Touch panel

One aspect of the present invention relates to a touch sensor. Alternatively, it relates to a flexible touch sensor. Alternatively, one embodiment of the present invention relates to a touch panel. Alternatively, it relates to a flexible touch panel.

Note that one embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above technical field. One embodiment of the invention disclosed in this specification and the like relates to a product, a method, or a manufacturing method. One aspect of the invention relates to a process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter. Therefore, technical fields of one embodiment of the present invention disclosed in this specification more specifically include semiconductor devices, display devices, light-emitting devices, power storage devices, memory devices, electronic devices, lighting devices, input devices, and input/output devices. , their driving method or their manufacturing method.

Note that in this specification and the like, a semiconductor device refers to all devices that can function by utilizing semiconductor characteristics. A semiconductor element such as a transistor, a semiconductor circuit, an arithmetic device, and a memory device are examples of semiconductor devices. Imaging devices, display devices, liquid crystal display devices, light-emitting devices, electro-optical devices, power generation devices (including thin-film solar cells, organic thin-film solar cells, etc.), and electronic devices may include semiconductor devices.

In recent years, display devices are expected to be applied to various uses, and diversification is required. For example, smart phones and tablet terminals equipped with a touch panel are being developed as personal digital assistants.

Further, Patent Document 1 discloses a flexible active-matrix light-emitting device having switching elements such as transistors and organic EL elements on a film substrate.

<p><patcit num="1"><text>JP-A-2003-174153</text></patcit></p>

<p>There is a demand for a touch panel in which a function of inputting by touching the screen with a finger or a stylus is added as a user interface to the display panel.</p><p>For example, the touch panel can have a configuration in which a touch sensor is provided on the viewing side of the display panel. A touch sensor provided in a touch panel is desired to have high detection sensitivity. Further, since the touch sensor is provided so as to overlap with the display panel, visibility may be lower than in the case where the touch sensor is not provided.</p><p>An object of one embodiment of the present invention is to improve the detection sensitivity of a touch panel. Another object is to improve the visibility of a touch panel. Another object is to provide a thin touch panel. Another object is to provide a bendable touch panel. Another object is to provide a lightweight touch panel. Another object is to provide a highly reliable touch panel.</p><p>Another object is to provide a novel input device. Another object is to provide a novel input/output device.</p><p>The description of these problems does not preclude the existence of other problems. Note that one embodiment of the present invention does not necessarily solve all of these problems. Problems other than these are self-evident from the descriptions of the specification, drawings, claims, etc., and it is possible to extract problems other than these from the descriptions of the specification, drawings, claims, etc. is.</p>

<p>One aspect of the present invention is a touch sensor that includes a first substrate, a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and an insulating layer. The first conductive layer has a region located between the first substrate and the second conductive layer. The insulating layer has a region located between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer. The first conductive layer, the second conductive layer and the insulating layer form a capacitor. The second conductive layer has openings.</p><p>The opening in the second conductive layer and the first conductive layer have regions that overlap each other.</p><p>Further, in the above, it is preferable to include the first transistor electrically connected to the first conductive layer.</p><p>Another aspect of the present invention is a touch panel including the above touch sensor, a second substrate, a display element, a first layer, and a second layer. The second substrate has a region that overlaps with the first substrate. A display element, a first layer, and a second layer are provided between the first substrate and the second substrate. The first layer has a function of transmitting light in a specific wavelength band and has a region overlapping with the display element. The second layer has a function of blocking visible light. The first conductive layer has a region that overlaps the first layer and a region that overlaps the second layer.</p><p>The second conductive layer has a region that overlaps with the second layer. The opening in the second conductive layer and the display element have regions that overlap each other. Also, the opening in the second conductive layer and the first layer have regions that overlap each other.</p><p>Further, in the above, the display element is preferably a light-emitting element.</p><p>Moreover, in the above, it is preferable that the first substrate and the second substrate each have flexibility.</p><p>Further, another aspect of the present invention includes the touch sensor and a first FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit), wherein the first FPC includes at least one of a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer. It is a touch sensor module that has the function of supplying a signal to the</p><p>Another aspect of the present invention includes the above touch panel, a second FPC, and a third FPC, and the second FPC comprises at least the first conductive layer or the second conductive layer. The third FPC is a touch panel module that has a function of supplying a signal to one side and a function of supplying a signal to the display element.</p><p>Another aspect of the present invention is an electronic device in which the touch sensor module or the touch panel module is incorporated in a housing.</p>

<p>According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to improve the detection sensitivity of the touch panel. Alternatively, the visibility of the touch panel can be improved. Alternatively, a thin touch panel can be provided. Alternatively, a lightweight touch panel can be provided. Alternatively, a highly reliable touch panel can be provided.</p><p>Alternatively, a new input device can be provided. Alternatively, a new input/output device can be provided. Note that the description of these effects does not preclude the existence of other effects. Note that one embodiment of the present invention does not necessarily have all of these effects. Effects other than these are self-evident from the descriptions of the specification, drawings, claims, etc., and it is possible to extract effects other than these from the descriptions of the specification, drawings, claims, etc. is.</p>

<figref num="1">1 is a configuration example of a touch panel module according to an embodiment;</figref><figref num="2">4 is a configuration example of a laminated structure of a touch panel module according to an embodiment;</figref><figref num="3">4 is a configuration example of a laminated structure of a touch panel module according to an embodiment;</figref><figref num="4">4 is a configuration example of a laminated structure of a touch panel module according to an embodiment;</figref><figref num="5">1 is a configuration example of a touch panel module according to an embodiment;</figref><figref num="6">1 is a configuration example of a touch panel module according to an embodiment;</figref><figref num="7">1 is a configuration example of a touch panel module according to an embodiment;</figref><figref num="8">1 is a configuration example of a touch panel module according to an embodiment;</figref><figref num="9">1A and 1B are a block diagram, a circuit diagram, and a timing chart of a touch panel according to an embodiment;</figref><figref num="10">1A and 1B are a circuit diagram and a schematic diagram of a configuration of a touch panel according to an embodiment; FIG.</figref><figref num="11">1A and 1B are a block diagram and a circuit diagram of a configuration of a touch panel according to an embodiment; FIG.</figref><figref num="12">1 is a circuit diagram of a configuration of a touch panel according to an embodiment; FIG.</figref><figref num="13">1 is a configuration example of a touch panel according to an embodiment;</figref><figref num="14">4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining a method for driving a touch panel according to an embodiment; FIG.</figref><figref num="15">An electronic device according to an embodiment.</figref><figref num="16">An electronic device according to an embodiment.</figref>

Embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following description, and those skilled in the art will easily understand that various changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the descriptions of the embodiments shown below.

In the configuration of the invention to be described below, the same reference numerals are used in common for the same parts or parts having similar functions in different drawings, and repeated description thereof will be omitted. Moreover, when referring to similar functions, the hatch patterns may be the same and no particular reference numerals may be attached.

In each drawing described in this specification, the size, layer thickness, or region of each configuration may be exaggerated for clarity. Therefore, it is not necessarily limited to that scale.

Note that ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" in this specification and the like are added to avoid confusion of constituent elements, and are not numerically limited.

A transistor is a type of semiconductor element, and can achieve current or voltage amplification, switching operation for controlling conduction or non-conduction, and the like. A transistor in this specification includes an IGFET (Insulated Gate Field Effect Transistor) and a thin film transistor (TFT).

It should be noted that the terms "film" and "layer" can be interchanged depending on the case or situation. For example, it may be possible to change the term "conductive layer" to the term "conductive film." Or, for example, it may be possible to change the term "insulating film" to the term "insulating layer".

Embodiment 1 In this embodiment, structural examples of a touch sensor of one embodiment of the present invention, a touch sensor module including the touch sensor, a touch panel, a touch panel module, and the like will be described. A case where a capacitive touch sensor is applied as the touch sensor will be described below.

In this specification, etc., a substrate equipped with a touch sensor is attached with a connector such as FPC or TCP (Tape Carrier Package), or an IC (integrated circuit) is attached to the substrate by the COG (Chip On Glass) method. A directly mounted one may be called a touch sensor module. A device having both a function as a touch sensor and a function of displaying an image or the like is sometimes called a touch panel (input/output device). A touch panel to which the connector is attached or an IC mounted is sometimes called a touch panel module or simply a touch panel.

A capacitive touch sensor that can be applied to one embodiment of the present invention includes a capacitive element. The capacitive element can have a laminated structure in which, for example, a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and an insulating layer are sandwiched therebetween. At this time, the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer each function as electrodes of the capacitor. The insulating layer also functions as a dielectric.

It is assumed that, of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, the first conductive layer is provided on the touch surface (detection surface) side. A touch sensor of one embodiment of the present invention can detect a touch operation by detecting a capacitance formed between an object to be detected such as a finger or a stylus and the first conductive layer. Specifically, when a predetermined potential difference is applied between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, the change in potential of the first conductive layer caused by a capacitance formed by a touch operation is By detecting, a touch operation can be detected.

Here, it is preferable to make the area of the first conductive layer larger than the area of the second conductive layer in the region where the touch sensor performs the touch detection function. By doing so, the magnitude of capacitance between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer can be reduced. Furthermore, by increasing the electrode area of the first conductive layer, it is possible to increase the size of the capacitance formed between the object to be detected and the first conductive layer. As a result, the change in the potential of the first conductive layer during the touch operation is increased, so that detection sensitivity can be enhanced.

For example, it is preferable to employ a structure in which the second conductive layer has an opening, and arrange the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer such that the opening and the first conductive layer overlap each other. The value of the capacitance formed between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer can be changed by changing the thickness and material of the insulating layer by changing the number and area of the openings provided in the second conductive layer. can be changed easily without

A touch panel can be formed by overlapping the touch sensor of one embodiment of the present invention with a display panel having pixels each including a display element. At this time, by providing the opening of the second conductive layer so as to overlap with the display element, the light from the display element does not need to pass through the second conductive layer. Visibility can be improved. In addition, when the touch panel has a structure in which a color filter (also referred to as a colored layer) that overlaps with the display element and a light shielding layer that is provided between the adjacent color filters is provided, the second conductive layer is provided so as to overlap the light shielding layer, and Preferably, the openings in the second conductive layer are provided so as to overlap the color filters.

