substrate to the bridge layer, resulting in abnormal function of the touch device.

The invention provides a touch device.

The touch device includes: a substrate, a plurality of bridge units, and a touch circuit layer.

The bridge units are disposed on the substrate at a distance from each other, and Each of the buffer structures includes a bridge layer and at least one buffer structure, and each of the buffer structures extends from the sidewall of the bridge layer to the substrate to form a slope.

The touch circuit layer includes a plurality of first touch electrodes disposed on the substrate at a distance from the first direction, and the first touch electrodes are respectively overlapped with the at least one bridge layer, and the cover is disposed on the buffer structure. Slope.

In some implementations, the slope of the ramps is less than 85 degrees.

In some implementations, each of the buffer structures also covers each of the bridge layers.

In some embodiments, the bridging layers each have a thickness ranging from 0.3 microns to 0.4 microns, and the slope of the buffer structures has a thickness of no less than 0.5 microns.

In some implementations, the bridging layers are made of a conductive material, and each of the adjacent first touch electrodes is electrically connected by each of the bridging layers.

In some embodiments, the bridging layers are elongated, and each of the buffer structures is located at at least one end of each of the bridging layers.

In some embodiments, the bridging layers are elongated and each of the buffer structures is located between opposite ends of each of the bridging layers.

In some embodiments, the bridging units each include a plurality of buffer structures, the bridging layers are elongated, and the buffer structures are respectively disposed between opposite ends and opposite ends of each of the bridging layers.

In some implementations, the bridging units each further include an insulating structure spaced apart from the buffer structure, the insulating structure spanning the bridging layer And extending to the substrate; the touch circuit layer further includes a plurality of second touch electrodes respectively disposed on the substrate along a second direction and spanning the insulating structure.

In some embodiments, each of the insulating structures is disposed between each of the bridge layers and each of the second touch electrodes, such that each of the first touch electrodes and each of the second touch electrodes are electrically insulated from each other.

In some embodiments, the buffer structures and the insulating structures are made of an insulating material.

The present invention further provides a method of fabricating a touch device for fabricating the touch device, comprising the steps of: forming a plurality of spaced apart bridge layers on a substrate.

Forming at least one buffer structure and an insulating structure on each of the bridging layers, wherein each of the buffer structures extends from the bridging layer to the substrate to form a slope, and each of the insulating structures is spaced apart from each of the buffer structures Extending to the substrate across each of the bridging layers.

Forming, on the substrate, a plurality of first touch electrodes arranged along a first direction and a plurality of second touch electrodes spaced apart along a second direction, the first touch electrodes partially overlapping at least a bridge layer covering the slope of the buffer structure; the second touch electrodes are disposed on the substrate and are respectively stacked on the insulating structures.

In some embodiments, the buffer structures and the insulating structures are fabricated by the same patterning process.

The present invention provides a buffer structure for forming a slope between the sidewall of the bridge layer and the substrate, thereby preventing the first touch electrode from being broken due to the height difference between the bridge layer and the substrate, thereby causing the function of the touch device to be different. Frequently asked questions.

1‧‧‧Substrate

2‧‧‧shading layer

21‧‧‧ pattern

3‧‧‧Bridge unit

31‧‧‧Bridge layer

32‧‧‧Insulation structure

33‧‧‧ Buffer structure

331‧‧‧ slope

4‧‧‧Touch circuit layer

41‧‧‧First touch electrode

42‧‧‧Second touch electrode

5‧‧‧Signal transmission layer

6‧‧‧Insulation

7‧‧‧Transparent conductive layer

A‧‧‧First direction

B‧‧‧second direction

The other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the touch device of the present invention; FIG. 2 is related to FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of a touch device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of the touch device according to another embodiment of the present invention; A schematic cross-sectional view of a touch device according to another embodiment of the present invention; and FIGS. 6 through 10 illustrate an embodiment of a method of fabricating the touch device of the present invention.

1 , 2 and 3 are an embodiment of a touch device according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the touch device of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a view of the touch device of FIG. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a touch device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The touch device of the present invention comprises a substrate 1, a shielding layer 2, a plurality of bridge units 3, a touch circuit layer 4 and a signal transmission layer 5.

