PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9733331-B2
Application Number: US-201213710233-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Method of manufacturing touch sensors

Abstract:
Roll-to-roll processes for manufacturing touch sensors on a plastic base film are provided. The touch sensors can be deposited on the base film using various patterning techniques. One or more shorting bars can also be patterned onto the base film to couple together traces, such as drive lines, sense lines, conductive traces, and the like, of the touch sensor to prevent a potential difference from forming between traces due to static buildup during the manufacturing process. After the touch sensor is fully formed on the base film, the touch sensor can be removed from the base film using lithography or a physical cutting process. The removal process can separate the touch sensor from the one or more shorting bars, thereby uncoupling the traces of the touch sensor.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 forming a touch sensor on a sheet of base film, the touch sensor comprising one or more bond pads including a first bond pad and a second bond pad formed on the base film, said first and second bond pads connecting to conductive traces at a first side of the touch sensor; 
 forming a first shorting bar coupling together two or more contacts of the first bond pad at the first side of the touch sensor; 
 forming a second shorting bar coupling together two or more contacts of the second bond pad at the first side of the touch sensor, wherein the second shorting bar is disconnected from the first shorting bar while the first shorting bar is coupling together two or more contacts of the first bond pad and the second shorting bar is coupling together two or more contacts of the second bond pad; and 
 removing the touch sensor from the sheet of base film; and thereafter separating, the touch sensor from the first shorting bar and the second shorting bar. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sheet of base film comprises cyclo olefin polymer. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein removing the touch sensor from the sheet of base film is performed using a die cut process. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein removing the touch sensor from the sheet of base film is performed using a laser cut process. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein removing the touch sensor from the sheet of base film is performed using lithography. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first bond pad for the touch sensor extends beyond an edge of the corresponding touch sensor. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first shorting bar couples together all contacts of the first bond pad. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein removing the touch sensor from the base film comprises cutting the one or more bond pads along a line intersecting the first and second bond pads. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first bond pad is coupled to a plurality of drive lines, and the second bond pad is coupled to a plurality of sense lines. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , the touch sensor further comprising a third bond pad and a fourth bond pad, wherein:
 the first bond pad is coupled to a first end of the plurality of drive lines; 
 the second bond pad is coupled to a first end of the plurality of sense lines; 
 the third bond pad is coupled to a second end of the plurality of drive lines; and 
 the fourth bond pad is coupled to a second end of the plurality of sense lines. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , the touch sensor further comprising a third shorting bar and a fourth shorting bar, wherein:
 the third shorting bar is coupled to the third bond pad; and 
 the fourth shorting bar is coupled to the fourth bond pad. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises, before removing the touch sensor from the base film:
 measuring an impedance of the plurality of drive lines using the first shorting bar and the third shorting bar; and 
 measuring an impedance of the plurality of sense lines using the second shorting bar and the fourth shorting bar.

Description:
FIELD 
     This relates generally to touch sensors and, more specifically, to roll-to-roll processes for manufacturing touch sensors. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Many types of input devices are presently available for performing operations in a computing system, such as buttons or keys, mice, trackballs, joysticks, touch sensor panels, touch screens, and the like. Touch sensitive devices, such as touch screens, in particular, are becoming increasingly popular because of their ease and versatility of operation. A touch sensitive device can include a touch sensor panel, which can be a clear panel with a touch-sensitive surface, and a display device, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, that can be positioned partially or fully behind the panel so that the touch-sensitive surface can cover at least a portion of the viewable area of the display device. The touch sensitive device can allow a user to perform various functions by touching the touch sensor panel using a finger, stylus, or other object at a location often dictated by a user interface (UI) being displayed by the display device. In general, the touch sensitive device can recognize a touch event and the position of the touch event on the touch sensor panel, and the computing system can then interpret the touch event in accordance with the display appearing at the time of the touch event, and thereafter can perform one or more actions based on the touch event. 
