Apparatus and a Method of Manufacturing an Apparatus

1 . An apparatus comprising:

a component of a circular polarizer; and

conductive interconnect integrated with the component of the circular polarizer.

2 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the conductive interconnect is applied directly to an exterior surface of the circular polarizer.

3 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the circular polarizer comprises a ¼ wave retarder and a linear polarizer, the linear polarizer is integrated at a first surface of the ¼ wave retarder and the conductive interconnect is integrated at a second opposing surface of the ¼ wave retarder.

4 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the conductive interconnect is applied directly to an exterior surface of a ¼ wave retarder.

5 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the conductive interconnect is applied directly to an exterior surface of a linear polarizer.

6 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the conductive interconnect is applied directly to the component of the circular polarizer without an intervening substrate.

7 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the component of the circular polarizer without an intervening substrate comprises a polyethylene terephthalate component to which the conductive interconnect is directly applied.

8 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the conductive interconnect is ductile.

9 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the conductive interconnect comprises metal.

10 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the conductive interconnect comprises a plurality of first conductive lines extending in a first direction and a plurality of second conductive lines extending in a second direction, orthogonal to the first direction, wherein a least some of the plurality of first conductive lines and the plurality of second conductive lines interconnect.

11 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the plurality of first conductive lines are parallel to the first direction and the plurality of second conductive lines are parallel to the second direction.

12 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the conductive interconnect is a mesh.

13 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the mesh occupies a single plane.

14 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the conductive interconnect comprises a plurality of thin conductive lines having a width that is less than 10 μm.

15 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the conductive interconnect comprises a plurality of thin conductive lines separated by a distance of greater than twenty times a width of the lines.

16 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an additional conductive interconnect.

17 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an additional conductive interconnect integrated with the component of the circular polarizer.

18 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the conductive interconnect is a first mesh and the additional conductive interconnect is a second mesh overlying the first mesh and separated from the first mesh by an isolation layer.

19 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the first mesh, the isolation layer and the second mesh are integrated on a same side of the component of the circular polarizer.

20 . A touch window module comprising the apparatus as claimed in claim 1 .

21 . A touch window module as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the conductive interconnect is positioned and configured to face a display in use.

22 . A touch window module as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the conductive interconnect provides one or more electrodes for touch detection.

23 . A touch window module as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the conductive interconnect provides an array of capacitors for touch detection.

24 . A method comprising:

providing a component of a circular polarizer having an exterior surface; and

providing a conductive interconnect on an exterior surface of the component of the circular polarizer.

25 . A method as claimed in claim 24 , wherein providing the conductive interconnect comprises providing the conductive interconnect, using an additive process, directly onto the exterior surface of the component of the circular polarizer.

26 . A method as claimed in claim 24 , wherein providing the conductive interconnect comprises providing the conductive interconnect, using a subtractive process, directly onto the exterior surface of the component of the circular polarizer.