JP6347814B2 - Touch panel and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a touch panel and a manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly to a touch panel having an alignment mark and a manufacturing method thereof.

  In recent years, the touch method is becoming the most important input method, and is widely used in various electronic products such as a mobile phone, a personal information terminal (PDA), or a palmtop PC. A touch panel used in such a touch-type device generally includes a substrate and components such as a detection electrode and a touch signal line formed on the substrate, and the substrate on which the component is formed usually needs to be bonded to a cover plate. In general, the cover plate is divided into a visible area and a non-visible area around the visible area. However, since the alignment mark of the substrate is arranged corresponding to the non-visible area of the cover plate, the alignment mark tends to be blocked by the black shielding layer. Therefore, first, the two separated substrates and the cover plate are separated from each other. The two observation modules need to be aligned and distance-measured, and then pasted together. However, with this method, there are three possibilities of errors, namely, errors when aligning the two substrates, and errors caused by moving the substrates when the two substrates are bonded together. Make accurate alignment difficult.

  In response to the above problems, there is a need in the industry for a touch panel and a method for manufacturing the same that can further improve the yield of the manufacturing process.

  The present invention includes a first substrate having a first region having at least one alignment mark and a second region provided around the first region, and a second substrate provided on the first substrate, and A second substrate including a shielding layer provided on the second substrate and disposed corresponding to the second region of the first substrate, the shielding layer being adjacent to the alignment mark and the second side; Provided is a touch panel provided with side edges, wherein the first side edge and the second side edge constitute a corner.

  The present invention further provides a first substrate including an alignment mark and a second substrate, the second substrate being provided around the surface of the second substrate and at least one corner. Providing a shielding layer having a corner; arranging the first substrate and the second substrate opposite to each other; separating the first substrate from the second substrate by a third distance; aligning the first substrate to the second substrate; The first substrate and the second substrate are aligned with each other, and the first substrate and the second substrate are aligned with each other. A method for manufacturing a touch panel including bonding a substrate is provided.

  In the above structure and its method, as in the conventional method, two observation modules do not observe and observe the alignment mark of the first substrate and the corner angle of the second substrate, respectively, or twice with one observation unit. The alignment mark of the first substrate and the corner angle of the second substrate can be observed at the same time by using only a single observation module without performing alignment after separately observing.

  For a more clear understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention, reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments and the following detailed description with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to the description of a specific embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 shows a plan view of a touch panel according to the description of a specific embodiment of the invention. The top view of the 1st substrate and the 2nd substrate in one step of the manufacturing method of the touch panel based on description of the specific example of the present invention is shown. FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a first substrate and a second substrate in one step of a touch panel manufacturing method based on the description of a specific embodiment of the present invention. The top view of the 1st substrate and the 2nd substrate in one step of the manufacturing method of the touch panel based on description of the specific example of the present invention is shown. It is another form of the alignment mark in this invention. It is a top view of the 1st substrate in the example of the present invention. It is another Example of this invention. It is another Example of this invention. It is another Example of this invention. It is a top view of the 1st substrate in another example of the present invention. FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7B-7B 'of FIG. 7A.

  Next, the touch panel of the present invention and the manufacturing method thereof will be described in detail. It should be understood that in the following description, several different embodiments or examples are presented and used to implement various aspects of the present invention. The specific components and arrangement methods described below are merely simple and clear representations of the invention. Of course, these are given merely as examples and do not limit the invention. Also, in different embodiments, overlapping codes and marks may be used. Such duplication is merely for the purpose of briefly and clearly illustrating the present invention and does not indicate that there is any relationship between the different embodiments and / or structures considered. Furthermore, when it is described that the first material layer is located on or above the second material layer, it includes the case where the first material layer and the second material layer are in direct contact. Alternatively, one or more other material layers may be present, in which case the first material layer and the second material layer may not be in direct contact.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, by arranging the alignment mark in the visible area, the first substrate and the second substrate can be simultaneously observed by the single observation module with the alignment mark of the first substrate and the corner angle of the second substrate. Can be aligned. As a result, the accuracy of substrate alignment can be greatly improved.

