JP5743237B2 - Touch panel sensor, touch panel device, and display device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a touch panel sensor having electrodes, a touch panel device including a touch panel sensor, and a display device including a touch panel sensor or a touch panel device.

  Today, touch panel devices are widely used as input means. The touch panel device includes a touch panel sensor, a control circuit that detects a contact position on the touch panel sensor, wiring, and an FPC (flexible printed circuit board). In many cases, the touch panel device is used as an input means for various devices including an image display mechanism such as a liquid crystal display or a plasma display (for example, a ticket vending machine, an ATM device, a mobile phone, a game machine) and the image display mechanism. It is used. In such a device, the touch panel sensor is disposed on the display surface of the image display mechanism, and thus the touch panel device enables a very direct input to the display device. An area of the touch panel sensor that faces the display area of the image display mechanism is transparent, and this area of the touch panel sensor constitutes an active area that can detect a contact position (approach position).

  The touch panel device can be classified into various types based on the principle of detecting a contact position (approach position) on the touch panel sensor. In recent years, attention has been paid to a projection type capacitively coupled touch panel device because it is optically bright, has a good design, has a simple structure, and is excellent in function. In the projected capacitive coupling type touch panel device, the external conductor (typically, a finger) whose position is to be detected comes into contact (approach) with the touch panel sensor via a dielectric, so that a new strange capacity is generated. The position of the external conductor on the touch panel sensor is detected using this change in capacitance.

  The projected capacitive touch panel device includes a pair of detection electrode groups arranged in an active area. The pair of detection electrode groups are arranged at different positions in the thickness direction across the dielectric. Each detection electrode group includes a large number of linear detection electrodes arranged in a stripe shape. Between the pair of detection electrodes, the arrangement direction of the detection electrodes is orthogonal.

  In many touch panel sensors so far, the detection electrode has been formed using a transparent conductive material such as ITO. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a pair of detection electrode groups of a touch panel sensor is positioned with high accuracy with respect to each other by patterning ITO using a double-sided exposure method. However, recently, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, it is required to reduce the resistance value of the detection electrode as the display device becomes larger, and the detection electrode is made of a metal material having a low electric resistance value. The touch panel sensor that has been manufactured is also spreading. In this touch panel sensor, the detection electrode is formed as a narrow conducting wire. For this reason, the transmittance in the active area can be sufficiently increased. On the other hand, since the electrical conductivity of the metal material is high, the surface resistivity (unit: Ω / □) of the touch panel sensor can be sufficiently reduced even if the width of the metal conductor is reduced.

  A detection electrode made of a metal material has been produced by laminating a metal foil on a transparent substrate via an adhesive, and then etching the metal foil using a patterned resist as a mask. However, the thickness of the metal foil manufactured industrially is 10 micrometers or more. The metal foil having such a thickness can be stably produced by etching. In that case, the width of the metal conductor is at least 10 μm or more. This is because the etching can be stably performed with sufficient shape and dimensional accuracy only when the line width is equal to or greater than the thickness. That is, if etching is performed to a line width less than the thickness, as shown in FIG. 15, adjacent erosion sites are connected below the resist due to lateral erosion (side etching) that inevitably occurs during etching. It is in. If the erosion site is connected below the resist, the resist portion can no longer be stably supported. As a result, the metal conductive wire to be formed below the resist portion lacks linearity, and the height (thickness) varies. In addition, as shown in FIG. 15, the cross-sectional shape of the obtained metal conducting wire is a triangular shape protruding from the base material. Since such a metal conducting wire is narrow and low in height, it does not exhibit sufficient electrical conductivity. Therefore, the surface resistivity of the touch panel sensor is increased, and the sensing sensitivity for position detection is reduced. Furthermore, when such a touch panel sensor is incorporated in a touch panel device or a display device so that the protruding metal conductor faces the viewer, the metal conductor having the required surface resistivity is easily visible.

  In Patent Document 2, in order to cope with such a problem, a metal thin film is formed on a transparent substrate by a film forming method such as a vacuum vapor deposition method, and then this metal thin film is etched using the patterned resist as a mask. By doing so, it has been proposed to form a sufficiently thin detection electrode without causing the above-mentioned problems due to side etching. Patent Document 2 also proposes that the detection electrode located in the active area is made invisible by forming the surface of the detection electrode with a dark color layer that is less reflective than the metal thin film.

Japanese Patent No. 4775722 Patent No. 5224203

  However, when a pair of detection electrode groups made of a sufficiently thin metal material is produced by a double-sided exposure method, it is necessary to form a metal thin film and a dark color film on both sides of the transparent substrate. A thin film forming method such as a vacuum deposition method exerts a thermal load on the transparent substrate. For this reason, in order to form a metal thin film and a dark color film on both sides of the transparent substrate, not on the metal thin film, the deterioration of the shrinkage, distortion, etc. due to the heat of the transparent substrate when forming a metal thin film such as vapor deposition is prevented. Restrictions arise in selection of a transparent base material, such as using a transparent base material as thick as possible. Further, on one surface, it is necessary to form a dark color film on a transparent substrate, and considering the adhesion, there is a great restriction on the material selection of the dark color film. In addition, when the film formation process is performed on one side of the transparent substrate and then the other side of the transparent substrate is subjected to the film formation process, the previously formed metal thin film or blackened film is transferred to the transfer roller. The product yield of the touch panel sensor is greatly reduced.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and is a touch panel sensor that has detection electrodes that are positioned with high accuracy and are sufficiently thinned on both sides, and has a high degree of freedom in selecting materials. An object of the present invention is to provide a touch panel sensor that can be stably manufactured by minimizing thermal degradation of a transparent substrate. In addition, the present invention provides a manufacturing method capable of stably manufacturing a touch panel sensor having a highly accurate positioning and a sufficiently thinned detection electrode on both sides with a high degree of freedom regarding material selection. The purpose is to do.

The touch panel sensor according to the present invention includes:
A transparent resin sheet;
A first detection electrode provided on one surface of the transparent resin sheet;
A bonding layer provided on the surface of the other side of the transparent resin sheet;
A second detection electrode provided on a surface on the other side of the bonding layer,
The first detection electrode includes a first conductor mesh disposed in a mesh pattern in which a first conductor defines a plurality of opening regions;
The second detection electrode includes a second conductor mesh disposed in a mesh pattern in which the second conductor defines a plurality of opening regions,
The first conductive wire forming the first conductive mesh includes: a first conductive metal layer positioned on the transparent resin sheet side; and a first dark color layer covering the first conductive metal layer from one side. Including
The second conductive wire forming the second conductor mesh includes a second dark color layer located on the bonding layer side and a second conductive metal layer covered from one side by the second dark color layer. .

  In the touch panel sensor according to the present invention, the first conductive metal layer includes a base-side conductive metal layer located on the transparent resin sheet side, a surface-side conductive metal layer located on the first dark color layer side, May be included.

  In the touch panel sensor according to the present invention, the width of the base-side conductive metal layer may be wider than the width of the surface-side conductive metal layer.

  In the touch panel sensor according to the present invention, the bonding layer may be an adhesive layer made of a cured product of a curable resin.

  The touch panel device according to the present invention includes any of the touch panel sensors according to the present invention described above.

  The touch panel device according to the present invention may further include a cover layer laminated on the touch panel sensor.

  The display device according to the present invention includes any of the touch panel sensors according to the present invention described above or any of the touch panel devices according to the present invention described above.

A method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor according to the present invention includes:
A transparent resin sheet, a first conductive metal film laminated on the transparent resin sheet by a vapor deposition method, a sputtering method, a plating method, a CVD method, an ion plating method, or a combination of two or more thereof, and the first A first laminated body having a first dark color film laminated on the side opposite to the transparent resin sheet of the conductive metal film, a support, and an evaporation method, a sputtering method, a CVD method, an ion plating method, or these A second conductive metal film laminated on the support by a method combining two or more of the above, and a second dark color film laminated on the opposite side of the second conductive metal film from the support. A step of laminating the second laminated body via a bonding layer so that the transparent resin sheet side of the first laminated body and the second dark color film side of the second laminated body face each other;
In the state where the second dark color film and the second conductive metal film of the second laminate are joined to the first laminate via the joining layer, the support is peeled off, and the second conductive metal is removed. Producing an intermediate laminate including the film, the second dark film, the bonding layer, the transparent resin sheet, the first conductive metal film, and the first dark film in this order;
Patterning the second conductive metal film and the second dark color film, and the first dark color film and the first conductive metal film of the intermediate laminate.

  In the method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor according to the present invention, the first conductive metal film of the first laminate is positioned on the base-side conductive metal film located on the transparent resin sheet side and on the first dark color film side. And a surface layer side conductive metal film.

