KR101464818B1 - Capacitance type input device and production method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To provide a capacitive input device having high transparency and small power consumption.
[MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS] To solve the above problems, a capacitive input device of the present invention is an electrostatic capacitive input device having an input section and an output section on the same surface of a transparent substrate, And a wiring pattern for electrically connecting the input section and the connection terminal. The input section has a plurality of first transparent conductive films disposed adjacent to each other in the first direction and a plurality of first electrode patterns composed of a conductive member electrically connecting the first transparent conductive film, A plurality of second transparent conductive films disposed adjacent to each other in a second direction of the first electrode pattern and a second electrode pattern composed of a connection portion arranged at a position intersecting the conductive member of the first electrode pattern. The conductive member, the connection terminal and the wiring pattern are formed by the same conductive film, and the conductive film is composed of a single layer of a metal layer or a multilayer including at least one metal layer, and the conductive member is formed in a linear shape .

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a capacitance type input device and a manufacturing method thereof,

The present invention relates to a capacitive input device and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a capacitive input device having high transparency while suppressing power consumption and a method of manufacturing the same.

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, in the fields of electronic devices such as mobile phones, PDAs, personal digital assistants, game machines, car navigation systems, personal computers, ticket vending machines, An input device (touch panel) has been introduced, and the demand has been dramatically increased. In the case of such an input device, information corresponding to the instruction image can be input by making contact with a stylus pen, a finger, or the like at a position where the instruction image is displayed while referring to the instruction image displayed in the image display area of the liquid crystal device .

The touch panel type input device detects the input operation position in the operation area when the input operation is performed with respect to the operation area with the stylus pen or the finger and outputs an input signal indicating the input operation position to the external processing device. According to the principle of operation at this time, the touch panel type input device mainly includes a resistance film type, a capacitance type, an electromagnetic induction type, an ultrasonic surface acoustic wave type, an infrared ray scanning type, etc. At present, A resistive-film-type input device becomes mainstream.

However, since the resistive film type input device has a structure in which the film is pressed downward by a two-piece structure of film and glass, there is a problem that the operating temperature range is narrow and is weak to change with time. Further, it is vulnerable to impact and has a short life span. In addition, there is a problem in that transparency deteriorates because the precision required for enlarging the area of the input device is reduced, and two metal thin films are required.

On the other hand, the capacitive type input device forms electrolysis on the entire surface of the input device, and detects the position by the change of the surface charge of the portion where the user's finger touch or comes close. Therefore, And has a high resolution. In addition, since the response speed is high and it responds only to conductors such as fingers, there is an advantage that there is no malfunction when other things (for example, clothing) are contacted.

As such capacitive-type input devices, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a method of forming a lattice-like electrode pattern by extending an electrode pattern in a direction intersecting with each other on a single substrate, Detecting a change in the electrostatic capacitance between the electrodes when the voltage is close to or close to the reference voltage, and detecting the input position.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-310550

Patent Document 2: Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3134925

In general, a touch panel type input device is disposed (disposed) on an image display device, and is operated by an operator viewing an image displayed on the image display device and contacting the touch panel type input device. Therefore, since the image displayed on the image display device needs to be visually seen from the operation surface side of the touch panel type input device, the touch panel type input device is required to have high transparency. Therefore, a material having excellent transparency has been used as the material of the substrate and the electrode pattern of the touch panel type input device.

Patent Document 1 discloses a structure in which the crossing portions of the electrode patterns are made small and the light transmitting thin film (transparent conductive film) is laminated at the crossing portions, so that the crossing portions of the electrode patterns are not conspicuous, Thereby providing a high-touch-panel-type input device. Also in Patent Document 2, an input device configured by a transparent material (transparent conductive film) is disclosed.

On the other hand, in a capacitive input device, since the constant current needs to flow, the power consumption thereof greatly depends on the resistance value of the entire device. Therefore, when the transparent conductive film is patterned in the touch panel type input device, since the resistance value of the transparent conductive film is larger than that of the metal, there is a problem that the voltage for operating the input portion increases and power consumption increases.

Further, in the capacitance type input device, when the transparent conductive film is patterned as described above, the power consumption increases. On the other hand, a metal thin film having a low resistance value has been used as a wiring pattern to be used for connection with an external device by reducing consumption power even a little. Therefore, in a touch panel type input device requiring transparency, a transparent conductive film is used for the electrode pattern and the conductive member at the intersection, while a metallic thin film is used for the wiring pattern. Thus, And the wiring patterns were made of different materials. For this reason, there is a problem in that a film formation step of a wiring pattern and a film formation step such as an electrode pattern are separately required, and the manufacturing process is apt to become complicated.

An object of the present invention is to provide a touch panel type input device having high transparency and small power consumption in a capacitive input device. Another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive capacitive input device having a simplified configuration of the capacitive input device and a simplified manufacturing process. Further, in the present specification, the image viewed through the input device is expressed with transparency by visibility of human eyes. That is, even when the light transmission amount is slightly reduced due to the fact that light can not be seen (confirmed) by microscopic observation, it is expressed as transparent when there is no influence on image visibility.

The above object is achieved by a capacitive input device according to the present invention, which has an input section for performing an input operation and an output section for outputting a signal from the input section, wherein the input section and the output section are arranged on the same surface of the transparent substrate Wherein the output section has a connection terminal for outputting the signal and a wiring pattern for electrically connecting the input section and the connection terminal, and the input section has a wiring pattern in a first direction on the transparent substrate A plurality of first transparent conductive films disposed adjacent to each other and a plurality of first electrode patterns each composed of a conductive member electrically connecting the first transparent conductive film and a plurality of second electrode patterns disposed adjacent to each other in a second direction crossing the first direction A plurality of second transparent conductive films to be disposed, connection portions formed continuously with the plurality of second transparent conductive films and arranged at positions intersecting with the conductive members, And an insulating film disposed between the conductive member and the connection portion to maintain insulation between the conductive member and the connection portion, wherein the conductive member, the connection terminal, and the wiring pattern have the same conductivity And the conductor film is formed as a single layer of a metal layer or a multilayer including at least one metal layer, and the conductive member is formed in a linear shape.

As described above, in the first electrode pattern, the conductive member for electrically connecting the first transparent conductive film is constituted by a conductive film including a metal layer (metal thin film) having a resistance value lower than that of the transparent conductive film, It is possible to reduce the power consumption of the battery. In the prior art, in order to ensure transparency in the operating region of the capacitive input device, all of the electrode patterns were formed using a transparent conductive film. However, the transparent conductive film has, depending on its resistance value, thickness, even greater than about several tens of nm thickness, it chwihana a resistivity of about 1.5 × 10 ^-4 Ω㎝, the resistivity is the resistivity of the metal thin film (for example, accept a resistivity 1.67 × 10 ^-6 Ω cm). Therefore, when the transparent conductive film is used, the power consumption of the capacitive input device is increased. However, as in the present invention, by constructing the conductive film by a metal layer as one layer or a multilayer including at least one metal layer, Reduction can be planned.

At this time, as in Claim 2, it is preferable that the conductor film is a single layer of the metal layer, and the width of the conductive member in the second direction is 4 to 10 mu m.

Thus, when the conductive film is formed of only the metal layer, if the conductive member has a very narrow width of 4 to 10 占 퐉, the conductive member can not be visually confirmed by human eyesight at all. Therefore, the operator can not visually confirm the conductive member, and transparency of the operation region of the capacitive input device can be ensured. When the conductive film is made of only the metal layer, if the width of the conductive member is made larger than 10 μm, the conductive member is slightly visible, and is visually confirmed from the operator. If the conductive member is smaller than 4 μm, the accuracy of patterning due to etching or the like is lowered .

Further, as in claim 3, it is preferable that the conductor film is a multilayer in which a metal layer and a metal oxide layer are alternately stacked, and in the conductor film, the metal oxide layer is formed on the viewer side.

By forming the metal oxide layer on the visual side of the operator in this way, the reflectance of the conductor film can be lowered by utilizing interference of light between the respective layers.

The fine shape, such as the conductive member, may be visible by the eyes depending on the direction of the reflected light, even if it is not seen and seen by the eyes. However, by lowering the reflectance, this problem can be solved.

