Importance

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Abstract

A touch sensing device comprising a plurality of individually operable touch sensing elements having first and second overlapping and spaced conductive layers (12, 15) with the second conductive layer being displaceable towards the first conductive layer in response to a touch input. The device is fabricated by forming on a support a thin film multi-layer structure comprising the first and second conductive layers with an insulating layer (16) therebetween and in which the second conductive layer is provided with apertures at predetermined regions, and subjecting the structure to an etching process which removes insulating material between the conductive layers at the apertured regions via the apertures to form gaps (19). This leaves the second conductive layer (15) at each region supported in spaced relationship to the first conductive layer by the insulating layer around the periphery of the region. The device may be used, for example, as a keypad or, with larger numbers of elements arranged in a row and column matrix, as a graphics tablet or display overlay and operated with a stylus. The device can conveniently be integrated with a liquid crystal display panel using a substsrate of the panel as the support.

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First Claim