  According to the present invention, a touch panel sensor having detection electrodes that are positioned with high precision and sufficiently thinned on both sides minimizes thermal degradation of a transparent substrate while selecting a material with a high degree of freedom. It can be manufactured stably.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment according to the present invention, and is a perspective view schematically showing a touch panel device together with an image display mechanism. FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the touch panel device of FIG. 1 together with an image display mechanism. The cross section shown in FIG. 2 generally corresponds to the cross section taken along the line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a top view showing the touch panel sensor of the touch panel device from one side. FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the touch panel sensor. 6A to 6C are views for explaining a method for manufacturing the first laminate. FIGS. 7A and 7B are views for explaining a method of manufacturing the second stacked body. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the intermediate laminate. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the intermediate laminate. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the touch panel sensor. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the touch panel sensor. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the touch panel sensor. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the touch panel sensor. FIG. 14 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 5 and illustrating a modified example of the touch panel sensor. FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining a problem during etching.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings attached to the present specification, for the sake of illustration and ease of understanding, the scale, the vertical / horizontal dimension ratio, and the like are appropriately changed and exaggerated from those of the actual ones.

  1 to 13 are diagrams for explaining an embodiment according to the present invention. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the touch panel device and the display device, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the touch panel device and the display device of FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3 and 4 show the touch panel sensor of the touch panel device. FIG.

  The touch panel device 20 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 is configured as a projection-type capacitive coupling method, and is configured to be able to detect a contact position of an external conductor (for example, a human finger) to the touch panel device. . In addition, when the detection sensitivity of the capacitively coupled touch panel device 20 is excellent, it is possible to detect which region of the touch panel device the external conductor is approaching just by approaching the external conductor. Can do. Along with such a phenomenon, the “contact position” used here is a concept including an approach position that is not actually in contact but can be detected.

<<< Image display mechanism 12 >>>
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the touch panel device 20 is used in combination with an image display mechanism (for example, a liquid crystal display device) 12, and constitutes a display device 10. The illustrated image display mechanism 12 is configured as a flat panel display as an example, more specifically as a liquid crystal display device. The image display mechanism 12 includes a liquid crystal display panel 15 that forms the display surface 12a, a backlight 14 that illuminates the liquid crystal display panel 15 from the back, and a display control unit 13 that is connected to the liquid crystal display panel 15. Yes. The liquid crystal display panel 15 includes a display area A1 that can display an image, and a non-display area (also referred to as a frame area) A2 that is disposed outside the display area A1 so as to surround the display area A1. Yes. The display control unit 13 processes information related to the video to be displayed and drives the liquid crystal display panel 15 based on the video information. The liquid crystal display panel 15 displays a predetermined image on the display surface 12a according to a control signal from the display control unit 13. That is, the image display mechanism 12 plays a role as an output device that outputs information such as characters and drawings as video.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the liquid crystal display panel 15 includes a pair of polarizing plates 16 and 18 and a liquid crystal cell 17 disposed between the pair of polarizing plates 16 and 18. A functional layer 19 is provided on the light output side of the polarizing plate 18 disposed on the light output side. The functional layer 19 is a layer expected to exhibit a specific function, and forms the most light emitting side surface of the image display mechanism 12, that is, the display surface 12a. As an example, the functional layer 19 can be a low refractive index layer that functions as an antireflection layer (AR layer). Other examples of the functional layer 19 include an antiglare layer (AG layer) having an antiglare function, and a hard coat layer (HC layer) having scratch resistance instead of or in addition to the antireflection layer. ), One or more antistatic layers (AS layers) having an antistatic function, and the like.

  The polarizing plates 16 and 18 have a function of decomposing incident light into two orthogonal polarization components, transmitting the polarization component in one direction, and absorbing the polarization component in the other direction orthogonal to the one direction. It has a polarizer. In the following, in order to distinguish a pair of polarizing plates included in the liquid crystal display panel 15, regardless of the arrangement state of the liquid crystal display panel 15, the light incident side (backlight side) polarizing plate 16 is referred to as a lower polarizing plate, The light output side (observer side) polarizing plate 18 is referred to as an upper polarizing plate.

  The liquid crystal cell 17 has a pair of support plates and a liquid crystal disposed between the pair of support plates. In the liquid crystal cell 17, an electric field can be applied to each region where one pixel is formed. Then, the orientation of the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal cell 17 to which an electric field is applied changes. As an example, the polarization component of a specific direction (direction parallel to the transmission axis) transmitted through the lower polarizing plate 16 disposed on the light incident side has a polarization direction of 90 when passing through the liquid crystal cell 17 to which an electric field is applied. Rotate and maintain the polarization direction when passing through the liquid crystal cell 17 to which no electric field is applied. For this reason, depending on whether or not an electric field is applied to the liquid crystal cell 17, the polarized light component in a specific direction transmitted through the lower polarizing plate 16 further passes through the upper polarizing plate 18 disposed on the light output side of the lower polarizing plate 16, or It is possible to control whether the light is absorbed and blocked by the upper polarizing plate 18.

  The backlight 14 includes a light source and irradiates light in a planar shape. As the backlight 14, a known surface light source device configured as an edge light type (side light type) or a direct type can be used. The light source may be a known light source such as a light emitting diode (LED), a cold cathode tube, an incandescent lamp, or an organic EL.

<<<< Touch Panel Device 20 >>>>
Next, the touch panel device 20 will be described. The touch panel device 20 includes a laminated structure 20 a including the touch panel sensor 30 and a detection control unit 21 connected to the touch panel sensor 30. The laminated structure 20 a including the touch panel sensor 30 is disposed at a position facing the display surface 12 a of the image display mechanism 12. As described above, the touch panel device 20 is configured as a projected capacitively coupled touch panel device, and plays a role as an input device for inputting information. In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, the stacked structure 20 a of the touch panel device 20 includes a cover layer 22, a bonding layer 23, a touch panel sensor 30, and a first touch panel in order from the observer side, that is, the side opposite to the image display mechanism 12. Two cover layers 24 are provided.

  The cover layer 22 is a light-transmitting layer that functions as a dielectric, and is formed of, for example, a glass plate or a resin film. The cover layer 22 functions as an input surface (touch surface, contact surface) to the touch panel device 20. That is, information can be input from the outside to the touch panel device 20 by bringing a conductor such as a human finger 5 into contact with the cover layer 22. Further, the cover layer 22 forms the most observer side of the display device 10 and functions as a cover for protecting the touch panel device 20 and the image display mechanism 12 from the outside in the display device 10.

  The cover layer 22 is bonded to the touch panel sensor 30 via the bonding layer 23. The bonding layer 23 functions as a dielectric between the electrodes 40 and 50 of the touch panel sensor 30 and a conductor that contacts the cover layer 22, for example, a human finger 5. As such a bonding layer 23, a layer made of a material having various adhesiveness or tackiness can be used. The second cover layer 24 is a layer that covers a later-described second electrode 50 of the touch panel sensor 30. The second cover layer 24 functions as a layer that protects the second electrode 50 having a delicate pattern.

  The laminated structure 20a of the touch panel device 20 is not limited to the illustrated example, and may be provided with other functional layers expected to exhibit a specific function. In addition, one functional layer may exhibit two or more functions. For example, the transparent resin sheet 32 (to be described later) of the touch panel sensor 30 or each layer included in the other laminated structure 20a (each substrate or , A function may be imparted to the adhesive layer). Examples of functions that can be imparted to the laminated structure 20a of the touch panel device 20 include an antiglare (AG) function, an antireflection (AR) function, a hard coat (HC) function having scratch resistance, and an antistatic (AS ) Function, electromagnetic wave shielding function, infrared shielding function, ultraviolet shielding function, phase difference function, polarization function, antifouling function, and the like.

  The detection control unit 21 of the touch panel device 20 is connected to the touch panel sensor 30 and processes information input via the cover layer 22. Specifically, the detection control unit 21 can specify the contact position of the conductor 5 with the cover layer 22 when the conductor (typically a human finger) 5 is in contact with the cover layer 22. The circuit (detection circuit) comprised in this is included. Further, the detection control unit 21 is connected to the display control unit 13 of the image display mechanism 12 and can also transmit the processed input information to the display control unit 13. At this time, the display control unit 13 can create video information based on the input information and cause the image display mechanism 12 to display a video corresponding to the input information.

  Note that the terms “capacitive coupling” and “projection type” capacitive coupling have the same meaning as that used in the technical field of touch panels, and are used in this case. The “capacitive coupling” method is also referred to as “capacitance” method or “capacitance coupling” method in the technical field of touch panels. It is treated as a term synonymous with the “capacitive coupling” method. A typical capacitive coupling type touch panel device includes an electrode (conductor layer), and an external conductor (typically a human finger) comes into contact with the touch panel, whereby the external conductor and the touch panel device are connected. A capacitor (capacitance) is formed between the electrode (conductor layer). Based on the change in the electrical state accompanying the formation of the capacitor, the position coordinates of the position where the external conductor is in contact on the touch panel are specified (position detection).

<< Touch panel sensor 30 >>
Next, the touch panel sensor 30 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the touch panel sensor 30 includes a transparent resin sheet 32, a first electrode 40 provided on one side of the transparent resin sheet 32, and the other side of the transparent resin sheet 32. And the second electrode 50 provided on the other side surface of the bonding layer 34. In the illustrated embodiment, “one side” used in connection with the touch panel sensor 30 is the observer side, that is, the side opposite to the detection control unit 21. In the illustrated embodiment, the “other side” used in connection with the touch panel sensor 30 is the image display mechanism 12 side, that is, the side opposite to the observer side.