When a plurality of metal layers and a plurality of metal oxide layers are stacked, the reflectance can be further reduced. As a result, the conductive member, the connection terminal, and the wiring pattern formed by the conductive film become more difficult to see and observe, thereby providing a capacitive input device in which the transparency is uniformly improved in the input portion and the output portion.

The " view side (viewing side) " refers to a side of the capacitive input device viewed by an operator. More specifically, when the operator looks at the side (surface) on which the input section and the output section are formed on the transparent substrate, the uppermost layer of the conductor film is indicated. On the other hand, in the case where the operator looks at the side on which the input unit and the output unit are not formed (back side), the operator indicates the lowest layer of the conductor film.

In this case, it is preferable that the width of the conductive member in the second direction is 7 to 40 탆 as in claim 4.

As described above, when forming the conductive member by forming a metal oxide layer on the viewer's side of the conductive film by improving the transparency, the width of the conductive member may be set to 7 to 40 탆. Unlike the case where the conductive member is made of only the metal layer, when the metal oxide layer is formed on the viewer side, the transparency is improved, so that even when the width of the conductive member is increased, However, even when the metal oxide layer is formed on the viewing side, when the width of the conductive member is made larger than 40 占 퐉, the conductive member is not visible because it is visible. When the thickness is less than 7 占 퐉, the precision of patterning due to etching or the like is lowered, which is not preferable.

Further, as in claim 5, the material of the metal layer is selected from silver, a silver alloy, copper, a copper alloy, MAM (a three-layer structure compound of Mo or Mo alloy / Al or Al alloy / Mo or Mo alloy) Is preferable.

Since these metal materials have a small resistance value, by forming the conductive member, the connection terminal, and the wiring pattern into a single layer that is a thin film of the metal or a multi-layer including the thin film of the metal, Can be obtained. Further, since the resistance value is small, the wiring pitch can be narrowed, and as a result, the frame area (output portion) in which the wiring pattern is disposed can be narrowed. Further, since the wiring pitch can be narrowed, the wiring pattern can be increased in the same mounting area, and the input signal can be detected with high positional accuracy.

Further, since the metal material is easily processed by etching, it is suitable for manufacturing the capacitive input device of the present invention.

Further, as in claim 6, the material of the metal layer is selected from silver, silver alloy, copper, copper alloy, MAM (a three-layer structure compound of Mo or Mo alloy / Al or Al alloy / Mo or Mo alloy) And the metal oxide layer is preferably an indium complex oxide.

Thus, the conductor film can be processed collectively by etching by forming the metal layer using the above material and further using the metal oxide layer as the above material. As a result, the manufacturing process is not complicated, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

It is preferable that the conductive member, the insulating film and the connection portion are laminated in this order on the transparent substrate at the intersection of the conductive member and the connection portion as in Claim 7.

With this configuration, that is, with the configuration shown in FIG. 6, the insulating film may be disposed only at the intersections of the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern. According to this configuration, since the conductive member is formed on the transparent substrate, the insulation between the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern is maintained only by forming the insulating film only at the intersection. Therefore, it is possible to more easily form each part (each member) by lamination.

On the other hand, when the first and second transparent conductive films and the connecting portions in the second electrode pattern are formed on the transparent substrate in advance, that is, in the case of the configuration shown in Fig. 4, the conductive member is formed last. At this time, since the conductive member must electrically connect only the first transparent conductive film, it is necessary that all the portions other than the portion where the first transparent conductive film and the conductive member are connected are covered with the insulating film.

Therefore, according to this configuration, only the protective film is formed on the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern, because the range in which the insulating film is provided is limited only to the intersection of the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern. As a result, since the entire film thickness is thinned, deterioration of transparency due to the interference color which is a problem when the film thickness is large can be prevented.

According to this configuration, unlike the configuration in which the transparent conductive film is first formed on the transparent substrate (the configuration in Fig. 4), in the configuration shown in Fig. 6, it is necessary to form a minute contact hole for penetrating the conductive member in the insulating film And there is no need to perform fine patterning such as penetrating the conductive member through the contact hole. Therefore, a relatively simple structure can be obtained, and as a result, when the input portion of the capacitive input device is formed, the yield is improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a capacitive input device, comprising the steps of: inputting an input operation; and outputting a signal from the input unit, A method for manufacturing a capacitive input device provided on the same plane, the method comprising: a transparent conductive film forming step of forming a transparent conductive film on the entire surface of the transparent substrate; and a transparent conductive film forming step of forming, on the transparent conductive film, A plurality of second transparent conductive films disposed in a second direction intersecting with the first direction and a connection portion formed continuously with the plurality of second transparent conductive films are formed by etching A transparent conductive film patterning step, an insulating film forming step of forming an insulating film on the entire surface of the transparent substrate, and a step of patterning the insulating film, A contact hole forming step of forming a contact hole on both sides via a connecting portion formed continuously with the second transparent conductive film on the surface of the transparent substrate; and a step of forming a single layer of a metal layer or a metal layer A connection terminal provided for the output section to output the signal, a wiring pattern for connecting the connection terminal and the input section, and a wiring pattern for connecting the connection section to the wiring section, And a conductive film patterning step of forming a conductive film on the first transparent conductive film by etching the linear conductive member arranged at a position intersecting the connection portion.

In the prior art, all of the connection portions of the electrode patterns were formed of a transparent conductive film for the purpose of securing transparency, but the connection terminals and the wiring pattern were formed of a metal thin film having a low resistance value. Therefore, by forming the conductive member, the connection terminal and the wiring pattern from a conductive film made of the same material as in the present invention, the manufacturing process can be simplified. Further, since the resistance value of the electrode pattern is made small by forming the conductive member that electrically connects the plurality of first transparent conductive films with the conductive film, it is possible to provide the capacitance type input device with low power consumption.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a capacitive input device, comprising the steps of: inputting an input operation; and outputting a signal from the input unit, There is provided a manufacturing method of a capacitive input device provided on the same plane, comprising the steps of: forming a conductor film in a multilayered structure including a single layer of a metal layer or a metal layer of at least one layer on the entire surface of the transparent substrate; A wiring pattern for connecting the connection terminal and the input section to the conductive film, the output section being provided for outputting the signal, and a wiring pattern for connecting the plurality of first A conductor electrically connected to the transparent conductive film and formed by etching a linear conductive member formed along the first direction, Film forming step of forming an insulating film on the entire surface of the transparent substrate; and a step of forming a conductive film on the insulating film so as to cover the conductive member and a plurality of second transparent conductive films disposed adjacent to each other in the second direction A conductive film forming step of forming a transparent conductive film on the entire surface of the transparent substrate, the transparent conductive film forming step of forming a transparent conductive film on the entire surface of the transparent substrate, And a transparent conductive film patterning step of forming the first transparent conductive film, the plurality of second transparent conductive films, and the connecting portion by etching.

At this time, since the capacitance type input device of the invention of claim 7 can be provided, it is possible to provide the capacitance type input device in which the interference color is reduced and the transparency is secured.

At this time, as in claim 10, in the conductor film forming step, the single layer of the metal layer is formed, and when the conductive film patterning step is performed so that the width of the conductive member in the second direction is 4 to 10 mu m desirable.

As described above, when the conductive member for electrically connecting the first transparent conductive film is formed by a conductor film made of only a metal layer, the width of the conductive member is 4 to 10 mu m, A capacitance type input device having transparency can be provided.

As in claim 11, in the conductor film forming step, a step of forming a metal oxide layer at the beginning or at the end is provided, and a step of forming the metal layer and a step of forming the metal oxide layer are alternately provided .

Thus, by providing the metal oxide layer as the uppermost layer or the lowermost layer in the conductor film, a conductor film having high transparency can be obtained. At this time, it is necessary to provide a metal oxide layer at least on the viewer side.

Further, by alternately laminating the metal layer and the metal oxide layer in the conductor film, it is possible to make the conductor film having a lower reflectance by using the interference of light between the respective layers. As a result, it is possible to provide a capacitive input device having a high transparency of the input section and the output section.

