KR20150046669A - Touch window and display with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A touch window according to an embodiment comprises: a substrate; a first electrode unit and a second electrode unit disposed on the substrate, and sensing a location; and an insulation unit insulating the first electrode unit and the second electrode unit. The insulation includes steps.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a touch window and a display device including the touch window.

The present disclosure relates to a touch window and a display device including the touch window.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a touch panel has been applied to an image displayed on a display device in various electronic products by a method of touching an input device such as a finger or a stylus.

The touch panel is typically divided into a resistive touch panel and a capacitive touch panel. The resistance film type touch panel senses that the resistance changes according to the connection between the electrodes when the pressure is applied to the input device, and the position is detected. A capacitance type touch panel senses a change in electrostatic capacitance between electrodes when a finger touches them, thereby detecting the position. Considering the convenience of the manufacturing method and the sensing power, recently, in a small model, the electrostatic capacity method has attracted attention.

When patterning electrodes of such a touch panel, the kinds of materials included in the electrodes are the same, which makes it difficult to perform selective patterning. That is, there is a problem that one patterning process affects the other patterning process because the same kind of material is used because the pattern to be patterned is different. Further, there is a problem that such a complicated patterning process increases process time and process cost.

The present invention relates to a touch window capable of securing various structures and a display device including the touch window.

A touch window according to an embodiment includes: a substrate; A first electrode portion and a second electrode portion disposed on the substrate and sensing a position; And an insulating portion for insulating the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion, wherein the insulating portion includes a step.

In the embodiment, after the electrode material is formed entirely on the upper surface of the insulating portion at the time of forming the electrode, it can be cut off naturally by steps or grooves in the insulating portion without a separate patterning process. That is, by omitting the complicated patterning process, the process can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

In addition, since the electrode material is formed over the entire surface, the difference in light reflection due to the difference in refractive index between the portion where the pattern exists and the portion where the pattern is not present can be reduced, and the visibility can be improved.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a touch window according to an embodiment.
Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a section cut along the line I-I 'in Fig. 1; Fig.
3 and 4 are sectional views of a touch window according to another embodiment.
5 is an exploded perspective view of a display device incorporating a touch window according to an embodiment.

In the description of the embodiments, it is to be understood that each layer (film), area, pattern or structure may be referred to as being "on" or "under / under" Quot; includes all that is formed directly or through another layer. The criteria for top / bottom or bottom / bottom of each layer are described with reference to the drawings.

The thickness or the size of each layer (film), region, pattern or structure in the drawings may be modified for clarity and convenience of explanation, and thus does not entirely reflect the actual size.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, a touch window according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

The touch window according to the embodiment includes a substrate 100, an electrode unit 200, an insulation unit 400, and a wiring 300.

The substrate 100 may be formed of a glass substrate, a poly ethylene terephthalate (PET) film, or a plastic substrate 100 including a resin. However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and may include various materials on which the electrode unit 200 and the wiring 300 are formed.

Although not shown in the drawing, a cover window may be disposed on the substrate 100. Such a cover window may comprise glass. Specifically, the cover window comprises chemically tempered glass. The chemically tempered glass comprises chemically reinforced glass. For example, the chemically tempered glass may be soda lime glass (Na2O? CaO? SiO2) or aluminosilicate glass (Na2O? Al2O3? SiO2). The cover window may have a predetermined strength to protect the substrate 100, the electrode unit 200, the wiring 300, and the like.

The electrode unit 200 may be formed on the substrate 100 to sense an input device. In FIG. 2, the electrode unit 200 is shown as a bar, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. Therefore, the electrode unit 200 may be formed in various shapes such as a triangle, a polygon such as a quadrangle, a circle or an ellipse, a rhombus, and an H-shape to detect whether a finger or the like is contacted.

The electrode unit 200 includes a first electrode unit 210 extending in one direction and a second electrode unit 220 extending in another direction crossing the first direction. In the touch window according to the embodiment, the first electrode unit 210 and the second electrode unit 220 may be formed on the same substrate 100 in a one-layer structure. That is, the first electrode unit 210 and the second electrode unit 220 may be disposed on the same plane on the substrate 100.