The material of the substrate 1 is selected from the group consisting of glass, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, polymethyl methacrylate, polyfluorene, and other cyclic olefins. A group of polymers, but not limited to this. In addition, in order to ensure the structural strength and durability of the substrate 1 during the production process, the surface of the substrate 1 may be reinforced to provide the substrate 1 with better structural strength and durability.

The shielding layer 2 is disposed around the substrate 1 and is typically made of colored photoresist or colored ink and is used to form a non-visible area of the surrounding portion of the touch device. Moreover, one or more patterns 21 are formed on the shielding layer 2, and the pattern 21 can be designed as an icon (Icon) of function keys such as a home key, a return key, and a window switching key according to requirements.

The bridging units 3 are disposed on the substrate 1 at a distance from each other, and each includes a bridging layer 31, an insulating structure 32, and a plurality of buffer structures 33 (here, the number of the buffer structures 33 is four, but not limit). The bridging layer 31 is mainly made of a conductive material such as a metal or a metal oxide (for example, Indium Tin Oxide (ITO)) to provide an electrically conductive path. The buffer structure 33 and the insulating structure 32 are mainly made of a polymer insulating material such as polyimide. Each of the buffer structures 33 covers a portion of the bridging layer 31 and extends from the sidewalls of the bridging layer 31 to the substrate 1 to form a slope 331. Specifically, the buffer structure 33 extends from the top surface of the higher bridging layer 31 to The top surface of the lower substrate 1 is formed, thus forming a highly graded structure between the bridge layer 31 and the substrate 1 (see Fig. 3). Also, in some implementations, the slope of ramp 331 is less than 85 degrees. Preferably, the slope of the ramp 331 may be 75 degrees, 60 degrees, 45 degrees, 30 degrees, 15 degrees, or 10 degrees. Each of the insulating structures 32 spans the bridging layer 31 and extends to the substrate 1 and is spaced apart from the buffer structure 33. In this embodiment, the bridge The connecting layers 31 are elongated and arranged in an array on the substrate 1; the buffer structures 33 are also elongated, and are respectively located between opposite ends and opposite ends of the bridging layer 31; the insulating structure 32 is substantially rectangular And covering the central position of the bridge layer 31. However, in different implementations, the shape, the number, and the position of the bridge layer 31, the insulating structure 32, and the buffer structure 33 may be adjusted as needed, and are not limited to the contents disclosed herein.

The touch circuit layer 4 is mainly made of a transparent conductive material. The more common transparent conductive materials are indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide (IZO), aluminum zinc oxide (Aluminium Zinc Oxide, AZO), zinc oxide. (Zinc Oxide), Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (IGZO), Carbon Nano Tube (CNT), Nano Silver, Nano Copper, or other transparent conductive materials with metal or non-metal composite.

The touch circuit layer 4 is configured to generate a touch signal, and includes a plurality of first touch electrodes 41 and a plurality of second touch electrodes 42. The first touch electrodes 41 are disposed on the substrate 1 at intervals in a first direction A, and the two ends are respectively overlapped with the bridge layer 31 to form an electrical connection by the bridge layer 31, and simultaneously cover the buffer structure provided on each of the bridge layers 31. 33. Since the first touch electrode 41 is usually made of a metal oxide having transparent conductive properties such as ITO, such a metal oxide does not have good ductility as a metal material, so that a surface having a large height difference is likely to be broken. Broken and other issues. However, in this embodiment, the buffer structure 33 forming the slope 331 is disposed between the bridge layer 31 and the substrate 1 so that the first touch electrode 41 can continuously extend on the substrate 1, the buffer structure 33 and the bridge layer 31, thereby avoiding structural breakage. The problem. And in this embodiment, the thickness of the bridging layer 31 ranges from 0.3 micrometers to 0.4 micrometers. The thickness of the buffer structure 33 is not less than 0.5 micrometers, that is, the thickness of the buffer structure 33 is greater than the thickness of the bridge layer 31. This ensures that the buffer structure 33 completely covers the bridge layer 31 and forms a slope 331 on the sidewall of the bridge layer 31. Further, the first touch electrode 41 is prevented from being broken in a region extending upward from the substrate 1 to the bridge layer 31, thereby affecting the function of the touch device.

The second touch electrode 42 is disposed on the substrate 1 along the second direction B and spans the insulating structure 32. The insulating structure 32 prevents the second touch electrode 42 from directly contacting the bridge layer 31, thereby making the second touch electrode 42 and the first touch electrodes 41 are electrically insulated from each other.