In this case, it is preferable that the width of the conductive member in the second direction is 7 to 40 占 퐉 in the conductive film patterning step as in claim 12.

In this manner, by forming the metal oxide layer in the uppermost layer or the lowermost layer in the conductive film and making the width of the conductive member within the above range, it is possible to make the conductive member difficult to visually recognize and confirm, Device can be provided.

According to the electrostatic capacitive input device of the present invention, by forming the conductive member that electrically connects the first transparent conductive film with the conductive film including at least one metal layer, the electrical resistance of the conductive member is reduced, , It is possible to provide a capacitive input device with reduced power consumption. Further, by using the same material as the conductive member, the connection terminal and the wiring pattern, the manufacturing process can be dramatically simplified.

In the case where the conductor film is formed of only the metal layer, the width of the conductive member is 4 to 10 占 퐉 so that the visibility of the conductive member can be lowered, and the capacitance type input apparatus with high transparency can be obtained.

Further, the visibility of the conductor film can be lowered by alternately laminating the metal layer and the metal oxide layer to form a conductor film, and further arranging the metal oxide layer on the viewer's side of the operator. By setting the width of the conductive member formed by the conductive film thus formed to 7 to 40 占 퐉, the transparency of the input portion can be secured.

When the conductive film, the insulating film, and the transparent conductive film are formed in this order, the insulating film can be formed only at the intersections of the electrode patterns, and therefore the total film thickness can be reduced. As a result, since the effect of the interference color is reduced, the capacitance type input device with high transparency can be provided.

1 is a schematic perspective view of an input device equipped with a capacitive input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a pattern diagram of a capacitive input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 3 is an explanatory view showing a part of an enlarged pattern view of the capacitive input device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a schematic cross-sectional view corresponding to line AA in Fig. 3 of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
5 is a partially enlarged view of a pattern diagram of the capacitive input device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 6 is a schematic sectional view corresponding to the BB line in Fig. 5 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a graph showing optical characteristics of Examples 1-1 to 1-4 of the present invention.
8 is a graph showing optical characteristics of Examples 2-1 to 2-5 of the present invention.
Explanation of symbols
1 Capacitive input device
1a input unit
1b output section
2-image display device
3 Flexible Flat Cable
4 transparent substrate
20 First electrode pattern (input section)
21, 31,
21a, 21c First transparent conductive film
31a and 31d,
21b, 31b, 41a and 41b,
22 contact hole
30 Second electrode pattern (input section)
31c and 31e,
40 intersection
50, 60 Wiring pattern (output section)
50a, 60a connection terminal (output section)
51a and 51b,
52a and 52b,
71 Shield
100 input device

A capacitive input device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the materials, arrangement, configuration, and the like described below do not limit the present invention, but can be variously modified within the scope of the present invention.

1 and 2 relate to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an input device equipped with a capacitive input device, Fig. 2 is a pattern diagram of the capacitive input device, and Figs. 3 and 4 Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view corresponding to line AA in Fig. 3, and Figs. 5 and 6 are cross- 5 is a schematic enlarged view of a pattern diagram of a capacitive input device, Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view corresponding to line BB in Fig. 5, Fig. 7 is a cross- FIG. 8 is a graph showing the optical characteristics of Examples 2-1 to 2-5. FIG.

[Embodiment 1]

1, the capacitive input device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is used in combination with the image display device 2 to be used as the input device 100. [ The input device 100 includes at least a capacitive input device 1, an image display device 2, and a flexible flat cable 3. In the input device 100, the capacitive input device 1 is superposed on the side viewed by the eyes of the image display device 2, that is, on the side operated by the user, and the surface of the capacitive input device 1 An input unit 1a for an operator to perform an input operation and an output unit 1b for externally outputting a signal from the input unit 1a are provided.

A flexible flat cable 3 for outputting the input signal is connected to the output portion 1b of the capacitive input device 1. The flexible flat cable 3 is connected to a detection driving circuit (detection portion) not shown. In addition, when the input device 100 is operated, the driver IC may be mounted on a COG (Chip On Glass) if the operation is not affected.

As the image display device 2 mounted on the input device 100, a general liquid crystal panel, an organic EL panel, or the like can be used, and a moving image or a still image is displayed.

In the input device 100, a capacitance method is employed for determining the position by measuring the ratio of the amount of current. The operation will be described below.

The input device 100 is provided with a capacitive input device 1 in which the user can visually display the image displayed on the image display device 2 via the transparent capacitive input device 1 Confirms the report, and confirms corresponding input information. Then, the position corresponding to the instruction image displayed on the image display device 2 is contacted with the finger or the like on the capacitive input device 1 to input information. At this time, when the conductive finger touches, the capacitance between the sensing electrode (the first electrode pattern 20 and the second electrode pattern 30) provided on the capacitive input device 1 has a capacitance. As a result, the electrostatic capacity at the finger-contacted position is lowered, and the position is performed by calculating the position by the detection driving circuit (detection portion) (not shown).

2, the capacitive input device 1 includes a first electrode pattern 20 extending in the x-axis direction on the transparent substrate 4, a second electrode pattern 20 extending in the y- By forming the pattern 30, the input section 1a is formed. The output portions 1b are formed by forming the wiring patterns 50 and 60 connected to the respective electrode patterns and the connection terminals 50a and 60a provided in the wiring patterns 50 and 60. 2 shows a part of the pattern of the capacitive input device 1. In Fig.

The first transparent conductive film 21a (see FIG. 3) provided in the first electrode pattern 20 and the second transparent conductive film 31a provided in the second electrode pattern 30 are formed in a substantially diamond shape . In the second electrode pattern 30, the second transparent conductive films 31a adjacent to each other are successively formed by connecting portions 31c of substantially rhombic vertices, and as a result, (30). The first electrode pattern 20 and the second electrode pattern 30 intersect each other at the intersection 40, and both are electrically insulated. The first electrode pattern 20 and the second electrode pattern 30 may be vertically aligned as shown in FIG. 2, or may be arranged on the transparent substrate 4 at a corresponding non-vertical angle.

The wiring patterns 50 and 60 are formed by patterning the first electrode pattern 20 (more specifically, the first transparent conductive film 21a) and the second electrode pattern 30 (more specifically, (The entire film 31a), it is preferable to make the resistance as small as possible. The wiring patterns 50 and 60 and the connection terminals 50a and 60a are formed of a single layer of a metal layer on a transparent substrate 4 or an insulating film or a conductor having multiple layers including at least one metal layer. The wiring patterns 50 and 60 electrically connect the first electrode pattern 20 and the second electrode pattern 30 to the connection terminals 50a and 60a respectively. In the connection terminals 50a and 60a, , And the flexible flat cable (3).

At this time, an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) and a flexible flat cable 3 are stacked in this order on the connection terminals 50a and 60a and heated to about 150 DEG C to thermocompression. In addition to being connected by using the ACF, it may be connected by another connecting method such as solder connection, or a metal lead may be used instead of the flexible flat cable 3. [ When the metal wire is used in place of the flexible flat cable 3, the connection method may be wire bonding, soldering, laser welding, or the like.

Next, the first electrode pattern 20 and the second electrode pattern 30 in the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG.

3 is a partially enlarged view of a pattern diagram of the capacitive input device 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG.

3, the first transparent conductive film 21a and the second transparent conductive film 31a forming the pad portions 21 and 31 (diamond-shaped portions in the present embodiment) having a large area, and further the intersection portions 40 An insulating film (not shown) is formed on the entire surface of the transparent substrate 4. A portion on the first transparent conductive film 21a is referred to as an insulating film 21b and a portion on the second transparent conductive film 31a is referred to as an insulating film 31b, And the portion laminated on the insulating film 31c is referred to as an insulating film 41a. In the insulating film 21b, a contact hole 22 having no insulating film is provided. The insulating film provided over the entire surface of the transparent substrate 4 is also formed under the wiring patterns 50 and 60 because the insulating film is formed earlier than the conductive members 51a and the like described later. Therefore, in the first embodiment, all the areas on the transparent substrate 4 other than the contact holes 22 are covered with the insulating film at the time of forming the insulating film.