     Many processes have been developed to manufacture these touch sensors. For example, conventional roll-to-roll processes involve patterning electronic devices onto rolls of thin, flexible plastic or metal foil. These devices can then be removed from the roll using lithography or a physical cutting process. These roll-to-roll processes can reduce the amount of time and money required to manufacture touch sensors. However, when using roll-to-roll processes to manufacture a touch sensor onto a flexible plastic material, static electricity can build up, causing short periods of high current in the touch sensor circuitry when the static electricity is discharged. This can damage the conductive traces of the touch sensor, resulting in undesirable open circuits. Thus, improved plastic roll-to-roll processes are desired. 
     SUMMARY 
     This relates to roll-to-roll processes for manufacturing touch sensors on a plastic base film. The touch sensors can be deposited on the base film using various patterning techniques. One or more shorting bars can also be patterned onto the base film to couple together traces, such as drive lines, sense lines, conductive traces, and the like, of the touch sensor to prevent a potential difference from forming between traces due to static buildup during the manufacturing process. After the touch sensor is fully formed on the base film, the touch sensor can be removed from the base film using lithography or a physical cutting process. The removal process can separate the touch sensor from the one or more shorting bars, thereby uncoupling the traces of the touch sensor. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary touch sensor according to various examples. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a top view of an exemplary touch sensor having shorting bars according to various examples. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary process for manufacturing a touch sensor having shorting bars according to various examples. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary mother sheet containing multiple touch sensors having shorting bars according to various examples. 
         FIGS. 5-12  illustrate a touch sensor at various stages of manufacture according to various examples. 
         FIG. 13  illustrates an exemplary system for manufacturing a touch sensor having shorting bars according to various examples. 
         FIGS. 14-17  illustrate exemplary personal devices having a touch sensor manufactured using shorting bars according to various examples. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following description of the disclosure and examples, reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which it is shown by way of illustration specific examples that can be practiced. It is to be understood that other examples can be practiced and structural changes can be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. 
     This relates to roll-to-roll processes for manufacturing touch sensors on a plastic base film. The touch sensors can be deposited on the base film using various patterning techniques. One or more shorting bars can also be patterned onto the base film to couple together traces, such as drive lines, sense lines, conductive traces, and the like, of the touch sensor to prevent or reduce the amount of potential difference between traces due to static buildup during the manufacturing process. After the touch sensor is fully formed on the base film, the touch sensor can be removed from the base film using lithography or a physical cutting process. The removal process can separate the touch sensor from the one or more shorting bars, thereby uncoupling the traces of the touch sensor. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates touch sensor  100  that can be used to detect touch events on a touch sensitive device, such as a mobile phone, tablet, touchpad, portable computer, portable media player, or the like. Touch sensor  100  can include an array of touch regions or nodes  105  that can be formed at the crossing points between rows of drive lines  101  (D0-D3) and columns of sense lines  103  (S0-S4). Each touch region  105  can have an associated mutual capacitance Csig  111  formed between the crossing drive lines  101  and sense lines  103  when the drive lines are stimulated. The drive lines  101  can be stimulated by stimulation signals  107  provided by drive circuitry (not shown) and can include an alternating current (AC) waveform. The sense lines  103  can transmit touch signals  109  indicative of a touch at the touch sensor  100  to sense circuitry (not shown), which can include a sense amplifier for each sense line, or a fewer number of sense amplifiers that can be multiplexed to connect to a larger number of sense lines. 
     To sense a touch at the touch sensor  100 , drive lines  101  can be stimulated by the stimulation signals  107  to capacitively couple with the crossing sense lines  103 , thereby forming a capacitive path for coupling charge from the drive lines  101  to the sense lines  103 . The crossing sense lines  103  can output touch signals  109 , representing the coupled charge or current. When an object, such as a stylus, finger, etc., touches the touch sensor  100 , the object can cause the capacitance Csig  111  to reduce by an amount ΔCsig at the touch location. This capacitance change ΔCsig can be caused by charge or current from the stimulated drive line  101  being shunted through the touching object to ground rather than being coupled to the crossing sense line  103  at the touch location. The touch signals  109  representative of the capacitance change ΔCsig can be transmitted by the sense lines  103  to the sense circuitry for processing. The touch signals  109  can indicate the touch region where the touch occurred and the amount of touch that occurred at that touch region location. 