<Transparent resin sheet 32>
The transparent resin sheet 32 functions as a base material that supports the electrodes 40 and 50 and also functions as a dielectric in the touch panel sensor 30. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the transparent resin sheet 32 includes an active area Aa1 corresponding to a region where the touch position can be detected, and an inactive area Aa2 adjacent to the active area Aa1. As shown in FIG. 1, the active area Aa1 of the touch panel sensor 30 occupies a region from the central portion to the peripheral portion of the region facing the display region A1 of the image display mechanism 12. On the other hand, the non-active area Aa2 is formed in a frame shape so as to surround the peripheral edge of the rectangular active area Aa1 from the four sides. The inactive area Aa2 is formed in a region facing the non-display region A2 of the image display mechanism 12.

  The transparent resin sheet 32 is transparent or translucent so that an image of the image display mechanism 12 can be observed through the active area Aa1. The transparent resin sheet 32 preferably has a transmittance in the visible light region of 80% or more, and more preferably 84% or more. The visible light transmittance of the transparent resin sheet 32 is measured using a spectrophotometer (“UV-3100PC” manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation, JIS K0115 compliant product) within a measurement wavelength range of 380 nm to 780 nm. It is specified as an average value of transmittance at each wavelength.

  The transparent resin sheet 32 can be composed of, for example, a glass or resin plate or film that can function as a dielectric. As the resin film, various resin films used as the base material of the optical member can be suitably used. As an example, when the laminated structure 20a of the touch panel device 20 includes a retardation plate or a polarizing plate, an optically isotropic resin having no birefringence, typically a cellulose ester typified by triacetylcellulose. Resin can be used as the transparent resin sheet 32. On the other hand, when the laminated structure 20a does not include a retardation plate or a polarizing plate, an optically anisotropic resin having birefringence can also be used as the transparent resin sheet 32. For example, a polyester resin such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) that is inexpensive and excellent in stability can be used as the transparent resin sheet 32. Polyester resin films have the advantage that they are less hygroscopic and less likely to be deformed even in high temperature and high humidity environments.

<Junction layer 34>
As shown in FIG. 2, the bonding layer 34 is provided only on one side of the transparent resin sheet 32. More specifically, the bonding layer 34 is provided on the surface on the other side of the transparent resin sheet 32. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the bonding layer 34 is solid on the surface of the other side of the transparent resin sheet 32, that is, the surface of the other side of the transparent resin sheet 32 has no gap. It is provided in the area.

  The bonding layer 34 is a layer for bonding the second electrode 50 to the transparent resin sheet 32. The material forming the bonding layer 34 is not particularly limited as long as the second electrode 50 can be bonded to the transparent resin sheet 32. As an example, the bonding layer 34 is not an adhesive layer made of an adhesive having so-called reworkability (property that can be rejoined after being peeled once), but is formed as an adhesive layer made of an adhesive having no reworkability. Preferably it is. For example, the bonding layer 34 is preferably an adhesive layer made of a cured product of a curable resin. When the bonding layer 34 is an adhesive layer made of a cured product of a curable resin, the transparent resin sheet 32 of the second electrode 50 is accompanied by changes in environmental conditions (temperature change, humidity change, etc.) in which the touch panel sensor 30 is used. It can suppress effectively that the relative position with respect to changes. This makes it possible to ensure stable and excellent position detection accuracy.

<Electrode 40>
Next, the first electrode 40 and the second electrode 50 of the touch panel sensor 30 provided on the transparent resin sheet 32 or the bonding layer 34 will be described. In the following description and drawings, the first electrode 40 will be described with reference numerals in the 40th order, and the second electrode 50 will be described with reference numerals in the 50th order. However, the first electrode 40 and the second electrode 50 include a common configuration, and for the common configuration, the terms “first” and “second” are not used, and the reference numbers in the 40s and the second are used. The description will be made with reference to both of the two-electrode 50s.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a large number of first electrodes 40 are provided on one surface of the transparent resin sheet 32. A large number of second electrodes 50 are provided on the other surface of the bonding layer 34. Each of the electrodes 40 and 50 has detection electrodes 45 and 55 used for position detection, and extraction electrodes (extraction wirings) 42 and 52 connected to the detection electrodes 45 and 55. The detection electrodes 45 and 55 are arranged in the active area Aa1 so as to form a pattern. On the other hand, the extraction electrodes 42 and 52 are disposed in the inactive area Aa2.

(Detection electrodes 45 and 55)
The first detection electrodes 45 are arranged in a predetermined pattern on the surface on one side (observer side) of the transparent resin sheet 32. The second detection electrodes 55 are arranged in a pattern different from that of the first detection electrodes 45 on the other side (image display mechanism 12 side) of the bonding layer 34. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the first detection electrodes 45 have a rectangular outline shape, extend linearly, and are arranged in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction. Similarly, the second detection electrodes 55 also have a rectangular outline shape, extend linearly, and are arranged in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction. However, the arrangement direction of the first detection electrodes 45 and the arrangement direction of the second detection electrodes 55 are not parallel. In the illustrated example, the first detection electrodes 45 are arranged in a stripe shape in the vertical direction on the drawing and linearly in the direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction (the horizontal direction in the drawing). It extends. The second detection electrodes 55 are also arranged in the left-right direction on the drawing in a stripe shape and extend linearly in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction (up-down direction on the drawing). Further, the arrangement direction of the first detection electrodes 45 and the arrangement direction of the second detection electrodes 55 are orthogonal to each other.

  The detection electrodes 45 and 55 are provided to detect an electromagnetic change or a change in capacitance that occurs when an external conductor approaches the touch panel sensor 30. Therefore, the detection electrodes 45 and 55 are required to have such conductivity that a current caused by an electromagnetic change or a change in capacitance can be passed at a detectable level. As a material for constituting such detection electrodes 45 and 55, a metal material having excellent conductivity, for example, gold, silver, copper, platinum, aluminum, chromium, molybdenum, nickel, titanium, palladium, indium, and One or more of these alloys can be used.

  On the other hand, these metal materials have a light shielding property against visible light. Therefore, the detection electrodes 45 and 55 include conductor meshes 45a and 55a in which the conductive wires 46 and 56 are arranged in a mesh pattern that defines a large number of opening regions 45b and 55b. In particular, in the example shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the detection electrodes 45 and 55 are formed of conductor meshes 45 a and 55 a formed in elongated regions. In the example shown in FIG. 4, conductor meshes 45a and 55a are formed over the entire active area Aa1, and the conductors 46 and 56 forming the conductor mesh are disconnected corresponding to the contours of the detection electrodes 45 and 55. Thus, the detection electrodes 45 and 55 are formed. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the conductor meshes 45a and 55a have a regular mesh pattern in a lattice arrangement. However, the conductor meshes 45a and 55a may have a regular mesh pattern other than the lattice arrangement, or may have an irregular mesh pattern.

(Extraction electrodes 42 and 52)
One or two extraction electrodes 42 and 52 are provided for each of the detection electrodes 45 and 55 depending on the contact position detection method. Each extraction electrode 42, 52 is connected to a corresponding detection electrode 45, 55 to form a wiring. The extraction electrodes 42 and 52 extend from the corresponding detection electrodes 45 and 55 to the edge of the transparent resin sheet 32 in the inactive area Aa2 of the transparent resin sheet 32. Terminal portions 42a and 52a are formed at the ends of the extraction electrodes 42 and 52 opposite to the detection electrodes 45 and 55, respectively. The extraction electrodes 42 and 52 are connected to the detection control unit 21 at the terminal portions 42a and 52a via an external connection wiring (for example, FPC) (not shown).

(Cross sectional shape of electrodes 40 and 50)
Next, the cross-sectional shape of the electrodes 40 and 50 will be described. FIG. 5 shows the touch panel sensor 30 in a cross section along the thickness direction. In particular, FIG. 5 shows the cross-sectional shape of the conducting wires 46 and 56 forming the conductor meshes 45a and 55a. Here, the thickness direction refers to a cross section along the normal direction to the sheet surface (film surface, plate surface, panel surface) of the touch panel sensor 30 having a sheet shape (film shape, plate shape, panel shape). Point to. Further, the sheet surface (film surface, plate surface, panel surface) is the target sheet shape when the target sheet-like (film shape, plate shape, panel shape) member is viewed as a whole and globally. It refers to the surface that matches the planar direction of the member. And in this Embodiment, the transparent resin sheet 32 has a sheet-like shape which has a pair of main surface. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the cross section along the thickness direction coincides with the cross section along the normal direction to the surface of the transparent resin sheet 32.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the first conductive wire 46 forming the conductor mesh 45a of the first detection electrode 45 is composed of a base end face 46a located on the transparent resin sheet 32 side, and a flat surface disposed facing the base end face 46a. It has a distal end surface 46b and a pair of side surfaces 46c connecting the proximal end surface 46a and the distal end surface 46b. The proximal end surface 46a and the distal end surface 46b are parallel to each other. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the first conductive wire 46 is positioned on the transparent resin sheet 32 side, on the first conductive metal layer 47 that forms the base end surface 46 a and on the first conductive metal layer 47. And a first dark color layer 48 which is provided and forms the leading end face 46b. That is, the first dark color layer 48 covers the first conductive metal layer 47 from one side.

