Patent ID: 8354143
Filing Date: 2013-01-15
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method of manufacturing a touch screen, said method comprising: providing a substrate; coating by sputtering in a sputter chamber an unheated surface of said substrate with an uncured conductive coating, said uncured conductive coating comprising an indium/tin/suboxide thin film coating; disposing at said unheated substrate surface an uncured conductive paste material at least over a portion of said uncured conductive coating to establish a precursor of at least one conductive electrode at said substrate surface; disposing at said unheated substrate surface an uncured hardcoat material over at least one of said uncured conductive coating and said uncured conductive paste material to establish a precursor of a protective hardcoat at least over at least one of said uncured conductive coating and said uncured conductive paste material; commonly heat curing said uncured hardcoat material, said uncured conductive coating and said uncured conductive paste material via a common thermal curing and firing process in a nitrogen rich atmosphere; wherein said indium/tin/suboxide thin film coating is transformed during said common thermal curing and firing process to a cured indium tin oxide transparent conductive coating suitable for use for a touch screen, and wherein said cured indium tin oxide transparent conductive coating has a sheet resistance of less than about 8000 ohms per square; wherein said uncured conductive paste material is transformed during said common thermal curing and firing process to at least one cured conductive electrode suitable for use for a touch screen; and wherein said uncured hardcoat material is transformed during said common thermal curing and firing process to a cured protective hardcoat suitable for use for a touch screen.