4, the conductive members 51a are formed via the contact holes 22 so that the first transparent conductive films 21a formed adjacent to each other are electrically connected to each other on the insulating film 41a . As a result, the first electrode pattern 20 electrically connected is formed. That is, the first transparent conductive films 21a of the neighboring pads 21 are electrically connected to each other by being disposed so that the conductive members 51a bridge over the insulating film 41a. At this time, the conductive member 51a is in contact with the first transparent conductive film 21a at the contact portion 52a.

Further, in the capacitive input device 1, the entire surface of the transparent substrate 4 on which the respective films are laminated is covered with a protective film 71.

The capacitance input device 1 according to the first embodiment is provided with the pad portions 21 and 31 having the first transparent conductive film 21a and the second transparent conductive film 31a on the transparent substrate 4 And is formed in a rhombic shape when viewed from the operating surface side. The shape of the pad portions 21 and 31 is not limited to a diamond shape but may adopt a shape such as a hexagon which can uniformly cover the transparent substrate 4 with no gaps. Here, in the case of adopting diamond, it is preferable that the length of one side thereof is 4 to 8 mm.

The first transparent conductive film 21a forming the pad portion 21 is formed to be spaced apart from and adjacent to each other while the second transparent conductive film 31a forming the pad portion 31 is formed at the intersection portion 40 The adjacent second transparent conductive films 31a are continuously formed via the connecting portions 31c to form the first electrode patterns 20 and the second electrode patterns 30, respectively. It is preferable that the width of the connecting portion 31c (the length in the x-axis direction in Fig. 3) be 50 to 200 탆. At this time, the first transparent conductive films 21a adjacent to each other may be continuous at the intersection 40, and the second transparent conductive film 31a may be interrupted halfway.

At this time, as the transparent substrate 4, a transparent and insulating material such as a glass or a film-containing resin substrate can be used. Glass and resin substrates are preferable because they do not need to be formed with an insulating film like a conductive substrate such as a metal, so that operations are not complicated. Further, the flexibility of the film can increase the strength of the capacitive input device 1.

In the pad portions 21 and 31 forming the first electrode pattern 20 and the second electrode pattern 30, the first transparent conductive film 21a provided on the transparent substrate 4, A transparent conductive film is used for the whole film 31a and the connection portion 31c and for example ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), IZO (Indium Zinc Oxide), AZO (Aluminum Zinc Oxide) do. In these electrode patterns, the thickness of the first transparent conductive film 21a, the second transparent conductive film 31a, and the connection portion 31c is preferably about 10 to 20 nm.

The film forming method of the first transparent conductive film 21a, the second transparent conductive film 31a and the connecting portion 31c can be roughly classified into a chemical film forming method such as a spray pyrolysis method and a CVD method and a physical film forming method such as a vapor deposition method and a sputtering method have. Among them, the sputtering method is preferable because the change in the resistance value and the transmittance of the obtained film is small and the control of the film forming conditions is easy. The first transparent conductive film 21a, the second transparent conductive film 31a, and the connection portion 31c are patterned by etching.

Insulating [(21b, 31b) (In Figure 3 is shown only that location) and (41a) (see FIG. 4) of an insulating film containing In is preferable to use a transparent insulating material, SiO _2, Al ₂ O ₃ , A polyimide resin, an acrylic resin, or the like can be used, and the thickness is preferably about 300 to 3000 nm. As a method of forming the insulating film, a vapor deposition method, a sputtering method, a dipping method, and a printing method can be used. Among them, the sputtering method is preferable because the change in the resistance value and the transmittance with time of the obtained film is small and the control of the film forming conditions is easy. In the case of using an inorganic film, the insulating film is patterned to form the insulating films 21b, 31b and 41a by the removal of the uncured portions after curing the necessary portions when using the resin.

The conductive member 51a and the wiring patterns 50 and 60 and the connection terminals 50a and 60a are formed of a single layer of a metal layer (metal thin film) or a conductor film having a multilayer including at least one metal layer. As a material of the metal layer, metals such as gold, silver, copper, molybdenum (Mo), niobium (Nb), and aluminum (Al) may be used alone or alloys thereof may be used. Preferably, any one selected from the group consisting of copper, silver alloy, copper alloy, MAM (a three-layer structure of Mo or Mo alloy / Al or Al alloy / Mo or Mo alloy), which is easily patterned by etching, may be used. More specifically, it is preferable that the Mo alloy contains Nb, and the Al alloy contains Nd. The use of a material containing Al is preferable because it can be manufactured at a relatively low cost and conductivity can be ensured.

The width of the conductive member 51a (the length in the y-axis direction in FIG. 3) is about 4 to 10 m (the total length is about 200 to 600 nm when the conductor film is a multilayer) (7 to 40 mu m in the case of a multi-layered structure) and a length (length in the x-axis direction in Fig. 3) of about 100 to 300 mu m.

The conductive member 51a is formed in a minute line shape, and more specifically, has a narrow rectangular shape with a width narrower than that of the pad portion 21. When the width of the conductive member 51a (the length in the y-axis direction in Fig. 3) is made smaller than 4 탆 (7 탆 in the case where the conductor film is a multilayer), it is difficult to produce the conductive member 51a with good reproducibility by etching. When the conductive film is made of only the metal layer, the width of the conductive member 51a can be controlled to a narrow value of 4 占 퐉 because it is a single layer. However, In order to ensure accuracy, it is preferable that the thickness is 7 mu m or more. On the other hand, if the thickness is larger than 10 占 퐉 (40 占 퐉 in the case of multiple layers), the conductive member 51a will be slightly visible and the transparency of the resulting capacitive input device 1 will deteriorate. Therefore, the visibility of the capacitive input device 1 is lowered, which is undesirable.

And the conductive member 51a was formed to have a width of 4 占 퐉, 7 占 퐉, 10 占 퐉 and 20 占 퐉 and confirmed by visual observation. 10 persons were visually confirmed and when it was 10 탆 or less, a majority of nine persons could not confirm the conductive member 51a with eyes. When the width of the conductive member 51a was 20 占 퐉, six members could be visually confirmed.

As a result, it was confirmed that the width of the conductive member 51a was set to be 10 占 퐉 or less when the conductive film was composed of only the metal layer. In addition, the conductive member 51a was attempted to be formed with a width of less than 4 占 퐉, but the etching accuracy was low and patterning with the precision within the required allowable range could not be achieved.

The conductive member 51a is formed to have a width of 4 탆, 7 탆, 10 탆, 20 탆, 40 탆, and 50 탆, . 10 persons were visually confirmed and when it was 40 탆 or less, a majority of 10 persons could not visually confirm the conductive member 51a. When the width of the conductive member 51a was 50 占 퐉, six members could be visually confirmed.

As a result, it was confirmed that the width of the conductive member 51a should be 40 占 퐉 or less when the conductor film is formed of a laminate of a metal layer and a metal oxide layer. In addition, the conductive member 51a was attempted to be formed with a width of less than 7 占 퐉, but the etching accuracy was low and it was impossible to pattern the conductive member 51a with accuracy within the required allowable range.

The wiring patterns 50 and 60 and the connection terminals 50a and 60a are formed using the same material as the above-described conductive member 51a. Thus, the formation of the wiring patterns 50 and 60 and the connection terminals 50a and 60a and the formation of the conductive member 51a can be performed at the same time, so that the manufacturing process can be shortened. The conductive member 51a, the wiring patterns 50 and 60 and the connection terminals 50a and 60a are also patterned by etching after forming a conductor film in the entire region by the sputtering method.

It is preferable that the conductor film has a structure in which the metal layer made of the above material and the metal oxide layer are alternately laminated. At this time, the wiring patterns 50 and 60, the connection terminals 50a and 60a, and the connection terminals 50a and 60a are formed by forming the layer (that is, the uppermost layer) formed at the farthest position from the transparent substrate 4 in the conductor film with the metal oxide layer. In the case where the reflection on the conductive member 51a is suppressed so as to be seen with the naked eye on the outside of the transparent substrate 4 (that is, the surface on which the first electrode pattern 20 and the second electrode pattern 30 are formed) , Which is preferable because it becomes harder to see and confirm with eyes.