  Similarly, the second conductive wire 56 forming the conductor mesh 55a of the second detection electrode 55 includes a base end face 56a located on the transparent resin sheet 32 side, and a flat front end face 56b disposed to face the base end face 56a. And a pair of side surfaces 56c connecting the base end surface 56a and the front end surface 56b. The proximal end surface 56a and the distal end surface 56b are parallel to each other. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the second conductive wire 56 is provided on the bonding layer 34 side, the second dark color layer 58 that forms the base end surface 56a, and the distal end surface 56b provided on the second dark color layer 58. And a second conductive metal layer 57 that forms a layer. That is, the second conductive metal layer 57 is covered with the first dark color layer 48 from one side.

  Here, the conductive metal layers 47 and 57 are layers formed using a metal material having high conductivity. As described above, gold, silver, copper, platinum, aluminum, chromium, molybdenum, nickel, It is a layer made of one or more of titanium, palladium, indium, and alloys thereof.

  The conductive metal layers 47 and 57 do not have to be a single layer, and may be configured as a plurality of layers. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the first conductive metal layer 47 directly laminated on the surface on one side of the transparent resin sheet 32 is a base-side conductive metal layer positioned on the transparent resin sheet 32 side. 47a and a surface layer side conductive metal layer 47b located on the first dark color layer 48 side. According to such a configuration, the base-side conductive metal layer 47a that is in direct contact with the transparent resin sheet 32 is made of a material having excellent adhesion to the transparent resin sheet 32, for example, the transparent resin sheet 32 is a polyester resin. In the case of a film, it can be formed from nickel or a nickel alloy. On the other hand, the surface-side conductive metal layer 47b that does not come into contact with the transparent resin sheet 32 can be formed from a material that is excellent in conductivity and inexpensive, such as copper, copper alloy, aluminum, or aluminum alloy.

  The conductive metal layers 47 and 57 made of a metal material have excellent conductivity, but exhibit a relatively high reflectance. Therefore, when external light is reflected by the conductive metal layers 47 and 57 forming the detection electrodes 45 and 55 of the touch panel sensor 30, the image contrast of the image display mechanism 12 observed through the active area Aa1 of the touch panel device 20 is increased. It will decline. Therefore, the dark color layers 48 and 58 are disposed on the viewer side (one side) of the conductive metal layers 47 and 57. The dark color layers 48 and 58 can improve the contrast of the image and improve the visibility of the image displayed by the image display mechanism 12. That is, the dark color layers 48 and 58 are dark color layers such as black, and have a lower reflectance than the adjacent conductive metal layers 47 and 57.

  Various known layers can be used as the dark color layers 48 and 58. The conductive metal layers 47 and 57 may be partially darkened to form dark color layers 48 and 58 made of metal oxide or metal sulfide from a part of the conductive metal layers 47 and 57. Further, the dark color layers 48 and 58 may be provided on the conductive metal layers 47 and 57 such as a coating film of dark color material or a plating layer of nickel or chromium. As one specific example, when the conductive metal layers 47 and 57 are made of iron, the conductive metal layers 47 and 57 are exposed to a steam atmosphere at about 450 to 470 ° C. for 10 to 20 minutes to form the conductive metal layers 47. , 57 may be formed with an oxide film (dark color film) of about 1 to 2 μm. As another method, the conductive metal layers 47 and 57 made of iron are chemically treated with concentrated nitric acid or the like, and an oxide film (dark color film) made of triiron tetroxide (Fe 3 O 4) is formed on the surfaces of the conductive metal layers 47 and 57. May be formed. Further, when the conductive metal layers 47 and 57 are made of copper, the conductive metal layers 47 and 57 are subjected to cathodic electrolysis in an electrolytic solution made of sulfuric acid, copper sulfate, cobalt sulfate, or the like, so that the cationic particles Cathodic electrodeposition for depositing is preferred. By providing the cationic particles, the particles become rougher and at the same time a dark color is obtained. As the cationic particles, copper particles and alloy particles of copper and other metals can be applied, but copper-cobalt alloy particles are preferable. The average particle diameter of the cationic particles is preferably about 0.1 to 1 μm from the viewpoint of black density. The dark color layers 48 and 58 used here include not only darkened layers but also roughened layers.

  From the viewpoint of preventing a decrease in contrast, the dark color layers 48 and 58 have a color tone of L * a * b * color system (CIE1976), a * is −5.0 to 3.0, and b * is It is preferably −5.0 to 4.0. The measurement conditions of the color of the dark color layers 48 and 58 are a C light source, an observation visual field of 2 °, and a black acrylic plate is disposed on the back surface of the electrodes 40 and 50 in which the aperture ratio of the conductor meshes 45a and 55a is 95% or more. It shall be measured in the condition.

  FIG. 5 shows the cross-sectional shape of the conductors 46 and 56 forming the conductor meshes 45a and 55a. However, the portions other than the conductor meshes 45a and 55a of the electrodes 40 and 50 also have different widths. You may make it have the same cross-sectional shape as the conducting wires 46 and 56 which make the body meshes 45a and 55a.

  For example, the first extraction electrode 42 can also have the same cross-sectional shape as the first conducting wire 46 of the first detection electrode 45 shown in FIG. Therefore, the first extraction electrode 42 is formed between the base end face 46a located on the transparent resin sheet 32 side, the flat front end face 46b disposed to face the base end face 46a, and the base end face 46a and the front end face 46b. And a pair of side surfaces 46c to be connected. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the base end face 46a and the front end face 46b of the first extraction electrode 42 may be parallel to each other. Further, the first extraction electrode 42 includes a first conductive metal layer 47 in the cross section in the thickness direction. The first conductive metal layer 47 may be integrally formed between the first extraction electrode 42 and the first detection electrode 45. In other words, the first electrode 40 may include the first conductive metal layer 47 that occupies at least a part thereof in an arbitrary cross section in the thickness direction.

  On the other hand, the first extraction electrode 42 is disposed in the non-active area Aa2 facing the non-display area A2 of the image display mechanism 12. Therefore, the first extraction electrode 42 does not need to have the first dark color layer 48. However, in order to avoid complications such as patterning of the first dark color layer 48, the first extraction electrode 42 may have the first dark color layer 48 like the first detection electrode 45. In this case, the first dark color layer 48 may be integrally formed between the first extraction electrode 42 and the first detection electrode 45.

  Similarly, the second extraction electrode 52 can have the same cross-sectional shape as the second conducting wire 56 of the second detection electrode 55 shown in FIG. Therefore, the second extraction electrode 52 connects the base end surface 56a located on the bonding layer 34 side, the flat front end surface 56b disposed to face the base end surface 56a, and the base end surface 56a and the front end surface 56b. And a pair of side surfaces 56c. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the second extraction electrode 52 may have a base end surface 56a and a front end surface 56b that are parallel to each other. Further, the second extraction electrode 52 may include a second conductive metal layer 48 in the cross section in the thickness direction. In addition, the second conductive metal layer 57 may be integrally formed between the second extraction electrode 52 and the second detection electrode 55. That is, the second electrode 50 may include the second conductive metal layer 57 that occupies at least a part of the arbitrary cross section in the thickness direction. Further, the second extraction electrode 52 does not need to have the second dark color layer 58 for the same reason as the first extraction electrode 42. However, the second extraction electrode 52 may have the second dark color layer 58 for the same reason as the first extraction electrode 42. In this case, the second dark color layer 58 may be integrally formed between the second extraction electrode 52 and the second detection electrode 55.

  In the illustrated example, the electrodes 40 and 50 are configured to include the conductive metal layers 47 and 57 and the dark color layers 48 and 58. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the electrodes 40 and 50 are further formed of other layers. May be included. As another layer which should be contained in the electrodes 40 and 50, a rust prevention layer is illustrated, for example.

  In the electrodes 40 and 50 having such a configuration, the width (maximum width) W of the conductive wires 46 and 56 forming the conductor meshes 45a, 45b, 56a and 56b shown in FIG. The width (maximum width) W along the sheet surface 30 is 1 μm or more and 5 μm or less, and the heights (thicknesses) of the conductors 46 and 56 forming the conductor meshes 45a, 45b, 56a and 56b shown in FIG. ) H, that is, the height (thickness) H along the normal direction to the sheet surface of the sheet-shaped touch panel sensor 30 is preferably 0.2 μm or more and 2 μm or less. According to the conductor meshes 45a, 45b, 56a, and 56b having such dimensions, since the conductive wires 46 and 56 are sufficiently thinned, the electrodes 40 and 50 can be invisible very effectively. At the same time, the height between the base end faces 46a and 56a and the front end faces 46b and 56b, which are parallel in the cross-sectional shape, is sufficiently high, that is, the aspect ratio (H / W) of the cross-sectional shapes of the conducting wires 46 and 56 is sufficient. And becomes highly conductive. As a result, the surface resistivity of the conductive mesh 55 can be 50Ω / □ or less, more preferably 20Ω / □ or less.

