TW201516815A - Capacitive touch panel and method of fabricating the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A capacitive touch panel includes a substrate, a plurality of sensing electrodes, a plurality of signal wires and a patterned insulating layer. The sensing electrodes are disposed on the substrate and electrically insulated from each other. The signal wires are disposed on the substrate. Each signal wire is electrically connected with a corresponding sensing electrode, and at least a part of the signal wires and at least a part of the sensing electrodes overlap in a vertical projecting direction and insulated from each other. The patterned insulating layer is disposed between the part of the signal wires and the part of the sensing electrodes.

Description

Capacitive touch panel and manufacturing method thereof

The present invention relates to a capacitive touch panel and a manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly to a capacitive touch panel capable of maximizing a touch effective area and a manufacturing method thereof.

In recent years, with the rapid development of touch sensing technology, many consumer electronic products such as mobile phones, GPS navigator systems, tablet PCs, and laptop PCs have been developed. The touch panel is used to provide touch function. A conventional touch panel can be divided into a touch sensing area and a line area located at a periphery thereof according to the working area, wherein the touch sensing area is provided with a plurality of sensing electrodes arranged in two axial directions and intersecting, and the line area Inside, metal wires are provided for transmitting touch signals, and each metal wire is connected in series to a plurality of sensing electrodes. Due to the requirements of the touch resolution, the metal wires disposed in the circuit area have a certain number, and the adjacent metal wires must be spaced apart from each other by the process limit to ensure electrical insulation between each other, so the touch panel The area of the wiring area is limited by the number of metal wires and cannot be further reduced. As a result, it is not conducive to the design of the touch sensing area to maximize.

One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a capacitive touch panel and a manufacturing method thereof, which can realize a layout with a narrow border or a borderless touch panel by maximizing the layout of the touch sensing area.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a capacitive touch panel including a substrate, a plurality of sensing electrodes, a plurality of signal wires, and a patterned insulating layer. The sensing electrode is disposed on the substrate, Wherein the sensing electrodes are electrically isolated from each other. The signal wires are disposed on the substrate, wherein each of the signal wires is electrically connected to a corresponding sensing electrode, and at least a portion of the signal wires are overlapped and insulated from at least a portion of the sensing electrodes in a vertical projection direction. A patterned insulating layer is disposed between at least a portion of the signal wires and at least a portion of the sensing electrodes.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method of fabricating a capacitive touch panel, including the following steps. A substrate is provided. Forming a first conductive layer on the substrate, wherein the first conductive layer comprises a plurality of hollow regions, and the plurality of connecting portions are located between two adjacent hollow regions arranged along a second direction. A patterned insulating layer is formed on the first conductive layer. A second conductive layer is formed on the first conductive layer and the patterned insulating layer. The first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are patterned to form a plurality of sensing electrodes electrically isolated from each other and a plurality of signal wires respectively electrically connected to a corresponding sensing electrode, wherein each sensing electrode includes a plurality of signal wires a plurality of main electrode portions arranged in a first direction, and two adjacent main electrode portions are electrically connected via respective connection portions disposed therebetween and have signal lines separated by a space, and are located at two adjacent main electrode portions The signal wires between the two extend across the patterned insulating layer in a second direction and are overlapped and insulated in a vertical projection direction from the connecting portion via the patterned insulating layer.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a capacitive touch panel including a substrate, a decorative layer, a plurality of sensing electrodes, a plurality of signal wires, and a patterned insulating layer. The substrate has a light transmissive area and a light shielding area, and the light shielding area is disposed on at least one side of the light transmissive area. The decorative layer is disposed on the light shielding area on the substrate. The sensing electrodes are disposed at least on the light transmissive area on the substrate, wherein the sensing electrodes are electrically isolated from each other. The signal wires are disposed on the substrate, the signal wires extend from the light-transmitting region to the light-shielding region, and the signal wires are shielded by the decorative layer, wherein each of the signal wires is electrically connected to a corresponding sensing electrode, and at least a part of the signal wires are at least A portion of the sensing electrodes overlap and are insulated in a vertical projection direction. The patterned insulating layer is disposed between at least a portion of the signal wires and at least a portion of the sensing electrodes.

The signal wire of the capacitive touch panel of the present invention is disposed within the touch sensing area, so that the area of the peripheral area of the touch sensing area can be reduced, thereby achieving a narrow border or a borderless design.

1‧‧‧Capacitive touch panel

1'‧‧‧Capacitive touch panel

10‧‧‧Substrate

12‧‧‧Sensing electrode

14‧‧‧Signal wire

16‧‧‧patterned insulation

Z‧‧‧Vertical projection direction

121‧‧‧Sensor electrode

122‧‧‧Sensing electrode

123‧‧‧Sensing electrode

124‧‧‧Sensing electrode

141‧‧‧Signal wire

142‧‧‧Signal wire

143‧‧‧Signal wire

144‧‧‧Signal wire

16S‧‧‧Insulation structure

12M‧‧‧ main electrode section

12B‧‧‧Connecting Department

S‧‧‧ Space

2‧‧‧Capacitive touch panel

2'‧‧‧Capacitive touch panel

G‧‧‧ gap

16H‧‧‧ openings

3‧‧‧Capacitive touch panel

14A‧‧‧First connecting line segment

14B‧‧‧second connecting line segment

4‧‧‧Capacitive touch panel

10A‧‧‧Light transmission area

10P‧‧‧ shading area

18‧‧‧Decorative layer

19‧‧‧Protective layer

20‧‧‧Outer frame

22‧‧‧ Conductive adhesive layer

24‧‧‧ boards

B‧‧‧Blank area

26‧‧‧ Strengthening layer

140‧‧‧Join pad

101‧‧‧ side wall

T‧‧‧First direction

L‧‧‧second direction

12’‧‧‧First Conductive Layer

12"‧‧‧Second conductive layer

S’‧‧‧ hollow area

FIG. 1 is a top view of a capacitive touch panel according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the capacitive touch panel of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a capacitive touch panel according to a variation of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a capacitive touch panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the capacitive touch panel of the second embodiment of the present invention taken along line B-B'.

