Fabrication of a single-layer metal-mesh touchscreen sensor using reverse-offset printing

Abstract

The touchscreen sensor is one of the most innovative parts of modern electronic devices. Transparent conductive materials such as indium-tin oxide, silver nanowire, carbon nanotube, and metal mesh are used for the capacitance-sensing electrodes of touchscreen sensors. For patterning, most transparent conductive materials require a conventional patterning process of thin-film deposition or coating, photolithography, and etching to form sensing electrodes, and additional fabrication processes for routing electrodes. Printing techniques, however, can simplify the fabrication process of touchscreen sensors. Especially, reverse-offset printing can implement an ultra-fine pattern of even less than 1µm, and an excellent surface quality, regardless of the pattern size. In this paper, the fabrication process of a 6.5-inch single-layer metal-mesh touchscreen sensor printed on a transparent plastic film is described. Using silver nanoparticle ink, the sensing and routing electrodes are printed at once in a single layer using the reverse-offset-printing technique.