     While the example shown in  FIG. 1  includes four drive lines  101  and five sense lines  103 , it should be appreciated that touch sensor  100  can include any number of drive lines  101  and any number of sense lines  103  to form the desired number and pattern of touch regions  105 . Additionally, while the drive lines  101  and sense lines  103  are shown in  FIG. 1  in a crossing configuration, it should be appreciated that other configurations are also possible to form the desired touch region pattern. While  FIG. 1  illustrates mutual capacitance touch sensing, other touch sensing technologies may also be used in conjunction with examples of the disclosure, such as self-capacitance touch sensing, resistive touch sensing, projection scan touch sensing, and the like. Furthermore, while various examples describe a sensed touch, it should be appreciated that the touch sensor  100  can also sense a hovering object and generate hover signals therefrom. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a top-view of exemplary touch sensor  200  that can be incorporated within a device, such as a touch sensitive phone, portable media player, tablet computer, or the like. For purposes of explanation, drive lines  101  and sense lines  103  (represented by the dashed lines) are shown in the viewable area  201  of touch sensor  200 . However, it should be appreciated that drive lines  101  and sense lines  103  can be made from transparent, or at least substantially transparent, materials, such as indium tin oxide (ITO), silicon oxide, other transparent oxides, or the like. As such, drive lines  101  and sense lines  103  may not be visible to the user. 
     Touch sensor  200  can include conductive traces  203  (represented by the solid lines) for coupling drive lines  101  and sense lines  103  to bond pads  205 . Bond pads  205  can be used to couple drive lines  101  and sense lines  103  to circuitry for driving drive lines  101  and circuitry for interpreting touch signals from sense lines  103 . In some examples, conductive traces  203  may be made from a non-transparent material, such as copper or other metals. 
     As discussed above, touch sensors, such as touch sensors  100  and  200 , and touch sensitive devices can be manufactured using roll-to-roll processes. However, when using these processes with plastic mother sheets or base films, static charge can build up between traces, such as drive lines  101 , sense lines  103 , and conductive traces  203 . If a sufficient amount of charge is generated, short periods of high current can occur in these traces. This can damage the conductive traces of the touch sensor, resulting in undesirable open circuits. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary roll-to-roll process  300  that can be used to manufacture touch sensors, such as touch sensors  100  and  200 , and other touch sensitive electronic devices. Process  300  can include the use of a shorting bar to couple together the traces of the touch sensors or touch sensitive devices during the manufacturing process, thereby preventing or reducing the potential difference between traces due to static buildup. Once the manufacturing process is complete, the shorting bar can be separated from the touch sensors or touch sensitive devices. 
     At block  301  of process  300 , a touch sensor or touch sensitive device can be formed on a base film. To illustrate,  FIG. 4  shows multiple touch sensors  200  formed on a sheet of base film  401 . In some examples, the sheet of base film  401  can include a flexible plastic material, such as cyclo olefin polymer (COP), and a touch sensor similar or identical to touch sensors  100  or  200  can be formed on the sheet of base film  401  using any known patterning technique, such as deposition or photolithography. As an example,  FIGS. 5-12  illustrate the formation of touch sensor  200  on a sheet of COP base film  401  at various stages of manufacture using an exemplary etching process. 
