Fabrication of Transparent Conducting Electrode Pattern by Metal Mesh Method on Stretchable Film Substrate

Abstract

Smart phones have become one of major electronic devices for human being. The easy and rapid exchange of information between man and machine is carried out by the touch screen panel (TSP) installed in the smart phones. Currently the smart phones are widely spread out while displays for automobiles are in the initial stage of developments. Since the automobile displays should fit the curved area of indoor space of the vehicle, the TSPs for automobiles need to be fabricated on the flexible and stretchable substrate film. In this study, we selected the thermo-plastic polyurethane film as the substrate film and examined the materials and process for fabrication of metal mesh type transparent conducting electrode films suitable for TSPs of automobile displays. The optimum UV resin system was established by the evaluation of various UV resin formulations in the UV imprinting process to make 3 × 3.5 μm trench patterns on the metal mesh type electrode film utilizing the embossed metal mask plate. The Ag paste has also been prepared by synthesis of Ag nanoparticles and formulation with the binder polymers. The inlay (filling) of Ag paste in the trench layer of transparent electrode film showed that the variation of electrical resistance was within 10% upon bending up to 100,000 times to radius of 3 mm.