Category Archives: Touch Technologies

April 2, 2012 — Printed circuit board (PCB) technology company Rainbow Technology developed a touchscreen display manufacturing method that offers cost, speed, and environmental benefits over current methods, the company says.

The Rainbow Process Unit, originally developed for PCB production, produces fine line circuitry down to 5um: coating, imaging and developing a substrate in an automated process. Its proprietary etch wet resist is 100% solids- and solvent-free, and does not require pre-drying before imaging. UV LEDs and standard photo-tools create tracks and gaps of 20um and below. Power consumption on the unit averages 3kW.

The process can be done additively using an imaged seed layer to create electroless plated nickel or copper with a Rainbow imaged plating resist to create tracks. It can also be done subtractively using sputtered metal on plastic using a Rainbow imaged etch resist to create tracks.

Grid patterns of 5 x 300um pitch offer more conductivity than indium tin oxide (ITO) or conductive polymers, while maintaining good transparency. The closer tracks and gaps (down to 10um spacing) make touchscreens more responsive, enabling a more feature-rich user experience.

Also read: Reel-to-reel coater eliminates waste of roller-in-bath tools

For more information, visit www.rainbow-technology.com.

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April 2, 2012Kyocera Corporation will expand its liquid crystal display (LCD) offering with the acquisition of LCD manufacturer Optrex Corporation, forming Kyocera Display Corporation.

Optrex was founded in 1976, providing small- and medium-size LCDs for automotive and industrial sectors. Optrex’s active matrix thin-film transistor (TFT) and monochrome graphic and character LCDs will join Kyocera’s active-matrix TFT 3.5-12.1” LCD panels, with resolutions from QVGA to SVGA. Optrex’s back-end modularization for displays will complement Kyocera’s Gen 3 front-end LCD fab for polysilicon and amorphous silicon (a-si) display panels. Optrex also brings touchscreen bonding capabilities to Kyocera’s resistive and capacitive touchscreen panels.

The news comes at the same time display giants Samsung and Sharp are making moves to bolster their market share in the overall display market as well: Samsung spun out its LCD Business into Samsung Display Co., and Sharp added Hon Hai as a partner to form Sharp Display Product.

Kyocera Display Corporation will serve automotive and industrial customers primarily, joining semiconductor, automotive, communications, and other components from the Kyocera Group’s 200+ companies.

Optrex America (Plymouth, MI) is now Kyocera Display America, Inc. Optrex Europe (Babenhausen, Germany) is now Kyocera Display Europe GmbH.

Learn more at www.kyocera-display.com. Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO, TOKYO:6971) is the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group.

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March 30, 2012 — Indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent electrodes are applied to the majority of display and touchscreen panels, as well as solar cells. As electronic devices with displays proliferate, as is the case with smartphones and media tablets, indium market prices are soaring, Displaybank reports. ITO electrodes are prone to cracking, which presents a problem for flexible displays.

Because of these challenges, researchers are developing alternatives to ITO based on graphene, metallic nano wires, conductivity polymers (PEDOT), transparent conductivity oxides (TCO), and carbon nanotubes (CNT). Corporations, universities, and research institutes around the world are fiercely competing to develop advanced technologies to dominate the market. Also read: Transparent conductors, ITO and alternatives

Displaybank Co., Ltd, issues an analysis report of key patents on next-generation transparent electrode technologies — PEDOT, CNT, Graphene, Metal, and TCO — to keep abreast of accelerated technology development competition of next generation transparent electrodes. Raw data were extracted from a total of 552 patents through close analysis and review on PCT patents that have been issued until October 2011. The report screened 490 patents relating to next-generation transparent electrodes, among the abstracted raw data. Displaybank has closely looked into status of Patent Applications per country, technology, and applicant for patent in the field of next generation transparent electrode, targeting 490 patents that have been carefully screened. Among 490 patents, Displaybank also selected 71 key patents and conducted an in-depth analysis of their technologies. Access reports at http://www.displaybank.com.

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March 28, 2012 — Spurred by the success of Apple Inc.’s iPhone and iPad, shipments of touch screen displays in devices like smartphones and media tablets are booming, causing the market for touch controller integrated circuits (ICs) to almost triple in size during a five year span.

Shipments of touch controller ICs are set to reach 2.4 billion units in 2015, up from 865 million in 2010, according to an IHS iSuppli Display Electronics topical report. This year, shipments will surge 28% to 1.7 billion units, with strong double-digit growth projected for the next two years before the rate of expansion slows slightly in 2015.