     Initially,  FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary sheet of COP base film  401  having a hard-coat (HC) layer, index matching (IM) layer, indium tin oxide (ITO) layer  503 , and copper layer  505 . The HC layer and IM layer have been combined into a single HC and IM layer  501  for simplicity, but it should be appreciated that these layers can be separate layers. To form touch sensor  200  on the sheet of COP base film  401 , a layer of dry film resist (DFR)  507  can be laminated onto the copper layer  505  of the sheet of COP base film  401 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . Portions of the DFR layer  507  can then be etched away to define the conductive traces, drive lines, and sense lines of touch sensor  200 , as shown in  FIG. 7 . For example, portions of DFR layer  507  can be etched away to define drive lines  101 , sense lines  103 , and conductive traces  203 . Specifically, portions of DFR layer  507  above drive lines  101 , sense lines  103 , and conductive traces  203  can be left intact while the remaining portions of DFR layer  507  can be etched away. Using the remaining DFR layer  507  as a mask, portions of copper layer  505  and ITO layer  503  can be etched using an appropriate etchant, as shown in  FIG. 8 . The remaining DFR layer  507  can then be etched away, as shown in  FIG. 9 . A second DFR layer  1007  can then be deposited on portions of sheet  401  corresponding to the conductive traces of the device, as shown in  FIG. 10 . For example, a second DFR layer  1007  can be deposited onto conductive traces  203  of touch sensor  200 . Using the second DFR layer  1007  as a mask, portions of copper layer  505  can be etched away, as shown in  FIG. 11 . In the example where the second DFR layer  1007  is deposited onto conductive traces  203  of touch sensor  200 , the portions of copper layer  505  within viewable area  201  can be removed. The second DFR layer  1007  can then be etched away, leaving the drive lines, sense lines, and conductive traces of touch sensor  200 , as shown in  FIG. 12 . For example, using the example provided above, drive lines  101  formed of ITO, sense lines  103  formed of ITO, and conductive traces  203  formed of copper and ITO can be created using this exemplary etching process. 
       FIGS. 5-12  show the patterning of both sides of the sheet of COP base film  401 . It should be appreciated that different components of the touch sensor can be patterned on each side of the sheet of COP base film  401 . For example, the drive lines and associated conductive traces can be patterned on the bottom of the sheet of COP base film  401 , while the sense lines and associated conductive traces can be patterned on the top of the sheet of COP base film  401 . One of ordinary skill in the art can arrange the components of the touch sensor based on its desired application. 
     Referring back to process  300  of  FIG. 3 , after forming the touch sensor on the base film at block  301 , the process can proceed to block  303 . At block  303 , one or more bond pads can be formed on the base film. For example, bond pads similar or identical to bond pads  205  can be formed on a sheet of base film  401  such that they are coupled to conductive traces  203  as shown in  FIG. 2 . In some examples, the bond pads  205  can extend beyond an edge  207  of touch sensor  200 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . The bond pads can be formed using known patterning techniques, such as deposition or photolithography. In some examples, an etching process similar or identical to that described above with respect to  FIGS. 5-12  can be used. In yet other examples, the bond pads can be formed at the same time as the formation of the drive lines, sense lines, and conductive traces at block  301 . For instance, the DFR layer  507  can be deposited over an area of sheet  401  corresponding to drive lines  101 , sense lines  103 , conductive traces  203 , and bond pads  205  to prevent etching of the underlying portions of copper layer  505  and ITO layer  503  in these areas. After etching, the first DFR layer  507  can be removed. The second DFR layer  1007  can then be deposited over an area of sheet  401  corresponding conductive traces  203  and bond pads  205  to prevent etching of the underlying portions of copper layer  505  and ITO layer  503  in these areas, resulting in copper conductive traces  203  and bond pads  205 . Alternatively, the second DFR layer  1007  can be deposited over an area of sheet  401  corresponding to conductive traces  203  to prevent etching of the underlying portions of copper layer  505  and ITO layer  503  in these areas, resulting in copper conductive traces  203  and ITO bond pads  205 . The second DFR layer  1007  can then be removed. 