At this time, it is preferable that two substrates, ie, a substrate supporting the touch sensor and a substrate supporting the display element, are arranged so as to face each other. Since the touch sensor included in the touch panel of one embodiment of the present invention has a small area of the second conductive layer provided on the display element side, it is less susceptible to noise generated when the display element is driven. Therefore, even if the touch sensor and the display element are sandwiched between two substrates and arranged close to each other, it is possible to suppress a decrease in detection sensitivity. As a result, the thickness of the touch panel can be reduced. In particular, by using a flexible material for the pair of substrates, a thin, lightweight, and flexible touch panel can be realized.

A more specific configuration example of one embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the drawings.

[Configuration example]

FIG. 1(A) is a schematic perspective view of a touch panel module 10 of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1(B) is a schematic perspective view of the touch panel module 10 when unfolded. The touch panel module 10 has a configuration in which a touch sensor module 20 and a display panel 30 are arranged in an overlapping manner.

The touch sensor module 20 has a configuration in which an FPC 41 is provided on a touch sensor having a sensor element (also referred to as a sensing element) 22 on a first substrate 21 . A plurality of sensor elements 22 are arranged in a matrix on the first substrate 21 . Moreover, it is preferable to provide a circuit 23 and a circuit 24 electrically connected to the sensor element 22 on the first substrate 21 . At least one of the circuits 23 and 24 can apply a circuit having a function of selecting a plurality of sensor elements 22 . At least one of the circuit 23 and the circuit 24 can apply a circuit having a function of outputting a signal from the sensor element 22 . The FPC 41 has a function of supplying a signal from the outside to at least one of the sensor element 22, the circuit 23 and the circuit 24. FIG. Alternatively, the FPC 41 has a function of outputting a signal from at least one of the sensor element 22, the circuit 23 and the circuit 24 to the outside.

The display panel 30 has a display section 32 on a second substrate 31. As shown in FIG. The display section 32 includes a plurality of pixels 33 arranged in a matrix. Moreover, it is preferable to provide a circuit 34 electrically connected to the pixels 33 in the display section 32 on the second substrate 31 . For the circuit 34, for example, a circuit that functions as a gate drive circuit can be applied. The FPC 42 has a function of supplying a signal from the outside to at least one of the display section 32 and the circuit 34 . 1A and 1B show a configuration in which terminals 43 are provided on the second substrate 31. FIG. For example, an FPC can be attached to the terminal 43, an IC functioning as a source drive circuit can be directly mounted by the COG method or the COF method, or an IC-mounted FPC, TAB, TCP, or the like can be attached. . A form in which connectors such as ICs and FPCs are mounted on the display panel 30 can also be called a display panel module.

The touch panel module 10 of one aspect of the present invention can output position information based on changes in capacitance when a touch operation is performed by the plurality of sensor elements 22 . Images can also be displayed by the display unit 32 .

[Regarding the laminated structure of the touch panel]

FIG. 2(A) shows an enlarged schematic view of the area indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 1(A).

FIG. 2A shows an example in which the capacitor 110, the pixel 33, the wiring 25, and the wiring 26 included in the sensor element 22 of FIG. 1A are provided.

A plurality of capacitive elements 110 are arranged side by side in a matrix. A wiring 25 is arranged between two adjacent capacitive elements 110 , and a plurality of wirings 26 are arranged in a direction crossing the wiring 25 .

A plurality of pixels 33 are arranged in a matrix. Some of the plurality of pixels 33 overlap with the capacitive elements 110, and the other part overlaps with a region between two adjacent capacitive elements 110. As shown in FIG.

Pixel 33 comprises at least a display element. As the display element, it is preferable to apply a light-emitting element such as an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) element. In addition, as a display element, a display element (also called electronic ink) that performs display by an electrophoresis method, an electronic liquid powder (registered trademark) method, an electrowetting method, etc., a shutter type MEMS display element, an optical interference type MEMS display Various display elements such as display elements and liquid crystal elements can be used.

It can also be applied to transmissive liquid crystal displays, semi-transmissive liquid crystal displays, reflective liquid crystal displays, direct-view liquid crystal displays, and the like. In order to realize a semi-transmissive liquid crystal display or a reflective liquid crystal display, part or all of the pixel electrodes may function as reflective electrodes. For example, part or all of the pixel electrode may contain aluminum, silver, or the like. Furthermore, in that case, it is also possible to provide a memory circuit such as SRAM under the reflective electrode. Thereby, power consumption can be further reduced. Further, a configuration suitable for a display element to be applied can be selected from various pixel circuits and used.

FIG. 2(B) shows a schematic diagram of a developed laminated structure in a region overlapping with the capacitive element 110. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2(B), between the first substrate 21 and the second substrate 31, a first conductive layer 111, an insulating layer 112, a second conductive layer 113, a light shielding layer 115, and a colored layer 114r are formed. , 114g, 114b and pixel 33 are arranged.

Note that hereinafter, the colored layer 114r, the colored layer 114g, and the colored layer 114b may simply be referred to as the colored layer 114 when describing matters common to them without distinguishing between them.

An insulating layer 112 is sandwiched between a first conductive layer 111 and a second conductive layer 113, which form a capacitive element 110. As shown in FIG.

Each colored layer 114 has a function of transmitting light in a specific wavelength band. Here, the colored layer 114r transmits red light, the colored layer 114g transmits green light, and the colored layer 114b transmits blue light. By arranging the pixels 33 and one of the colored layers 114 so as to overlap each other, only light in a specific wavelength band among the light from the pixels 33 can be transmitted to the first substrate 21 side.

The light shielding layer 115 has a function of shielding visible light. The light shielding layer 115 is arranged so as to overlap the area between two adjacent colored layers 114 . FIG. 2B shows an example in which the light-shielding layer 115 has a shape with an opening, and the opening is arranged so as to overlap with the pixel 33 and the coloring layer 114 .

Although FIG. 2B shows a configuration in which the light shielding layer 115 is arranged closer to the first substrate 21 than the colored layer 114, the colored layer 114 is arranged closer to the first substrate 21 than the light shielding layer 115. You may

The first conductive layer 111 and the insulating layer 112 have regions that overlap with the pixels 33 and the colored layers 114, respectively. Therefore, materials that transmit visible light are preferably used for each of the first conductive layer 111 and the insulating layer 112 .

The second conductive layer 113 has multiple openings 118 . Accordingly, the overlapping area of the first conductive layer 111 and the second conductive layer 113 can be reduced. Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, it is preferable that the openings 118 of the second conductive layer 113 are arranged so as to overlap with the pixels 33 . Further, it is preferable that the second conductive layer 113 and the light shielding layer 115 are arranged so as to overlap each other. As a result, the light from the pixels 33 is emitted to the first substrate 21 side without passing through the second conductive layer 113, so that a decrease in brightness can be suppressed and a touch panel with better visibility can be realized. In addition, since the light extraction efficiency is improved, a touch panel with low power consumption can be realized.

3A to 3C show examples of shapes of the second conductive layer 113 and the light shielding layer 115 in the region overlapping the display portion 32. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the top surface shape of the opening 118 of the second conductive layer 113 and the top surface shape of the opening of the light shielding layer 115 may be arranged so as to approximately match. Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the size of the opening 118 in the second conductive layer 113 is adjusted to the size of the opening in the light shielding layer 115 so that the second conductive layer 113 is located inside the light shielding layer 115. The shape may be larger than the size. By doing so, the influence of the relative displacement of the second conductive layer 113 and the light shielding layer 115 can be reduced. Further, as shown in FIG. 3C, the size of the opening 118 is made smaller than the size of the opening of the light shielding layer 115 so that the second conductive layer 113 has a portion that does not overlap with the light shielding layer 115. may be With such a structure, the width of the second conductive layer 113 can be increased, and the conductivity can be improved. Also, the thickness of the second conductive layer 113 can be reduced. When the second conductive layer 113 is thin, it can be made difficult to see the second conductive layer 113 when viewed from the first substrate 21 side.

Note that if the second conductive layer 113 is made of a material that transmits visible light, it is difficult to see from the first substrate 21 side, which is preferable because deterioration in display quality can be suppressed.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, when the second conductive layer 113 is arranged so as to be hidden behind the light shielding layer 115, the second conductive layer 113 can block light from the pixels 33. Therefore, a light-shielding conductive material such as a metal or an alloy may be used in addition to the light-transmitting conductive material. In particular, the use of a conductive material with low resistance can reduce the wiring resistance, which is suitable for a large touch panel.

FIG. 4 shows a case where an optical adjustment layer 119 is arranged between two adjacent first conductive layers 111. As shown in FIG.

By providing the optical adjustment layer 119, the pattern of the first conductive layer 111 becomes less visible when viewed from the first substrate 21 side, and the display quality can be improved.

As the optical adjustment layer 119, a material having optical properties (transmittance, refractive index, reflectance, etc.) similar to those of the first conductive layer 111 can be used. For example, a material whose transmittance is within plus or minus 5% of the transmittance of the first conductive layer 111 can be used. In particular, it is preferable to use the same material as the first conductive layer 111 for the optical adjustment layer 119 . At this time, it is preferable to simultaneously form the first conductive layer 111 and the optical adjustment layer 119 by processing the same conductive film, because these layers can have the same thickness and the process can be simplified.

When a conductive material is used for the optical adjustment layer 119, it is preferable that the optical adjustment layer 119 be configured so as to be capable of being supplied with a predetermined potential. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which a fixed potential such as a common potential or ground potential is supplied to the optical adjustment layer 119 . Alternatively, it may be electrically connected to either one of the first conductive layer 111 and the second conductive layer 113 .