  Referring first to FIGS. 1A-1B, FIG. 1A shows a cross-sectional view of a touch panel based on the description of a specific embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B shows a touch panel based on the description of a specific embodiment of the present invention. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1B, the touch panel 100 of the present invention includes a first substrate 102 and a second substrate 104 provided on the first substrate 102, and an adhesive layer 132 is formed between the first substrate 102 and the first substrate 102. Arranged between the two substrates 104. The first substrate 102 has a first region 116A and a second region 116B provided around the first region 116A. At least one alignment mark 108 is provided in the first region 116A. A shielding layer 112 is provided on the second substrate 104 on the side facing the first substrate 102 to define a visible area and an invisible area of the touch panel 100, and the invisible area is formed in the second region 116 </ b> B of the first substrate 102. The visible area is made to correspond to the first region 116A of the first substrate 102.

  Compared to the conventional alignment mark of the first substrate provided corresponding to the shielding layer of the second substrate, the alignment mark 108 of the present invention is provided in an area not corresponding to the shielding layer 112 (that is, the first region 116A). As will be understood from the following description, the touch panel of the present invention can greatly reduce the alignment error compared to the conventional touch panel. For example, in some embodiments, the alignment error of the present invention is For example, it can be 0.1 mm or less, such as 0.05 mm or less.

  Please refer to FIG. 2, which shows a plan view of the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 in one step of the manufacturing method of the touch panel 100 based on the description of the specific embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, a first substrate 102 and a second substrate 104 are first provided. In one embodiment, the first substrate 102 is a sensitive substrate and the second substrate 104 is a cover plate. The first substrate 102 may be a transparent substrate, and the alignment mark 108 is provided on the first region 116A of the first substrate 102, and the second substrate 104 may be a transparent substrate, A shielding layer 112 is provided around the shielding layer 112. The shielding layer 112 has at least a first side and a second side to form at least one corner 114.

  Specifically, the first substrate 102 has a smaller area than the second substrate 104, that is, the second substrate 104 can completely cover the first substrate 102 during subsequent alignment or after bonding. Further, when the subsequent first substrate 102 and second substrate 104 are aligned, the portion of the first substrate 102 corresponding to the shielding layer 112 of the second substrate 104 is the second region 116B, and the portion not corresponding to the shielding layer 112. Is the first region 116A, and this second region 116B is provided around the first region 116A, and as shown in FIG. 2, the boundary between the first region 116A and the second region 116B is indicated by a dotted line. It is as follows. The alignment mark 108 is provided in the first region 116A.

  In some embodiments, the length 108L of the alignment mark 108 can be about 0.03 mm to 0.5 mm, such as about 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm, and the width 108W can be about 0.03 mm, for example. It can be about 0.02 mm to 0.1 mm, such as ˜0.06 mm. If the length 108L of the alignment mark 108 is too long, for example, exceeding 0.5 mm, the area occupied by the touch panel 100 is too large, and the area that can actually be touched decreases. However, even if the length 108L of the alignment mark 108 is too short, for example, less than 0.03 mm, it is difficult to align the observation module, and the alignment accuracy decreases. Furthermore, if the width 108W of the alignment mark 108 is too wide, for example, exceeding 0.1 mm, the area occupied by the touch panel 100 is too large, and the area that can actually be touched decreases. However, even if the width 108W of the alignment mark 108 is too narrow, for example, less than 0.02 mm, it is difficult to align the observation module, and the alignment accuracy decreases.

  The materials of the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 can be independently selected from glass, ceramic, plastic, sapphire, polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or a combination thereof. The material of the shielding layer 112 may also be a black resist, black printing ink, black resin or any other suitable light shielding material and color.

  In order to clearly describe the present invention, other modules (for example, subsequent detection electrodes and insulating layers) on the first substrate 102 are not shown in FIGS. The other modules and the alignment marks 108 on the first substrate 102 will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 5 to 6B.