  That is, according to the conducting wires 46 and 56 having such cross-sectional dimensions, the conducting wires 46 and 56 forming the electrodes 40 and 50 are made thin while maintaining the electrodes 40 and 50 of the touch panel sensor 30 at a low resistance. Can do. According to the thinned conductive wires 46 and 56, the detection electrodes 45 and 55 are sufficiently provided in combination with high-definition pixels or in combination with pixels arranged in a short pitch of a portable terminal called a tablet. High detection accuracy can be achieved while making it invisible.

  Note that the width W along the sheet surface of the sheet-like touch panel sensor 30 is preferably 5.0 μm or less, and more preferably 3.5 μm or less, from the viewpoint of invisibility of the electrodes 40 and 50. From the viewpoint of reducing the surface resistivity, it is preferably 1 μm or more, and more preferably 2 μm or more. In addition, the height (thickness) H along the normal direction to the sheet surface of the sheet-like touch panel sensor 30 is preferably 2.0 μm or less from the viewpoint of stabilizing the manufacturing accuracy of the electrode 40, More preferably, it is 1.5 μm or less, and from the viewpoint of reducing the surface resistivity, it is preferably 0.1 μm or more, and more preferably 0.5 μm or more. In addition, from the viewpoint of securing the operational effects described here, the aspect ratio (H / W) of the cross-sectional shape of the thin wire 60 is preferably 0.04 or more and 2.00 or less, and 0.67 or more and 7. More preferably, it is 00 or less.

  According to the manufacturing method of the touch panel sensor 30 to be described later, the height of the portions other than the conductive wires 46 and 56 of the electrodes 40 and 50 is the same as the height of the conductive wires 46 and 56 forming the conductor meshes 45a and 55a. On the other hand, the width of the portions of the electrodes 40, 50 other than the conductive wires 46, 56, for example, the extraction electrodes 42, 52 that are not required to be invisible, can be set to 5.0 μm or more.

<Method for Manufacturing Touch Panel Sensor 30>
Next, an example of a method for manufacturing the touch panel sensor 30 will be described. In the manufacturing method described below, first, the first laminated body 70 is prepared as shown in FIG. 6, and the second laminated body 75 is prepared as shown in FIG. The preparation of the second stacked body 75 may be performed before the preparation of the first stacked body 70, may be performed after the preparation of the first stacked body 70, or the preparation of the first stacked body 70 and You may go in parallel. Thereafter, the intermediate laminate 80 is produced from the first laminate 70 and the second laminate 75, and the touch panel sensor 30 is produced from the intermediate laminate 80. Hereinafter, each step will be described in order.

(Manufacture of the 1st laminated body 70)
First, with reference to FIG. 6, the process of preparing the 1st laminated body 70 is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 6C, the first laminate 70 includes a transparent resin sheet 32, a first conductive metal film 71, and a first dark color film 72 in this order. In producing the first laminated body 70, first, the transparent resin sheet 32 is prepared. The transparent resin sheet 32 of the first laminated body 70 forms the transparent resin sheet 32 of the touch panel sensor 30. Therefore, as the material of the transparent resin sheet 32 of the first laminated body 70, the materials exemplified as the material for the transparent resin sheet 32 of the touch panel sensor 30 can be appropriately selected and used. Moreover, according to the manufacturing method of the 1st laminated body 70 demonstrated below, the load added to the transparent resin sheet 32, especially heat load do not become large. Therefore, the thickness of the transparent resin sheet 32 can be reduced to 25 μm or more and 300 μm or less.

  Next, a first conductive metal film 71 and a first dark color film 72 are sequentially formed on one surface of the transparent resin sheet 32. The first conductive metal film 71 and the first dark color film 72 are patterned to form the first electrode 40 of the touch panel sensor 30. Among these, the first conductive metal film 71 forms the first conductive metal layer 47 of the first electrode 40, and the first dark color film 72 forms the first dark color layer 48 of the first electrode 40.

  In the illustrated example, the first conductive metal film 71 includes a base-side conductive metal film 71a formed on the transparent resin sheet 32, and a transparent resin sheet 32 of the base-side conductive metal film 71a. Has a surface layer side conductive metal film 71b formed on the opposite side. The substrate-side conductive metal film 71 a forms the substrate-side conductive metal layer 47 a of the first conductive metal layer 47, and the surface-layer-side conductive metal film 71 b is the surface layer-side conductive of the first conductive metal layer 47. The conductive metal layer 47b is formed. In FIG. 6A, a base-side conductive metal film 71 a is formed on the surface of the transparent resin sheet 32. In FIG.6 (b), the surface layer side conductive metal film 71b is formed on the surface on the opposite side to the transparent resin sheet 32 of the base material side conductive metal film 71a. In FIG. 6C, the first dark color film 72 is formed on the surface of the surface layer side conductive metal film 71b opposite to the substrate side conductive metal film 71a.

  From the viewpoint of producing the first electrode 40 having the thickness described above, the thickness of the base-side conductive metal film 71a can be set to 10 nm or more and 100 nm or less. The thickness of the surface layer side conductive metal film 71b can be set to 0.1 μm or more and 3.0 μm or less. Furthermore, the thickness of the first dark color film 72 can be 10 nm or more and 100 nm or less.

  The substrate-side conductive metal film 71a is not formed from a metal foil such as a copper foil laminated on a substrate via an adhesive layer, but directly on the transparent resin sheet 32 without an adhesive layer. Form. Further, the surface layer side conductive metal film 71b is not formed from a metal foil such as a copper foil laminated on the base material via the adhesive layer, but the base side conductive metal film 71a without the adhesive layer. Form directly on top. That is, instead of laminating a metal foil having a specific thickness that can be obtained, the base-side conductive metal film 71a having a desired thickness on the transparent resin sheet 32 or the base-side conductive metal film 71a and A surface layer side conductive metal film 71b is formed. As a method for forming the base-side conductive metal film 71a and the surface-layer-side conductive metal film 71b, a sputtering method, a vacuum deposition method, a plating method including an electroplating method and an electroless plating method, a CVD method, and an ion plating method. Alternatively, a method combining two or more of these can be employed.

  As described above, in order to set the height (thickness) H of the first electrode 40 to about 0.2 to 2 μm, when trying to form the first conductive metal film 71 with a thickness of 0.2 to 2 μm, It is preferable to employ a vacuum deposition method. According to the vapor deposition, the first conductive metal film 71 having a thickness of 0.2 to 2 μm, particularly the first conductive metal film 71 having a thickness of 0.5 μm or more can be manufactured in a relatively short time and at a low cost. . In the illustrated example, the first conductive metal film 71 includes a substrate side conductive metal film 71a and a surface layer side conductive metal film 71b, and the substrate side conductive metal film 71a and the surface layer side conductive metal are included. The films 71b can be formed by vacuum deposition using different materials.

  As another method, it is also effective to form the first conductive metal film 71 in a plurality of steps including sputtering and other methods, for example, sputtering and electroplating. According to sputtering, a base layer having excellent adhesion can be formed, and the thickness of the first conductive metal film 71 can be increased to a desired thickness relatively quickly by subsequent electric field plating. . Further, as in the illustrated example, when the first conductive metal film 71 includes the base-side conductive metal film 71a and the surface-layer-side conductive metal film 71b, the base-side conductive metal film 71a is It can also be produced by a vacuum deposition method or a sputtering method, and then the surface layer side conductive metal film 71b can be produced by an electroplating method.

  As the material of the first conductive metal film 71, the material for the first conductive metal layer 47 of the touch panel sensor 30 described above can be used. That is, as the material used for the first conductive metal film 71, one or more of gold, silver, copper, platinum, aluminum, chromium, molybdenum, nickel, titanium, palladium, indium, and alloys thereof may be adopted. it can. In particular, the material of the base-side conductive metal film 71a of the first conductive metal film 71 that is in contact with the transparent resin sheet 32 is a material having excellent adhesion to the transparent resin sheet 32, for example, adhesion to a polyester resin film. Nickel or nickel alloy having excellent properties can be obtained. Moreover, the material of the surface side conductive metal film 71b of the first conductive metal film 71 separated from the transparent resin sheet 32 is an excellent and inexpensive material such as copper, copper alloy, aluminum, and aluminum alloy. be able to. Instead of providing the base-side metal layer 47a (base-side conductive metal film 71a) having excellent adhesion to the transparent resin film, the first metal layer 47 (first conductive metal) of the transparent resin film is used. The surface on which the film 71) is formed may be formed by an adhesion reinforcing layer made of a cured product of a thermosetting resin or an ultraviolet curable resin.

  After the first conductive metal film 71 is formed on the transparent resin sheet 32, the first dark color layer 48 of the first electrode 40 is formed on the surface of the first conductive metal film 71 that is separated from the transparent resin sheet 32. A first dark color film 72 is formed. As described above, the surface layer portion of the first conductive metal film 71 is blackened to form the first dark color film 72 made of a metal oxide or metal sulfide on a part of the first conductive metal film 71. May be. Further, on the first conductive metal film 71 by a sputtering method, a vacuum deposition method, a plating method including an electroplating method and an electroless plating method, a CVD method, an ion plating method, or a combination of these two or more. Alternatively, the first dark color film 72 may be provided.