The signal transmission layer 5 is disposed on the shielding layer 2, and the signal transmission layer 5 is electrically connected to the touch circuit layer 4 to transmit the touch signals generated by the touch circuit layer 4. The signal transmission layer 5 is usually made of a metal material and shielded by the shielding layer 2 to avoid being seen by the user.

Referring to FIG. 4, a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the touch device of the present invention is illustrated. The difference between this embodiment and the above embodiment is that each bridging unit 3 includes only two buffer structures 33, and the buffer structures 33 are respectively located at opposite ends of the bridging layer 31. Since the buffer electrodes 33 are respectively disposed at opposite ends of the bridge layer 31, the first touch electrodes 41 adjacent to the two ends can extend to the bridge layer 31 by the buffer structure 33, and the first touch electrodes are also avoided. 41 breaks in a region extending upward from the substrate 1 to the bridging layer 31.

Referring to FIG. 5, a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the touch device of the present invention is illustrated. The difference between this embodiment and the above embodiment is that each bridging unit 3 includes only one buffer structure 33. This buffer structure 33 is located One end of the bridging layer 31, and only a slope 331 is formed between the sidewall of the bridging layer 31 and the substrate 1, and the bridging layer 31 is not covered, so that the buffer structure 33 is close to the thickness of the bridging layer 31. Since a buffer structure 33 is provided at one end of the bridge layer 31, the first touch electrode 41 adjacent to the end can be extended to the bridge layer 31 by the buffer structure 33.

It can be seen from the above embodiments and implementations that the number of the buffer structures 33 can be one, two or four, but the number of the buffer structures 33 is not limited thereto, that is, the number of the buffer structures 33 can also be three. Or more than five, and the position of the buffer structure 33 may be located between the opposite ends of the bridge layer 31, between the opposite ends, or between the opposite ends and the opposite ends depending on the requirements of the user in the process. .

The method for manufacturing the touch device of the present invention is described below with reference to FIG. 6 to FIG. 10. FIG. 6 to FIG. 10 are schematic cross-sectional views showing an embodiment of a method for manufacturing a touch device according to the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 6, first, a plurality of mutually spaced bridging layers 31 are formed on the substrate 1, and the bridging layer 31 is mainly made of a conductive material such as metal or indium tin oxide. For convenience of explanation, in FIG. 6 to FIG. 10, a single bridging layer 31 is taken as an example, but the manufacturing method of the present embodiment can actually perform the fabrication of a plurality of bridging layers 31 simultaneously on the substrate 1 without Subject to subsequent instructions.

Referring to FIG. 7, an insulating layer 6 is formed on the substrate 1 and the bridge layer 31. The insulating layer 6 covers the substrate 1 and the respective bridge layers 31 over the entire surface. In the present embodiment, the insulating layer 6 is mainly made of polyamine, and is formed on the surface of the substrate 1 by spin coating. But in different In the embodiment, the material and the manufacturing method of the insulating layer 6 can be adjusted as needed, and are not limited to the contents disclosed herein.

Referring to Figure 8, subsequently, four buffer structures 33 and an insulating structure 32 are formed on each of the bridging layers 31 by the same patterning process. The buffer structure 33 covers a portion of the bridging layer 31 and extends from the sidewall of the bridging layer 31 to the substrate 1 to form a slope 331. The slope 331 is specifically formed by the buffer structure 33 extending from the top surface of the higher bridging layer 31 to the lower surface of the lower substrate 1, thus forming a highly graded structure between the bridging layer 31 and the substrate 1. Since the patterning process includes steps such as lithography and etching, the structure of the buffer structure 33 and the insulating structure 32 can be simultaneously produced. However, in different implementations, the buffer structure 33 and the insulating structure 32 can also be fabricated by screen printing techniques, and are not limited to the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8.