FIG. 5A shows an example of top surface shapes of the wiring 25, the wiring 26, the first conductive layer 111, and the optical adjustment layer 119 when viewed from the first substrate 21 side.

As shown in FIG. 5A, it is preferable that each of the wiring 25 and the plurality of wirings 26 include a conductive layer obtained by processing the same conductive film. At this time, it is preferable to use the conductive layer provided closest to the first substrate 21 side. By doing so, the distance in the thickness direction between the wiring 25 or the wiring 26 and the first conductive layer 111 can be increased. As a result, parasitic capacitance generated between each wiring and the first conductive layer 111 can be reduced, and detection sensitivity can be enhanced.

At the intersection of the wiring 25 and the wiring 26, the wiring 26 is connected to the conductive layer 117 provided on the opposite side of the wiring 25 from the first substrate 21 with an insulating layer interposed therebetween and the opening provided in the insulating layer. intersects with the wiring 25 through. Further, at this time, if the optical adjustment layer 119, the first conductive layer 111, and the like are not arranged in the region overlapping with the conductive layer 117, the parasitic capacitance of the wiring 26 can be reduced and the detection sensitivity can be increased, which is preferable.

Further, FIG. 5B shows a structural example in which a transistor 120 including a semiconductor layer 121 is provided. As shown in FIG. 5(B), it is preferable to arrange a light shielding layer such as a conductive layer constituting the wiring 26 and the like on the first substrate 21 side of the semiconductor layer 121. As shown in FIG. At this time, part of the wiring 26 can function as a gate electrode of the transistor. By doing so, the semiconductor layer 121 is not irradiated with external light that has passed through the first substrate 21, so that fluctuations in the electrical characteristics of the transistor can be suppressed. In particular, since the portion overlapping with the display portion 32 is easily affected by external light, it is preferable to apply such a structure to the transistor provided there.

[Example of cross-sectional structure]

A cross-sectional configuration example of the touch panel module 10 will be described below.

[Cross-Sectional Structure Example 1] FIG. 6A shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a touch panel module of one embodiment of the present invention. Since the touch panel module illustrated in FIG. 6A includes an active matrix touch sensor and a display element between a pair of substrates, the thickness can be reduced. In this specification and the like, a touch sensor in which each of a plurality of sensor elements has an active element is called an active matrix touch sensor.

The touch panel module has a configuration in which a first substrate 21 and a second substrate 31 are bonded together with an adhesive layer 220. As shown in FIG. On the second substrate 31 side of the first substrate 21, a capacitive element 110, a transistor 251, a transistor 252, a contact portion 253, a colored layer 114, a light shielding layer 115, and the like are provided. Further, on the second substrate 31, a transistor 201, a transistor 202, a transistor 203, a light emitting element 204, a contact portion 205 and the like are provided.

An insulating layer 212, an insulating layer 213, an insulating layer 214, an insulating layer 215, an insulating layer 216, an insulating layer 217, an insulating layer 218, a spacer 219, a conductive layer 225, and the like are formed on the second substrate 31 with an adhesive layer 211 interposed therebetween. have.

A light-emitting element 204 is provided over the insulating layer 217 . The light-emitting element 204 has a first electrode 221, an EL layer 222, and a second electrode 223 (see FIG. 6B). An optical adjustment layer 224 is provided between the first electrode 221 and the EL layer 222 . An insulating layer 218 is provided to cover the ends of the first electrode 221 and the optical adjustment layer 224 .

FIG. 6A shows a structure in which the pixel 33 includes a transistor 201 for current control and a transistor 202 for switching control. One of the source and drain of the transistor 201 is electrically connected to the first electrode 221 through the conductive layer 225 .

FIG. 6A shows a structure in which the circuit 34 is provided with the transistor 203 .

FIG. 6A shows an example in which the transistor 201 and the transistor 203 employ a structure in which a semiconductor layer in which a channel is formed is sandwiched between two gate electrodes. Such a transistor can increase field-effect mobility and increase on-current compared to other transistors. As a result, a circuit capable of high speed operation can be manufactured. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the area occupied by the circuit section. By using a transistor with a large on-current, even if the number of wirings increases when the display panel or touch panel is made larger or has higher definition, it is possible to reduce the signal delay in each wiring, thereby reducing display unevenness. can be suppressed.

Note that the transistor included in the circuit 34 and the transistor included in the pixel 33 may have the same structure. Further, the transistors included in the circuit 34 may all have the same structure, or transistors with different structures may be used in combination. Further, the transistors included in the pixel 33 may have the same structure, or transistors with different structures may be used in combination. Further, the transistors (the transistor 251, the transistor 252, and the like) provided on the first substrate 21 side may have the same structure, or may be used in combination with transistors having different structures.

FIG. 6A shows an example in which a light emitting element with a top emission structure is used as the light emitting element 204. FIG. The light emitting element 204 emits light to the second electrode 223 side. The aperture ratio of the pixel 33 can be increased by arranging the transistors 201, 202, etc., as well as capacitive elements, wiring, etc. on the second substrate 31 side of the light emitting region of the light emitting element 204. .

On the second substrate 31 side of the first substrate 21, with an adhesive layer 261 interposed therebetween, an insulating layer 262, an insulating layer 263, an insulating layer 264, an insulating layer 265, a first conductive layer 111, an insulating layer 112, a second conductive layer 113, insulating layer 266, colored layer 114, light shielding layer 115, and the like. Also, an overcoat 267 covering the colored layer 114 and the light shielding layer 115 may be provided.

A first conductive layer 111 is electrically connected to one of the source and drain of the transistor 251 .

The second conductive layer 113 is provided on the second substrate 31 side of the insulating layer 112 . Second conductive layer 113 has opening 118 . The second conductive layer 113 is provided so as to overlap with the light shielding layer 115 . Also, the opening 118 of the second conductive layer 113 is provided so as to overlap with the colored layer 114 .

The light emitting region of the light emitting element 204 and the colored layer 114 are provided to overlap each other, and the light emitted from the light emitting element 204 is transmitted through the colored layer 114 and emitted to the first substrate 21 side. In addition, the opening 118 of the second conductive layer 113 is provided so as to overlap with the colored layer 114, and the emitted light does not need to pass through the second conductive layer 113. Therefore, the light emitted from the first substrate 21 side decrease in luminance can be suppressed.

By using flexible materials for the first substrate 21 and the second substrate 31, a flexible touch panel can be realized.

A color filter method is used for the touch panel of one embodiment of the present invention. For example, the colored layer 114 may be configured to express one color by pixels of three colors to which any one of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) is applied. Further, in addition to this, a configuration may be adopted in which pixels of W (white) and Y (yellow) are applied.

With the combination of the microcavity structure including the colored layer 114 and the optical adjustment layer 224, light with high color purity can be extracted from the touch panel of one embodiment of the present invention. The thickness of the optical adjustment layer 224 may be different depending on the color of each pixel. Further, depending on the pixel, a configuration without the optical adjustment layer 224 may be employed.

As the EL layer 222 included in the light emitting element 204, it is preferable to use an EL layer that emits white light. By applying such a light-emitting element 204, it is not necessary to separately paint the EL layer 222 for each pixel, so the cost can be reduced and high definition can be easily achieved. In addition, by changing the thickness of the optical adjustment layer 224 in each pixel, it is possible to extract emitted light having a wavelength suitable for each pixel, thereby enhancing color purity. Note that the EL layer 222 may be separately painted for each pixel, in which case the optical adjustment layer 224 and the colored layer 114 may not be used.

An opening is provided in each insulating layer or the like located in a region overlapping with the contact portion 205 provided on the second substrate 31, and the contact portion 205 and the FPC 41 are electrically connected by the connection layer 260 arranged in the opening. Connected. An opening is provided in each insulating layer or the like located in a region overlapping with the first substrate 21, and the contact portion 253 and the FPC 42 are electrically connected through the connection layer 210 arranged in the opening.

FIG. 6A shows a structure in which the contact portion 205 has a conductive layer formed by processing the same conductive film as the source and drain electrodes of the transistor. Further, the contact portion 253 includes a conductive layer formed by processing the same conductive film as the gate electrode of the transistor, a conductive layer formed by processing the same conductive film as the source electrode and the drain electrode of the transistor, and a second electrode. 1 shows a structure having a laminated structure of conductive layers formed by processing the same conductive film as the conductive layer 113 of FIG. Such a configuration in which a plurality of conductive layers are stacked in the contact portion is preferable because not only the electrical resistance can be reduced but also the mechanical strength can be increased.

As the connection layer 210 and the connection layer 260, an anisotropic conductive film (ACF), an anisotropic conductive paste (ACP), or the like can be used.

Insulating layer 212 and insulating layer 262 are preferably made of a material into which impurities such as water and hydrogen are difficult to diffuse. That is, the insulating layer 212 and the insulating layer 262 can function as barrier films. By adopting such a configuration, even if a moisture-permeable material is used for the first substrate 21 and the second substrate 31, it is possible to prevent impurities from diffusing from the outside into the light emitting element 204 and each transistor. can be effectively suppressed, and a highly reliable touch panel can be realized.

[Constituent elements] The constituent elements shown above will be described below.

A transistor includes a conductive layer functioning as a gate electrode, a semiconductor layer, a conductive layer functioning as a source electrode, a conductive layer functioning as a drain electrode, and an insulating layer functioning as a gate insulating layer. FIG. 6A shows a case where a bottom-gate transistor is applied.

Note that there is no particular limitation on the structure of the transistor included in the touch panel of one embodiment of the present invention. For example, a staggered transistor or an inverted staggered transistor may be used. Further, either a top-gate transistor structure or a bottom-gate transistor structure may be used. A semiconductor material used for a transistor is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include oxide semiconductors, silicon, germanium, and the like.