6 to 8 are schematic views showing a method of fabricating a capacitive touch panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are schematic diagrams showing a method of fabricating a capacitive touch panel according to a variation of the second embodiment of the present invention.

11 is a cross-sectional view showing a capacitive touch panel according to a first variation of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing a capacitive touch panel according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

13 to 16 are schematic views showing a method of fabricating a capacitive touch panel according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, wherein the 13th to 15th drawings are shown in the above view, and the 16th image is along the line. A cross-sectional view taken along line C-C' and section line D-D' of Fig. 15.

The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments of the invention,

Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the electric power of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a capacitive touch panel according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the capacitive touch panel 1 of the present embodiment includes a substrate 10, a plurality of sensing electrodes 12, a plurality of signal wires 14, and a patterned insulating layer 16 (Fig. 1 Shown, a decorative layer 18, and a circuit board (eg, a flexible circuit board) 24. The substrate 10 can be a transparent substrate, and the material thereof can be glass, plastic or quartz, but not limited thereto. The substrate 10 can be a rigid substrate or a flexible substrate.

The substrate 10 has a light transmitting region 10A and a light blocking region 10P disposed on at least one side of the light transmitting region 10A. The sensing electrodes 12 are disposed at least in the transparent region 10A on the substrate 10, and are electrically isolated from each other and arranged in an array to form a touch sensing region. In the present embodiment, the sensing electrode 12 is also disposed in the light-shielding region 10P, so that the boundary between the light-transmitting region 10A and the light-shielding region 10P can maintain the touch sensing sensitivity close to the central region of the light-transmitting region 10A. . The signal wires 14 are disposed on the substrate 10, wherein each of the signal wires 14 electrically connects a corresponding sensing electrode 12 to a circuit board 24, and a portion of the signal wires 14 are connected to a portion of the sensing electrodes 12 in a vertical projection direction. Z overlaps and is insulated. The signal wire 14 extends from the light transmitting region 10A to the light shielding region 10P to be electrically connected to the circuit board 24. The patterned insulating layer 16 is disposed between the sensing electrode 12 and the signal wire 14 to isolate the signal conductor 14 and the sensing electrode 12 that are not pre-set. The decorative layer 18 is a light-resistant material disposed in the light-shielding region 10P. The light-resistant material is defined as a material through which light is lost through the interface for shielding components or light in the electronic device that are not to be seen. The material of the decorative layer 18 may include ceramics, diamond-like carbon, ceramics, organic materials, mixtures of organic and inorganic materials, organic-inorganic hybrid compounds, or composite laminates thereof. The decorative layer 18 may be a single layer structure of a single material, a multilayer stack structure, or a multilayer stack structure of a plurality of materials. The thickness of the decorative layer 18 may range from 0.5 micrometers to 50 micrometers, but is not limited thereto. For example, the material of the decorative layer 18 may be a high temperature resistant (greater than 200 ° C) photosensitive resin (such as photoresist) or a high temperature resistant non-photosensitive resin (such as ink). When the decorative layer 18 is a multi-layer stacked structure, the color of each layer structure may be different. For example, the decorative layer exposed to the outside and visible to the user may be a light color (for example, white), and a dark decorative layer may be stacked. (such as black) improve it Shading. The circuit board 24 is shielded by the decorative layer 18, and the circuit board 24 is electrically connected to the signal wire 14 via the conductive adhesive layer 22. A portion of the signal wires 14 may also be shielded by the decorative layer 18. The signal wires 14 of this portion may be made of an opaque highly conductive material such as metal to improve the quality of signal transmission. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. When the signal wire 14 is made of a transparent conductive material, it can be shielded without using the decorative layer 18, so that the light transmitting area of the touch panel 1 can be made larger.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the four sensing electrodes 121, 122, 123, and 124 are electrically connected to the signal wires 141, 142, 143, and 144, respectively, in a second direction L. The signal wires 141 may be disposed on one side of the sensing electrodes 122, 123, 124 without overlapping the sensing electrodes 122, 123, 124. The signal wires 142, 143, 144 are each overlapped with the projections of the four sensing electrodes 121, 122, 123, 124. In detail, a patterned insulating layer 16 (as shown in FIG. 3) or a patterned insulating layer 16 is not provided between each signal conductor 14 and the correspondingly-guided sensing electrode 12 (see FIG. 2). As shown, each of the signal wires 14 can be in contact with and electrically connected to the corresponding sensing electrode 12; a patterned insulating layer 16 is disposed between each of the signal wires 14 and the sensing electrode 12 that is not correspondingly connected. So that the signal wires 14 are not electrically connected to the other sensing electrodes 12 . In this embodiment, a first patterned conductive layer constitutes the signal wire 141 and the sensing electrode 12, and a second patterned conductive layer constitutes the signal wire 142, 143, 144, wherein the first patterned conductive layer and the second patterned The material of the conductive layer may include, for example, Indium tin oxide (ITO), Indium-Zinc Oxide (IZO), Zinc Oxide Gallium (GZO), Carbon Nanotube-based thin films. , metal mesh, metal nanowire, silane (Silicene), graphene (Graphene) or other transparent conductive materials, etc., but not limited to this. The first patterned conductive layer and the second patterned conductive layer may be selected from the same or different materials. The patterned insulating layer 16 may be a single layer structure or a multilayer structure, and the material thereof may be an inorganic material, an organic material or an organic/inorganic hybrid material, and the patterned insulating layer 16 preferably has a light transmitting property. For example, the patterned insulating layer may be a transparent organic material layer having a thickness of 0.01 μm to 10 μm, or an aluminum oxide, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide or tantalum nitride having a thickness of 0.001 μm to 1 μm. , bismuth oxynitride, bismuth oxide, etc. A transparent inorganic material or a combination thereof.