Referring to FIG. 9, a transparent conductive layer 7 is formed on the substrate 1, the bridge layer 31, the insulating structure 32, and the buffer structure 33 by sputtering or the like, and the transparent conductive layer 7 is mainly made of, for example, indium tin oxide. It consists of a transparent conductive material.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 10, finally, the transparent conductive layer 7 is patterned by a lithography and etching process to obtain a first touch electrode 41 and a second touch electrode 42. The first touch electrodes 41 partially overlap the bridge layer 31 and cover the slope 331 of the buffer structure 33, respectively. The second touch electrodes 42 are disposed on the substrate 1 and are respectively stacked on the respective insulating structures 32. The second touch electrodes 42 are not in contact with the bridge layer 31 by the insulating structure 32, so that the first touch electrodes 41 are further disposed. The second touch electrodes 42 are electrically insulated from each other. In the process of plating the transparent conductive layer 7 (see FIG. 9), due to the transparent conductive layer 7 can be extended from the substrate 1 to the bridge layer 31 by the slope 331 of the buffer structure 33, thereby avoiding the breakage of the subsequently defined first touch electrode 41 in the region extending upward from the substrate 1 to the bridge layer 31.

In summary, the slope 331 of the buffer structure 33 prevents the first touch electrode 41 from being broken in the region extending upward from the substrate 1 to the bridge layer 31, so that the object of the present invention can be achieved.

However, the above is only the embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, that is, the simple equivalent changes and modifications made by the patent application scope and the patent specification of the present invention are still It is within the scope of the patent of the present invention.

1‧‧‧Substrate

3‧‧‧Bridge unit

31‧‧‧Bridge layer

32‧‧‧Insulation structure

33‧‧‧ Buffer structure

4‧‧‧Touch circuit layer

41‧‧‧First touch electrode

42‧‧‧Second touch electrode

Claims (13)

A touch device includes: a substrate; a plurality of bridging units disposed on the substrate at a distance from each other, the bridging units each including a bridging layer and at least one buffer structure, the sidewalls of the bridging layer being non-sloping, Each of the buffer structures is extended from the sidewall of the bridge layer to the substrate to form a slope; and a touch circuit layer includes a plurality of first touch electrodes disposed on the substrate at a distance from the first direction. The first touch electrodes respectively overlap the at least one bridging layer and cover the slope of the buffer structure. The touch device of claim 1, wherein the slope of the slope is less than 85 degrees. The touch device of claim 1, wherein each of the buffer structures further covers each of the bridge layers. The touch device of claim 3, wherein the thickness of the bridging layers ranges from 0.3 micrometers to 0.4 micrometers, and the thickness of the slope of the buffer structures is not less than 0.5 micrometers. The touch device of claim 1, wherein the bridging layers are made of a conductive material, and each of the adjacent first touch electrodes is electrically connected by each of the bridging layers. The touch device of claim 1, wherein the bridging layers are elongated, and each of the buffer structures is located at at least one end of each of the bridging layers. The touch device of claim 1, wherein the bridging layers are elongated, and each of the buffer structures is located at opposite ends of each of the bridging layers. between. The touch device of claim 1, wherein the bridge units each comprise a plurality of the buffer structures, the bridge layers are elongated, and the buffer structures are respectively disposed at opposite ends of each of the bridge layers and Between the opposite ends. The touch device of claim 1, wherein the bridge units further comprise an insulating structure spaced apart from the buffer structure, the insulating structure spanning the bridge layer and extending to the substrate; the touch circuit layer further comprises a plurality of second touch electrodes respectively disposed on the substrate along a second direction and spanning the insulating structure. The touch device of claim 9, wherein each of the insulating structures is disposed between each of the bridge layers and each of the second touch electrodes, such that each of the first touch electrodes and each of the second touch electrodes are in contact with each other Electrical insulation. The touch device of claim 9, wherein the buffer structures and the insulating structures are made of an insulating material. A method for manufacturing a touch device includes the steps of: forming a plurality of mutually spaced bridge layers on a substrate, the sidewalls of each of the bridge layers being non-ramped; forming at least one buffer structure and one on each of the bridge layers An insulating structure, wherein each of the buffer structures extends from a sidewall of each of the bridging layers to the substrate to form a slope, each of the insulating structures being spaced apart from each of the buffer structures and extending across the bridging layer to the substrate And forming a plurality of first touch electrodes arranged along a first direction and a plurality of second touch electrodes spaced along a second direction on the substrate The first touch electrodes are partially overlapped on at least one of the bridge layers and cover the slope of the buffer structure; the second touch electrodes are disposed on the substrate, and are respectively stacked and stacked Insulation structure. The method of manufacturing a touch device according to claim 12, wherein the buffer structures and the insulating structures are fabricated by the same patterning process.