The electrode unit 200 may include at least one material selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, copper oxide, tin oxide, zinc oxide, titanium oxide and the like. The electrode unit 200 may include a nanowire, a photosensitive nanowire film, a carbon nanotube (CNT), a graphene, or various metals.

The first electrode unit 210 may have a bar-shaped pattern extending in one direction.

Meanwhile, the insulating portion 400 may be disposed on the first electrode portion 210. The insulation part 400 may insulate the first electrode part 210 and the second electrode part 220.

The insulating portion 400 may include a step. That is, the insulating part 400 includes a first insulating part 410 and a second insulating part 420, and the first insulating part 410 and the second insulating part 420 have steps .

The first insulation portion 410 is a portion having a relatively high height in the insulation portion 400. The second electrode unit 220 may be disposed on the first insulation unit 410.

The first insulating portion 410 and the second electrode portion 220 may include a corresponding pattern. That is, the first insulating portion 410 may have the same or similar pattern as the second electrode portion 220. Accordingly, the first insulation part 410 may have a bar-shaped pattern extending in the other direction.

The second insulation part 420 may be lower in height than the first insulation part 410. That is, the thickness T2 of the second insulation part 420 may be smaller than the thickness T1 of the first insulation part 410. [

The dummy portion 230 may be disposed on the second insulation portion 420. The dummy portion 230 includes the same material as the second electrode portion 220. The dummy portion 230 is disposed between the second electrode portions 220. When viewed from above, the second electrode unit 220 and the dummy unit 230 may have a shape in which the insulation unit 400 is seamlessly formed. That is, the second electrode unit 220 and the dummy unit 230 may form one layer.

Accordingly, when the second electrode part 220 is formed, the electrode material may be formed entirely on the upper surface of the insulating part 400 and then naturally cut off by the step without a separate patterning step. That is, by omitting the complicated patterning process, the process can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

In addition, since the electrode material is formed over the entire surface, the difference in light reflection due to the difference in refractive index between the portion where the pattern exists and the portion where the pattern is not present can be reduced, and the visibility can be improved.

The thickness T1 of the first insulation part 410 may be equal to or greater than the sum of the thickness T2 of the second insulation part 420 and the thickness T3 of the dummy part 230 have. Accordingly, the second electrode unit 220 and the dummy unit 230 can be separated without electrical shorting.

The first insulating portion 410 and the second insulating portion 420 may include the same material. The insulating part 400 may include a photosensitive film. Therefore, the insulation structure of the first insulation part 410 and the second insulation part 420 can be secured by a simple process.

Next, a wiring 300 for electrically connecting the electrode unit 200 may be formed. The wiring 300 includes a first wiring 310 connecting the first electrode unit 210 and a second wiring 320 connecting the second electrode unit 220.

The wiring 300 may be formed of a metal having excellent electrical conductivity. For example, the wiring 300 may be formed of Cr, Ni, Cu, Al, Ag, Mol, or an alloy thereof. In particular, the wiring 300 may include various metal paste materials that can be formed by a printing process.

An electrode pad is disposed at an end of the wiring 300. Such an electrode pad can be connected to a printed circuit board. Specifically, although not shown in the drawings, a connection terminal is located on one side of the printed circuit board, and the electrode pad can be connected to the connection terminal. The electrode pad may have a size corresponding to the connection terminal.

As the printed circuit board, various types of printed circuit boards can be applied. For example, a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) or the like can be applied.

Meanwhile, the touch window according to the embodiment may be a curved touch window or a curved flexible touch window.

 Hereinafter, a touch window according to another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. For the sake of clarity and conciseness, the same or similar parts as those described above will not be described in detail.

The touch window according to another embodiment includes an insulating portion 401 for insulating the first electrode portion 210 and the second electrode portion 240 and the insulating portion 401 includes a groove 401c . The groove 401c may be formed in a direction inclined with respect to the upper surface of the substrate 100. [ More specifically, the groove 401c includes a first inner side surface 401a and a second inner side surface 401b opposing the first inner side surface 401a, and the first inner side surface 401a and the second inner side surface 401b, 2 inner side surface 401b may be inclined with respect to the upper surface of the substrate 100. [ At this time, the inclination direction of the first inner side surface 401a and the second inner side surface 401b may correspond to each other. That is, the first inner side surface 401a and the second inner side surface 401b may be inclined in the same direction.