The crystallinity of the semiconductor material used for the transistor is not particularly limited, either an amorphous semiconductor or a semiconductor having crystallinity (a microcrystalline semiconductor, a polycrystalline semiconductor, a single crystal semiconductor, or a semiconductor partially having a crystal region). may be used. It is preferable to use a crystalline semiconductor because deterioration of transistor characteristics can be suppressed.

As a semiconductor material used for a transistor, for example, a Group 4 element, a compound semiconductor, or an oxide semiconductor can be used for a semiconductor layer. Typically, a semiconductor containing silicon, a semiconductor containing gallium arsenide, an oxide semiconductor containing indium, or the like can be used.

In particular, an oxide semiconductor is preferably used for a semiconductor in which a channel of a transistor is formed. In particular, it is preferable to use an oxide semiconductor having a wider bandgap than silicon. A semiconductor material with a wider bandgap and a lower carrier density than silicon is preferably used because the current in the off state of the transistor can be reduced.

For example, the oxide semiconductor preferably contains at least indium (In) or zinc (Zn). More preferably, oxides represented by In-M-Zn-based oxides (M is a metal such as Al, Ti, Ga, Ge, Y, Zr, Sn, La, Ce, Hf) are included.

In particular, the semiconductor layer has a plurality of crystal parts, the c-axes of the crystal parts are oriented substantially perpendicular to the formation surface of the semiconductor layer or the upper surface of the semiconductor layer, and grains are provided between adjacent crystal parts. An oxide semiconductor film in which no field is observed is preferably used.

Since such an oxide semiconductor does not have a crystal grain boundary, cracks in the oxide semiconductor film due to stress when the display panel is bent are suppressed. Therefore, such an oxide semiconductor can be suitably used for a touch panel that is flexible and used in a curved manner.

By using such an oxide semiconductor for a semiconductor layer, variation in electrical characteristics is suppressed, and a highly reliable transistor can be realized.

In addition, due to the low off-state current, charge accumulated in the capacitor through the transistor can be held for a long time. By applying such a transistor to a pixel, it is possible to stop the driving circuit while maintaining the gradation of an image displayed in each display region. As a result, a display device with extremely low power consumption can be realized.

Alternatively, silicon is preferably used for a semiconductor in which a channel of a transistor is formed. Although amorphous silicon may be used as silicon, it is particularly preferable to use crystalline silicon. For example, microcrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, single crystal silicon, or the like is preferably used. In particular, polycrystalline silicon can be formed at a lower temperature than monocrystalline silicon, and has higher field effect mobility and higher reliability than amorphous silicon. By applying such a polycrystalline semiconductor to a pixel, the aperture ratio of the pixel can be improved. Further, even in the case of having extremely high-definition pixels, the gate driver circuit and the source driver circuit can be formed on the same substrate as the pixels, and the number of parts constituting the electronic device can be reduced.

In addition to the gate, source and drain of transistors, materials that can be used for conductive layers such as various wirings and electrodes that make up touch panels include aluminum, titanium, chromium, nickel, copper, yttrium, zirconium, molybdenum, silver, and tantalum. , or a metal such as tungsten or an alloy containing this as a main component is used as a single layer structure or a laminated structure. For example, a single-layer structure of an aluminum film containing silicon, a two-layer structure in which an aluminum film is laminated on a titanium film, a two-layer structure in which an aluminum film is laminated on a tungsten film, and a copper film on a copper-magnesium-aluminum alloy film. A two-layer structure in which a copper film is laminated on a titanium film, a two-layer structure in which a copper film is laminated on a tungsten film, a titanium film or a titanium nitride film and a titanium film or a titanium nitride film are laminated a molybdenum film or molybdenum nitride film, and an aluminum film or copper film overlaid on the molybdenum film or molybdenum nitride film. There is a three-layer structure in which films are laminated and a molybdenum film or a molybdenum nitride film is further formed thereon. Note that a transparent conductive material containing indium oxide, tin oxide, or zinc oxide may be used. Further, it is preferable to use copper containing manganese because the controllability of the shape by etching is increased.

As the light-transmitting conductive material, a conductive oxide such as indium oxide, indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, zinc oxide, zinc oxide to which gallium is added, or graphene can be used. Alternatively, metal materials such as gold, silver, platinum, magnesium, nickel, tungsten, chromium, molybdenum, iron, cobalt, copper, palladium, or titanium, or alloy materials containing such metal materials can be used. Alternatively, a nitride of the metal material (for example, titanium nitride) may be used. Note that when a metal material or an alloy material (or a nitride thereof) is used, it may be thin enough to have translucency. Alternatively, a stacked film of any of the above materials can be used as the conductive layer. For example, it is preferable to use a laminated film of a silver-magnesium alloy and indium tin oxide, because the conductivity can be increased.

Examples of insulating materials that can be used for each insulating layer, the overcoat 267, the spacer 219, and the like include resins such as acrylic and epoxy, resins having siloxane bonds, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride oxide, and nitride. Inorganic insulating materials such as silicon and aluminum oxide can also be used.

Further, as described above, the light-emitting element is preferably provided between a pair of insulating films with low water permeability. As a result, it is possible to prevent impurities such as water from entering the light-emitting element, and to prevent deterioration in the reliability of the light-emitting device.

Examples of the insulating film with low water permeability include a film containing nitrogen and silicon such as a silicon nitride film and a silicon nitride oxide film, a film containing nitrogen and aluminum such as an aluminum nitride film, and the like. Alternatively, a silicon oxide film, a silicon oxynitride film, an aluminum oxide film, or the like may be used.

For example, the water vapor permeation rate of an insulating film with low water permeability is 1×10^-5[g/(m². day)] or less, preferably 1 × 10^-6[g/(m². day)] or less, more preferably 1 × 10^-7[g/(m². day)] or less, more preferably 1 × 10^-8[g/(m². day)] or less.

As each adhesive layer, a curable resin such as a thermosetting resin, a photocurable resin, or a two-liquid mixed curable resin can be used. For example, resins such as resins having acrylic, urethane, epoxy, or siloxane bonds can be used.

EL layer 222 has at least a light-emitting layer. The EL layer 222 is a layer other than the light-emitting layer, which includes a substance with a high hole-injection property, a substance with a high hole-transport property, a hole-blocking material, a substance with a high electron-transport property, a substance with a high electron-injection property, or a bipolar material. (substances with high electron-transporting and hole-transporting properties) and the like.

Either a low-molecular-weight compound or a high-molecular-weight compound can be used for the EL layer 222, and an inorganic compound may be included. Each of the layers constituting the EL layer 222 can be formed by a vapor deposition method (including a vacuum vapor deposition method), a transfer method, a printing method, an inkjet method, a coating method, or the like.

Examples of materials that can be used for the light shielding layer 115 include carbon black, metal oxides, composite oxides containing a solid solution of multiple metal oxides, and the like.

Materials that can be used for the colored layer 114 include metal materials, resin materials, and resin materials containing pigments or dyes.

[Example of Manufacturing Method] Here, a method of manufacturing a flexible touch panel will be described.

Here, for convenience, a structure including pixels and circuits, a structure including optical members such as color filters, and a structure including a touch sensor are referred to as element layers. The element layer includes, for example, a display element, and in addition to the display element, wiring electrically connected to the display element, and elements such as transistors used for pixels and circuits may be provided.

Further, here, a support having an insulating surface on which an element layer is formed (for example, the first substrate 21 or the second substrate 31) is called a base material.

As a method of forming an element layer on a substrate having a flexible insulating surface, there is a method of forming an element layer directly on the substrate, and a method of forming an element layer on a rigid supporting substrate, followed by and a method of separating the element layer and the supporting substrate and transferring the element layer to the substrate.

When the material constituting the base material has heat resistance against the heat applied in the process of forming the element layer, forming the element layer directly on the base material is preferable because the process is simplified. At this time, it is preferable to form the element layer while fixing the base material to the support base material, because this facilitates transportation within and between apparatuses.

In the case of using the method of forming the element layer on the supporting substrate and then transferring it to the substrate, first, the release layer and the insulating layer are laminated on the supporting substrate, and the element layer is formed on the insulating layer. Subsequently, the supporting base material and the element layer are separated and transferred to the base material. At this time, a material that causes peeling at the interface between the support substrate and the release layer, at the interface between the release layer and the insulating layer, or within the release layer may be selected.

For example, it is preferable to use a layer containing a high-melting-point metal material such as tungsten and a layer containing an oxide of the metal material in a stacked manner as the peeling layer, and use a layer in which a plurality of silicon nitrides or silicon oxynitrides are stacked on the peeling layer. . The use of a high-melting-point metal material is preferable because it increases the degree of freedom in the process of forming the element layer.

The peeling may be performed by applying a mechanical force, etching the peeling layer, or dropping a liquid onto a portion of the peeling interface to permeate the entire peeling interface. Alternatively, separation may be performed by applying heat to the separation interface using the difference in thermal expansion.

Further, if the separation is possible at the interface between the support substrate and the insulating layer, the separation layer may not be provided.

For example, glass is used as the support substrate, organic resin such as polyimide is used as the insulating layer, and a part of the organic resin is locally heated using a laser beam or the like to form the starting point of peeling, and the glass and the like are formed. Peeling may be performed at the interface of the insulating layer. Alternatively, a metal layer is provided between the supporting base material and the insulating layer made of an organic resin, and the metal layer is heated by passing an electric current through the metal layer, thereby performing separation at the interface between the metal layer and the insulating layer. may At this time, an insulating layer made of an organic resin can be used as a base material.

Examples of flexible substrates include polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyacrylonitrile resins, polyimide resins, polymethylmethacrylate resins, polycarbonate (PC) resins, and polyethersulfones. (PES) resins, polyamide resins, cycloolefin resins, polystyrene resins, polyamideimide resins, polyvinyl chloride resins, and the like. In particular, it is preferable to use a material with a low coefficient of thermal expansion.^-6/K or less polyamideimide resin, polyimide resin, PET, etc. can be preferably used. A substrate (also referred to as a prepreg) in which a fibrous body is impregnated with a resin, or a substrate in which an inorganic filler is mixed with an organic resin to lower the coefficient of thermal expansion can also be used.