  The first laminated body 70 can be manufactured as described above. In general, the adhesion between the resin sheet and the blackened film is poor, and conventionally, the degree of freedom in selecting the material for the blackened film has been very limited. However, in the method described above, the first dark color film 72 may be formed on the first conductive metal film 71 instead of the resin transparent resin sheet 32. Therefore, as described above, the first dark color film 72 can be formed on the first conductive metal film 71 using various materials while employing various methods. Further, in the manufacture of the first laminate 70, the film forming process is performed only on one side of the transparent resin sheet 32. Therefore, it can be avoided that the thermal load on the transparent resin sheet 32 becomes too large, and the transparent resin sheet 32 can be prevented from being greatly damaged by high-temperature treatment such as vacuum deposition. For this reason, the freedom degree of selection of the material of the transparent resin sheet 32 increases, and also the thickness of the transparent resin sheet 32 can be reduced. Further, the film forming process is performed only on one side of the transparent resin sheet 32, and one surface of the transparent resin sheet 32 is one surface of the first laminate 70. For this reason, the 1st laminated body 70 is excellent in handleability, and can suppress effectively damaging the thin film formed on the transparent resin sheet 32. FIG. Thereby, the yield of the 1st laminated body 70 and the yield of the touch panel sensor 30 can be improved finally.

(Manufacture of 2nd laminated body 75)
Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the process of preparing the 2nd laminated body 75 is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 7B, the second stacked body 75 includes a support 78, a second conductive metal film 76, and a second dark color film 77 in this order. In producing the second stacked body 75, first, the support body 78 is prepared. The support body 78 of the second stacked body 75 is finally discarded and does not constitute a part of the touch panel sensor 30. Therefore, the material of the support 78 is not particularly limited, and various materials such as resin and paper can be used, and an opaque material can also be used. In the illustrated example, a release layer 78 a is provided on one surface of the support 78 in order to smoothly release the second conductive metal film 76 described later. The release layer 78a can be formed as a coating film of a release agent made of silicon resin such as silicone, fluorine resin, melamine resin, or a mixture of two or more of these resins in an appropriate ratio.

  A second conductive metal film 76 and a second dark color film 77 are sequentially formed on one surface of the support 78, in the illustrated example, on the release layer 78 a of the support 78. The second conductive metal film 76 and the second dark color film 77 are patterned to form the second electrode 50 of the touch panel sensor 30. Among these, the second conductive metal film 76 forms the second conductive metal layer 57 of the second electrode 50, and the second dark color film 77 forms the second dark color layer 58 of the second electrode 50. In FIG. 7A, the second conductive metal film 76 is formed on the support body 78. In FIG. 7B, a second dark color film 77 is formed on the surface of the second conductive metal film 76 opposite to the support 78. From the viewpoint of manufacturing the second electrode 50 having the thickness described above, the thickness of the second conductive metal film 76 can be set to 0.1 μm or more and 3.0 μm or less, and the thickness of the second dark color film 77 is set to 10 nm or more. It can be 100 nm or less.

  The second conductive metal film 76 is not formed from a metal foil such as a copper foil laminated on a base material via an adhesive layer, but directly formed on the support 78 without going through the adhesive layer. . That is, the second conductive metal film 76 having a desired thickness is formed on the support 78 instead of laminating a metal foil having a specific thickness that can be obtained. As a method for forming the second conductive metal film 76, a sputtering method, a vacuum deposition method, a plating method including an electroplating method and an electroless plating method, a CVD method, an ion plating method, or a combination of two or more thereof. Can be adopted. As described above, in order to set the height (thickness) H of the second electrode 50 to about 0.2 to 2 μm, when the second conductive metal film 76 is formed with a thickness of 0.2 to 2 μm, It is preferable to employ a vacuum deposition method. According to the vacuum deposition method, the second conductive metal film 76 having a thickness of 0.2 to 2 μm, particularly the second conductive metal film 76 having a thickness of 0.5 μm or more can be manufactured in a relatively short time and at a low cost. Can do. As another method, it is also effective to form the second conductive metal film 76 in a plurality of steps including sputtering and other methods such as sputtering and electroplating.

  As the material of the second conductive metal film 76, the material for the second conductive metal layer 57 of the touch panel sensor 30 described above can be used. That is, as the material used for the second conductive metal film 76, one or more of gold, silver, copper, platinum, aluminum, chromium, molybdenum, nickel, titanium, palladium, indium, and alloys thereof may be adopted. it can. As described later, the support 78 is peeled off from the second conductive metal film 76. Therefore, the second conductive metal film 76 does not need to have excellent adhesion to the support 78. For this reason, it is effective that the second conductive metal film 76 is a single layer made of a material having excellent conductivity and low cost, for example, copper, copper alloy, aluminum, or aluminum alloy.

  After forming the second conductive metal film 76 on the support 78, the second dark color layer 58 of the second electrode 50 is formed on the surface of the second conductive metal film 76 that is separated from the support 78. A second dark color film 77 is formed. As already described, and similarly to the first dark color film 72, the surface layer portion of the second conductive metal film 76 is blackened, and a metal oxide or metal sulfide is partially applied to the second conductive metal film 76. A second dark color film 77 made of may be formed. Further, a sputtering method, a vacuum deposition method, a plating method including an electroplating method and an electroless plating method, a CVD method, an ion plating method, or a method in which two or more of these are combined is used on the second conductive metal film 76. A second dark color film 77 may be provided.

  As described above, the second laminated body 75 can be manufactured. In general, the adhesion between the blackened film and other films is poor, and conventionally, the degree of freedom in selecting the material of the blackened film has been very limited. However, in the method described above, the second dark color film 77 may be formed on the second conductive metal film 76 made of a relatively compatible metal material. Therefore, as described above, the second dark color film 77 can be formed on the second conductive metal film 76 using various materials while employing various methods. Further, in the manufacture of the second stacked body 75, the film forming process is performed only on one side of the support body 78. Therefore, it is possible to avoid an excessive load on the support 78, and it is possible to prevent the support 78 from being greatly damaged by a high temperature process such as a vacuum deposition method. In addition, the support 78 temporarily supports the second conductive metal layer 57 and the second dark color layer 58 in the process of manufacturing the touch panel sensor 30, and finally the touch panel sensor 30. I don't stay on top. Accordingly, even if the support 78 is thermally deteriorated or damaged, it does not affect the manufacturing process and the quality of the touch panel sensor 30 to be obtained. For this reason, the freedom degree of selection of the material of the support body 78 increases, and also the thickness of the support body 78 can be reduced. Further, the film forming process is performed only on one side of the support 78, and one surface of the support 78 is one surface of the second stacked body 75. For this reason, the 2nd laminated body 75 is excellent in handleability, and can suppress effectively damaging the thin film formed into the film on the support body 78. FIG. Thereby, the yield of the 2nd laminated body 75 and the yield of the touch panel sensor 30 can be improved finally.

(Manufacture of intermediate laminate 80)
Next, with reference to FIG.8 and FIG.9, the process of preparing the intermediate | middle laminated body 80 is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 8, the first stacked body 70 and the second stacked body 75 are bonded via the bonding layer 34. At this time, the first stacked body 70 and the second stacked body 75 are stacked so that the transparent resin sheet 32 of the first stacked body 70 and the second dark color film 77 of the second stacked body 75 face each other.

  Here, the bonding layer 34 that bonds the first stacked body 70 and the second stacked body 75 finally forms the bonding layer 34 of the touch panel sensor 30. The bonding layer 34 is located between the first electrode 40 and the second electrode 50 in the touch panel sensor 30. Therefore, the bonding layer 34 is configured so that the relative position between the first detection electrode 45 of the first electrode 40 and the second detection electrode 55 of the second electrode 50 does not change due to a change in environmental conditions in which the touch panel sensor 30 is disposed. It preferably has resistance to changes in environmental conditions. From this point, the joining layer 34 is not an adhesive layer made of an adhesive having so-called reworkability (property that can be rejoined after being peeled once), but is formed as an adhesive layer made of an adhesive having no reworkability. It is preferable. For example, the bonding layer 34 is preferably an adhesive layer made of a cured product of a curable resin. Examples of the bonding layer 34 include an adhesive layer made of an epoxy or acrylic ionizing radiation curable resin. As the ionizing radiation, ultraviolet rays, electron beams, etc. can be selected.

  When the bonding layer 34 is made of a curable resin, first, an uncured raw material is applied between the first stacked body 70 and the second stacked body 75. Next, in a state where the first laminated body 70 and the second laminated body 75 are laminated, the raw material is cured by ionizing radiation irradiation, overheating, a chemical reaction with time, or the like. Thereby, the laminated body formed by joining the 1st laminated body 70 and the 2nd laminated body 75 with the joining layer 34 is obtained.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the support body 78 of the first stacked body 70 is peeled off from the stacked body in which the first stacked body 70, the bonding layer 34, and the second stacked body 75 are bonded in this order. In the illustrated example, the surface of the support 78 that faces the second conductive metal film 76 is a release layer 78a. Therefore, only the support body 78 can be separated smoothly and stably from the laminate composed of the first laminate 70, the bonding layer 34, and the second laminate 75. However, it is not essential to provide the release layer 78a, and the bonding strength (adhesion strength) between the support 78 and the second conductive metal film 76 is the adhesion strength between other layers, particularly the second conductive metal. It is only necessary to be weaker than the bonding force (adhesion force) between the film 76 and the second dark color film 77 and the bonding force (adhesion force) between the second dark color film 77 and the bonding layer 34. Such adjustment of the bonding force can be adjusted by selecting a material used for each layer, in particular, by selecting a material forming the support 78. The strength of adhesion between layers can be evaluated by the pull-off method defined in JIS K5600-5-7.