In addition, in this embodiment, the signal wire 141 and the sensing electrode 12 are disposed on the same plane. However, in other embodiments, the signal wire 141 may be coplanar with the other signal wires 142, 143, and 144 and the sensing electrode 12 Not the same plane. That is, the sensing electrode 12 is formed by the first patterned conductive layer and the signal wire 14 is formed by the second patterned conductive layer.

By overlapping the signal conductor 14 and the sensing electrode 12, that is, the signal wire 14 of the present invention is mainly disposed in the touch sensing area instead of being disposed outside the entire touch sensing area, The configurable area of the touch sensing area of the touch panel 1 of the present embodiment can be free from the limitation of the peripheral signal wires 14 , thereby realizing the maximum layout of the touch sensing area on the substrate, that is, realizing The touch panel has a narrow border or a borderless design. Furthermore, since the number of the sensing electrodes 12 is proportional to the touch resolution, compared to the gap G between the two rows of sensing electrodes 12, the number of sensing electrodes 12 is configured. Increasingly, the gap G needs to be wider to accommodate more signal wires 14, which would not be advantageous for the sense linearity uniformity of the touch panel in the first direction T. That is, the touch resolution and the sense linearity are difficult to balance. In contrast, the present invention overlaps the signal conductor 14 and the sensing electrode 12, and the touch panel 1 does not need to increase the gap G between the two rows of sensing electrodes 12 as the signal conductor 14 increases, even the present invention. The gap G between the two rows of sensing electrodes 12 can be designed to be smaller, and only the insulation between the two rows of sensing electrodes 12 can be maintained, so that the sensing panel 1 can be in the sensing line in the first direction T. Sexuality is maintained evenly. For example, the gap G between the two rows of sensing electrodes 12 may be no less than 10 microns and no greater than 40 microns. Herein, the sensing linearity of the first direction T referred to herein refers to a linearity of capacitance change at each position when a conductive object (for example, a finger) moves along the first direction T of the touch panel 1. In addition, the second direction L referred to herein is a direction in which the signal wires 14 extend, and the first direction T is a direction intersecting the second direction L. For example, the first direction T is substantially perpendicular to the second direction L. Direction, but not limited to this.

In this embodiment, the signal wires 142, 143, 144 are each overlapped with the projections of the four sensing electrodes 121, 122, 123, 124. That is, the signal wires 141, 142, 143, and 144 have the same or similar lengths, thereby making the capacitance effects in the line loads of the signal wires 141, 142, 143, and 144 similar to enhance the touch detection. Measured sensitivity or improved sensing linearity.

In this embodiment, the sensing electrodes 122, 123, and 124 are slightly smaller than the sensing electrodes 121, but the invention is not limited thereto. In a variant embodiment, the sensing electrodes 121 can also be overlapped and connected with the corresponding signal wires 141, and the signal wires 141 can overlap and be insulated from the sensing electrodes 122, 123, 124, and the sensing electrodes 12 can be Having the same size and shape makes the calculation of subsequent touch positions relatively easy and improves the sense linearity.

In addition, the sensing electrode 12 and the signal wire 14 are fabricated by using an invisible conductive material that is difficult to see by the human eye, and the touch panel of the present invention can be applied to the display panel without affecting the display effect. For example, the conductive material that is difficult for the human eye to see can be a transparent conductive material or an opaque conductive material having a line width of less than 8 microns. Furthermore, by designing the gap between adjacent sensing electrodes 12 to be smaller, for example, the spacing between adjacent sensing electrodes 12 can be between 10 micrometers and 100 micrometers, that is, the sensing electrodes 12 can be highly dense. The contour of the sensing electrode 12 is difficult to be resolved by the human eye, thereby preventing the pattern of the sensing electrode 12 from affecting the user's visual experience.

By sensing the electrode 12, if a conductive object (such as a finger) approaches or contacts the surface of the touch panel 1, the object will form a coupling capacitance with the adjacent sensing electrode 12, thereby generating a capacitance in the approaching or contact area of the object. Changes in effects to detect the position or movement of the target. In this embodiment, the sensing electrodes 12 are electrically connected to the control circuit via the signal wires 14 respectively, and the capacitive touch panel 1 can support a multi-touch function. Further, the present invention can be employed The self-capacitive touch detection principle is used to sense conductive objects (such as fingers), so that the sensing electrodes 12 can be sensed independently, and the self-capacitive touch detection principle is mainly based on the sensing electrodes 12 . The capacitive touch panel 1 of the present invention is particularly suitable for performing a hover touch sensing function by sensing a change in the capacitance effect between the object and the object. For example, with the capacitive touch panel 1 of the present invention and the self-capacitive touch detection principle, when the object is separated from the sensing electrode 12 by two centimeters without contacting the touch panel 1, the movement or position of the object remains. Can be detected to make operational control more diversified.