  Reference is now made to FIGS. 3A-3B. FIG. 3A shows a cross-sectional view of the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 in one step of the method of manufacturing the touch panel 100 according to the description of a specific embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. The top view after the position alignment of the 1st board | substrate 102 and the 2nd board | substrate 104 in 1 step of the manufacturing method of the touch panel 100 based on description of the Example is shown. As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3B, the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 are arranged to face each other, and the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 are separated by a distance D3. In one embodiment, this distance D3 is about 1 mm to 5 mm, such as about 2 mm to 3 mm.

  It should be noted that if the distance D3 is too large, for example, exceeding 5 mm, the distance D3 between the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 is too large, and the subsequent first substrate 102 and the second substrate are separated. The displacement distance at the time of laminating and moving 104 is increased, leading to a decrease in accuracy.

  Next, the single observation module 118 simultaneously observes the alignment mark 108 of the first substrate 102 and the corner angle 114 of the second substrate 104 to align the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104. Specifically, in the present invention, the alignment mark 108 is designed so as to be positioned in the first region 116A of the first substrate 102, that is, by being positioned in the visible area of the touch panel 100, the two methods are performed as in the conventional method. Without observing and observing the alignment mark 108 of the first substrate 102 and the corner angle 114 of the second substrate 104 by the observation module, respectively, or by observing the observation substrate in two portions and without positioning. The alignment mark 108 of the first substrate 102 and the corner angle 114 of the second substrate 104 can be simultaneously observed only by the single observation module 118.

  In comparison, the present application observes the alignment mark 108 of the first substrate 102 and the corner angle 114 of the second substrate 104 simultaneously with a single observation module 118 to align the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104. Therefore, the possibility of causing an alignment error can be reduced once, and therefore the alignment accuracy can be improved. Further, in the present application, first, the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 are moved to a very close distance (for example, about 1 mm to 5 mm), and then the two substrates are moved and bonded together for alignment and bonding. Error can be further reduced. In some embodiments, the bonding error of the substrate of the present invention can be 0.1 mm or less, such as 0.05 mm or less.

  In some embodiments, the observation module 118 can include a charge-coupled device (CCD), which can be aligned by focusing on the edge or center of the alignment mark 108. It can be performed.

  3B, it should be noted that in FIG. 3B, since the first substrate 102 and its alignment mark 108 are provided under the second substrate 104, they are indicated by dotted lines. In some embodiments, the alignment mark 108 of the first substrate 102 and the corner 114 of the shielding layer 112 of the second substrate 104 do not overlap.

  Specifically, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3B, the alignment point of the alignment mark 108 can be provided at any predetermined position proximate the corner angle 114. For example, in some embodiments, a square area 120 is created based on a corner 114 and two sides connected to the corner 114, and the alignment mark 108 is positioned at any predetermined position in the square area 120. Provided.

  In some embodiments, the shielding layer 112 includes a first side S1 and a second side S2 proximate to the alignment mark 108, of which the first side S1 and the second side S2 are on different sides. The first side S1 and the second side S2 are perpendicular to each other to form a corner angle. When the shortest distance from the center line of the alignment mark 108 to the first side S1 is the first distance D1, and the shortest distance from the center line of the alignment mark 108 to the second side S2 is the second distance D2, The distance difference between the distance D1 and the second distance D2 is about 0 mm to 0.5 mm, such as about 0.1 mm to 0.4 mm. In one embodiment, if the alignment mark 108 is in the center of the square area 120, the distance difference between the first distance D1 and the second distance D2 is 0 mm.

  Briefly, in some embodiments, the side length L of this square area 120 is about 2 mm to 5 mm, such as about 3 mm to 4 mm. The distances D1 and D2 from the alignment mark 108 to the two sides connected to the corner 114 are each independently about 0.1 mm to 4.9 mm, such as about 1 mm to 4 mm or about 2 mm to 3 mm. can do. The distance difference between the distances D1 and D2 can be about 0 mm to 0.5 mm, for example, about 0.1 mm to 0.4 mm.