  As described above, the intermediate laminate including the second conductive metal film 76, the second dark color film 77, the bonding layer 34, the transparent resin sheet 32, the first conductive metal film 71, and the first dark color film 72 in this order. 80 is obtained.

(Patterning)
Next, referring to FIGS. 10 to 13, the first conductive metal film 71 and the first dark color film 72 on the transparent resin sheet 32 are patterned in a desired pattern by patterning using a photolithography technique. . Similarly, the second conductive metal film 76 and the second dark color film 77 on the bonding layer 34 are patterned in a desired pattern by patterning using a photolithography technique.

  First, as shown in FIG. 10, the first photosensitive film 81 is provided on one surface of the intermediate laminate 80 formed by the first dark color film 72, and is formed by the second conductive metal film 76. A second photosensitive film 86 is provided on the other surface of the intermediate laminate 80. Here, the photosensitive films 81 and 86 have photosensitivity to light in a specific wavelength range, for example, ultraviolet rays. The specific photosensitive characteristics of the photosensitive films 81 and 86 are not particularly limited. For example, as the photosensitive films 81 and 86, a photocurable photosensitive material may be used, or a photodissolvable photosensitive material may be used. Here, an example in which a photo-curing type photosensitive material is used as the photosensitive films 81 and 86 will be described.

(Exposure process)
Next, as shown in FIG. 11, a first mask 83 is disposed on the first photosensitive film 81 and a second mask 88 is disposed on the second photosensitive film 86. Each of the masks 83 and 88 includes transmission parts 83a and 88a that transmit exposure light in a pattern corresponding to the first electrode 40 and the second electrode 50 that are formed later, and light shielding parts 83b and 88b that shield the exposure light. Contains. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11, exposure light is irradiated to the photosensitive films 81 and 86 through masks 83 and 88. As a result, the first photosensitive film 81 and the second photosensitive film 86 are simultaneously exposed in different patterns.

  Here, according to the present embodiment, the intermediate stacked body 80 includes the first dark color film 72, the first conductive metal film 71, the second dark color film 77, and the second conductive metal film 76 having light shielding properties. ing. Therefore, the exposure light transmitted through the first photosensitive film 81 is blocked by the first dark color film 72 and the first conductive metal film 71. Further, the exposure light transmitted through the second photosensitive film 86 is shielded by the second conductive metal film 76 and the second dark color film 77. Accordingly, the exposure light irradiated from one side of the intermediate laminate 80 for exposing the first photosensitive film 81 does not reach the second photosensitive film 86, and similarly, the second photosensitive film 86 is exposed. Therefore, the exposure light irradiated from the other side of the intermediate laminate 80 does not reach the first photosensitive film 81. As a result, in this exposure step, the first photosensitive film 81 and the second photosensitive film 86 can be simultaneously exposed with a desired pattern with high accuracy. In particular, in this exposure step, the first mask 83 and the second mask 88 are arranged to face each other with the intermediate laminate 80 interposed therebetween. Therefore, the relative positions of the first mask 83 and the second mask 88 can be positioned with extremely high accuracy. As a result, in the manufactured touch panel sensor 30, the relative positions of the first electrode 40 and the second electrode 50 are positioned with extremely high accuracy.

(Development process)
Next, the exposed first photosensitive film 81 and second photosensitive film 86 are developed. Specifically, a developer corresponding to the photosensitive films 81 and 86 is prepared, and the photosensitive films 81 and 86 are developed using this developer. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 12, portions of the photosensitive films 81 and 86 that are not irradiated with the exposure light are removed, and the photosensitive films 81 and 86 are patterned into a predetermined pattern. As a result, a first resist pattern 82 obtained by patterning the first photosensitive film 81 into a predetermined pattern is formed on one surface of the intermediate laminate 80 formed by the first dark color film 72. Also, a second resist pattern 87 formed by patterning the second photosensitive film 86 into a predetermined pattern is formed on the other surface of the intermediate laminate 80 formed by the second conductive metal film 76.

(Patterning process)
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 13, the first dark color film 72 and the first conductive metal film 71 are etched using the first resist pattern 82 as a mask. By this etching, the first dark color film 72 and the first conductive metal film 71 are patterned into substantially the same pattern as the first resist pattern 82. Further, the second conductive metal film 76 and the second dark color film 77 are etched using the second resist pattern 87 as a mask. By this etching, the second conductive metal film 76 and the second dark color film 77 are patterned into substantially the same pattern as the second resist pattern 87. The etching method is not particularly limited, and wet etching using an etchant, plasma etching, or the like is appropriately used. When wet etching is employed, an etching solution capable of dissolving the materials constituting the conductive metal films 71 and 76 and the dark color films 72 and 77 is appropriately selected. For example, ferric chloride aqueous solution, hydrochloric acid or the like can be used as an etching solution.

(Photosensitive film removal process)
Thereafter, the first resist pattern 82 and the second resist pattern 87 are removed. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 5, the first electrode 40 formed by the patterned first dark color film 72 and the first conductive metal film 71 is exposed on one side, and the patterned second conductive The second electrode 50 formed by the metal film 76 and the second dark color film 77 is exposed on the other side. The touch panel sensor 30 is obtained as described above.

  According to the above manufacturing method, the conductive metal films 71 and 76 and the dark color films 72 and 77 to be etched have the same thickness as the electrodes 40 and 50 to be manufactured, for example, 0.2 μm or more and 2 μm. It can be as follows. When the conductive metal films 71 and 76 and the dark color films 72 and 77 having this thickness are etched, the conductive wires 46 and 56 as shown in FIG. 15 are not reduced in thickness and disconnected by large side etching, and about 1 μm to 5 μm. The thinned electrodes 40 and 50 can be produced. That is, the conductive metal films 71 and 76 and the dark color films 72 and 77 are not too thick with respect to the line width of the conductive wires 46 and 56 to be formed. Thereby, compared with the case where the metal foil described with reference to FIG. 15 is used, the erosion site by etching is not connected below the resist film. Thereby, the electrodes 40 and 50 (the conducting wires 46 and 56) that are stably and accurately thinned can be manufactured. In addition, by setting the conductive metal films 71 and 76 and the dark color films 72 and 77 to appropriate thicknesses with respect to the line width of the conductive lines 46 and 56 to be formed, the formed conductive lines 46 and 56 are formed. The cross-sectional shape in the thickness direction can be a desired shape, for example, a shape having a desired aspect ratio.

<<< Action and effect >>>
According to the present embodiment as described above, the first electrode 40 is provided on the surface on one side of the transparent resin sheet 32, and the bonding layer 34 is disposed on the surface on the other side of the transparent resin sheet 32. A second electrode 50 is provided. The first conductive wire 46 constituting the conductor mesh 45a of the first electrode 40 includes a first conductive metal layer 47 located on the transparent resin sheet 32 side, and a first dark color layer 48 covering the conductive metal layer 47 from one side. And have. The second conductive wire 56 forming the conductor mesh 55a of the second electrode 50 includes a second dark color layer 58 located on the bonding layer 34 side, and a second conductive metal layer covered from one side by the second dark color layer 58. 57. When such a touch panel sensor 30 is observed from one side, the first conductive metal layer 47 is covered with the first dark color layer 48, and the second conductive metal layer 57 is covered with the second dark color layer 58. . Therefore, the conductive metal layers 47 and 57 having high reflectivity can be invisible by the dark color layers 48 and 58 having low reflectivity and dark colors. Thereby, the display apparatus 10 including the touch panel sensor 30 can exhibit an excellent contrast.

  In the touch panel sensor 30, neither the first dark color layer 48 nor the second dark color layer 58 is in contact with the transparent resin sheet 32. Therefore, it is not necessary to form the first dark color film 72 and the second dark color film 77 that constitute the first dark color layer 48 and the second dark color layer 58 on the transparent resin sheet 32, respectively. What is necessary is just to form on the film | membrane 71,76. In general, a dark color film typified by a blackened film exhibits low adhesion to a resin sheet. For this reason, the material of the dark color film laminated | stacked on the transparent resin sheet 32 received restrictions, and as a result, it was inferior in terms of cost or handling. On the other hand, dark films typified by blackened films exhibit relatively good adhesion to films made of metal materials. Therefore, the first dark color layer 48 and the second dark color layer 58 can be formed on the conductive metal films 71 and 76 using various materials while employing various methods. That is, the degree of freedom in selecting the material of the first dark color layer 48 and the second dark color layer 58 and the degree of freedom in selecting the manufacturing method of the first dark color layer 48 and the second dark color layer 58 can be greatly improved.