The wiring patterns 50 and 60, the connection terminals 50a and 60a, and the connection terminals 50a and 60b are formed by forming a layer (that is, the lowermost layer) that is closest to the transparent substrate 4 in the conductor film with the metal oxide layer. When the reflection on the conductive member 51a is suppressed and the transparent substrate 4 is viewed from the inside (i.e., the surface on which the first electrode pattern 20 and the second electrode pattern 30 are not formed) , Which is preferable because it becomes harder to see and confirm with eyes.

Examples of the material constituting the metal oxide layer include indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO) and indium germanium oxide (IGO) doped with Nb, V, Ta, .

As described above, in the present invention, a transparent conductive film having a high resistance value is used as a single layer of a metal layer (metal thin film), or at least a thin film of a metal layer (metal thin film), without using the conductive films as the materials of the wiring patterns 50 and 60, the connection terminals 50a and 60a, These members are formed by a conductor film having a multilayer including one or more metal layers. Therefore, power consumption is suppressed.

When the conductive film is formed by a single layer of the metal layer, the width of the conductive member 51a is set to 4 to 10 mu m, Can be provided.

Further, the conductor film is formed by a multilayer including at least one metal layer, and at least a layer on the side where the operator visually confirms (that is, the side on which the image display device 2 of Fig. 1 is not disposed) By forming the conductive member 51a with the metal oxide layer, it is possible to make the conductive member 51a hard to be visually recognized. At this time, it is preferable that the width of the conductive member 51a is 7 to 40 탆.

The protective film 71 enhances the environmental resistance of the respective members disposed on the transparent substrate 4 and has an effect of preventing occurrence of a crack that is a concern when the capacitive input device 1 is deformed by an external force. As the protective film 71, an insulating film formed of SiO ₂ , Al ₂ O _3, or the like by a vapor deposition method, a sputtering method, a dipping method, or the like, a polyimide film by a screen printing method, or the like can be used. It is also possible to use a photosensitive resin which is cured by ultraviolet rays or the like.

Next, a manufacturing method of the capacitive input device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

First, the first transparent conductive film 21a, the second transparent conductive film 31a, and the connection portion 31c thereof are formed on the transparent substrate 4 at the same time. A method of forming the first transparent conductive film 21a, the second transparent conductive film 31a, and the connection portion 31c thereof will be described below.

(1. Transparent Film Formation Process)

On the transparent substrate 4 of the capacitive input device 1, a transparent conductive film is formed over the entire area by using a vacuum evaporation method, a sputtering method, a CVD method, or the like. The first transparent conductive film 21a, the second transparent conductive film 31a and the connection portion 31c thereof to be formed are applied to the transparent substrate 4 at appropriate positions on the transparent substrate 4 by applying a photoresist by spin coater or spraying. So as to expose using a mask. At this time, one side of the first transparent conductive film 21a and the second transparent conductive film 31a formed in rhombic shape are 4 to 8 mm and the other side of the first transparent conductive film 21a and the second transparent conductive film 31a, Is designed to be 50 to 200 mu m.

After the exposure, the transparent substrate 4 on which the transparent conductive film is laminated is immersed in the developing solution to remove unnecessary portions (that is, the portions that do not correspond to the first transparent conductive film 21a, the second transparent conductive film 31a, ) Is removed. After the photoresist is removed, the transparent conductive film on the portion not covered with the photoresist is corroded and removed by immersing the transparent substrate 4 in which the respective films are laminated in the etching solution. Thereafter, the photoresist is completely removed by using a solvent to form the first transparent conductive film 21a, the second transparent conductive film 31a, and the connection portion 31c thereof.

ITO is preferably used as the transparent conductive film material when forming the first transparent conductive film 21a, the second transparent conductive film 31a and the connection portion 31c thereof, and the sputtering conditions are preferably set under the following conditions.

[Sputtering conditions]

DC power: ₂ KW, sputter gas: Ar + O ₂ , gas pressure: 3 mTorr, O ₂ / Ar: 1 to 2%

An ultra-high pressure mercury lamp, an X-ray, a KrF excimer laser, an ArF excimer laser, or the like can be used as a light source for exposure, and a shorter wavelength is preferable for finer patterning. In the present embodiment, a light source CHM-2000 (ultra-high-pressure mercury lamp) manufactured by Orque Manufacturing Co., Ltd. was used.

As the photoresist, a positive type resist is used. In the present embodiment, AZRFP-230K2 manufactured by AZ Electronic Materials Co., Ltd. was used. OFPR-800LB manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Co., Ltd. may be employed.

As the developing solution, an organic base solution or an inorganic base solution can be used. In the case of using an inorganic base solution, it is preferable to use an organic base solution because metal ions may be incorporated. Specific examples thereof include aqueous solutions of TMAH (Tetra Methyl Ammonium Hydroxyde). In this embodiment, PMER manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Co., Ltd. was used. At this time, as the etching solution, an etching solution such as cyan, wax, iodine or oxalic acid can be used. In the present embodiment, nitric acid, hydrobromic acid, and ferric chloride solution were used. As a solvent for cleaning the photoresist, an alkali solution is used, preferably TMAH. TMAH was also used in this embodiment.

The above-mentioned photoresist, developing solution, etching solution and solvent are not limited thereto but may be appropriately selected depending on the material forming the first transparent conductive film 21a, the second transparent conductive film 31a and the connecting portion 31c thereof have.

In the present embodiment, the wet etching method which is comparatively inexpensive and capable of mass production is shown. However, the first transparent conductive film 21a, the second transparent conductive film 31a, and the connecting portion 31c thereof are formed by dry etching Patterning may be performed.

(2. Insulating film forming step)

An insulating film (not shown) including insulating films 21b, 31b, and 41a is formed on a capacitive input device (not shown) after the first transparent conductive film 21a, the second transparent conductive film 31a, 1) over the entire area on the transparent substrate 4.

First, an insulating film (not shown) is formed over the entire area of the transparent substrate 4 of the capacitive input device 1 by using a vacuum evaporation method, a sputtering method, a CVD method, or the like. Thereafter, the photoresist is applied by a spin coater or spray, and a contact hole 22 to be formed is exposed using a mask so as to be disposed at a proper position on the transparent substrate 4. [ After the exposure, the photoresist in the unnecessary portion (that is, the portion corresponding to the contact hole 22) is removed by immersing the transparent substrate 4 in which the respective films are laminated in the developer. After removing the photoresist, the insulating film of the portion not covered with the photoresist is removed by immersing the transparent substrate 4 in which the respective films are laminated in the etching solution. Thereafter, the photoresist is completely removed by using a solvent to form an insulating film (entire region including the insulating films 21b, 31b, and 41a) at portions other than the contact holes 22.

It is also possible to use a photosensitive resin as the insulating film. After application of the resin by printing or dipping, necessary portions are cured by exposure through a mask, and then unnecessary uncured portions are removed. The manufacturing process is simplified.

When SiO ₂ is used as the insulating film material when forming the insulating film (the entire region including the insulating films 21b, 31b and 41a), the sputtering conditions are preferably set under the following conditions. It is preferable that the size of the contact hole 22 is 50 to 200 mu m on one side.

[Sputtering conditions]

DC power: 5 KW, sputter gas: Ar + O ₂ , gas pressure: 3 to 5 mTorr, O ₂ / Ar: 20 to 40%

The above-mentioned photoresist, developer, etching solution, and solvent are not limited to these, and can be appropriately selected depending on the material forming the insulating film (insulating film 21b, 31b and 41a).

In the present embodiment, the wet etching method which is relatively inexpensive and can be mass-produced is shown, but the entire area including the insulating films 21b, 31b and 41a may be patterned by dry etching.

(3. Conductive film forming step)

The conductive members 51a, the wiring patterns 50 and 60, and the connection terminals 50a and 60a are formed after the insulating film (the entire region including the insulating films 21b, 31b, and 41a) . The conductive member 51a, the wiring patterns 50 and 60, and the connection terminals 50a and 60a are formed through the etching process as follows.