     Referring back to process  300  of  FIG. 3 , after forming the bond pad on the base film at block  303 , the process can proceed to block  305 . At block  305 , one or more shorting bars can be formed on the base film. The shorting bars can include copper or ITO and can couple together contacts of the bond pads formed at block  303 . For example, bond pads  205  include contacts  209  corresponding to each coupled drive line  101  or sense line  103 . A shorting bar  211  can be formed on a sheet of base film  401  such that they couple together two or more contacts  209  of bond pads  205 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . While shorting bars  211  are shown coupling together all contacts  209  within their respective bond pads  205 , it should be appreciated that other configurations are possible. For example, a single shorting bar  211  can be used to couple together all contacts  209  of all bond pads  205 . In other examples, a first shorting bar  211  can be used to couple together all contacts  209  that are coupled to drive lines  101  and a second shorting bar  211  can be used to coupled together all contacts  209  that are coupled to sense lines  103 . In yet other examples, shorting bars  211  can couple together less than all contacts  209  within a single bond pad  205 . 
     The shorting bars can be formed using known patterning techniques, such as deposition or photolithography. In some examples, an etching process similar or identical to that described above with respect to  FIGS. 5-12  can be used. In yet other examples, the shorting bars can be formed at the same time as formation of the drive lines, sense lines, and conductive traces at block  301  and/or the formation of the bond pads at block  303 . For instance, the DFR layer  507  can be deposited over an area of sheet  401  corresponding to drive lines  101 , sense lines  103 , conductive traces  203 , bond pads  205 , and shorting bars  211  to prevent etching of the underlying portions of copper layer  505  and ITO layer  503  in these areas. After etching, the first DFR layer  507  can be removed. The second DFR layer  1007  can then be deposited over an area of sheet  401  corresponding conductive traces  203 , bond pads  205 , and shorting bars  211  to prevent etching of the underlying portions of copper layer  505  and ITO layer  503  in these areas, resulting in copper conductive traces  203 , bond pads  205 , and shorting bars  211 . Alternatively, the second DFR layer  1007  can be deposited over an area of sheet  401  corresponding to conductive traces  203  and bond pad  205  to prevent etching of the underlying portions of copper layer  505  and ITO layer  503  in these areas, resulting in copper conductive traces  203 , copper bond pads  205 , and ITO shorting bars  211 . The second DFR layer  1007  can then be removed. 
     Referring back to process  300  of  FIG. 3 , after forming the shorting bar on the base film at block  305 , the process can proceed to block  307 . At block  307 , the touch sensor can be removed from the base film. In some examples, the touch sensor can be removed from the base film using lithography or a physical cutting process, such as a die cutting or laser cutting. For example, touch sensors  101  can be separated from sheet  401  in  FIG. 4  by cutting along cut line  403 . In this way, cut line  403  can define the device area of touch sensor  200 . When removing the touch sensor from the base film at block  307 , the shorting bar and, in some examples, a portion of the bond pad may be separated from the touch sensor. For example, to remove touch sensor  200  from the sheet of base film  401  shown in  FIG. 4 , a cut can be made along cut line  403 , thereby separating touch sensor  200  from shorting bar  211  and a portion of bond pads  205 . In other examples, only shorting bars  211  may be separated from touch sensor  200  at block  307 . In either case, separation of shorting bar  211  from touch sensor  200  uncouples the contacts  209  that were previously coupled together by shorting bars  211 . 
     Coupling together contacts  209  of bond pads  205  using one or more shorting bars  211  advantageously prevents or reduces the amount of potential difference that can be generated between traces due to static buildup. Moreover, the shorting bars  211  provide an access point to quickly test touch sensors  100  or  200  during manufacture. For example, probes can be attached to shorting bars  211  coupled to the outer bond pads  205  of touch sensor  200  to measure the impedance of the aggregate of drive lines  101  and associated conductive traces  203 . If the impedance falls outside an expected range of values, it can quickly be determined if a defect has occurred in the drive lines  101  and associated conductive traces  203 . Similarly, the probes can be attached to the shorting bars  211  coupled to the inner bond pads  205  of touch sensor  200  to determine if a defect has occurred in the sense lines  103  and associated conductive traces  203 . It should be appreciated that other configurations of shorting bar  211  are possible and that these configurations can be designed to reduce a potential buildup between selected traces and to allow testing of groups of drive lines  101  and sense lines  103 . 
