Abstract:
The present disclosure relates to a touch panel and a manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly, relates to a touch panel having a shielding layer. A manufacturing method of the touch panel provided in the present disclosure comprises of the steps of forming a plurality of first conductive axes and a plurality of second conductive units on a substrate; covering the first conductive axes and the second conductive units with an insulating layer and exposing at least a partial set of second conductive units; and forming a plurality of bridging structures and a shielding layer on the insulating layer simultaneously, wherein the bridging structures electrically connect to the second conductive units. The proposed method allows the shielding layer to be formed during the formation of the bridging structures, thereby eliminating the step of forming the shielding layer separately through an independent process, which saves costs and time.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of Chinese application No. 201210150711.8, filed on May 16, 2012. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Technical Field 
         [0003]    The present disclosure relates to a touch panel and a manufacturing method thereof, and in particular relates to a touch panel having a shielding layer. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Existing consumer electronic products such as personal digital assistants, mobile phones, notebooks and tablet computers widely use touch panels as interface totals for information communication. In addition, with growing demand for higher efficiency electronic products, they are be designed with an objective of being light, thin, short and smart, so there is no sufficient space now available containing traditional input devices such as keyboard and mouse along with the product. 
         [0006]    In order to avoid electronic signal interference while a touch panel sends or receives signals, a shielding layer is added to the touch panel thereby enhancing the capability of counter-interference for the touch panel on the principle of shielding static-electricity. However, formation of an additional shielding layer requires an individual process step, which increases the manufacture cost and makes manufacturing process more complex. 
       SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE 
       [0007]    The present disclosure provides a touch panel and a manufacturing method thereof, which includes manufacturing of a shielding layer simultaneously during the manufacturing process of the touch panel thereby eliminating an additional manufacturing step for the shielding layer. 
         [0008]    The present disclosure further provides a manufacturing method of touch panels, which includes the following steps: forming a plurality of first conductive axes and a plurality of second conductive units on a substrate; covering the first conductive axes and the second conductive units with an insulating layer and exposing at least partial second conductive units; and forming a plurality of bridging structures and a shielding layer on the insulating layer, wherein the bridging structures electrically connect to the second conductive units. 
         [0009]    The present disclosure also provides a manufacturing method of touch panels, which includes the following steps: forming a plurality of bridging structures and a shielding layer on a substrate simultaneously; covering the bridging structures and the shielding layer with an insulating layer and exposing at least partial bridging structures; providing a plurality of first conductive axes and a plurality of second conductive units, wherein at least partial second conductive units are electrically connected to the bridging structures. 
         [0010]    The present disclosure also provides a touch panel comprising a plurality of first conductive axes and a plurality of second conductive units; an insulating layer covering the first conductive axes and the second conductive units and exposing at least partial second conductive units; a plurality of bridging structures and a shielding layer on the insulating layer, and the bridging structures being electrically connected to the partial second conductive units, wherein materials of the shielding layer and the bridging structures being same, Which are formed during a common manufacturing process. 
         [0011]    An advantageous feature of the present disclosure is that the shielding layer can be formed simultaneously during the process of forming the bridging structures by using the same materials, thereby eliminating the original individual process step needed for forming the shielding layer, which can save costs and time. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    For those skilled in the art to understand the present disclosure, numerous embodiments and drawings described below are for illustration purpose only; and not to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any manner. 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a top-viewed schematic diagram of a touch panel in a first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a top-viewed schematic diagram of the structure in the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3A  is a top-viewed, schematic diagram of an insulating layer in the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3B  is a top-viewed schematic diagram of the insulating layer in the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4A  is a top-viewed schematic diagram of bridging structures and shielding layer in the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0018]      FIG. 4B  is a top-viewed schematic diagram of the bridging structures and the shielding layer in the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0019]      FIG. 5A  is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the touch panel cut along cross-sectional line II′ of  FIG. 4B  in the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0020]      FIG. 5B  is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the touch panel in the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the touch panel in a second embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0022]      FIG. 7A  is a top-viewed schematic diagram of bridging structures and shielding layer in the second embodiment of the resent disclosure. 
           [0023]      FIG. 7B  is a top-viewed schematic diagram of the bridging structures and the shielding layers in accordance with another implementing model of the second embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0024]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a touch panel in a third embodiment of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
       [0025]    In order to make a person ordinarily skilled in the art familiar with technical field of present disclosure, following text particularly lists several preferable embodiments of the present disclosure described with reference made to attached drawings. The present disclosure also illustrates in detail the constituent components of the present disclosure and the efficiency to be achieved. 