First, a conductive film is formed over the entire area of the transparent substrate 4 of the capacitive input device 1 by using a vacuum evaporation method, a sputtering method, a CVD method, or the like. At this time, only a single layer of the metal layer may be formed as the conductor film, or a multilayer including the metal layer may be formed. When the multilayered film is formed, the constituent material of each layer is appropriately selected by switching the raw materials in the thin film forming apparatus. Then, the material is switched in the thin film forming apparatus so that the metal oxide layer is formed on the visual side of the operator and the metal layer and the metal oxide layer are alternately laminated.

Thereafter, the photoresist is applied by spin coater or spraying to form a conductive member 51a having a width (length in the y-axis direction in Fig. 3) of 4 to 10 mu m (in the case where the conductor film is a multi- And the wiring patterns 50 and 60 and the connection terminals 50a and 60a are arranged at appropriate positions on the transparent substrate 4 so that the lengths of the wiring patterns 50 and 60 and the lengths in the x- As shown in FIG.

After the exposure, the unnecessary portions (that is, portions not corresponding to the conductive members 51a, the wiring patterns 50 and 60 and the connection terminals 50a and 60a) are formed by immersing the transparent substrate 4, The photoresist is removed. After removing the photoresist, the conductor film on the portion not covered with the photoresist is corroded and removed by immersing the transparent substrate 4 on which the films are stacked in the etching solution. Thereafter, the conductive member 51a, the wiring patterns 50 and 60, and the connection terminals 50a and 60a are formed by completely removing the photoresist by using a solvent.

When a silver alloy is used as the conductor film material at the time of forming the conductive member 51a, the wiring patterns 50 and 60 and the connection terminals 50a and 60a, the sputtering conditions are preferably set under the following conditions. However, the conductive film material and the film forming conditions thereof are not limited to this. The metal layer may be formed of a metal such as gold, silver, copper, molybdenum (Mo), niobium (Nb), aluminum (Al) Alloy may be used, and the film forming conditions thereof are properly set.

[Sputtering conditions]

DC power: 7 KW, sputter gas: Ar, gas pressure: 2 to 4 mTorr, substrate temperature: 100 캜

When forming the conductor film in a multilayer structure, metals such as gold, silver, copper, molybdenum (Mo), niobium (Nb) and aluminum (Al) may be used singly or in combination as the metal layer. In addition, ITO, IZO (Indium Zinc Oxide), IGO (Indium Germanium Oxide) or the like to which ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), Nb, V, Ta, Mo, You can. The structure of the conductor film will be described later in detail.

The etching solution may be a mixed solution of an acid selected from two or more of phosphoric acid, nitric acid and acetic acid. The photoresist, developer, and the like are the same as those in the case of the above-described transparent conductive film forming process.

The above-mentioned photoresist, developer, etching solution and solvent are not limited thereto but may be appropriately selected depending on the material for forming the conductive member 51a, the wiring patterns 50 and 60 and the connection terminals 50a and 60a .

In the present embodiment, the wet etching method which is comparatively inexpensive and capable of mass production is shown. However, the conductive member 51a, the wiring patterns 50 and 60, and the connection terminals 50a and 60a are formed by dry etching It may be formed.

(4. Protective Film Forming Step)

The protective film 71 is formed on the entire surface of the transparent substrate 4 on which the respective films are stacked after the conductive member 51a, the wiring patterns 50 and 60 and the connection terminals 50a and 60a are formed as described above, The capacitance type input device 1 is obtained. As the protective film 71, an insulating film formed of SiO ₂ , Al ₂ O ₃ or the like by a vapor deposition method, a sputtering method, a dipping method, or the like, a polyimide film by a screen printing method, or the like is used. Preferably, a polyimide film having high heat resistance, high chemical resistance and high adhesiveness is used.

[Comparative Example]

The resistance value of the conductive member 51a of the first embodiment is compared with that of the first embodiment, using a transparent conductive film (ITO film) as in the prior art as a comparative example. In the comparative example, the other components are the same member arrangement and material as those in the first embodiment, except that the conductive member 51a is a transparent conductive film (ITO film). Further, in Embodiment 1, the conductive member 51a is made of APC (silver, palladium, copper alloy) thin film manufactured by Furuya Metal Corporation.

Generally, the following equation (1) holds between the resistivity? (? Cm) and the resistance value R (?).

R = (? L) / S ... (One)

Where L is the length (cm) of the conductor and S is the cross-sectional area (cm 2) of the conductor.

When the above-described formula (1) is applied to the conductive member 51a according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the resistance value R becomes about 3.5 立. Also, at this time, assuming that the metal to be used is APC, the resistivity ρ is 3.5 × 10 ^-6 Ωcm, the length L of the conductor is 200 μm, the cross-sectional area S of the conductor is 2.0 × 10 ^-8 cm 2 Mu m, thickness: 200 nm).

On the other hand, in the comparative example in which the conductive member 51a is made of the conventional transparent conductive film (ITO), the resistance value R becomes about 400? When the above-described formula (1) is applied. When the resistivity ρ is 1.5 × 10 ^-4 Ωcm, the length L of the conductor is 200 μm, the cross-sectional area S of the conductor is 7.5 × 10 ^-9 cm 2 (the width of the conductive member 51a is 50 μm and the thickness is 15 nm) Sectional area).

As described above, in the comparative example in which the transparent conductive film (ITO film) is used as the conductor connecting the first transparent conductive film 21a and the first embodiment of the present invention in which the metal thin film is used, 400 Ω and 3.5 Ω, respectively. In the first embodiment, the resistance value is greatly reduced. Therefore, the power consumption of the capacitive input device 1 can be greatly reduced.

[Embodiment 2]

The capacitive input device 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is different from the capacitive input device 1 according to the first embodiment described above except that the stacking order (configuration) and shape of each film in the above- (Figs. 3 and 4), and each film is formed by the same film-forming method. Hereinafter, the differences from the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 5 and 6. Fig.

5 is a partially enlarged view of a pattern diagram of the capacitive input device 1 according to the second embodiment, and Fig. 6 is a schematic sectional view corresponding to the line B-B in Fig.

5, the first transparent conductive films 21c forming the pad portions 21 are formed apart from each other, while the neighboring first transparent conductive films 21c are electrically connected to each other by the conductive members 51b Respectively. The second transparent conductive film 31d forming the pad portion 31 is formed continuously with the second transparent conductive film 31d formed adjacent to each other via the connecting portion 31e. Thus, the first electrode pattern 20 and the second electrode pattern 30 which are continuous with each other are formed.

The conductive member 51b provided in the first electrode pattern 20 and the connection portion 31e provided in the second electrode pattern 30 intersect each other at the intersection 40. At this time, the first transparent conductive film 21c may be connected at the intersection 40, and the second transparent conductive film 31d may be interrupted halfway.

The electrostatic capacitance type input device 1 according to Embodiment 2 is formed with a conductive member 51b, wiring patterns 50 and 60 and connection terminals 50a and 60a on a transparent substrate 4. The conductive member 51b, the wiring patterns 50 and 60 and the connection terminals 50a and 60a are formed of a single-layered metal layer (metal thin film) or a conductive film having multiple layers including at least one metal layer. The thickness of the conductive member 51b, the wiring patterns 50 and 60 and the connection terminals 50a and 60a is about 30 to 500 nm (in the case of multiple layers, the total is about 200 to 600 nm) The width (length in the y-axis direction in Fig. 5) and length (length in the x-axis direction in Fig. 5) of the conductive member 51b are the same as those in the conductive member 51a in the first embodiment.

The first transparent conductive film 21c is formed on both ends of the conductive member 51b such that a part thereof is superimposed. That is, a part of the first transparent conductive film 21c is laminated on the contact portion 52b which is a part of the conductive member 51b, thereby being electrically connected to each other. The shape and size of the first transparent conductive film 21c and the second transparent conductive film 31d and the gap between the first transparent conductive film 21c and the second transparent conductive film 31d are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The portion where the first transparent conductive film 21c is not laminated (i.e., the portion other than the contact portion 52b) on the conductive member 51b is covered with the insulating film 41b. The insulating film 41b is disposed at the intersection portion 40 to electrically isolate the first electrode pattern 20 and the second electrode pattern 30 from each other. Therefore, the insulating film 41b does not need to cover all of the portions of the conductive member 51b where the first transparent conductive film 21c is not laminated, 31e and the conductive member 51b are insulated from each other.