Please refer to Figure 2 again. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the capacitive touch panel of the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2 , the sensing electrodes 12 are disposed on the substrate 10 , the patterned insulating layer 16 is disposed on the sensing electrodes 12 , and the signal wires 14 are disposed on the patterned insulating layer 16 . In addition, the patterned insulating layer 16 can be an entire insulating layer and has a plurality of openings 16H such that the signal wires 14 can be in contact with the corresponding sensing electrodes 12. The capacitive touch panel 1 further includes a protective layer 19 and optionally includes an outer frame layer 20. The protective layer 19 has insulating properties and is disposed on the signal conductor 14 and the sensing electrode 12 for protecting the signal conductor 14 and the sensing electrode 12. The protective layer 19 is disposed in the light-transmitting region 10A and may extend to the light-shielding region 10P to protect the decorative layer 18 by partial or complete coating. In the light-shielding region 10P, the protective layer 19 and the patterned insulating layer 16 do not cover the end of the signal wire 14, and the circuit board 24 can be electrically connected to the signal wire 14 by using a conductive adhesive layer (for example, an anisotropic conductive adhesive) 22. The end of the signal wire 14 can be a bonding pad 140. The material of the bonding pad 140 can be a highly conductive material such as a transparent conductive material or a metal. These bond pads 140 can be arranged in two rows that are staggered, that is, the bond pads in the second row correspond to the spacing of the two adjacent bond pads in the first row. Thereby, the width of the circuit board 24 is reduced and more bond pads can be configured in the same width range, taking into account the pad spacing required to maintain electrostatic discharge protection. The protective layer 19 may be a single layer structure or a multilayer structure, and the material thereof may be an inorganic material, an organic material, or an organic/inorganic hybrid material. The protective layer 19 preferably has a light transmitting property. For example, the protective layer 19 may be a transparent organic material layer having a thickness of 0.01 micrometer to 10 micrometers, or an aluminum oxide, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum nitride having a thickness of 0.001 micrometer to 1 micrometer. A transparent inorganic material such as cerium oxynitride or cerium oxide or a combination thereof is laminated. In some embodiments, the protective layer 19 may have a thickness of at least 0.8 microns to planarize the difference in height between the light-shielding region 10P and the light-transmitting region 10A. For example, the thickness of the protective layer 19 can be greater than the thickness of the decorative layer 18. In other embodiments, the protective layer 19 can also provide optical anti-reflection effects, such as a two-layer structure of SiO ₂ and SiN x , to effectively improve the overall light transmission of the touch panel 1 . Rate and reduce the visibility of the sensing electrode 12 pattern. The outer frame layer 20 partially covers the decorative layer 18 and may further cover a portion of the side walls of the substrate 10. The outer frame layer 20 may be a single layer structure or a multilayer structure, and the material thereof may be an inorganic material, an organic material, or an organic/inorganic hybrid material. The outer frame layer 20 may have a light blocking property to shield the side walls of the substrate 10 to the blank area B where the outer edge of the decorative layer 18 may exist, that is, the blank area B is not provided with the decorative layer 18. Wherein, the outer frame layer 20 can have a particular color, such as the same color as the decorative layer 18 or a color that contrasts with the decorative layer 18 to provide the desired visual appearance. When the outer frame layer 20 includes a transparent insulating layer, for example, ceria, the transparent insulating layer of the protective layer 19 and the outer frame layer 20 may be composed of the same layer of material or a layer of different layers of material. In addition, the touch panel 1 is formed by, for example, forming a decorative layer 18, a sensing electrode 12, a patterned insulating layer 16, and a protective layer 19 on a mother substrate. Next, the mother substrate on which these members are formed is cut into the substrate 10 of a desired size. However, the side wall 101 of the substrate 10 may become relatively weak due to the action of steps such as cutting, grinding, and the like. Therefore, the sidewall 101 of the substrate 10 may be provided with a reinforcing layer 26 disposed between the sidewall 101 and the outer frame layer 20 to enhance the strength of the sidewall 101 of the substrate 10. The reinforcing layer 26 may include an ultraviolet light curing resin or a resin mixed with glass fibers or/and carbon nanotubes.

In this embodiment, since the sensing electrode 12 is closer to the substrate 10, the side of the substrate 10 on which the sensing electrode 12 is not disposed may serve as a touch input interface. The substrate 10 may have a function of covering the lower member, that is, in the embodiment, the substrate 10 may be a cover sheet, which may be a tempered glass, a poly(methyl methacrylate), and a poly(methyl methacrylate). Composite laminate of carbonate (Polycarbonate; PC), UV curable resin (example Such as ORGA resin) or other hard light-transmissive materials to provide scratch resistance, high mechanical strength and other protective properties. Further, an optical film layer such as an anti-glare film or an anti-reflection film may be disposed above the substrate 10. In order to facilitate the detection of projected capacitive sensing, the substrate 10 may have a thickness of between 25 micrometers and 6 millimeters.

Please refer to Figure 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a capacitive touch panel according to a variation of the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the signal wires 14 are disposed on the substrate 10, the patterned insulating layer 16 is disposed on the signal wires 14, and the sensing electrodes 12 are disposed on the patterned insulating layer 16. The patterned insulating layer 16 may include a plurality of insulating structures 16S respectively disposed between the signal conductors 14 and the sensing electrodes 12 that are not pre-set, but not limited thereto, the patterned insulating layer 16 may also have a pass. The entire insulating layer of the hole. In the embodiment of the present invention, the substrate 10 can be a cover plate, and the side of the substrate 10 on which the sensing electrode 12 is not disposed can serve as a touch input interface, or the sensing electrode 12 can be further covered with a protective layer or a cover plate to protect The electrode 12 is sensed. At this time, the side of the protective layer or the cover plate remote from the sensing electrode 12 may be a touch input interface. In order to facilitate the detection of projected capacitive sensing, the protective layer or the cover plate may have a thickness of between 25 micrometers and 5 millimeters. The cover plate is connected to the sensing electrode 12 by a transparent optical glue. The decorative layer can be disposed on the protective layer or the cover sheet. In addition, if the capacitive touch panel 2 is integrated into the display panel, the substrate 10 may be one of the display panels such as a counter substrate, a color filter substrate, or a package cover. That is to say, the capacitive touch panel 1' of the embodiment of the present invention can be integrated with the display panel to form a form of an On-Cell Touch Panel.

The capacitive touch panel of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The capacitive touch panel of other preferred embodiments of the present invention will be sequentially described below, and the same symbols are used to denote the same components in the following embodiments in order to facilitate the comparison of the differences of the embodiments and simplify the description. And the description of the differences between the embodiments is mainly made, and the repeated parts are not described again.