  It should be noted that the alignment point of the alignment mark 108 can be provided at a different position depending on the design of each product, and it is sufficient if the observation module 118 can observe and align the position. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment of FIG. 3B.

  Reference is now made to FIGS. 1A-1B. As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1B, after the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 are aligned, the first substrate 102 and the second substrate 104 are bonded to complete the touch panel 100.

  Reference is now made to FIG. 4, which shows various alignment marks in another embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in FIG. 4, alignment marks 108A, 108B, 108C, 108D. May be circular, square, rectangular, circular or any other suitable shape.

  5 to 6A, FIG. 5 is a plan view of the first substrate 102 in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 6A-6A ′ of FIG. FIG. The first substrate 102 includes a sensitive layer 122 provided thereon. In one embodiment, the sensitive layer 122 is provided on the first region 116A and the second region 116B surrounds the sensitive layer 122. The sensitive layer 122 includes a plurality of first axial induction electrodes 122A arranged along the first axial direction X1 and a plurality of second axial induction electrodes 122B arranged along the second axial direction X2. The plurality of first axial induction electrodes 122A and the plurality of second axial induction electrodes 122B are electrically insulated from each other, and the first axial direction X1 is perpendicular to the second axial direction X2. It is.

  The sensitive layer 122 further includes a plurality of connection lines 124 that connect the adjacent first axial induction electrodes 122 </ b> A, and the second axial induction electrodes 122 </ b> B are provided on both sides of the connection lines 124. The first substrate 102 further includes a bridge connection structure 126 provided on the sensitive layer 122. The bridge connection structure 126 includes two second axial induction electrodes 122B (for example, 122B1 and 122B2) adjacent in the second axial direction X2. ) Electrically.

  The sensitive layer 122 is further provided on a plurality of dummy electrodes 128, and includes an area provided except for the first axial induction electrode 122A and the plurality of second axial induction electrodes 122B in the first region. As shown in FIG. 5, in some embodiments, the alignment mark 108 is provided in an area corresponding to the dummy electrode 128 on the first substrate 102 and may be placed above the dummy electrode 128, or a dummy Although it is the area of the electrode 128, it may be provided without being connected to the dummy electrode 128. Further, the dummy electrode 128 is not electrically connected to the first axial induction electrode 122A and the second axial induction electrode 122B.

  Examples of the material of the first axial induction electrode 122A, the second axial induction electrode 122B, the connection line 124, the bridge connection structure 126, and the dummy electrode 128 include indium tin oxide (ITO), tin oxide (TO), and indium oxide. Tin (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), indium tin zinc oxide (ITZO), antimony tin oxide (ATO), antimony zinc oxide (AZO), combinations thereof, or other adaptations It may be a transparent conductive material such as a transparent conductive material. The first axial induction electrode 122A, the second axial induction electrode 122B, the connection line 124, the bridge connection structure 126, and the dummy electrode 128 can be formed by a deposition process and a process such as lithography and etching. The deposition process may be sputtering, electroplating, resistance heating evaporation, electron beam evaporation, or any other suitable deposition method. This etching process includes dry etching, wet etching, or a combination thereof. In another embodiment, the bridge connection structure 126 may include a metallic material.

  FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of the first substrate 102 in another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6A, the alignment mark 108 is a through hole in the dummy electrode 128, and it completely penetrates the dummy electrode 128.

  Specifically, in one embodiment, a transparent conductive material layer is first deposited over the first substrate 102, and then the transparent conductive material layer is patterned by a lithography and etching process, respectively, to form a first axis. A dummy electrode 128 having a through hole which is the direction induction electrode 122A, the second axial direction induction electrode 122B, the connection line 124, and the alignment mark 108 is formed.