The insulating film 41b may have a length of 50 to 200 mu m in the x-axis direction and a length of 50 to 200 mu m in the y-axis direction in Fig. The size of the insulating film 41b can be appropriately designed within the range in which the connecting portion 31e and the conductive member 51b are not electrically connected as described above.

A connecting portion 31e for electrically connecting the second transparent conductive films 31d forming the pad portion 31 to each other is laminated on the insulating film 41b. The connection portion 31e is also formed of a transparent conductive film. At this time, the width of the connection portion 31e (the length in the x-axis direction in Fig. 5) may be 50 to 200 탆.

Also in the capacitive input device 1 of the second embodiment, like the first embodiment, the entire surface of the transparent substrate 4 on which the respective films are stacked is covered with the protective film 71. [

Next, a manufacturing method of the capacitive input device 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

(1. Conductive film forming step)

First, the conductive member 51b, the wiring patterns 50 and 60, and the connection terminals 50a and 60a are formed on the transparent substrate 4 as follows.

The conductive member 51b, the wiring patterns 50 and 60, and the connection terminals 50a and 60a are formed through the etching process as follows. First, a conductive film is formed over the entire area of the transparent substrate 4 of the capacitive input device 1 by using a vacuum evaporation method, a sputtering method, a CVD method, or the like. At this time, as the conductor film, only the metal layer may be formed, or the metal layer and the metal oxide layer may be alternately laminated in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

Thereafter, the photoresist is applied by spin coater or spraying to form a conductive member 51b having a width of 4 to 10 mu m (the length in the y-axis direction in Fig. 5) And the wiring patterns 50 and 60 and the connection terminals 50a and 60a are formed at appropriate positions on the transparent substrate 4 so that the lengths of the wiring patterns 50 and 60 and the lengths As shown in FIG. After the exposure, unnecessary portions (that is, portions not corresponding to the conductive members 51b, the wiring patterns 50 and 60 and the connection terminals 50a and 60a) are formed by immersing the transparent substrate 4, The photoresist is removed. After removing the photoresist, the conductor film on the portion not covered with the photoresist is corroded and removed by immersing the transparent substrate 4 on which the films are stacked in the etching solution. Thereafter, the conductive member 51b, the wiring patterns 50 and 60, and the connection terminals 50a and 60a are formed by completely removing the photoresist by using a solvent.

At this time, the film forming conditions and the etching conditions are the same as those at the time of forming the conductive members 51a, the wiring patterns 50 and 60, and the connection terminals 50a and 60a.

(2. Insulating film forming step)

After the conductive member 51b, the wiring patterns 50 and 60 and the connection terminals 50a and 60a are formed, the insulating film 41b is formed. The insulating film 41b is formed by an etching process as follows. First, an insulating film (not shown) is formed over the entire area of the transparent substrate 4 of the capacitive input device 1 by using a vacuum evaporation method, a sputtering method, a CVD method, or the like. Thereafter, a photoresist is applied by a spin coater or spraying and exposure is performed using a mask so that the insulating film 41b is formed in such a range that the connecting portion 31e and the conductive member 51b are not electrically connected . After the exposure, the photoresist of the unnecessary portion (that is, the portion which does not correspond to the insulating film 41b) is removed by immersing the transparent substrate 4 in which the respective films are laminated in the developer. After removing the photoresist, the insulating film of the portion not covered with the photoresist is corroded and removed by immersing the transparent substrate 4 in which the respective films are laminated in the etching solution. Thereafter, the photoresist is completely removed using a solvent to form the insulating film 41b.

It is also possible to use a photosensitive resin as the insulating film. After application of the resin by printing or dipping, necessary portions are cured by exposure through a mask, and then unnecessary uncured portions are removed. The manufacturing process is simplified.

At this time, the film forming conditions and the patterning conditions are the same as those at the time of film formation of the above-described insulating film (the entire region including the insulating films 21b, 31b and 41a).

(3. Transparent Film Formation Process)

After the insulating film 41b is formed, the first transparent conductive film 21c, the second transparent conductive film 31d, and the connecting portion 31e thereof are formed. The first transparent conductive film 21c, the second transparent conductive film 31d, and the connection portion 31e thereof are formed by an etching process as follows. First, a transparent conductive film is formed over the entire area of the transparent substrate 4 of the capacitive input device 1 by using a vacuum evaporation method, a sputtering method, a CVD method, or the like.

After forming the insulating film 41b, a transparent conductive film is formed over the entire area of the transparent substrate 4 of the capacitive input device 1 by using the vacuum evaporation method, the sputtering method, the CVD method, or the like. The first transparent conductive film 21c, the second transparent conductive film 31d and the connecting portion 31e thereof to be formed are applied to the transparent substrate 4 at a suitable position on the transparent substrate 4 by applying a photoresist by a spin coater or spraying, So as to expose using a mask.

After the exposure, the transparent substrate 4 on which the transparent conductive film is laminated is immersed in the developing solution to remove unnecessary portions (that is, the portions that do not correspond to the first transparent conductive film 21c, the second transparent conductive film 31d, ) Is removed. After the photoresist is removed, the transparent conductive film on the portion not covered with the photoresist is corroded and removed by immersing the transparent substrate 4 in which the respective films are laminated in the etching solution. Thereafter, the photoresist is completely removed by using a solvent to form the first transparent conductive film 21c, the second transparent conductive film 31d, and the connecting portion 31e thereof.

At this time, the film forming conditions and the etching conditions are the same as those at the time of forming the first transparent conductive film 21a, the second transparent conductive film 31a, and the connecting portion 31c thereof.

(4. Protective Film Forming Step)

The protective film 71 is formed on the entire surface of the transparent substrate 4 on which the respective films are stacked after the first transparent conductive film 21c, the second transparent conductive film 31d and the connecting portion 31e are formed as described above, The capacitance type input device 1 is obtained. At this time, the film forming conditions are the same as those in forming the protective film 71 in Embodiment 1 described above.

Next, the structure of the conductive film constituting the wiring patterns 50 and 60, the connection terminals 50a and 60a and the conductive member 51a will be described in detail. In the present invention, the conductor film is composed of a single layer of a metal layer or a multilayer including at least one metal layer. The reflectance of the conductor films of various structures in Examples 1-1 to 1-4 and 2-5 to 2-5 was simulated. The structure of the conductor film on the transparent substrate 4 in each example is shown in Table 1, and the optical characteristics of the conductor film in each example are shown in Fig. 7 and Fig.

Table 1 shows the constitution (in the order of lamination) of the conductive films in each example formed on the glass substrate as the transparent substrate 4. [ 7 and 8 show the reflectance of the side of the glass substrate on which the arrows are written on the glass substrates in which the respective layers are stacked. The arrows in the " observation side (viewer side) " (For example, in Examples 1-3, the reflectance observed on the side where the silver alloy, IGO, silver alloy, and IGO are laminated in this order on the glass substrate and the side where the IGO is deposited is shown in Fig. In Example 1-4, IGO, silver alloy, IGO and silver alloy are stacked in this order on a glass substrate, and the reflectance observed on the glass substrate side is shown in Fig.

The numbers in parentheses for each layer in the table indicate the thickness of each layer. Further, regarding the silver alloy and the MAM, if the thickness is not shown, the thickness of these layers can be suitably designed as long as a suitable resistance value can be obtained. Silver is about 50 to 500 nm in the case of the alloy, and about 100 to 600 nm in the case of the MAM.

7 shows the reflectance of light of each wavelength in Examples 1-1 to 1-4. In Examples 1-1 to 1-4, the material of the metal layer is a silver alloy, and the material of the metal oxide layer is IGO.

Examples 1-1 and 1-2 show the case where a silver alloy is formed on a glass substrate. The reflectance of light is 80 to 98% in a region where the wavelength is 400 to 700 nm, . ≪ / RTI > Therefore, when the conductor film is a single layer of the metal layer, the reflectance increases and it is easy to see and observe by eyes. Therefore, when the conductive members 51a and 51b are formed, the width is set to 4 to 10 mu m, It is possible to make it difficult to see and confirm with eyes.

