On-Display-Sensor Stack

Abstract

In one embodiment, an electronic display includes a display stack including one or more layers; and drive or sense electrodes of a touch sensor substantially disposed on one or more of the layers on or within the display stack. The drive or sense electrodes are made of a conductive mesh of conductive material.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A device comprising:
 a display stack comprising a plurality of layers, the plurality of layers of the display stack comprising a cover layer; and   a plurality of electrodes of a touch sensor disposed on one or more of the plurality of layers of the display stack other than the cover layer of the display stack, the plurality of electrodes being made of a conductive mesh of conductive material such that each of the plurality of electrodes comprises a plurality of conductive lines of the conductive mesh formed in a mesh, wherein:
 the one or more of the plurality of layers of the display stack on which the plurality of electrodes are disposed comprises a first layer within the display stack; 
 the plurality of electrodes comprise first electrodes disposed on the first layer within the display stack on a first side of the first layer and second electrodes disposed on the first layer within the display stack on a second side of the first layer such that the first electrodes and the second electrodes directly contact the first layer, the first layer being a single substrate made of a same material, the first electrodes and the second electrodes comprising electrodes configurable to operate as drive electrodes for touch driving operations and electrodes configurable to operate as sense electrodes for the touch sensing operations; and 
   the first electrodes disposed on the first layer within the display stack are positioned nearer to the cover layer of the display stack than the first layer within the display stack on which the first electrodes are disposed; and   a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium embodying logic that is configured when executed to control the touch sensor.   
     
     
         2 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the first layer within the display stack on which the first electrodes are disposed comprises a polarizer layer or a color filter layer. 
     
     
         3 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of layers of the display stack has an optical function modifying an optical property of light. 
     
     
         4 . A display device, comprising: a display stack, and a plurality of electrodes of a touch sensor,
 wherein the display stack comprises a plurality of layers, and the plurality of layers of the display stack comprise a cover layer;   the plurality of electrodes of the touch sensor are disposed on one or more of the plurality of layers of the display stack other than the cover layer of the display stack;   the one or more of the plurality of layers of the display stack on which the plurality of electrodes are disposed comprises a first layer within the display stack; and   the plurality of electrodes comprise at least one first electrode disposed on the first layer within the display stack on a first side of the first layer and at least one second electrode disposed on the first layer within the display stack on a second side of the first layer such that the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode directly contact the first layer, and the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode comprise an electrode configurable to operate as a drive electrode for touch driving operations and an electrode configurable to operate as a sense electrode for touch sensing operations.   
     
     
         5 . The display device according to  claim 4 , wherein the first layer has an optical function modifying an optical property of light. 
     
     
         6 . The display device according to  claim 5 , wherein the optical function comprises one or more of a group consisting of color filtering and polarization. 
     
     
         7 . The display device according to  claim 4 , wherein the first layer is a single substrate made of a same material. 
     
     
         8 . The display device according to  claim 4 , further comprising a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium,
 wherein the computer-readable non-transitory storage medium comprises logic, and the logic is configured when executed to control the touch sensor.   
     
     
         9 . The display device according to  claim 4 , wherein the plurality of electrodes are made of a conductive mesh of conductive material such that each of the plurality of electrodes comprises a plurality of conductive lines of the conductive mesh formed in a mesh. 
     
     
         10 . The display device according to  claim 9 , wherein each of the plurality of conductive lines of the conductive mesh has a width within a range of approximately 1 to approximately 10 μm. 
     
     
         11 . The display device according to  claim 9 , wherein a contribution of the plurality of conductive lines of the conductive mesh to an attenuation of light through the conductive mesh is within a range of approximately 1 to approximately 10%. 
     
     
         12 . The display device according to  claim 9 , wherein the conductive mesh substantially covers an entire touch-sensitive area of the touch sensor disposed on one or more of the layers. 
     
     
         13 . The display device according to  claim 9 , wherein the conductive material comprises at least one of a group consisting of gold, aluminum, copper, silver, and carbon. 
     
     
         14 . The display device according to  claim 4 , wherein the touch sensor further comprises a track and a connection pad, and
 the track is configured to couple the drive electrode or sense electrode of the touch sensor to the connection pad.   
     
     
         15 . The display device according to  claim 14 , wherein the electrodes, the track, and the connection pad of the touch sensor are formed from a same conductive material. 
     
     
         16 . The display device according to  claim 4 , wherein the touch sensor further comprises a ground line, and
 the ground line terminates at a ground connector at an edge of the touch sensor.   
     
     
         17 . A display device, comprising:
 a display stack comprising a plurality of layers, the plurality of layers comprising a cover layer; and   a plurality of electrodes of a touch sensor disposed on one or more of the plurality of layers of the display stack other than the cover layer of the display stack, wherein:
 the one or more of the plurality of layers of the display stack on which the plurality of electrodes are disposed comprises a first layer within the display stack; 
 the plurality of electrodes comprise first electrodes disposed on the first layer within the display stack on a first side of the first layer and second electrodes disposed on the first layer within the display stack on a second side of the first layer such that the first electrodes and the second electrodes directly contact the first layer, the first layer being a single substrate made of a same material; 
 the first electrodes disposed on the first layer within the display stack on the first side of the first layer are positioned nearer to the cover layer of the display stack than the first layer within the display stack on which the first electrodes are disposed, the first electrodes configurable to operate as sense electrodes; and 
 the second electrodes disposed on the second side of the first layer within the display stack comprise one or more electrodes configurable to operate as drive electrodes. 
   
     
     
         18 . The display device according to  claim 17 , wherein at least one of the plurality of layers of the display stack has an optical function modifying an optical property of light. 
     
     
         19 . The display device according to  claim 18 , wherein the optical function comprises one or more of a group consisting of:
 color filtering; and   polarization.   
     
     
         20 . The display device according to  claim 17 , wherein the electrodes, a track, and a connection pad of the touch sensor are formed from a same conductive material.