Cambrios Technologies and Hitachi Chemical have collaborated to develop a novel transparent conductive film for touch panels in tablet PCs and smart phones.
Hitachi Chemical’s technology for photosensitive films has been combined with Cambrios’ ClearOhm silver nanowire coating materials to develop the innovative conductive film. The film can be transferred onto different types of substrates including polycarbonate, PET film and glass.
Indium tin oxide (ITO) is the current transparent conductive film used for touch screen applications. It requires a sputtering deposition process that is both cumbersome and expensive. Cambrios ClearOhm material is flexible and its deposition options are comparatively less expensive than that of ITO’s. It also provides greener, environmentally friendly and simpler patterning by eliminating the waste and cost that occurs due to usage of etchant, stripper and photoresist chemicals.
In the transparent conductive film, a simple light exposure process can be used to make high resolution patterns. The film is to be produced in a range of conductivities having 10-250 Ù/sq. sheet resistance and total transmission of 85% to 91%. The flexibility of the film allows it to be used for creating invisible patterns related to projective capacitive touch panels and designs on 3D and curved surfaces.
Hitachi Chemical intends to commence production of the transparent conductive film in the latter part of 2011, so as to address the growing demand for the film in touch panels for tablet PCs and smart phones.
Source: http://www.cambrios.com/