Please refer to Figures 4 and 5. 4 is a top view of a capacitive touch panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B' of the capacitive touch panel of the second embodiment of the present invention. Schematic diagram of the section. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the capacitive touch panel 2 of the present embodiment, each of the sensing electrodes 12 includes a plurality of main electrode portions 12M and a plurality of connecting portions 12B. In a first direction T, there is a space S between two adjacent main electrode portions 12M, and each connecting portion 12B is disposed between two adjacent main electrode portions 12M in the first direction T and The adjacent main electrode portions 12M are electrically connected. Further, the signal wires 14 are disposed in the second direction L and are located in the space S and overlap the connecting portion 12B in the vertical projection direction Z. In addition, the patterned insulating layer 16 is disposed between the sensing electrodes 12 and the signal wires 14 that are not pre-set. For example, in the second direction L, the four sensing electrodes 121, 122, 123, and 124 are electrically connected to the signal wires 141, 142, 143, and 144, respectively. The signal wires 141 may be disposed on one side of the sensing electrodes 122, 123, 124 without overlapping the sensing electrodes 122, 123, 124. The signal wires 142 overlap with the respective connection portions 12B of the sensing electrodes 121, 123, 124 and are insulated and separated by the patterned insulating layer 16. Similarly, the signal wire 143 overlaps with the connecting portions 12B of the sensing electrodes 121, 122, and 124 and is insulated and separated by the patterned insulating layer 16; the signal wires 144 are connected to the sensing electrodes 121, 122, and 123. The 12B overlap and are insulated from each other via the patterned insulating layer 16. In addition, a patterned insulating layer 16 or a patterned insulating layer 16 having an opening is disposed between each of the signal wires 14 and the correspondingly electrically connected sensing electrodes 12, whereby the respective signal wires 14 can be sensed and correspondingly sensed. The electrodes 12 are electrically connected. A patterned insulating layer 16 is disposed between the mutually overlapping signal conductors 14 and the non-corresponding sensing electrodes 12 such that the signal conductors 14 are not electrically connected to the other sensing electrodes 12. In this embodiment, the patterned insulating layer 16 includes a plurality of insulating structures 16S disposed between the non-preset conductive signal wires 14 and the connecting portion 12B. In a variant embodiment, the patterned insulating layer 16 can be an entire insulating layer or a plurality of insulating patterns overlapping the at least two sensing electrodes 12, and has a plurality of openings so that the signal wires 14 can correspond to the corresponding ones. The connection portion 12B of the sensing electrode 12 is in contact with each other and electrically connected.

In the present embodiment, the main electrode portion 12M and the connection portion 12B of the sensing electrode 12 are composed of a first patterned conductive layer, and the signal conductor 14 is composed of a second patterned conductive layer. Referring to FIG. 5 , in the embodiment, the signal wires 14 are disposed on the substrate 10 , the patterned insulating layer 16 is disposed on the signal wires 14 , and the sensing electrodes 12 are disposed on the substrate 10 and the patterned insulating layer. 16 but not limited to this. In this embodiment, since the main electrode portion 12M of the sensing electrode 12 is disposed on the substrate 10, the side of the substrate 10 on which the sensing electrode 12 is not disposed may serve as a touch input interface. The substrate 10 can be a cover sheet.

The capacitive touch panel 2 of the present embodiment may further include components such as a decorative layer, a protective layer, an outer frame layer, a conductive adhesive layer, a reinforcing layer, and a circuit board, and the details thereof are as described in the first embodiment, and details are not described herein again. . The capacitive touch panel 2 of the present embodiment also has the advantages of being able to realize a narrow bezel or a frameless design, and a multi-touch function and a hovering touch function, and can be combined with the display panel to form a touch display panel. Compared with the first embodiment, in the present embodiment, since the signal wire 14 and the sensing electrode 12 overlap only in the vertical projection direction Z via the connecting portion 12B, and most of the area of the signal wire 14 is located adjacent to the main In the space S between the electrode portions 12M, the overlapping area of the signal wires 14 and the sensing electrodes 12 is reduced, so that the unnecessary parasitic capacitance is further reduced.

Please refer to Figures 6 to 8. 6 to 8 are schematic views showing a method of fabricating a capacitive touch panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 6, a substrate 10 is first provided. A signal conductor 14 is then formed on the substrate 10, of which four signal conductors 141, 142, 143, 144 are illustrated. As shown in FIG. 7, a patterned insulating layer 16 is then formed on the substrate 10 and the signal conductors 14, wherein the patterned insulating layer 16 includes a plurality of insulating structures 16S on the signal wires 142, 143, and 144, respectively, and insulated. The position of the structure 16S corresponds to the position of the subsequent connection portion 12B to be formed to isolate the non-preset pilot signal line 14 from the connection portion 12B. As shown in FIG. 8, the sensing electrodes 12 are then formed on the substrate 10, the signal wires 14, and the patterned insulating layer 16, wherein four sensing electrodes 121, 122, 123, 124 are illustrated, respectively, with the signal wires. 141, 142, 143, 144 are electrically connected. The sensing electrodes 121, 122, 123, and 124 may be partially overlapped with the signal wires 141, 142, 143, and 144, respectively, to ensure electrical connection therebetween. It should be noted that the number of the sensing electrodes 12 and the signal wires 14 exemplified herein is merely illustrative, and the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, although in FIG. 6, the signal wires 142, 143, 144 are broken structures, in the same steps of some embodiments, the signal wires 142, 143, 144 may be formed on the substrate 10 in a continuous structure. The sensing electrodes 121, 122, 123, 124 may be overlapped on the signal wires 141, 142, 143, 144, respectively.

Please refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10. FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are schematic diagrams showing a method of fabricating a capacitive touch panel according to a variation of the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 9, a substrate 10 is first provided. A signal conductor 14 is then formed on the substrate 10, of which four signal conductors 141, 142, 143, 144 are illustrated. A patterned insulating layer 16 is then formed over the substrate 10 and the signal conductors 14. Different from the second embodiment, the patterned insulating layer 16 of the modified embodiment is an entire insulating layer, and the patterned insulating layer 16 has a plurality of openings 16H, wherein the position of the opening 16H corresponds to a sensing electrode to be subsequently formed. 12 is electrically connected to the corresponding signal wire 14.