When a fibrous body is included in the material, the fibrous body uses high-strength fibers of an organic compound or an inorganic compound. High-strength fibers specifically refer to fibers having a high tensile modulus or Young's modulus, and representative examples include polyvinyl alcohol fibers, polyester fibers, polyamide fibers, polyethylene fibers, aramid fibers, Polyparaphenylenebenzobisoxazole fibers, glass fibers, or carbon fibers may be mentioned. Examples of glass fibers include glass fibers using E glass, S glass, D glass, Q glass, and the like. These may be used in the form of woven fabric or non-woven fabric, and a structure obtained by impregnating this fibrous body with a resin and curing the resin may be used as a flexible substrate. It is preferable to use a structure made of a fibrous body and a resin as the substrate having flexibility, because the reliability against damage due to bending or local pressure is improved.

Alternatively, glass, metal, or the like that is thin enough to have flexibility can be used as the base material. Alternatively, a composite material in which glass and a resin material are bonded together may be used.

For example, in the case of the structure shown in FIG. 6(A), after forming the first release layer and the insulating layer 262 in order on the first supporting base material, the upper structure is formed. Separately from this, after the second peeling layer and the insulating layer 212 are sequentially formed on the second supporting base material, the upper layer structure is formed. Subsequently, the first supporting base material and the second supporting base material are attached together with the adhesive layer 220 . After that, the second support base material and the second peeling layer are removed by peeling at the interface between the second peeling layer and the insulating layer 212, and the insulating layer 212 and the second substrate 31 are bonded by the adhesive layer 211. Paste. Further, the first supporting base material and the first peeling layer are removed by peeling at the interface between the first peeling layer and the insulating layer 262, and the insulating layer 262 and the first substrate 21 are bonded by the adhesive layer 261. Paste.

Either side may be peeled off or attached first.

The above is the description of the method for manufacturing a flexible touch panel.

[Cross-Sectional Configuration Example 2] FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional configuration example that is partially different from FIG. The configuration shown in FIG. 7 is mainly different from the configuration shown in FIG. 6 in that the configuration of the first conductive layer 111 is different.

7, instead of the first conductive layer 111 in FIG. 6, a first conductive layer 111a having a semiconductor layer formed by processing the same film as the semiconductor layers of the transistors 251 and 252 is applied. showing. Also, the first conductive layer 111a is provided in contact with the insulating layer 265 .

Here, the first conductive layer 111a preferably contains an oxide semiconductor. An oxide semiconductor is a semiconductor material whose resistance can be controlled by oxygen vacancies in the film and/or the concentration of impurities such as hydrogen and water. Therefore, even when the semiconductor layer applied to the first conductive layer 111a and the semiconductor layer applied to the transistor are formed by processing the same semiconductor film, oxygen vacancies or The resistivity of these semiconductor layers can be controlled by selectively applying a treatment for increasing the impurity concentration or a treatment for reducing the oxygen deficiency and/or the impurity concentration.

Specifically, the oxide semiconductor layer included in the first conductive layer 111a serving as an electrode of the capacitor 110 is subjected to plasma treatment to increase oxygen vacancies in the oxide semiconductor layer. Alternatively/and by increasing impurities such as hydrogen and water in the oxide semiconductor layer, the first conductive layer 111a containing an oxide semiconductor with high carrier density and low resistance can be obtained. In addition, an insulating film containing hydrogen (the insulating layer 265) is formed in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, and hydrogen is diffused from the insulating film containing hydrogen into the oxide semiconductor layer, whereby oxidation with high carrier density and low resistance can be achieved. can be a semiconductor layer. Such an oxide semiconductor layer can be applied to the first conductive layer 111a.

On the other hand, an insulating layer 264 is provided over the transistor 251 and the transistor 252 so that the oxide semiconductor layer is not exposed to the plasma treatment. Further, by providing the insulating layer 264, a structure in which the oxide semiconductor layer is not in contact with the insulating layer 265 containing hydrogen can be obtained.

By using an insulating film capable of releasing oxygen as the insulating layer 264, oxygen can be supplied to the oxide semiconductor layer of the transistor. The oxide semiconductor layer to which oxygen is supplied has reduced oxygen vacancies in the film or at the interface of the film, so that the oxide semiconductor layer has high resistance. Note that as the insulating film capable of releasing oxygen, for example, a silicon oxide film, a silicon oxynitride film, or the like can be used.

Further, plasma treatment performed on the oxide semiconductor layer typically includes a gas containing one selected from rare gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe), phosphorus, boron, hydrogen, and nitrogen. Plasma treatment using More specifically, plasma treatment under an Ar atmosphere, plasma treatment under a mixed gas atmosphere of Ar and hydrogen, plasma treatment under an ammonia atmosphere, plasma treatment under a mixed gas atmosphere of Ar and ammonia, or nitrogen Plasma treatment in an atmosphere and the like can be mentioned.

By the plasma treatment, oxygen vacancies are formed in lattices from which oxygen has been released (or portions from which oxygen has been released) in the oxide semiconductor layer. The oxygen vacancies may be a factor in generating carriers. In addition, hydrogen is supplied from the vicinity of the oxide semiconductor layer, more specifically, from an insulating layer film in contact with the lower side or the upper side of the oxide semiconductor layer, and when hydrogen enters the oxygen vacancies, electrons, which are carriers, are generated. sometimes. Therefore, an oxide semiconductor layer applied to the first conductive layer 111a in which oxygen vacancies are increased by plasma treatment has a higher carrier density than an oxide semiconductor layer applied to a transistor.

On the other hand, an oxide semiconductor layer that is applied to a transistor in which oxygen vacancies are reduced and the hydrogen concentration is reduced can be said to be a highly purified intrinsic or substantially highly purified intrinsic oxide semiconductor layer. Here, "substantially intrinsic" means that the carrier density of the oxide semiconductor is 1×10¹⁷/cm³be less than, preferably 1 x 10¹⁵/cm³be less than, more preferably 1 x 10¹³/cm³means less than Alternatively, a low impurity concentration and a low defect level density (few oxygen vacancies) are referred to as high-purity intrinsic or substantially high-purity intrinsic. A highly purified intrinsic or substantially highly purified intrinsic oxide semiconductor has few carrier generation sources, and thus can have a low carrier density. Therefore, a transistor whose channel region is formed in the oxide semiconductor film tends to have electrical characteristics in which the threshold voltage is positive (also referred to as normally-off characteristics). Further, since a highly purified intrinsic or substantially highly purified intrinsic oxide semiconductor layer has a low defect level density, the trap level density can be reduced.

In addition, a highly purified intrinsic or substantially highly purified intrinsic oxide semiconductor layer has a significantly low off-state current and a channel width of 1×10.⁶Even in a device with a channel length L of 10 μm, the off-state current is below the measurement limit of the semiconductor parameter analyzer, i.e., 1×10, when the voltage between the source and drain electrodes (drain voltage) is in the range of 1 V to 10 V.^-13You can get the characteristics below A. Therefore, the transistor 251, the transistor 252, and the like in which a channel region is formed in an oxide semiconductor layer have small variations in electrical characteristics and are highly reliable. Note that a similar oxide semiconductor layer is preferably used for the transistors 201, 202, 203, and the like provided on the second substrate 31 side.

In addition, in FIG. 7, the insulating layer 264 is provided so that a region overlapping with the first conductive layer 111a functioning as an electrode of the capacitor 110 is selectively removed. Further, the insulating layer 265 may be removed from the first conductive layer 111a after being formed in contact with the first conductive layer 111a. As the insulating layer 265, for example, an insulating film containing hydrogen, in other words, an insulating film capable of releasing hydrogen, typically a silicon nitride film, is used, whereby hydrogen can be supplied to the first conductive layer 111a. can. An insulating film that can release hydrogen has a hydrogen concentration of 1×10²²atoms/cm³It is preferable in it being above. By forming such an insulating film in contact with the first conductive layer 111a, hydrogen can be effectively contained in the first conductive layer 111a. Thus, by changing the structure of the insulating film in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer together with the above plasma treatment, the resistance of the oxide semiconductor layer can be arbitrarily adjusted. Note that a layer containing an oxide semiconductor with sufficiently low resistance can also be called an oxide conductor layer.

Hydrogen contained in the first conductive layer 111a reacts with oxygen bonded to the metal atom to become water, and forms oxygen vacancies in the lattice from which oxygen has been released (or the portion from which oxygen has been released). When hydrogen enters the oxygen vacancies, electrons, which are carriers, are generated in some cases. In addition, part of hydrogen may be combined with oxygen that is combined with a metal atom to generate an electron that is a carrier. Therefore, the oxide semiconductor contained in the first conductive layer 111a containing hydrogen has a higher carrier density than the oxide semiconductor applied to the transistor.

Hydrogen in an oxide semiconductor layer in which a channel region of a transistor is formed is preferably reduced as much as possible. Specifically, in the oxide semiconductor layer, the hydrogen concentration obtained by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) was changed to 2 × 10²⁰atoms/cm³below, preferably 5 x 10¹⁹atoms/cm³below, more preferably 1 x 10¹⁹atoms/cm³Below, 5 × 10¹⁸atoms/cm³less than, preferably 1 x 10¹⁸atoms/cm³less than or more preferably 5 x 10¹⁷atoms/cm³below, more preferably 1 x 10¹⁶atoms/cm³Below.

On the other hand, the oxide semiconductor included in the first conductive layer 111a functioning as an electrode of the capacitor 110 has a higher hydrogen concentration and/or oxygen vacancies and a lower resistance than the oxide semiconductor used in the transistor. ing.

