MicroNanoSystems
T
he transparent conductor industry is Capacitive touch screens are a different
dominated by a single material, story. These are emerging as the high end
indium tin oxide (ITO). Manufacturers of flat version of the touch screen category, especially
panel displays (the largest users of ITO) have since the launch of Apple’s iPhone, which uses
relied on this material for years but have griped capacitive technology. Capacitive technology
about ITO’s inability to meet requirements. offers higher clarity and quality of the display
ITO is not very conductive or transparent. image and since it does not work by poking with
ITO is generally difficult and expensive to apply (say) a stylus, the capacitive screen can more
as a thin film of sufficient quality. It is brittle, and easily make use of ITO.
can easily wear out or crack in applications Makers of ITO substitutes see the touch
where bending is involved. This mediocre screen market as a big opportunity; in addition
performance is quite high, since ITO is to the business and engineering reasons
dependent on indium, with a price that has supporting the adoption of such a technology,
ranged between $350 to $1,000 for the last the addressable market is already very large. As
several years. a result, NanoMarkets expects ITO to lose
ITO’s many faults would seem to create a market share in the resistive touch screen
ripe environment for competition from new segment fairly quickly.
materials offering improved performance and Flexible displays would be an attractive
different methods of using and applying ITO to market for ITO substitutes, because, like touch-
address these issues. screen displays they also place important
Transparent alternatives
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The transparent conductor market has been driven by flat panel
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displays but there are new opportunities developing, instigating
.eur
research into alternative materials. NanoMarkets have released
oasiasemiconductor
a report that suggests Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), despite its
shortcomings, will continue to dominate the market until further
advances in nanotechnology become available.
.com
NanoMarkets issued its first ITO report in physical demands on the transparent conductors
2008 and ITO has shown little sign of fading that they use. However, despite the impression
square4
Issue V 2009
away. With a price decline due to the worldwide that one might get from a superficial read of the
recession the end may be further away. That trade press, there is really no such thing as a
report did suggest that alternatives to ITO fully flexible display on the market today. There
would make slow progress. However, the ITO have been demonstrations as well as
market is very large, so that even small inroads announcements of such displays, but none are
into the market by ITO alternatives can lead to commercially available. While Samsung has
substantial revenue opportunities. announced that it expects to introduce flexible
OLED displays in 2010, flexible OLED displays
New applications and challenges have far fewer backers than flexible e-paper
Touch screens routinely use ITO in the touch displays and indeed the term “flexible display”
subsystem as well as in the LCD front panel. and “e-paper” have become closely related, if
Resistive touch-screens, which dominate the not synonymous. With the plethora of product
market, are ripe for an alternative transparent delays throughout the thin-film electronics
conductor. Walk into a local retail store and industry, NanoMarkets has a healthy skepticism
attempt to sign on the old point of purchase with regard to claims of imminent releases of
display device. ITO cannot stand up to the revolutionary devices. Thus, NanoMarkets
poking and flexing involved with this type of doesn’t expect flexible OLED displays to gain a
touch screen without deteriorating or cracking. foothold in commercialisation until 2011 or later.
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