     One or more of the functions relating to the manufacturing of a touch sensitive device having a shorting bar can be performed by a system similar or identical to system  1300  shown in  FIG. 13 . System  1300  can include instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, such as memory  1303  or storage device  1301 , and executed by processor  1305 . The instructions can also be stored and/or transported within any non-transitory computer readable storage medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. In the context of this document, a “non-transitory computer readable storage medium” can be any medium that can contain or store the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium can include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus or device, a portable computer diskette (magnetic), a random access memory (RAM) (magnetic), a read-only memory (ROM) (magnetic), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) (magnetic), a portable optical disc such a CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, or DVD-RW, or flash memory such as compact flash cards, secured digital cards, USB memory devices, memory sticks, and the like. 
     The instructions can also be propagated within any transport medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. In the context of this document, a “transport medium” can be any medium that can communicate, propagate or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The transport medium can include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic or infrared wired or wireless propagation medium. 
     System  1300  can further include manufacturing device  1307  coupled to processor  1305 . Manufacturing device  1307  can be operable to form a touch sensor or other electronic device on a base film and remove the touch sensor or electronic device from the base film, as discussed above with respect to  FIG. 3 . Processor  1305  can control manufacturing device  1307  and its components to generate a desired pattern of conductive traces, drive lines, sense lines, bond pads, and shorting bars in a manner similar or identical to that described above with respect to process  300 . 
     It is to be understood that the system is not limited to the components and configuration of  FIG. 13 , but can include other or additional components in multiple configurations according to various examples. Additionally, the components of system  1300  can be included within a single device, or can be distributed between two manufacturing device  1307 , in some examples, processor  1305  can be located within manufacturing device  1307 . 
       FIG. 14  illustrates an exemplary personal device  1400 , such as a tablet, that can include a touch sensor made using a shorting bar according to various examples. 
       FIG. 15  illustrates another exemplary personal device  1500 , such as a mobile phone, that can include a touch sensor made using a shorting bar according to various examples. 
       FIG. 16  illustrates an exemplary personal device  1600 , such as a laptop having a touchpad, that can include a touch sensor made using a shorting bar according to various examples. 
       FIG. 17  illustrates another exemplary personal device  1700 , such as a touch pad, that can include a touch sensor made using a shorting bar according to various examples. 
     Therefore, according to the above, some examples of the disclosure are directed to a method comprising: forming a plurality of touch sensors on a sheet of base film, wherein each of the plurality of touch sensors comprises a bond pad; for each of the plurality of touch sensors, forming a shorting bar coupling together two or more contacts of the bond pad; and removing each of the plurality of touch sensors from the sheet of base film, wherein after removing, each touch sensor is separated from its corresponding shorting bar. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, the sheet of base film can comprises cyclo olefin polymer. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, removing each of the plurality of touch sensors from the sheet of base film can be performed using a die cut process. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, removing each of the plurality of touch sensors from the sheet of base film can be performed using a laser cut process. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, removing each of the plurality of touch sensors from the sheet of base film can be performed using lithography. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, the bond pad for each of the plurality of touch sensors can extend beyond an edge of the corresponding touch sensor. 