As shown in FIG. 10, a sensing electrode 12 is formed on the patterned insulating layer 16, wherein four sensing electrodes 121, 122, 123, 124 are illustrated, which can be respectively connected to the signal wires 141, 142, 143 via the opening 16H. 144 electrical connection. In the modified embodiment, the sensing electrode 12 may be further covered with a protective layer or a cover plate to protect the sensing electrode 12. The side of the protective layer or the cover plate remote from the sensing electrode 12 may be a touch input interface. The substrate 10 may be one of the display panels such as a counter substrate, a color filter substrate, or a package cover. In addition, the related description about the protective layer or the cover sheet has been stated in a variant embodiment of the first embodiment, and will not be described again here.

Please refer to Figure 11 and refer to Figure 4 together. FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing a capacitive touch panel according to a first variation of the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 11, in In the capacitive touch panel 2' of the embodiment, the sensing electrodes 12 are first disposed on the substrate 10, the patterned insulating layer 16 is disposed on the sensing electrodes 12, and the signal wires 14 are disposed on the patterned insulating layer. The layer 16 is in the space S between the two adjacent main electrode portions 12M on the substrate 10. In the embodiment of the present invention, since the sensing electrode 12 is closer to the substrate 10, the side of the substrate 10 on which the sensing electrode 12 is not disposed may serve as a touch input interface. The substrate 10 can be a cover sheet.

Please refer to Figure 12. FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing a capacitive touch panel according to a third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 12, in the capacitive touch panel 3 of the present embodiment, each of the signal wires 14 includes a plurality of first connecting segments 14A and a plurality of second connecting segments 14B electrically connected to each other, wherein the second connection The line segment 14B overlaps the connecting portion 12B in the vertical projection direction Z. In this embodiment, the width of the second connecting line segment 14B is smaller than the width of the connecting portion 12B and the first connecting line segment 14A, so that the overlapping area of the signal wire 14 and the sensing electrode 12 becomes smaller to reduce unnecessary parasitic capacitance. In addition, in order to facilitate the fabrication and improvement of the visual effect of the touch panel 3, the main electrode portion 12M, the connection portion 12B, and the first connection line segment 14A may be formed of the same transparent conductive layer, and the second connection line segment 14B has a lower resistivity than the main electrode portion. 12M resistivity. The material of the transparent conductive layer may include, for example, indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO) or other suitable transparent conductive material; and the material of the second connecting line segment 14B may include an opaque conductive material such as gold, aluminum, copper, silver. And at least one of chromium, titanium, molybdenum and niobium, an alloy of the above materials, a composite layer of the above materials or a composite layer of the above materials and an alloy of the above materials, but not limited thereto, other resistivities may be used. Low conductive material. Thereby, the main electrode portion 12M, the connecting portion 12B, and the first connecting line segment 14A can be formed at one time, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process. In addition, since the second connecting line segment 14B is made of a material having a lower resistivity, it can maintain the signal transmission requirement while the width is very thin. For example, the second connecting line segment 14B can be opaque with a width of less than 8 micrometers. Conductive materials such as metal materials are used to avoid being seen by the human eye. The capacitive touch panel 3 of the present embodiment may further include components such as a decorative layer, a protective layer, an outer frame layer, a conductive adhesive layer, a reinforcing layer, and a circuit board, and the details thereof are as described in the first embodiment, and details are not described herein again. .

Please refer to Figures 13 to 16. 13 to 16 are schematic views showing a method of fabricating a capacitive touch panel according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, wherein the 13th to 15th drawings are shown in the above view, and the 16th image is along the line. A cross-sectional view taken along line C-C' and section line D-D' of Fig. 15. As shown in Fig. 13, a substrate 10 is first provided. A first conductive layer 12' is then formed on the substrate 10, wherein the first conductive layer 12' includes a plurality of cutouts S' and a plurality of connections 12B. Each of the connecting portions 12B is located between two adjacent hollowed out regions S' arranged along the second direction L. The first conductive layer 12' can be formed by applying a sputtering or sputtering of the entire surface conductive layer and then performing photolithographic etching.

As shown in FIG. 14, a patterned insulating layer 16 is subsequently formed on the first conductive layer 12', wherein the patterned insulating layer 16 includes a plurality of insulating structures 16S, and each insulating structure 16S covers a corresponding connecting portion 12B. . In this embodiment, the shape of the insulating structure 16S may be, for example, a cross type, which may further partially cover the outer sides of two adjacent hollow regions S' arranged along the second direction L except for covering the connecting portion 12B. The first conductive layer 12' is not limited thereto. The shape of the insulating structure 16S may also be any other shape that can cover the connecting portion 12B, for example, a rectangle.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, a second conductive layer 12" is formed on the first conductive layer 12' and the patterned insulating layer 16. The second conductive layer 12" may be coated or sputtered. Made of a full surface conductive layer. The material of the second conductive layer 12" may be the same as the material of the first conductive layer 12'. In some embodiments, the first conductive layer 12' and the second conductive layer 12" are both transparent conductive materials, and the second conductive layer The degree of crystallization of 12" is lower than that of the first conductive layer 12'. Subsequently, the first conductive layer 12' and the second conductive layer 12" are patterned to form a plurality of sensing electrodes 12 electrically isolated from each other and respectively A plurality of signal wires 14 electrically connected to a corresponding sensing electrode 12. In detail, a portion of the second conductive layer 12" located between the adjacent sensing electrodes 12 and the ends of the respective connecting portions 12B toward the second direction L is simultaneously removed from the portion of the first conductive layer 12' to form adjacent to each other. However, the main electrode portion 12M separated from the space S and the signal wires 142, 143, 144, wherein the pattern below the insulating layer 16 A conductive layer 12' is protected by the patterned insulating layer 16 and remains such that each of the connecting portions 12B becomes the only channel that leads the main electrode portions 12M at both ends thereof. Thereby, the plurality of main electrode portions 12M arranged in a first direction T and the connecting portion 12B located between the adjacent main electrode portions 12M constitute the respective sensing electrodes 12. The signal wires 142, 143, 144 located between the two adjacent main electrode portions 12M extend across the insulating structure 16S in the second direction L and are overlapped and insulated from the connecting portions 12B in the vertical projection direction via the insulating structure 16S. Wherein, the removal of the second conductive layer 12" and the first conductive layer 12' may be performed by using a lithography etching step, but not limited thereto. By the method, each of the main electrode portions 12M includes two layers of conductive layers, and The connecting portion 12B and the signal wire 14 located above the connecting portion 12B include a conductive layer, but the signal wire 14 not overlapping the connecting portion 12B includes two conductive layers. Thereby, the capacitive touch of the embodiment is fabricated. The control panel 4. The capacitive touch panel 4 of the present embodiment may further include components such as a decorative layer, a protective layer, an outer frame layer, a conductive adhesive layer, a reinforcing layer, and a circuit board, the details of which are as described in the first embodiment. This will not be repeated here.