The first conductive layer 111a and the oxide semiconductor layer applied to the transistor are typically In-Ga oxide, In-Zn oxide, In-M-Zn oxide (M is Mg, Al, Ti). , Ga, Y, Zr, La, Ce, Nd, or Hf). Note that the first conductive layer 111a and the oxide semiconductor layer used for the transistor have a light-transmitting property.

Note that when the first conductive layer 111a and the oxide semiconductor layer used for the transistor are In-M-Zn oxide, when the sum of In and M is 100 atomic %, In is 25 atomic % or more and M is 75 atomic %. or less than 34atomic% for In and less than 66atomic% for M.

The first conductive layer 111a and the oxide semiconductor layer used for the transistor preferably have an energy gap of 2 eV or more, 2.5 eV or more, or 3 eV or more.

The thickness of the first conductive layer 111a and the oxide semiconductor layer applied to the transistor can be 3 nm to 200 nm, 3 nm to 100 nm, or 3 nm to 60 nm.

When the first conductive layer 111a and the oxide semiconductor layer applied to the transistor are In-M-Zn oxide, the atomic ratio of the metal elements in the sputtering target used for forming the In-M-Zn oxide is , InM, and ZnM. The atomic ratios of metal elements in such a sputtering target are In:M:Zn=1:1:1, In:M:Zn=1:1:1.2, In:M:Zn=2:1:1.5, In:M:Zn=2:1:2.3, In:M:Zn=2:1:3, In:M:Zn=3:1:2, etc. are preferred. Note that the atomic ratios of the first conductive layer 111a to be formed and the oxide semiconductor layer applied to the transistor each have a variation of plus or minus 40% of the atomic ratio of the metal elements contained in the sputtering target as an error. including.

In addition, when hydrogen is added to an oxide semiconductor in which oxygen vacancies are formed, hydrogen enters the oxygen vacancy sites and a donor level is formed near the conduction band. As a result, the oxide semiconductor has high conductivity and becomes a conductor. A conductive oxide semiconductor can be referred to as an oxide conductor.

In general, an oxide semiconductor has a large energy gap and thus has a property of transmitting visible light. On the other hand, an oxide conductor is an oxide semiconductor having a donor level near the conduction band. Therefore, the effect of absorption due to the donor level is small, and the material has a visible light-transmitting property similar to that of an oxide semiconductor. It can also be said that the oxide conductor is a degenerate semiconductor, and the conduction band edge and the Fermi level coincide or substantially coincide. Therefore, the oxide conductor film can be used as an electrode of a capacitor or the like.

With the structure shown in FIG. 7, the first conductive layer 111a can be formed at the same time as the manufacturing process of the transistor, so that the process can be simplified. Moreover, since a photomask is not required for forming the first conductive layer 111 in FIG. 6, manufacturing costs can be reduced.

[Cross-Sectional Configuration Example 3] FIG. 8 shows an example of a cross-sectional configuration that is partly different from FIGS. The configuration shown in FIG. 8 is mainly different from the configuration shown in FIG. 6 in that it does not have a transistor provided on the first substrate 21 side. That is, the cross-sectional configuration shown in FIG. 8 can be applied to a passive matrix touch panel.

At this time, the first conductive layer 111 can have a strip shape extending in one direction.

Further, the second conductive layer 113 can have a strip shape extending in a direction intersecting with the first conductive layer 111 . By arranging a plurality of such first conductive layers 111 and second conductive layers 113 side by side, a passive matrix touch panel can be realized.

In FIG. 8, a contact portion 271 between the first conductive layer 111 and the wiring 273 and a contact portion 272 between the second conductive layer 113 and the wiring 274 are shown. The first conductive layer 111 and the wiring 273 are electrically connected through an opening provided in the insulating layer 264 . Second conductive layer 113 and wiring 274 are electrically connected through openings provided in insulating layer 264 and insulating layer 112 .

The above is the description of the cross-sectional configuration example.

In this embodiment, the structure having two substrates, that is, the first substrate that supports the touch sensor and the second substrate that supports the display element, is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the display element may be sandwiched between two substrates, and the first substrate supporting the touch sensor may be attached to the two substrates to form a structure having three substrates. A structure having four substrates may be obtained by bonding the substrates sandwiched together.

This embodiment can be implemented by appropriately combining at least part of it with other embodiments described herein.

(Embodiment 2) In this embodiment, a configuration example of a touch sensor of one embodiment of the present invention and an example of a driving method thereof will be described with reference to drawings.

[Configuration example]

FIG. 9A is a block diagram illustrating a structure of a touch panel (also referred to as an input/output device) of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9B is a circuit diagram illustrating the configuration of the converter CONV. FIG. 9(C) is a circuit diagram illustrating the configuration of the sensor element 22. As shown in FIG. 9(D-1) and 9(D-2) are timing charts for explaining the driving method of the sensor element 22. FIG.

The touch sensor exemplified in the present embodiment includes a plurality of sensor elements 22 arranged in a matrix, signal lines DL electrically connecting the plurality of sensor elements 22 arranged in a row direction, sensor elements 22 , and a flexible first substrate 21 on which scanning lines G1 and signal lines DL are arranged (see FIG. 9A).

For example, a plurality of sensor elements 22 can be arranged in a matrix of n rows and m columns (where n and m are natural numbers equal to or greater than 1).

Note that the sensor element 22 includes a capacitive element C functioning as a sensing element. Capacitive element C corresponds to capacitive element 110 in the first embodiment. For example, the first electrode of the capacitive element C corresponds to the first conductive layer 111 and the second electrode corresponds to the second conductive layer 113 in the first embodiment.

A second electrode of the capacitive element C is electrically connected to the wiring CS. Thereby, the potential of the second electrode of the capacitive element C can be controlled using the control signal supplied by the wiring CS.

The sensor element 22 of one aspect of the invention has at least a transistor M1. Alternatively, a structure including the transistor M2 and/or the transistor M3 may be employed (see FIG. 9C).

The transistor M1 has a gate electrically connected to the first electrode of the capacitor C, and the first electrode electrically connected to the wiring VPI. The wiring VPI has a function of supplying a ground potential, for example.

The transistor M2 has a gate electrically connected to the scan line G1, a first electrode electrically connected to a second electrode of the transistor M1, and a second electrode electrically connected to the signal line DL. there is The scanning line G1 has a function of supplying a selection signal, for example. Also, the signal line DL has a function of supplying a detection signal DATA, for example.

The transistor M3 has a gate electrically connected to the wiring RES, a first electrode electrically connected to the first electrode of the capacitor C, and a second electrode electrically connected to the wiring VRES. . The wiring RES has a function of supplying a reset signal, for example. The wiring VRES has a function of supplying a potential that can turn on the transistor M1, for example.

The capacitance value of the capacitive element C changes, for example, when an object approaches the first electrode or the second electrode, or when the distance between the first electrode and the second electrode changes. Thereby, the sensor element 22 can supply the detection signal DATA based on the change in capacitance of the capacitive element C. FIG.

Further, the wiring CS electrically connected to the second electrode of the capacitor C has a function of supplying a control signal for controlling the potential of the second electrode of the capacitor C.

Note that a node A is a node formed by electrically connecting the first electrode of the capacitor C, the gate of the transistor M1, and the first electrode of the transistor M3.

FIG. 10(A) shows an example of a circuit diagram in which two sensor elements 22 are arranged in the row direction and two sensor elements 22 are arranged in the column direction.

FIG. 10B shows an example of the positional relationship between the first conductive layer 111 (corresponding to the first electrode) of the sensor element 22 and each wiring. The first conductive layer 111 is electrically connected to the gate of the transistor M1 and the second electrode of the transistor M3. The first conductive layer 111 is arranged so as to overlap with the plurality of pixels 33 shown in FIG. 10(C). Further, the transistors M1 to M3 are preferably arranged in regions that do not overlap with the first conductive layer 111 as shown in FIG. 10B.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 11A to 11C, the sensor element 22 may be configured without the transistor M2. At this time, in the sensor elements 22 arranged in the row direction, the second electrode of each capacitive element C may be electrically connected to the scanning line G1 instead of the wiring CS.

A wiring VPO and a wiring BR illustrated in FIG. 9B have a function of supplying a high power supply potential, for example, which can turn on a transistor. Also, the signal line DL has a function of supplying the detection signal DATA. A terminal OUT has the function of supplying a signal converted based on the detection signal DATA.

The converter CONV comprises a conversion circuit. Various circuits can be used for the converter CONV, which can convert the detection signal DATA and supply it to the terminal OUT. For example, by electrically connecting the converter CONV to the sensor element 22, a circuit functioning as a source follower circuit or a current mirror circuit may be applied.

Specifically, a source follower circuit can be configured using a converter CONV using a transistor M4 (see FIG. 9B). Note that a transistor that can be manufactured in the same process as the transistors M1 to M3 may be used as the transistor M4.

For example, the structure of the transistor 251, the transistor 252, or the like described in Embodiment 1 can be applied to each of the transistors M1 to M4.

Note that the configuration of the converter CONV is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 9(B). FIG. 12 shows another configuration example of the converter CONV.

The converter CONV shown in FIG. 12(A) has a transistor M5 in addition to the transistor M4. Specifically, the transistor M5 has a gate electrically connected to the signal line DL, a first electrode electrically connected to the terminal OUT, and a second electrode electrically connected to the wiring GND. The wiring GND has a function of supplying a ground potential, for example. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 12B, the transistor M4 and the transistor M5 may each have a second gate. At this time, the second gate is preferably configured to be electrically connected to the gate.

Further, the converter CONV shown in FIG. 12(C) has a transistor M4, a transistor M5 and a resistor R. Specifically, the gate of the transistor M4 is electrically connected to the wiring BR1. The transistor M5 has a gate electrically connected to the wiring BR2, a first electrode electrically connected to the terminal OUT and a second electrode of the resistor R, and a second electrode electrically connected to the wiring GND. do. A first electrode of the resistor R is electrically connected to the wiring VDD. The wiring BR1 and the wiring BR2 each have a function of supplying a high power supply potential that can turn on the transistor, for example. The wiring VDD has a function of supplying a high power supply potential, for example.