Figure. Worldwide shipment forecast of touch-controller ICs (Millions of Units). SOURCE: IHS iSuppli Research, March 2012.

  2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Millions of Units 864.6 1,316.1 1,679.8 1,992.7 2,233.1 2,420.2

"Apple almost single-handedly ignited the market for touch in 2007 when it introduced the iPhone, which featured a multi-touch screen based on a projected capacitive touch technology. Since the appearance of the iPhone, many other smartphone manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon by deploying sophisticated touch sensors for their products," said Randy Lawson, principal analyst for display & consumer electronics at IHS.

Touch technology has branched out from being used mainly in mobile handsets to a wide range of consumer electronic items, expanding the aggregate universe of touch applications. Touch sensors now can be found in tablets, e-readers, all-in-one PCs, portable media players, portable navigation devices, flat-panel TVs and monitors, handheld video game players, automotive applications, digital still cameras and digital picture frames. Together, the number of devices and appliances using some form of touch controller IC is predicted to hit 1.06 billion units this year, nearly double from 514.9 million units only two years ago.

Shipments of touch controller ICs exceed those of touch-screen-equipped mobile devices due to the common use of more than one IC per product, especially in tablets, and because of the relatively low manufacturing yield frequently seen in advanced touchscreen modules.

Projected capacitive touch screens like those first featured by Apple in its products made up 54% of the touch market in 2011. They also will remain the dominant implementation for the space in the years to come, ahead of other touch-sensor technologies like infrared, optical, resistive and surface acoustic wave.

The leaders of the touch controller space last year were Atmel Corp., Cypress Semiconductor Corp. and Synaptics, which together held more than 60 percent share of the market in revenue. Even so, competition abounds in this fast-growing industry, mainly from the Asian suppliers of display driver ICs such as Novatek Microelectronics Corp. and Himax Technologies of Taiwan, as well as Hong Kong-based Solomon Systech International Ltd. Many Asian suppliers are developing their own touch IC solutions, hoping to eventually integrate touch functionality into existing single-chip driver ICs used in both mobile handsets and small liquid crystal displays smaller than 5 inches for the general mobile consumer electronics market.

But while unit shipments of discrete touch controller ICs will continue to grow this year and beyond, revenue growth is expected to be more limited, IHS believes. Touch controller IC revenue this year will reach an estimated $1.5 billion, up 15% from $1.3 billion in 2011, a much lower rate of growth compared to the touch IC shipments. And in contrast to the continuing shipment growth in the years to come, touch IC revenue will peak in 2014 at $1.6 billion before starting to decline the year after.

The less robust revenue picture is due to several factors, including a decline in average selling prices, the falling number of touch ICs being employed per panel in medium-sized applications, and the increasing market pressure from integrated solutions like those offered by the Asian IC firms. ASPs are expected to drop by approximately 12% every year through 2015. Meanwhile, the number of touch controller ICs used in tablets larger than 7" will decline from three or more to only one in many cases.

The integration of touch functionality into the chip-on-glass mounted display driver IC also will present a challenge for touch MCU suppliers in the near future, though the impact of that design approach will be less significant from 2012 to 2015 than the other revenue-dampening effects on the space.

Mobile devices, especially smartphones and media tablets, will continue to lead the consumption of touch solutions and touch-related ICs. Both applications will account for a combined 61 percent of the touch controller market in 2011, and then go on to comprise more than 71 percent of the total touch IC market by 2015.
 
IHS (NYSE: IHS) provides information, insight and analytics in critical areas that shape today’s business landscape. Learn more at www.ihs.com.

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March 23, 2012 – BUSINESS WIRE — Optical touch display company Neonode Inc. (OTC BB:NEON) signed a technology license agreement with a leading global manufacturer of consumer displays. The name of the global manufacturer engaged in this agreement cannot be disclosed.

The partnership introduces Neonode’s MultiSensing Touch Technologies to a new market category, the company’s seventh and an additional high-volume one.

Also read: Touchscreens a $14 billion market in 2012

“The trend indicates a demand for touch-enabled user interfaces in all kinds of markets, particularly for high-volume and cost-dependent devices such as toys and feature phones, new types of color e-readers and smart office equipment," said Thomas Eriksson, CEO.

This latest agreement is based on a multi-year license offer based on Neonode’s MultiSensing Optical Touch Technology zForce.

Neonode, Inc. (OTC BB:NEON) develops and licenses optical MultiSensing Touch Technologies, built on Neonode’s touch technology zForce.