  In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6B, the first substrate 102 further comprises an insulating layer 130 provided on the sensitive layer 122, which insulating layer 130 includes the sensitive layer 122 and the bridge connection structure 126. The insulating part 130 </ b> A provided therebetween and the alignment mark 108 provided on the dummy electrode 128 of the sensitive layer 122 are provided. In short, in this embodiment, the alignment mark 108 is a tangible pattern made of an insulating material.

  Specifically, for the material of the insulating layer 130 (that is, the material provided in the insulating portion 130A and the sensitive layer 122), polyimide (Polyimide), polypropylene (Polypropylene), acrylic resin (Acrylic), silicon oxide (Silicon Dioxide, SiO2). ), Silicon nitride (Si3N4), aluminum oxide (Aluminum Oxide, Al2O3), or hexamethyldisilazane (Hexamethyldisilazane, HMDS), or combinations thereof, or any other suitable insulating material. Also good.

  Further, in one embodiment, an insulating material layer is first deposited over the first substrate 102, and then the dielectric material layer is patterned by a lithography and etching process, respectively, to form the insulating portion 130A and the alignment mark 108 ( That is, the insulating layer 130) may be formed. Therefore, in this embodiment, the height of the insulating portion 130A is the same as the height of the alignment mark 108.

  In another embodiment, refer to FIG. 6C. In this embodiment, the alignment mark is an insulating block 130B in the dummy electrode 128 area. Specifically, the dummy electrode 128 is provided with a through hole, and the insulating block 130B is disposed and inserted into the through hole, and the insulating block is not connected to the dummy electrode.

  It should be noted that in some embodiments, the alignment mark 108 is a structure formed of a transparent material, but the alignment mark 108 may be observed by the observation module 118 with light of a specific wavelength. It should be noted that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

  7A to 7B are cross-sectional views of the first substrate 102 according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7A is a plan view of the first substrate 102 in another embodiment of the present invention. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7B-7B 'of FIG. 7A. The structure of this embodiment is substantially the same as the structure of the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6A, and the difference is that the alignment mark 108 of this embodiment is a watermark network structure 134 in the dummy electrode 128. . Here, the net-like portion may be the same transparent conductive material as the sensitive layer 122.

  Specifically, in one embodiment, the alignment mark 108 may be the same insulating material as that of the insulating portion 130A, and may be formed in the same process as the insulating portion 130A. However, in another embodiment, the alignment mark 108 may be the same transparent conductive material as the sensitive layer 122 and may be formed in the same process as the sensitive layer 122. For those having general knowledge in this technical field, the alignment mark 108 may also be made of the same conductive material or metal material as the bridge connection structure 126, and formed in the same process as the bridge connection structure 126. Can be understood.

  As described above, in this structure, the alignment mark 108 is designed to be positioned in the first region 116A of the first substrate 102, that is, by being positioned in the visible area of the touch panel 100, the first substrate can be formed with a single observation module. Since the first substrate and the second substrate can be aligned by simultaneously observing the alignment marks of the second substrate and the corner angle of the second substrate, the possibility of alignment errors can be reduced once. Accuracy can be improved. In the present application, first, the first substrate and the second substrate are moved to a very close distance (for example, about 1 mm to 5 mm), and then aligned and bonded together. Since the two substrates separated from each other are not moved and bonded together, the embodiment of the present invention can reduce an error in moving and bonding the two substrates. In some embodiments, the present invention can reduce substrate bonding errors to 0.1 mm or less, such as 0.05 mm or less.

  It should be noted that none of the above module sizes, module parameters, and module shapes are limiting conditions of the present invention. Those who have general knowledge in this technical field can adjust these set values according to various needs. Moreover, the touch panel and its manufacturing method of this invention are not limited only to the state illustrated in FIGS. 1-7B. The present invention may simply include any one or more features of any one or more of the embodiments of FIGS. In other words, all the illustrated features do not have to be performed simultaneously in the touch panel of the present invention and the manufacturing method thereof.