FIGS. 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams showing examples of the positional relationship of the first electrode, the signal line DL, and the converter CONV on the first substrate 21, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 13(A), if the converters CONV are arranged in the extension direction of the respective signal lines DL, the lengths of the signal lines DL electrically connected to the respective converters CONV can be approximately equal. can. For example, if the electrical resistance of the signal line DL significantly affects the detection sensitivity, such an arrangement method is preferable.

Also, in FIG. 13(B), a plurality of converters CONV are arranged close to each other by varying the length and shape of each signal line DL. By adopting such an arrangement method, if the position dependence of the electrical characteristics of the transistors of the converter CONV is large, arranging these close to each other reduces the variation in the electrical characteristics of the converter CONV. Detection sensitivity can be improved.

[Example of driving method]

Next, a method for driving the sensor element 22 will be described with reference to FIG.

[First step] In the first step, a reset signal is supplied to the gate of the transistor M3 to make the transistor M3 conductive and then non-conductive, and the potential of the first electrode of the capacitive element C (that is, the node A) is set to a predetermined potential (see FIG. 9(D-1), period T1).

Specifically, a reset signal is supplied to the wiring RES. The transistor M3 to which the reset signal is supplied sets the potential of the node A to a potential capable of making the transistor M1 conductive, for example.

[Second Step] In the second step, a selection signal for making the transistor M2 conductive is supplied to the gate of the transistor M2, and the second electrode of the transistor M1 is electrically connected to the signal line DL (FIG. 9). (D-1), see period T2).

Specifically, a selection signal is supplied to the scanning line G1. The transistor M2 supplied with the selection signal electrically connects the second electrode of the transistor M1 to the signal line DL.

[Third Step] In the third step, a control signal is supplied to the second electrode of the capacitor C, and a potential that changes based on the control signal and the capacitance of the capacitor C is supplied to the gate of the transistor M1.

Specifically, a rectangular control signal is supplied to the wiring CS. When a rectangular control signal is supplied to the second electrode of the capacitor C, the potential of the node A changes based on the capacitance of the capacitor C (see FIG. 9D-1, second half of period T2).

For example, when the capacitive element C is placed in the air, if an object with a dielectric constant higher than that of the air is placed close to the second electrode of the capacitive element C, the capacitance of the capacitive element C is apparently large. Become.

As a result, the change in the potential of node A caused by the rectangular control signal is smaller than when objects with a dielectric constant higher than the atmosphere are not placed close together (see solid line in FIG. 9 (D-2)). .

Alternatively, when the distance between the first electrode and the second electrode of the capacitive element C changes due to deformation of the touch panel, the capacitance of the capacitive element C also changes. As a result, the potential of node A changes.

[Fourth Step] In the fourth step, a signal caused by a change in the potential of the gate of the transistor M1 is supplied to the signal line DL.

For example, the signal line DL is supplied with a change in current caused by a change in the potential of the gate of the transistor M1.

The converter CONV converts, for example, a change in current flowing through the signal line DL into a change in voltage and supplies the voltage.

[Fifth Step] In the fifth step, a selection signal for turning off the transistor M2 is supplied to the gate of the transistor M2.

Thus, the operation of the plurality of sensor elements 22 electrically connected to one scanning line G1 is completed.

When there are n scanning lines G1, the first to fifth steps should be repeated for each of the scanning lines G1(1) to G1(n).

Alternatively, when the wiring RES and the wiring CS are common to each sensor element 22, a driving method as shown in FIG. 14(A) may be performed. That is, first, a reset signal is supplied to the wiring RES. Next, while the control signal is supplied to the wiring CS, by sequentially supplying the selection signals to the scanning lines G1(1) to G1(n), the signal caused by the change in the potential of the node A is transferred to the signal line DL. (1) to signal line DL(m).

Such a method can reduce the frequency of supplying the reset signal and the control signal.

Here, the potential of the node A may change over time due to various factors. For example, the potential of the node A may change due to environmental changes such as temperature and humidity.

Therefore, as the rectangular control signal to be supplied to the second electrode of the capacitive element C, the operation is performed using two kinds of potentials, and the difference between the two detection signals DATA is taken, thereby changing the potential of the node A over time. The effects of change can be offset. By performing such operation, it is possible to increase the detection sensitivity.

FIG. 14B shows an example of a driving method in which periods R1 and R2 are alternately repeated.

In FIG. 14B, in a period R1, a low-level potential is supplied to the wiring CS during a period in which the signal line RES is supplied with a potential that makes the transistor M3 conductive. Next, a high level potential is supplied to the wiring CS. That is, in the period R1, the detection signal DATA based on the change in the potential of the node A is supplied to the signal line DL while the potential of the second electrode of the capacitive element C changes from the low level potential to the high level potential. . A signal converted by the converter CONV based on the detection signal DATA is supplied to the terminal OUT.

On the other hand, in the period R2, a high-level potential is supplied to the wiring CS during the period in which the signal line RES is supplied with a potential that makes the transistor M3 conductive. Next, a low-level potential is supplied to the wiring CS. That is, in the period R2, the detection signal DATA based on the change in the potential of the node A is supplied to the signal line DL while the potential of the second electrode of the capacitive element C changes from the high level potential to the low level potential. . A signal converted by the converter CONV based on the detection signal DATA is supplied to the terminal OUT.

After that, the difference between the signal supplied to the terminal OUT during the period R1 and the signal supplied to the terminal OUT during the period R2 is taken to obtain a signal that cancels out the effects of changes in the potential of the node A over time. can be done.

FIG. 14C shows an example in which a signal supplied to the wiring CS is different from that in FIG. 14B.

In FIG. 14C, the control signal supplied to the wiring CS has three potentials: a high-level potential, a middle-level potential, and a low-level potential. Specifically, a low-level potential is supplied to the wiring CS during a period in which the signal line RES is supplied with a potential that makes the transistor M3 conductive in the period R1. After that, the selection signals are sequentially supplied to the scanning lines G1(1) to G1(n) while the middle level potential is supplied to the wiring CS. On the other hand, in the period R2, a high-level potential is supplied to the wiring CS during the period in which the signal line RES is supplied with the potential that makes the transistor M3 conductive. After that, the selection signals are sequentially supplied to the scanning lines G1(1) to G1(n) while the middle level potential is supplied to the wiring CS.

After that, in the same way as described above, the difference between the signal supplied to the terminal OUT during the period R1 and the signal supplied to the terminal OUT during the period R2 is taken to cancel out the effect of changes in the potential of the node A over time. can be obtained.

The above is the description of the driving method.

This embodiment can be implemented by appropriately combining at least part of it with other embodiments described herein.

(Embodiment 3) In this embodiment, an electronic device and a lighting device that can be manufactured by applying one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

A touch panel of one embodiment of the present invention is flexible. Therefore, it can be suitably used for flexible electronic devices and lighting devices. Further, by applying one embodiment of the present invention, an electronic device or a lighting device with high reliability and resistance to repeated bending can be manufactured.

Examples of electronic devices include television devices (also referred to as televisions or television receivers), monitors for computers, digital cameras, digital video cameras, digital photo frames, mobile phones (also referred to as mobile phones and mobile phone devices). ), portable game machines, personal digital assistants, sound reproducing devices, and large game machines such as pachinko machines.

Further, since the touch panel of one embodiment of the present invention is flexible, it can be incorporated along the inner wall or outer wall of a house or building, or along the curved surface of the interior or exterior of an automobile.

Further, the electronic device of one embodiment of the present invention may include a touch panel and a secondary battery.

At this time, it is preferable that the secondary battery can be charged using contactless power transmission.

Secondary batteries include, for example, lithium ion secondary batteries such as lithium polymer batteries (lithium ion polymer batteries) using a gel electrolyte, lithium ion batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, organic radical batteries, lead-acid batteries, air batteries, secondary batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, silver-zinc batteries, and the like.

An electronic device of one embodiment of the present invention may include a touch panel and an antenna. An image, information, or the like can be displayed on the display portion by receiving a signal with the antenna. Also, if the electronic device has a secondary battery, the antenna may be used for contactless power transmission.

FIG. 15(A) shows an example of a mobile phone. A mobile phone 7400 includes a display portion 7402 incorporated in a housing 7401, operation buttons 7403, an external connection port 7404, a speaker 7405, a microphone 7406, and the like. Note that the mobile phone 7400 is manufactured using the touch panel of one embodiment of the present invention for the display portion 7402 . According to one embodiment of the present invention, a mobile phone with a curved display portion and high reliability can be provided with high yield.

Information can be input to the mobile phone 7400 shown in FIG. 15A by touching the display portion 7402 with a finger or the like. All operations such as making a call and inputting characters can be performed by touching the display portion 7402 with a finger or the like.

By operating the operation button 7403, the power can be turned on and off, and the type of image displayed on the display portion 7402 can be switched. For example, it is possible to switch from the mail creation screen to the main menu screen.

FIG. 15B shows an example of a wristwatch-type portable information terminal. A mobile information terminal 7100 includes a housing 7101, a display portion 7102, a band 7103, a buckle 7104, operation buttons 7105, input/output terminals 7106, and the like.

The personal digital assistant 7100 can run various applications such as mobile phone, e-mail, text viewing and writing, music playback, Internet communication, computer games, and the like.

The display portion 7102 has a curved display surface, and can perform display along the curved display surface. The display portion 7102 has a touch sensor, and can be operated by touching the screen with a finger, a stylus, or the like. For example, by touching an icon 7107 displayed on the display portion 7102, the application can be activated.