In summary, the capacitive touch panel of the present invention overlaps the signal conductor and the sensing electrode, so that the configurable area of the touch sensing area of the touch panel can be free from the limitation of the signal conductor. The layout of the touch sensing area is maximized on the substrate, that is, the narrow border or the borderless design of the touch panel is realized. Furthermore, since the sensing electrodes are electrically independent and electrically connected to the signal wires, the present invention can teach a multi-touch function. In addition, the capacitive touch panel of the present invention can perform a floating touch function by using a self-capacitive touch mechanism, so that the capacitive touch panel can provide more diverse input or detection interaction.

The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and all changes and modifications made to the scope of the present invention should be within the scope of the present invention.

10‧‧‧Substrate

12‧‧‧Sensing electrode

14‧‧‧Signal wire

16‧‧‧patterned insulation

121‧‧‧Sensor electrode

122‧‧‧Sensing electrode

123‧‧‧Sensing electrode

124‧‧‧Sensing electrode

141‧‧‧Signal wire

142‧‧‧Signal wire

143‧‧‧Signal wire

144‧‧‧Signal wire

16S‧‧‧Insulation structure

12M‧‧‧ main electrode section

12B‧‧‧Connecting Department

S‧‧‧ Space

2‧‧‧Capacitive touch panel

T‧‧‧First direction

L‧‧‧second direction

Claims (45)