The second electrode unit 240 may be disposed on the front surface of the insulation unit 401. The second electrode part 240 may be automatically patterned through the groove 401c. That is, the second electrode unit 240 may be patterned through the first inner surface 401a of the groove 401c.

The second electrode unit 240 may cover the bottom surface of the groove 401c and the second inner surface 401b. Therefore, unlike the embodiment of FIG. 2 described above, it may be a structure without a dummy portion (230 in FIG. 2).

4, the first inner side 402a of the groove 402c may have a step. That is, the first inner surface 402a may have a stepped shape. Accordingly, the second electrode unit 240 can be automatically patterned without electrical short circuit.

Then, as shown in Fig. 5, such a touch window 10 may be disposed on the display panel 20 as a driving unit. The touch window 10 and the display panel 20 are bonded together to form a display device.

In particular, the touch window 10 may include a curved touch window 10 or a curved flexible touch window 10. Accordingly, the display device including the same may be a curved display device or a flexible display device.

The display panel 20 has a display area for outputting an image. The display panel applied to such a display device may generally include an upper substrate 21 and a lower substrate 22. [ A data line, a gate line, a thin film transistor (TFT), or the like may be formed on the lower substrate 22. The upper substrate 21 may be bonded to the lower substrate 22 to protect components disposed on the lower substrate 22. [

The display panel 20 may be formed in various forms depending on what type of display device the display device according to the present invention is. That is, the display device according to the present invention includes a liquid crystal display (LCD), a field emission display, a plasma display panel (PDP), an organic light emitting display (OLED), and an electrophoretic display So that the display panel 20 can be configured in various forms.

The features, structures, effects and the like described in the foregoing embodiments are included in at least one embodiment of the present invention and are not necessarily limited to one embodiment. Further, the features, structures, effects, and the like illustrated in the embodiments may be combined or modified in other embodiments by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments belong. Therefore, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to these combinations and modifications.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It can be seen that various modifications and applications are possible. For example, each component specifically shown in the embodiments may be modified and implemented. It is to be understood that the present invention may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

Claims (15)

Board;
A first electrode portion and a second electrode portion disposed on the substrate and sensing a position; And
And an insulating portion for insulating the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion,
Wherein the insulating portion comprises a step. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the insulating portion includes a first insulating portion and a second insulating portion that is lower in height than the first insulating portion. 3. The method of claim 2,
And the second electrode portion is disposed on the first insulating portion. 3. The method of claim 2,
And a dummy portion of the same material as the second electrode portion is disposed on the second insulating portion. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the thickness of the first insulation portion is at least equal to or greater than the sum of the thicknesses of the second insulation portion and the dummy portion. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the pattern of the first insulation portion corresponds to the pattern of the second electrode portion. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the insulating portion comprises a photosensitive film. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the first insulating portion and the second insulating portion comprise the same material. Board;
A first electrode portion disposed on the substrate and sensing a position;
An insulating portion disposed on the first electrode portion; And
And a second electrode portion disposed on the insulating portion,
Wherein the insulation comprises a groove. 10. The method of claim 9,
And the second electrode portion is disposed on a front surface of the insulating portion. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein an inner surface of the groove is inclined with respect to an upper surface of the substrate. 12. The method of claim 11,
The groove comprising a first inner side and a second inner side opposite the first inner side,
Wherein a direction in which the first inner side surface and the second inner side surface are inclined corresponds to each other. 13. The method of claim 12,
And the second electrode portion covers the bottom surface and the second inner surface of the groove. Touch window; And
And a driver disposed on the touch window,
The touch window includes:
Board;
A first electrode portion and a second electrode portion disposed on the substrate and sensing a position; And
And an insulating portion for insulating the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion,
Wherein the insulating portion includes a step. 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the touch window comprises a curved touch window or a flexible touch window.

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