In Examples 1-3 and 1-4, a metal layer and a metal oxide layer were alternately laminated and a metal oxide layer was formed on the viewer side. The reflectance of light on the metal oxide layer side was 400 To 700 nm, which is lower than those of Examples 1-1 and 1-2, and is about 15 to 64%. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult for the conductor film to be visually confirmed by forming a metal oxide layer on the viewer side.

In other words, higher transparency can be obtained when the metal oxide layer is formed as a multilayer film formed on the viewer side than when the metal layer is formed as a single layer. Therefore, when the metal oxide layer is formed on the viewing side, the width of the conductive members 51a and 51b is set to 7 to 40 占 퐉 because good transparency can be obtained even if the widths of the conductive members 51a and 51b are wide.

8 shows the reflectance of light of each wavelength in Examples 2-1 to 2-5. In Examples 2-1 to 2-5, the material of the metal layer is MAM or Mo-Nb alloy, and the material of the metal oxide layer is IGO.

In Examples 2-1 and 2-2, MAM was formed on a glass substrate. The reflectance of light in a region where the wavelength is 400 to 700 nm is 40 to 53% . Therefore, the reflectance is lower than that in the case where the conductor film is made of a single layer of silver alloy, and at the wavelengths around 400 nm and 650 nm, the reflectance can be obtained to the same degree as when silver alloy and IGO are laminated.

In addition, when the metal oxide film is formed in combination with the MAM (Examples 2-3 to 2-5), the reflectance is extremely low in the wavelength range of 400 to 700 nm. In particular, in Examples 2-4 and 2-5, the reflectance is 10% or less (about 3% to 8%) over the entire wavelength range of 400 to 700 nm, As shown in FIG.

Therefore, in Examples 1-1 to 1-4 and Examples 2-1 to 2-5, when the metal oxide layer was formed on the viewer side in the conductor film, the reflectance of light on the viewer side was As a result, it has been shown that a conductor film having high transparency can be obtained.

The capacitive input device 1 of the present invention is electrically insulated at the intersection portion 40 of the first electrode pattern 20 and the second electrode pattern 30 as described above. The conductive patterns 51a and 51b and the wiring patterns 50 and 60 and the connection terminals 50a and 50b for connecting the first transparent conductive films 21a and 21c, 60a are formed of a conductive film. Therefore, since the conductive members 51a and 51b can be formed simultaneously with the wiring patterns 50 and 60 and the connection terminals 50a and 60a, the manufacturing process can be simplified. Further, as compared with the case where the conductive members 51a and 51b are formed by using a transparent conductive film, the resistance value thereof is small, and the power consumption of the capacitive input device 1 can be reduced.

The capacitive input device 1 of the present invention can be applied to a field of electronic devices such as a portable telephone (PDA, Personal Digital Assistant), a game machine, a car navigation system, a personal computer, a ticket vending machine, Are expected to be useful.

Claims (12)

A capacitive input device having an input section for performing an input operation and an output section for outputting a signal from the input section, wherein the input section and the output section are provided on the same surface of the transparent substrate,
Wherein the output section has a connection terminal for outputting the signal and a wiring pattern for electrically connecting the input section and the connection terminal,
Wherein the input section includes a plurality of first transparent conductive films disposed adjacently to each other in a first direction on the transparent substrate and a plurality of first electrode patterns composed of a conductive member electrically connecting the first transparent conductive film, and,
A plurality of second transparent conductive films disposed adjacent to each other in a second direction crossing the first direction,
A plurality of second electrode patterns which are formed continuously with the plurality of second transparent conductive films and which are arranged at positions crossing the conductive members,
And an insulating film disposed between the conductive member and the connection portion to maintain insulation between the conductive member and the connection portion,
The conductive member, the connection terminal and the wiring pattern are formed of the same conductive film,
The conductor film is a single layer of a metal layer or a multilayer including at least one metal layer,
Wherein the conductive member is formed in a linear shape. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the conductor film is a single layer of the metal layer, and the width of the conductive member in the second direction is 4 to 10 占 퐉. The method according to claim 1,
The conductor film is a multilayer in which a metal layer and a metal oxide layer are alternately stacked,
Wherein the metal oxide layer is formed on the viewer side (viewing side) in the conductor film. The method of claim 3,
And a width of the conductive member in the second direction is 7 to 40 占 퐉. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Wherein the material of the metal layer is any one selected from the group consisting of silver, a silver alloy, a copper alloy, a copper alloy, MAM (a three-layer structure compound of Mo or Mo alloy / Al or Al alloy / Mo or Mo alloy) Capacitive input device. The method according to claim 3 or 4,
The material of the metal layer is any one selected from silver, a silver alloy, a copper alloy, a copper alloy, MAM (a three-layer structure compound of Mo or Mo alloy / Al or Al alloy / Mo or Mo alloy)
Wherein the metal oxide layer contains an indium composite oxide. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
At the intersection of the conductive member and the connection portion,
Wherein the conductive member, the insulating film, and the connecting portion are laminated in this order on the transparent substrate. A manufacturing method of a capacitive input device having an input section for performing an input operation and an output section for outputting a signal from the input section, the input section and the output section being provided on the same surface of a transparent substrate,
A transparent conductive film forming step of forming a transparent conductive film on the entire surface of the transparent substrate,
A plurality of first transparent conductive films disposed in a first direction on the transparent substrate with respect to the transparent conductive film; a plurality of second transparent conductive films disposed in a second direction crossing the first direction; A transparent conductive film patterning step of forming a connection portion formed continuously with the second transparent conductive film of the transparent conductive film,
An insulating film forming step of forming an insulating film on the entire surface of the transparent substrate,
A contact hole forming step of patterning the insulating film to form contact holes on both sides of the first transparent conductive film through a connection portion formed continuously with the second transparent conductive film,
A conductor film forming step of forming a multilayer conductor film including a single layer of a metal layer or a metal layer of at least one layer on the entire surface of the transparent substrate;
A wiring pattern for connecting the connection terminal and the input section to the conductive film; and a wiring pattern for electrically connecting the plurality of first transparent conductive films to the connection section, A conductive film patterning step formed by etching a linear conductive member arranged at an intersecting position,
Wherein the step of forming the capacitive input device comprises the steps of: A manufacturing method of a capacitive input device having an input section for performing an input operation and an output section for outputting a signal from the input section, the input section and the output section being provided on the same surface of a transparent substrate,
A conductor film forming step of forming a multilayer conductor film including a single layer of a metal layer or a metal layer of at least one layer on the entire surface of the transparent substrate;
A wiring pattern for connecting the connection terminal and the input section to the conductive film; a wiring pattern for connecting the connection terminal and the input section; and a plurality of wiring patterns arranged adjacent to each other in the first direction on the transparent substrate, A conductive film patterning step of electrically connecting one transparent conductive film and etching the linear conductive member formed along the first direction;
An insulating film forming step of forming an insulating film on the entire surface of the transparent substrate,
And a connection portion formed continuously with a plurality of second transparent conductive films disposed adjacent to each other in a second direction intersecting with the first direction and arranged at a position intersecting with the conductive member, An insulating film patterning step of removing a portion other than the insulating position,
A transparent conductive film forming step of forming a transparent conductive film on the entire surface of the transparent substrate,
A transparent conductive film patterning step of forming the transparent conductive film by etching the first transparent conductive film, the plurality of second transparent conductive films, and the connection portion,
Wherein the step of forming the capacitive input device comprises the steps of: 10. The method according to claim 8 or 9,
In the conductive film forming step, a single layer of the metal layer is formed,
Wherein a width of the conductive member in the second direction is 4 to 10 占 퐉 in the step of patterning the conductive film. 10. The method according to claim 8 or 9,
And a step of forming a metal oxide layer at the beginning or at the end in the conductive film forming step,
Wherein the step of forming the metal layer and the step of forming the metal oxide layer are alternately provided. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein a width of the conductive member in the second direction is 7 to 40 占 퐉 in the step of patterning the conductive film.

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