  In addition, the touch panel sensor 30 can be manufactured using the intermediate laminate 80 produced using the first laminate 70 and the second laminate 75 as a blank (material). When the intermediate laminate 80 is manufactured using the first laminate 70 and the second laminate 75, the vapor deposition method, the sputtering method, the plating method, the CVD method, the ion plate, and the like are applied only to one side of the transparent resin sheet 32 or the support 78. A film forming process is performed by a coating method or a combination of two or more of these. That is, it is not necessary to perform the film forming process on both surfaces of the transparent resin sheet 32 or the support 78. Therefore, it is possible to avoid an excessive increase in the thermal load on the transparent resin sheet 32 and the support 78 (the thermal load is ½ compared to the case of double-sided film formation). It is possible to prevent the transparent resin sheet 32 or the support 78 from being greatly damaged by a high temperature treatment such as a vacuum deposition method. For this reason, the freedom degree of the material selection of the transparent resin sheet 32 and the support body 78 increases, and also it becomes possible to make thickness of the transparent resin sheet 32 and the support body 78 thin.

  When the intermediate laminate 80 is manufactured using the first laminate 70 and the second laminate 75, the film forming process is performed only on one side of the transparent resin sheet 32, and one side of the transparent resin sheet 32 is This is one surface of the first laminate 70. The film forming process is performed only on one surface of the support 78, and one surface of the support 78 is one surface of the second stacked body 75. That is, the process of damaging the conductive metal films 71 and 76 and the dark color films 72 and 77 with a guide roller or the like is ½ compared to the case of double-sided film formation. Therefore, the first laminate 70 and the second laminate 75 are easy to handle, damage the thin film formed on the transparent resin sheet 32, and damage the thin film formed on the support 78. This can be effectively suppressed. Thereby, the yield of the 1st laminated body 70 and the 2nd laminated body 75, and the yield of the touch panel sensor 30 can be improved finally.

  From the above, the touch panel sensor 30 according to the present embodiment can be stably manufactured while selecting a material with a high degree of freedom. The touch panel sensor 30 can be formed by patterning a film formed by a vapor deposition method, a sputtering method, a plating method, a CVD method, an ion plating method, or a combination of two or more thereof. For this reason, the first electrode 40 and the second electrode 50 of the touch panel sensor 30 can be sufficiently thinned. The first electrode 40 and the second electrode 50 are patterned by a photolithography technique using double-sided exposure. Therefore, the first electrode 40 and the second electrode 50 can be positioned with high accuracy with respect to each other.

  Note that various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment.

  For example, the width of the first electrode 40 may not be constant as in the example shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 14, the width Wa of the base-side conductive metal layer 47 a showing high adhesion to the transparent resin sheet 32 is thicker than the width Wb of the surface-side conductive metal layer 47 b. . And as shown in FIG. 14, the surface layer side conductive metal layer 47b is arrange | positioned in the area | region which becomes the upper side of the base material side conductive metal layer 47a. That is, in observation from the normal direction to the sheet surface of the touch panel sensor 30, the base-side conductive metal layer 47a is disposed inside the outer contour of the surface-layer side conductive metal layer 47b. According to such a touch panel sensor 30, the surface side conductive metal layer 47 b is completely separated from the transparent resin sheet 32. Only the base-side conductive metal layer 47 a that can have excellent adhesion to the bright resin sheet 32 is in contact with the transparent resin sheet 32. As a result, it becomes difficult to form a starting point of peeling, and the first electrode 40 continues to be stably adhered to the transparent resin sheet 32. Further, as the surface layer side conductive metal layer 47b, an optimum material in terms of conductivity and etching suitability can be selected without considering the adhesiveness with the transparent resin sheet 32.

  In the touch panel sensor manufacturing method described above, the resistance (etching) to the etching solution of the material forming the base-side conductive metal film 71a of the first conductive metal film 71 and the material forming the surface-layer side conductive metal film 71b. When the rate is different, the width of the base-side conductive metal layer 47a made of the base-side conductive metal film 71a is different from the width of the surface-side conductive metal layer 47b made of the surface-side conductive metal film 71b. can do. When the material forming the base-side conductive metal film 71a is more resistant to the etching solution than the material forming the surface-layer side conductive metal film 71b, the first metal layer 47 is formed as shown in FIG. Thus, the width Wa of the base-side conductive metal layer 47a is larger than the width Wb of the surface-side conductive metal layer 47b. For example, when the material forming the base-side conductive metal film 71a is nickel and the surface-layer side conductive metal film 71b is copper, aluminum, or an alloy thereof, the first metal layer 47 shown in FIG. Can be produced.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Display apparatus 12 Image display mechanism 12a Display surface 13 Display control part 14 Backlight 15 Display panel, liquid crystal display panel 16 Polarizing plate, lower polarizing plate 17 Liquid crystal cell 18 Polarizing plate, upper polarizing plate 19 Low refractive index layer 20 Touch panel device 20a Laminated structure 21 Detection control unit 22 Cover layer 23 Bonding layer (adhesive layer)
30 Touch Panel Sensor 32 Transparent Resin Sheet 34 Bonding Layer 40 First Electrode 42 First Extraction Electrode, First Extraction Wiring 42a Terminal Part 45 First Detection Electrode 45a Conductor Mesh 45b Opening Area 46 First Conductor 46a Base End Surface 46b Tip End Surface 46c Side surface 47 First conductive metal layer 47a Substrate side conductive metal layer 47b Surface layer side conductive metal layer 48 First dark color layer 50 Second electrode 52 Second extraction electrode, second extraction wiring 52a Terminal portion 55 Second detection electrode 55a Conductor mesh 55b Opening region 56 Second conductor 56a Base end face 56b Tip end face 56c Side face 57 Second conductive metal layer 58 Second dark color layer 70 First laminate 71 First conductive metal film 71a Base-side conductive metal Film 71b Surface side conductive metal film 72 First dark color film 75 Second laminated body 76 Second conductive metal film 77 Second dark color film 78 Support 78a Release layer 80 Intermediate Laminated body 81 First photosensitive film 82 First resist pattern 83 First mask 83a Transmission portion, opening 83b Light shielding portion 86 Second photosensitive film 87 Second resist pattern 88 Second mask 88a Transmission portion, opening 88b Light shielding portion A1 Display Area A2 Non-display area Aa1 Active area Aa2 Inactive area

Claims (6)

A transparent resin sheet;
A first detection electrode provided on one surface of the transparent resin sheet;
A bonding layer provided on the surface of the other side of the transparent resin sheet;
A second detection electrode provided on a surface on the other side of the bonding layer,
The first detection electrode includes a first conductor mesh disposed in a mesh pattern in which a first conductor defines a plurality of opening regions;
The second detection electrode includes a second conductor mesh disposed in a mesh pattern in which the second conductor defines a plurality of opening regions,
The first conductive wire forming the first conductive mesh includes: a first conductive metal layer positioned on the transparent resin sheet side; and a first dark color layer covering the first conductive metal layer from one side. Including
The second conductive wire forming the second conductor mesh includes a second dark color layer located on the bonding layer side and a second conductive metal layer covered from one side by the second dark color layer. See
The first conductive metal layer includes a base-side conductive metal layer located on the transparent resin sheet side, and a surface-side conductive metal layer located on the first dark color layer side,
The width | variety of the said base material side electroconductive metal layer is a touchscreen sensor wider than the width | variety of the said surface layer side electroconductive metal layer . The touch panel sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the bonding layer is an adhesive layer made of a cured product of a curable resin. A touch panel sensor according to claim 1 or 2, the touch panel device.   The touch panel device according to claim 3, further comprising a cover layer laminated on the touch panel sensor. A display device comprising the touch panel sensor according to claim 1 or 2 , or the touch panel device according to claim 3 or 4 . A transparent resin sheet, a first conductive metal film laminated on the transparent resin sheet by a vapor deposition method, a sputtering method, a plating method, a CVD method, an ion plating method, or a combination of two or more thereof, and the first A first laminated body having a first dark color film laminated on the side opposite to the transparent resin sheet of the conductive metal film, a support, and an evaporation method, a sputtering method, a CVD method, an ion plating method, or these A second conductive metal film laminated on the support by a method combining two or more of the above, and a second dark color film laminated on the opposite side of the second conductive metal film from the support. A step of laminating the second laminated body via a bonding layer so that the transparent resin sheet side of the first laminated body and the second dark color film side of the second laminated body face each other;
In the state where the second dark color film and the second conductive metal film of the second laminate are joined to the first laminate via the joining layer, the support is peeled off, and the second conductive metal is removed. Producing an intermediate laminate including the film, the second dark film, the bonding layer, the transparent resin sheet, the first conductive metal film, and the first dark film in this order;
Patterning the second conductive metal film and the second dark color film of the intermediate laminate, and the first dark color film and the first conductive metal film,
The first conductive metal film of the first laminate includes a base-side conductive metal film located on the transparent resin sheet side, and a surface layer-side conductive metal film located on the first dark color film side. Including
When patterning the first conductive metal film, the width of the base-side conductive metal layer formed by patterning the base-side conductive metal film is the surface layer side formed by patterning the surface-side conductive metal film. A method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor, which is wider than the width of the conductive metal layer .

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