Touch screen panel with integral wiring traces

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a touch panel wherein a glass substrate is coated with a resistive layer; a pattern of conductive edge electrodes and a conductive wire trace pattern are applied to the resistive layer; the conductive edge electrodes are electrically isolated from the conductive wire traces; and a protective insulative border layer is applied over the edge electrodes and the wire traces. A touch panel which includes a glass substrate coated with a resistive layer on one surface thereof; a pattern of edge electrodes on the resistive layer; a wire trace pattern on the resistive layer; a trench in the resistive layer between the wire trace pattern and the edge electrode pattern; and a protective insulative border layer over the edge electrode pattern and the wire traces.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of manufacturing a touch panel, the method comprising: 
 coating an insulative substrate with a resistive layer;    applying a pattern of conductive edge electrodes to the resistive layer and applying a conductive wire trace pattern to the resistive layer;    electrically isolating the conductive edge electrodes from the conductive wire traces; and    applying an insulative material at least between the edge electrodes and the wire traces.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  in which the conductive layer is a tin antimony oxide composition.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  in which the insulative substrate is glass.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  in which the step of applying the pattern of conductive edge electrodes and the wire trace pattern includes screen printing silver/frit paste on the resistive layer in the form of the edge electrode pattern and the wire trace pattern.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  in which the step of electrically isolating includes using a laser beam to ablate the resistive material between the edge electrodes and the wire traces and the resistive material between the wire traces.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  in which the step of applying an insulative material includes applying a protective insulative border layer over the edge electrodes and the wire traces by screen printing an insulative composition over the edge electrodes and the wire traces.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  in which the insulative composition is a lead borosilicate glass composition.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  further including the step of firing the applied edge electrodes, the wire traces, and the insulative border layer.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  in which firing includes subjecting the panel to an elevated temperature in a first period of time to burn off any organic material and then a dwell period at the elevated temperature to cure the elect odes and wire trace materials and to fuse the insulative border layer material.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  in which the elevated temperature is between 500° C.-525° C., the first time period is approximately 5 minutes, and the dwell period is approximately 2-3 minutes.  
     
     
         11 . A touch panel comprising: 
 a substrate coated with a resistive layer on one surface thereof;    a pattern of edge electrodes on the resistive layer;    a wire trace pattern on the resistive layer; and    a trench in the resistive layer between the wire trace pattern and the edge electrode pattern to electrically isolate the wire trace pattern from the edge electrode pattern.    
     
     
         12 . The touch panel of  claim 11  in which the resistive layer is a tin antimony oxide composition.  
     
     
         13 . The touch panel of  claim 11  in which the substrate is a glass.  
     
     
         14 . The touch panel of  claim 11  in which the pattern of edge electrodes is made of a silver/frit paste composition.  
     
     
         15 . The touch panel of  claim 11  in which the wire trace pattern is formed from a silver/frit paste composition.  
     
     
         16 . The touch panel of  claim 11  further including a protective insulative border layer over the edge electrode pattern and the wire traces.  
     
     
         17 . The touch panel of  claim 16  in which the protective insulative border layer is formed from a lead borosilicate glass composition.  
     
     
         18 . A method of manufacturing a touch panel, the method comprising: 
 coating an insulative substrate with a resistive layer;    apply a pattern of conductive edge electrodes to the resistive layer and applying a conductive wire trace pattern to the resistive layer;    removing the resistive layer at least between the wire traces and the edge electrodes to electrically isolate them from each other;    applying an insulative material over both the wire traces and the edge electrodes to protect them; and    co-firing the edge electrodes, the wire traces, and the insulative material all at the same time.