     Some examples of the disclosure are directed to a method comprising: forming a touch sensor on a base film, the touch sensor defining a device area on the base film, wherein forming the touch sensor comprises: forming a plurality of sense lines on the base film; forming a plurality of drive lines on the base film; forming one or more bond pads on the base film; and forming a plurality of conductive traces that couple together the one or more bond pads with the plurality of sense lines and the plurality of drive lines; and forming one or more shorting bars coupled to the one or more bond pads, wherein the one or more shorting bars are formed outside the device area of the base film. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, a portion of each of the one or more bond pads can be formed outside the device area of the base film. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, the one or more bond pads can comprise a plurality of bond pads, the one or more shorting bars can comprise one shorting bar, and the one shorting bar can couple together all contacts of the plurality of bond pads. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, the one or more bond pads can comprise a first bond pad coupled to the plurality of drive lines and a second bond pad coupled to the plurality of sense lines, and the one or more shorting bars can comprise a first shorting bar coupling together contacts of the first bond pad and a second shorting bar coupling together contacts of the second bond pad. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, the one or more bond pads can comprise a first plurality of bond pads coupled to the plurality of drive lines and a second plurality of bond pads coupled to the plurality of sense lines, and the one or more shorting bars can comprise a first shorting bar coupling together contacts of the first plurality of bond pads and a second shorting bar coupling together contacts of the second plurality of bond pads. 
     Some examples of the disclosure are directed to a method for manufacturing a touch sensor, the method comprising: depositing a first mask layer on a base film, wherein the base film comprises a layer of indium tin oxide and a layer of copper; removing a portion of the first mask to define a plurality of drive lines, a plurality of sense lines, a plurality of bond pads, a plurality of conductive traces coupling together the plurality of sense lines and the plurality of drive lines with the plurality of bond pads, and one or more shorting bars coupled to the plurality of bond pads; etching, using the first mask layer, a first portion of the layer of copper and a first portion of the layer of indium tin oxide to form the plurality of drive lines, the plurality of sense lines, the plurality of bond pads, the plurality of conductive traces, and the one or more shorting bars; removing the first mask layer; depositing a second mask layer on the base film over the plurality of conductive traces, the plurality of bond pads, and the one or more shorting bars; etching, using the second mask, a second portion of the layer of copper located above the plurality of drive lines and the plurality of sense lines; removing the second mask layer; and removing the touch sensor from the base film, wherein after removing the touch sensor from the base film, the one or more shorting bars are separated from the touch sensor. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, removing the touch sensor from the base film can comprise cutting the touch sensor along a line intersecting the plurality of bond pads. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, the plurality of bond pads can comprise: a first bond pad coupled to a first end of the plurality of drive lines; a second bond pad coupled a second end of the plurality of drive lines; a third bond pad coupled to a first end of the plurality of sense lines; and a fourth bond pad coupled to a second end of the plurality of sense lines. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, the one or more shorting bars can comprise: a first shorting bar coupled to the first bond pad; a second shorting bar coupled to the second bond pad; a third shorting bar coupled to the third bond pad; and a fourth shorting bar coupled to the fourth bond pad. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, the method can further comprise, before removing the touch sensor from the base film: measuring an impedance of the plurality of drive lines using the first shorting bar and the second shorting bar; and measuring an impedance of the plurality of sense lines using the third shorting bar and the fourth shorting bar. 
     Some examples of the disclosure are directed to a touch sensor comprising: a plurality of sense lines; a plurality of drive lines; one or more bond pads; and a plurality of conductive traces that couple together the one or more bond pads with the plurality of sense lines and the plurality of drive lines, wherein the one or more bond pads extend to an edge of the touch sensor. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, the one or more bond pads can comprise indium tin oxide. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, the one or more bond pads can comprise copper. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, the touch sensor can be incorporated within one of a phone, portable media player, tablet computing device, or touch pad. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, the one or more bond pads can have been separated from a shorting bar. 
     Although the disclosure and examples have been fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as being included within the scope of the disclosure and examples as defined by the appended claims.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20121210
Publication Date: 20170815
Grant Date: 20170815
Priority Date: 20120910
Inventors: MOHAPATRA SIDDHARTH
KANG SUNGGU
ZHONG JOHN Z.
LIN ALBERT
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H05K3/0097", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2203/04103", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49815", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49204", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K3/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/044", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01R35/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49124", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49117", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01R35/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0446", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0445", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49815", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49204", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49204", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49124", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49124", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K3/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K3/0097", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0446", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0445", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49117", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49815", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49117", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2203/04103", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2203/04103", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 50232645