(Appendix)
The alignment mark has a length of 0.03 mm to 0.5 mm and a width of 0.02 mm to 0.1 mm.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Touch panel 102 1st board | substrate 104 2nd board | substrate 108 Alignment mark 108A Alignment mark 108B Alignment mark 108C Alignment mark 108D Alignment mark 108L Length 108W Width 112 Shielding layer 114 Corner angle 116A 1st area | region 116B 2nd area | region 118 Observation module 120 Square area 122A First axial direction induction electrode 122B Second axial direction induction electrode 122B1 Second axial direction induction electrode 122B2 Second axial direction induction electrode 124 Connection line 126 Bridge connection structure 128 Dummy electrode 130 Insulating layer 130A Insulating part 130B Insulating block 132 Adhesive layer 134 watermark network structure S1 first side S2 second side D1 distance D2 distance D3 distance L side length X1 first axis direction X2 second axis direction 6A-6A ′ Minute 7B-7B 'line segment

Claims (11)

A first substrate having a first region having at least one alignment mark and a second region provided around the first region;
A second substrate provided on the first substrate;
With
The first substrate is a sensitive substrate;
The second substrate is a transparent substrate;
A shielding layer is provided around the surface of the second substrate,
The shielding layer is disposed corresponding to the second region of the first substrate;
The shielding layer includes a first side and a second side close to the alignment mark,
The first side and the second side constitute a corner ,
The at least one alignment mark is located inside the shielding layer;
Touch panel. The material of the shielding layer is a black resist or black printing ink,
The touch panel according to claim 1. When the shortest distance from the center line of the alignment mark to the first side is the first distance and the shortest distance from the center line of the alignment mark to the second side is the second distance, the first distance The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein a distance difference between the second distance and the second distance is 0 mm to 0.5 mm. The first substrate further includes
Comprising a sensitive layer provided on the first substrate;
The sensitive layer includes a plurality of first axial induction electrodes, a plurality of second axial induction electrodes, and a dummy electrode,
The plurality of first axial induction electrodes and the plurality of second axial induction electrodes are electrically insulated from each other;
The first axial direction of the first axial induction electrode is perpendicular to the second axial direction of the second axial induction electrode;
The dummy electrode is provided in an area outside the plurality of first axial induction electrodes and the plurality of second axial induction electrodes in the first region,
The alignment mark is provided in an area corresponding to the dummy electrode in the first substrate.
The touch panel according to claim 1. The first substrate further includes
A bridge connection structure provided on the sensitive layer, which electrically connects two adjacent second axial induction electrodes in the second axial direction;
An insulating layer provided on the sensitive layer;
With
The insulating layer is
An insulating portion provided between the sensitive layer and the bridge connection structure;
The alignment mark provided on the dummy electrode of the sensitive layer;
Comprising
The touch panel according to claim 4. The alignment mark is a tangible pattern made of an insulating material.
The touch panel according to claim 4 or 5. The alignment mark is a watermark network structure in the dummy electrode.
The touch panel according to claim 4. The alignment mark is a cross, circle, square or rectangle.
The touch panel according to any one of claims 1 to 7. Providing a first substrate as a sensitive substrate including alignment marks;
Providing a second substrate as a transparent substrate;
Providing a shielding layer around the surface of the second substrate, the shielding layer having a first side and a second side to form at least one corner;
Disposing the first substrate and the second substrate opposite to each other, and separating the first substrate and the second substrate by a third distance;
The alignment mark of the first substrate located inside the shielding layer and the corner angle of the second substrate are simultaneously observed with a single observation module to position the first substrate and the second substrate. To match,
After aligning the first substrate and the second substrate, bonding the first substrate and the second substrate;
A method for manufacturing a touch panel including: The material of the shielding layer is a black resist or black printing ink,
The manufacturing method of the touch panel of Claim 9. The first substrate comprises a first region and a second region provided around the first region;
The alignment mark is provided in the first region, and the second region is disposed corresponding to the shielding layer of the second substrate.
The manufacturing method of the touchscreen of Claim 9 or 10.