         [0026]      FIG. 1  is a top-viewed schematic diagram of a touch panel in a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The first embodiment of the present disclosure provides a manufacturing method of a touch panel  1 , which includes the steps of forming a plurality of first conductive axes  20  and a plurality of second conductive units  32  on a substrate  10 , wherein each of the first conductive axes  20  are formed by connecting a plurality of first conductive its  22  in series with a plurality of connection line sections  24  between two adjacent first conductive units  22 . The first conductive axes  20  are arranged in parallel along a first direction (such as Y axis), and the second conductive units  32  are separated from the first conductive axes  20  mutually and are electrically insulated from each other. In addition, in the current exemplary embodiment, the first conductive units  22  and the second conductive units  32  are substantially presented in a diamond shape, which of course can be changed and shaped/configured based on specific requirements in any manner and is not limited to diamond shape. 
         [0027]      FIG. 2  is a top-viewed schematic diagram of the touch panel in the first embodiment. The embodiment of the present disclosure includes forming a plurality of conductive lines  40  that are electrically connected to a partial set of first conductive axes  20  and to a partial set of second conductive units  32 . Material of the conductive lines  40  can be selected from metals such as aluminum, copper and silver, or other transparent conductive materials. Various conductive lines  40  are connected to an external touch chip (not shown) for transmitting signals sent by the touch panel to the touch chip. 
         [0028]    In  FIG. 3 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, substrate  10 , first conductive axis  20 , and second conductive unit  32  are covered with an insulating layer  50 . Observed from a top-viewed diagram of the insulating layer patterns as shown in  FIG. 3A , a plurality of opening holes  52  are located on the insulating layer  50 . The insulating layer  50  is layered onto the substrate as shown in  FIG. 3B , and the opening holes  52  expose the partial second conductive units  32  and act as the contact holes for bridging structures in the subsequent manufacturing process. In the embodiment, the insulating layer  50  is made of various non-conductive materials such as Polyimide, SiO 2 , SiN, SiCN and SiC. 
         [0029]    In accordance with one aspect of the present invention a plurality of bridging structures and a shielding layer are formed simultaneously on an insulating layer  50 . With reference to  FIG. 4A˜4B ,  FIG. 4A  is a top-viewed diagram of bridging structures  62  and a shielding layer  64 . As shown in  FIG. 4B , the bridging structures  62  and the shielding layer  64  cover the insulating layer  50 . Each bridging structure  62  represents a bridging shape viewed from a lateral side, crossing the insulating layer  50  and connecting two adjacent second conductive units  32 , which makes the second conductive units  32  connected in series to form a plurality of second conductive axes  30 . The shielding layer  64  and the bridging structures  62  are formed simultaneously. The shielding layer  64  surrounds the bridging structures  62 , which are separated by a gap  66  in-between in order to actualize electrical separation and avoid interference caused by mutual contact.  FIG. 5A  is a cross-sectional diagram of the touch panel cut along the cross-sectional line II′ of  FIG. 4B  in the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Since the shielding layer  64  and the bridging structures  62  are manufactured simultaneously in the present disclosure, the both material and thickness of the shielding layer  64  and the bridging structures  62  are the same. Compared with a well-known technology, the proposed process for forming shielding layer does not require a separate process, which results in significant cost-saving and time-saving. 
         [0030]    In another embodiment, a protective layer  70  covers shielding layer  64  and bridging structure  62 , as shown in  FIG. 5B , to protect the components from being subject to damages of water vapor and oxygen. The protective layer  70  includes inorganic materials such as silicon nitride, silicon oxide and silicon oxynitide, and organic materials such as acrylic resin and other suitable materials. Material of the protective layer  70  fills the gap  66  for better protection of the touch panel  1 . In another embodiment, the touch panel  1  made by the disclosed manufacturing method can include a liquid crystal display layer and other optical assemblies (not shown in FIG) onto the protective layer  70 . The present disclosure can be applied to various touch panels such as a traditional touch panel using two pieces of substrates, in which conductive axes and conductive units are formed over a first substrate, and a second substrate (cover glass) covers the fit substrate and provides a touch plane. In a further embodiment, a single piece of substrate can also be used, of which one side provides a touch plane and on other side, conductive axes and conductive units are formed to constitute a structure of ‘Touch On Lens’ so as to save cost and reduce weight. 
         [0031]    It should be noted that first conductive axes  20  are arranged in parallel along a first direction (such as Y axis), and a second conductive axes  30  formed by connecting bridging structures  62  and various second conductive units  32  in series are arranged in parallel along a second direction such as X axis. The first direction being mutually vertical to the second direction and/or can be modified suitable based on practical requirements and designs. In another embodiment, one end of shielding layer  64  can be connected to the ground to shield interference from other electronic elements by static-electricity and further to promote stability of the touch panel. 