A capacitive touch panel includes: a substrate; a plurality of sensing electrodes disposed on the substrate, wherein the sensing electrodes are electrically isolated from each other; and a plurality of signal wires are disposed on the substrate, wherein each of the signals The wires are electrically connected to a corresponding one of the sensing electrodes, and at least a portion of the signal wires are overlapped and insulated from at least a portion of the sensing electrodes in a vertical projection direction; and a patterned insulating layer is disposed. And between the at least a portion of the signal wires and the at least a portion of the sensing electrodes. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein each of the sensing electrodes comprises: a plurality of main electrode portions, wherein a space between the two adjacent main electrode portions in a first direction; and And a plurality of connecting portions, wherein each of the connecting portions is disposed between the two adjacent main electrode portions in the first direction and electrically connected to the two adjacent main electrode portions. The capacitive touch panel of claim 2, wherein the at least one portion of the signal wires are disposed along a second direction, the second direction intersects the first direction, and each of the at least a portion of the signal wires A portion of the signal conductors are located in the space, and another portion of each of the at least a portion of the signal conductors overlaps the connectors in the vertical projection direction. The capacitive touch panel of claim 3, wherein the patterned insulating layer comprises a plurality of insulating structures, and each of the insulating structures covers a corresponding one of the connecting portions. The capacitive touch panel of claim 4, wherein each of the main electrode portions is formed by a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer, and each of the connecting portions is formed by the first conductive layer. The at least one portion of the signal wires in the space are formed by the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, and the signal wires overlapping the connecting portions in the vertical projection direction are used by the second guide The electric layer is composed of. The capacitive touch panel of claim 5, wherein the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are both transparent conductive materials, and the second conductive layer has a lower degree of crystallization than the first conductive layer. The capacitive touch panel of claim 3, wherein the main electrode portions of the sensing electrodes and the connecting portions are formed by a first patterned conductive layer, and the signal wires are The second patterned conductive layer is formed. The capacitive touch panel of claim 2, wherein each of the at least one of the signal wires comprises a plurality of first connecting line segments and a plurality of second connecting line segments electrically connected to each other, the first connecting line segments Located in the spaces, the second connecting line segments overlap the connecting portions in the vertical projection direction, and the second connecting line segments have a resistivity lower than that of the main electrode portions. The capacitive touch panel of claim 8, wherein the width of the second connecting line segments is smaller than the width of the connecting portions and the first connecting line segments. The capacitive touch panel of claim 8, wherein the main electrode portions, the connecting portions, and the first connecting line segments are formed by a transparent conductive layer, and the second connecting line segments are It is composed of an opaque conductive layer. The capacitive touch panel of claim 10, wherein the second connecting line segments have a width of less than 8 micrometers. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein the sensing electrodes are disposed between the substrate and the patterned insulating layer. The capacitive touch panel of claim 12, wherein the substrate is a cover plate, the side of the substrate remote from the sensing electrodes is a touch input interface, and the thickness of the substrate is between 25 micrometers and 6 Between millimeters. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein the signal wires are disposed on the substrate Between the patterned insulating layer. The capacitive touch panel of claim 14, further comprising a protective layer or a cover plate disposed on a side of the sensing electrodes away from the substrate, the protective layer or the cover plate being away from the sensing electrodes One side is a touch input interface, and the thickness of the protective layer or the cover plate is between 25 micrometers and 5 millimeters. The capacitive touch panel of claim 14, wherein the substrate is a pair of a display panel, a color filter substrate or a package cover. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein the sensing electrodes are made of a transparent conductive material, the signal wires are made of an opaque conductive material, and the signal wires have a line width of less than 8 micrometers. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein the sensing electrodes and the signal wires are each formed of a transparent conductive material. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein the patterned insulating layer is a full-surface insulating layer having a plurality of openings, each of the signal wires being electrically connected to the corresponding sensing electrode by each of the openings . The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein the patterned insulating layer is a plurality of insulating patterns, and each of the insulating patterns overlaps with at least two of the sensing electrodes and has a plurality of openings, each of the signal wires Each of the openings is electrically connected to the corresponding sensing electrode. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein the patterned insulating layer comprises a plurality of insulating structures spaced apart from each other. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein the patterned insulating layer is made of a transparent organic material and has a thickness of between 0.01 micrometers and 10 micrometers. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein the patterned insulating layer is composed of a transparent inorganic material and has a thickness of between 0.001 micrometers and 1 micrometer. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein a gap between two adjacent sensing electrodes is between 10 micrometers and 100 micrometers. The capacitive touch panel of claim 24, wherein in a first direction, a gap between two adjacent sensing electrodes is no less than 10 microns and no greater than 40 microns. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein the sensing electrodes have the same size and shape. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, further comprising a protective layer and a circuit board, wherein the protective layer is disposed on the signal wires and the sensing electrodes, and the protective layer and the patterned insulating layer are not Covering the ends of the signal wires, the circuit board is electrically connected to the signal wires. The capacitive touch panel of claim 27, wherein the patterned insulating layer is composed of a transparent organic material and has a thickness of from 0.01 micrometers to 10 micrometers. The capacitive touch panel of claim 27, wherein the patterned insulating layer is composed of a transparent inorganic material selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum nitride, and oxynitride. The tantalum, niobium oxide or combination thereof is laminated, and the patterned insulating layer has a thickness of from 0.001 micron to 1 micron. A method of manufacturing a capacitive touch panel, comprising: providing a substrate; forming a first conductive layer on the substrate, wherein the first conductive layer comprises a plurality of hollow regions and a plurality of connecting portions, wherein the connecting portions are located along the edge Between two adjacent ones of the hollow regions arranged in a second direction; forming a patterned insulating layer on the first conductive layer; forming a second conductive layer on the first conductive layer and the patterned insulating layer And patterning the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer to form a plurality of sensing electrodes electrically isolated from each other and a plurality of signal wires respectively electrically connected to a corresponding one of the sensing electrodes, wherein Each of the sensing electrodes includes a plurality of main electrode portions arranged along a first direction, and the two adjacent ones The signal electrodes are electrically connected to each other via the connecting portions, and have the signal wires separated by a space. The signal wires between the two adjacent main electrode portions span the second direction. The patterned insulating layer extends and is insulated and insulated from the connecting portions via a patterned insulating layer in a vertical projection direction. The method of fabricating a capacitive touch panel according to claim 30, wherein the patterned insulating layer comprises a plurality of insulating structures, each of the insulating structures respectively covering a corresponding connecting portion, and each of the signal wires is along the second The direction spans each of the insulating structures. A capacitive touch panel comprising: a substrate having a light transmissive area and a light shielding area, the light shielding area being disposed on at least one side of the light transmission area; a decorative layer disposed on the light shielding area on the substrate; The plurality of sensing electrodes are disposed at least on the transparent region of the substrate, wherein the sensing electrodes are electrically isolated from each other; a plurality of signal wires are disposed on the substrate, and the plurality of signal wires are from the light transmitting region Extending to the opaque region, the plurality of signal wires are shielded by the decorative layer, wherein each of the signal wires is electrically connected to a corresponding one of the sensing electrodes, and at least a portion of the signal wires are connected to at least a portion of the signal wires The sensing electrodes are overlapped and insulated in a vertical projection direction; and a patterned insulating layer is disposed between the at least a portion of the signal wires and the at least a portion of the sensing electrodes. The capacitive touch panel of claim 32, wherein the plurality of signal wires extend from the light transmissive region to the decorative layer of the light shielding region and further away from the substrate. The capacitive touch panel of claim 32, wherein the decorative layer has a thickness of between 0.5 micrometers and 50 micrometers. The capacitive touch panel of claim 32, further comprising a protective layer and a circuit board, the protective layer being disposed on the signal wires and the sensing electrodes, the protective layer and the patterned insulating layer not Covering the ends of the signal wires, the circuit board is electrically connected to the signal wires. The capacitive touch panel of claim 35, wherein the end of each of the signal wires is a bonding pad, the bonding pads are arranged in two rows, and the bonding pads in one row and the two phases in the other row An interval corresponding to the bonding pads is adjacent. The capacitive touch panel of claim 35, wherein the protective layer has a thickness of at least 0.8 microns. The capacitive touch panel of claim 35, wherein the protective layer has a thickness greater than a thickness of the decorative layer. The capacitive touch panel of claim 35, further comprising an outer frame layer covering a portion of the decorative layer. The capacitive touch panel of claim 39, wherein the outer frame layer and the protective layer are formed of the same transparent insulating material layer. The capacitive touch panel of claim 39, wherein the outer frame layer extends over a portion of a sidewall of the substrate. The capacitive touch panel of claim 41, wherein a blank area exists in a sidewall of the substrate to an outer edge of the decorative layer, the blank area is not provided with the decorative layer, and the outer frame layer has a light shielding property and covers the Blank area. The capacitive touch panel of claim 42, further comprising a reinforcing layer disposed between the sidewall of the substrate and the outer frame layer, the reinforcing layer comprising ultraviolet light curing resin or mixed with glass fiber and nano carbon A resin of a tube or a combination thereof. The capacitive touch panel of claim 32, wherein the substrate is selected from the group consisting of tempered glass, a composite substrate of polymethyl methacrylate and polycarbonate, or an ultraviolet curable resin substrate. The capacitive touch panel of claim 32, wherein the substrate is a cover plate, the side of the substrate away from the sensing electrodes is a touch input interface, and the thickness of the substrate can be between 25 micrometers and 6 mm.