The operation button 7105 can have various functions such as time setting, power on/off operation, wireless communication on/off operation, manner mode execution/cancellation, and power saving mode execution/cancellation. . For example, the operating system installed in the mobile information terminal 7100 can freely set the functions of the operation buttons 7105 .

In addition, the mobile information terminal 7100 is capable of performing short-range wireless communication conforming to communication standards. For example, by intercommunicating with a headset capable of wireless communication, hands-free communication is also possible.

In addition, the portable information terminal 7100 has an input/output terminal 7106 and can directly exchange data with another information terminal via a connector. Also, charging can be performed via the input/output terminal 7106 . Note that the charging operation may be performed by wireless power supply without using the input/output terminal 7106 .

The display portion 7102 of the mobile information terminal 7100 incorporates the touch panel of one embodiment of the present invention. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a highly reliable portable information terminal including a curved display portion can be provided with high yield.

15(C) to (E) show an example of a lighting device. Lighting devices 7200, 7210, and 7220 each have a base portion 7201 having an operation switch 7203 and a light emitting portion supported by the base portion 7201. FIG.

A lighting device 7200 shown in FIG. 15C includes a light-emitting portion 7202 having a wave-like light-emitting surface. Therefore, the lighting device is highly designed.

A light-emitting portion 7212 included in the lighting device 7210 shown in FIG. 15D has a structure in which two convexly curved light-emitting portions are symmetrically arranged. Therefore, it is possible to illuminate in all directions with lighting device 7210 as the center.

A lighting device 7220 shown in FIG. 15E includes a concavely curved light-emitting portion 7222 . Therefore, since the light emitted from the light emitting section 7222 is focused on the front surface of the lighting device 7220, it is suitable for brightly illuminating a specific range.

In addition, since each light-emitting portion provided in the lighting devices 7200, 7210, and 7220 has flexibility, the light-emitting portion can be fixed by a member such as a plastic member or a movable frame, and can be adjusted according to the application. The light-emitting surface of the light-emitting portion may be freely curved.

Although the lighting device in which the light-emitting portion is supported by the base is exemplified here, the housing including the light-emitting portion may be fixed to the ceiling or suspended from the ceiling. Since the light-emitting surface can be curved, the light-emitting surface can be curved concavely to brightly illuminate a specific area, or the light-emitting surface can be curved convexly to brightly illuminate the entire room.

Here, the touch panel of one embodiment of the present invention is incorporated in each light-emitting portion. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a highly reliable lighting device including a curved light emitting portion can be provided with high yield.

FIG. 15(F) shows an example of a portable touch panel. The touch panel 7300 includes a housing 7301 , a display section 7302 , operation buttons 7303 , a drawer member 7304 and a control section 7305 .

The touch panel 7300 includes a flexible display unit 7302 rolled in a cylindrical housing 7301 .

Further, the touch panel 7300 can receive a video signal by the control portion 7305 and can display the received video on the display portion 7302 . Also, the control unit 7305 is provided with a battery. Alternatively, a terminal section for connecting a connector may be provided in the control section 7305, and a video signal or power may be directly supplied from the outside through a wire.

In addition, the operation button 7303 can be used to turn on/off the power, switch images to be displayed, and the like.

FIG. 15G shows the touch panel 7300 with the display portion 7302 drawn out by the drawer member 7304 . An image can be displayed on the display portion 7302 in this state.

In addition, operation buttons 7303 arranged on the surface of housing 7301 allow easy one-handed operation. In addition, by arranging the operation button 7303 closer to one side of the housing 7301 than in the center as shown in FIG. 15F, it can be easily operated with one hand.

In order to fix the display surface of the display portion 7302 so that it becomes flat when the display portion 7302 is pulled out, a frame for reinforcement may be provided on the side portion of the display portion 7302 .

In addition to this configuration, a configuration in which a speaker is provided in the housing and an audio signal received together with a video signal is used to output audio may be employed.

The display portion 7302 incorporates the touch panel of one embodiment of the present invention. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a lightweight and highly reliable touch panel can be provided with high yield.

16(A) to (C) show a foldable portable information terminal 310. FIG. FIG. 16(A) shows the mobile information terminal 310 in an unfolded state. FIG. 16(B) shows the portable information . FIG. 16(C) shows the portable information terminal 310 in a folded state. The portable information terminal 310 is excellent in portability in the folded state, and excellent in viewability of display in the unfolded state due to the large seamless display area.

A display panel 316 is supported by three housings 315 connected by hinges 313 . By bending between the two housings 315 via the hinge 313, the portable information terminal 310 can be reversibly transformed from the unfolded state to the folded state. A touch panel of one embodiment of the present invention can be used for the display panel 316 . For example, a touch panel that can be bent with a curvature radius of 1 mm or more and 150 mm or less can be applied.

Note that in one embodiment of the present invention, a sensor may be provided that detects whether the touch panel is in a folded state or an unfolded state and supplies detection information. The control device of the touch panel may acquire information indicating that the touch panel is in a folded state, and stop the operation of the folded portion (or the portion that is folded and cannot be visually recognized by the user). Specifically, the display may be stopped. Alternatively, detection by the touch sensor may be stopped.

Similarly, the control device of the touch panel may acquire information indicating that the touch panel is in the unfolded state, and resume display and detection by the touch sensor.

16(D) and (E) show a foldable portable information terminal 320. FIG. FIG. 16(D) shows the portable information terminal 320 in a folded state with the display unit 322 facing outward. FIG. 16(E) shows the mobile information terminal 320 in a folded state with the display unit 322 facing inside. By folding the non-display portion 325 outward when the mobile information terminal 320 is not in use, the display portion 322 can be prevented from being soiled or damaged. A touch panel of one embodiment of the present invention can be used for the display portion 322 .

FIG. 16(F) is a perspective view illustrating the outline of the mobile information terminal 330. FIG. 16(G) is a top view of the portable information terminal 330. FIG. FIG. 16(H) is a perspective view illustrating the outline of the mobile information terminal 340. FIG.

The mobile information terminals 330, 340 have one or more functions selected from, for example, telephones, notebooks, information browsing devices, and the like. Specifically, each can be used as a smartphone.

The mobile information terminals 330 and 340 can display text and image information on multiple surfaces. For example, three operation buttons 339 can be displayed on one surface (FIGS. 16(F) and (H)). Also, information 337 indicated by a dashed rectangle can be displayed on another surface (FIGS. 16(G) and (H)). Examples of the information 337 include SNS (social networking service) notifications, displays for notifying incoming e-mails and phone calls, titles of e-mails, names of senders of e-mails, date and time, battery remaining power, strength of antenna reception, etc. Alternatively, instead of the information 337, an operation button 339, an icon, or the like may be displayed at the position where the information 337 is displayed. Note that although FIGS. 16F and 16G show an example in which the information 337 is displayed on the upper side, one embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, like the mobile information terminal 340 shown in FIG. 16(H), it may be displayed on the side.

For example, the user of the mobile information terminal 330 can check the display (here, information 337) with the mobile information terminal 330 in the chest pocket of the clothes.

Specifically, the phone number or name of the caller of the incoming call is displayed at a position that can be observed from above the mobile information terminal 330 . The user can check the display and determine whether or not to receive the call without taking out the portable information terminal 330 from the pocket.

The touch panel of one embodiment of the present invention can be used for the display portion 333 included in the housing 335 of the mobile information terminal 330 and the housing 336 of the mobile information terminal 340, respectively. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a highly reliable touch panel including a curved display portion can be provided with high yield.

Further, information may be displayed on three or more surfaces as in a mobile information terminal 345 shown in FIG. 16(I). Here, an example is shown in which information 355, information 356, and information 357 are displayed on different surfaces.

For the display portion 358 included in the housing 354 of the portable information terminal 345, the touch panel of one embodiment of the present invention can be used. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a highly reliable touch panel including a curved display portion can be provided with high yield.

Ten touch panel module

20 touch sensor module

twenty one substrate

twenty two sensor element

twenty three circuit

twenty four circuit

twenty five wiring

26 wiring

30 display panel

31 substrate

32 display

33 pixel

34 circuit

41 FPCs

42 FPCs

43 terminal

110 capacitive element

111 conductive layer

111a conductive layer

112 insulating layer

113 conductive layer

114 colored layer

114b colored layer

114g colored layer

114r colored layer

115 light shielding layer

117 conductive layer

118 opening

119 optical adjustment layer

120 transistor

121 semiconductor layer

201 transistor

202 transistor

203 transistor

204 light emitting element

205 Contact part

210 connection layer

211 adhesive layer

212 insulating layer

213 insulating layer

214 insulating layer

215 insulating layer

216 insulating layer

217 insulating layer

218 insulating layer

219 Spacer

220 adhesive layer

221 electrode

222 EL layer

223 electrode

224 optical adjustment layer

225 conductive layer

251 transistor

252 transistor

253 Contact part

260 connection layer

261 adhesive layer

262 insulating layer

263 insulating layer

264 insulating layer

265 insulating layer

266 insulating layer

267 overcoat

271 Contact part

272 Contact part

273 wiring

274 wiring

310 Personal digital assistant

313 hinge

315 housing

316 display panel

320 Personal digital assistant

322 display

325 hidden part

330 Personal digital assistant

333 display

335 housing

336 housing

337 information

339 Manual operation button

340 Personal digital assistant

345 Personal digital assistant

354 housing

355 information

356 information

357 information

358 display

7100 Personal digital assistant

7101 housing

7102 display

7103 band

7104 buckle

7105 Manual operation button

7106 input/output terminal

7107 icon

7200 lighting equipment

7201 base

7202 Light-emitting part

7203 operation switch

7210 lighting equipment

7212 Light-emitting part

7220 lighting equipment

7222 Light-emitting part

7300 touch panel

7301 housing

7302 display

7303 Manual operation button

7304 Element

7305 control unit

7400 mobile phone

7401 housing

7402 display

7403 Manual operation button

7404 External connection port

7405 speaker

7406 Microphone