         [0032]    Compared with the prior art, proposed method of the touch panel allows manufacturing of shielding layer and bridging structures to be done at the same time, which simplifies the manufacturing process and resists interference from outside electronic signals and promotes stability of the touch panel. 
         [0033]    Following embodiments relate to touch panels. In order to simplify the illustration, following content elaborates differences of various embodiments and does not describe already discussed elements/features again. Identical elements in various embodiments of the present disclosure are marked with identical labels to benefit mutual contrast between various embodiments. 
         [0034]    Referring to  FIG. 6 ,  FIG. 7A  and  FIG. 7B , second embodiment of the present disclosure is identical to the first embodiment. A touch panel  2  comprises substrate  10  on which a plurality of first conductive axes  20  and a plurality of second conductive units  32  are disposed. An insulating layer  50  covers the substrate  10 , the first conductive axes  20 , and the second conductive units  32 , and partially exposes the second conductive units  32 . Bridging structure  68  and shielding layer  64  can be formed simultaneously. Touch panel  2  further comprises a plurality of conductive lines  40  electrically connected to a partial set of first conductive axes  20  and to the second conductive units  32 . When compared with the first embodiment of the present disclosure, in the first embodiment, bridging structure  68  is a strip-shaped structure connecting two adjacent second conductive units  32  simultaneously, whereas in the second embodiment, the bridging structure  68  is a strip-shaped structure connecting a plurality of second conductive units  32  simultaneously so as to form a plurality of second conductive axes  30 .  FIG. 7A  illustrates a top-view diagram of bridging structure  68  and shielding layer  64 . Bridging structure  68  is a strip-shaped structure, surrounded by shielding layer  64 , one end of which is connected to the ground. In another embodiment shown in  FIG. 7B , both the bridging structure  68  and the shielding layer  64  have a strip-shaped structure, which are mutually arranged in parallel. In  FIG. 7B , the touch panel also includes an earthing line  72 , of which one branched end is connected to the shielding layer and other end is connected to the ground so as to achieve static-electrical shielding. Compared with the first embodiment conductive axis of this embodiment is a strip-shaped structure and is relatively easy for being produced during manufacturing process, which further simplifies the manufacturing process. Materials of elements used in this embodiment are identical to those in the first embodiment, and therefore they are not described again. 
         [0035]    With reference to FIG  8 , difference between third embodiment and the first embodiment is to reverse the manufacturing procedure over the substrate  10 . A touch panel  3  has a substrate  10  on which bridging structures  62  and shielding layer  64  are formed initially and are then separated by a gap  66  in-between. An insulating layer  50  covers the bridging structures  62  and the shielding layer  64  to expose at least partial bridging structures  62 . Subsequently, a plurality of first conductive axes  20  and a plurality of second conductive units  32  are formed. It should be noted that second conductive units  32  are contacted with bridging strictures  62  via opening holes  52  on insulating layer  50 . In other words, every two second conductive units  32  are electrically connected via a bridging stricture  62 , while the various second conductive units  32  are conducted mutually and are connected in series to form the second conductive axes. Finally, a protective layer  70  covers the formed structure to finish manufacturing of the touch panel in the third embodiment. Similarly the third embodiment can be combined with the second embodiment to form bridging structure  62  in a strip-shaped structure for being electrically connected to a plurality of second conductive units  32 . The touch panel can also be applied to multiple different products, which is equivalent to the description of the first preferable embodiment, and therefore includes use of the stricture of Touch On Lens. 
         [0036]    In the foregoing embodiment of the present disclosure, material of the substrate  10  can be selected from transparent materials such as glass, PMMA, PVC, PP, PET, PEN, PC and PS, but is not limited thereto. Materials of first conductive axes  20 , second conductive units  32 , and conductive lines  40  can include various transparent conductive materials such as ITO, IZO, CTO, AZO, ITZO, zinc oxide, cadmium oxide, HfO, InGaZnO, InGaZnMgO, InGaMgO, InGaAlO, Graphene, Ag nanowire or CNT, but is not limited thereto. 
         [0037]    It can be understood that the touch panel of the present disclosure is not limited to the structure or the method illustrated in the foregoing embodiment. As long as the mechanisms for manufacturing accord with that the first conductive axes and the second conductive axes are located on a same layer, while the bridging structures and the shielding layer are located on another laver, the material and the thickness of the bridging structures being identical to those of the shielding layer, or that the bridging structures and the shielding layer are manufactured simultaneously, they are belonging to the scope covered by the present disclosure. 
         [0038]    While certain embodiments have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been described by way of illustration and not limitations.