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March 22, 2012 — The touchscreen display market will reach $14 billion in 2012, driven by the two largest applications, mobile phones and tablet PCs, IDTechEx reports. While projected capacitive touch sensors are the main technology, several others exist for various touch display applications.

Projected capacitive touch is the current market-leading touch display technology. A dozen other touch screen sensor architectures are available, though not all suit the performance, clarity, volume, and cost requirements of consumer applications.
 
Projected capacitive touch screens are most often deployed in mobile and smart phones, as well as fast-growing tablets.

Analog resistive technology is widely used in small size (>10") healthcare and hospitality displays, as well as high-volume retail environments.

Embedded touch technology leads the emerging touch technology sector; on-cell technology in particular has the biggest potential for small- and medium-size consumer electronics.

Infrared (IR) and surface acoustic wave (SAW) touch technologies are mainly relevant for specialized touch devices, such as ATMs and banking and financial applications, as well as eBooks and mobile phones to some extent.
 
Over the next decade, projected capacitive touch technology will continue to lead the market as panel costs decline. Due to extremely low cost, resistive touch technology will continue to lead the market in price-sensitive applications that need precise touch. The rise of embedded touch technology will be conditioned by more and more LCD manufacturers entering the field.

Figure 1. Touch market forecast by technology in 2012. Source: IDTechEx, Touch Screen Modules, Technologies, Markets, Forecasts 2012-2022.

 
The display industry’s next big opportunity lies in replacing indium tin oxide (ITO), especially in mainstream projected capacitive and resistive touch technologies. Half the costs of projected capacitive touch screen modules come from the ITO sensor. Along with cost reduction, ITO alternatives offer flexible properties for bendable, rollable and stretchable electronics with touch functionality.
 
Touchscreens are a mature technology for specialized applications, such as automatic teller machines (ATMs), point-of-sales terminals, Kiosks, etc. Mass consumer market use of touch screens was triggered when Apple introduced projected capacitive touch screen technology for the iPhone in 2007. Mobile phones are the largest volume market for touchscreen panels; over 40% of mobile phones will use touchscreens in 2012, with nearly complete market share within 10 years.

Shipment of tablets with touchscreen technology is expected to reach 100 million units in 2012.
 

Figure 2. Market size for touch technologies by device size in 2012. Source: IDTechEx, Touch Screen Modules, Technologies, Markets, Forecasts 2012-2022.

The touchscreen market is expected to triple in the next decade.

The next big markets for touchscreens are eBooks, (mobile) game consoles, car displays and navigation devices, as well as digital cameras for small to medium size displays. Bigger touch screens over 10" can be increasingly found in laptops and PC monitors, TVs, and other screens.

All of these trends, including detailed ten year forecasts by touch screen technology and by application as well as primary user markets, applicability of the different technologies and application trends, are covered in the new IDTechEx report "Touch Screen Technologies, Applications and Trends 2012-2022." Access it at www.IDTechEx.com/touch.

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March 19, 2012 — The media tablet computer market took off when Apple launched the first iPad in April 2010. Apple uses a 9.7" display; Amazon’s Kindle Fire uses a 7" screen: Samsung offers Galaxy Tabs with 7", 8.9" and 10.1" displays. NPD In-Stat analyzed the tablet market by display size.

Also read: Does Apple’s new iPad display technology go far enough?

In a competitive sector, dominated by the Apple iPad, screen size is a "key differentiator," said Stephanie Ethier, Senior Analyst, NPD In-Stat. Display size is also the leading indicator of different tablet usages, Ethier said.

NPD In-Stat analyzed top tablet usage scenarios based on device screen size:
The iPad’s continued success will ensure that tablets in the 9.7

March 16, 2012 — The new Apple iPad, generation 3, uses a 2048 × 1536, 264 ppi retina display, quadrupling the pixels of the previous generation. However, Apple may be losing its cutting-edge status when it comes to gesture recognition beyond touchscreens. IHS iSuppli, NPD DisplaySearch, and IMS Research examine the new iPad display.

The display technology

Apple’s higher-resolution iPad display relies on super high aperture (SHA) pixel designs — a method of increasing aperture ratio by applying approximately a 3µm thick photo-definable acrylic resin layer to planarize the device and increase the vertical gap between the indium tin oxide (ITO) pixel electrodes and signal lines. This reduces unwanted capacitive coupling and enables the electrode to be extended over the gate and data lines without causing cross talk or affecting image quality, explains NPD DisplaySearch. More than 25% of LCDs adopt SHA technology and that is likely to continue to grow in the future.

Figure. Conventional to SHA Pixel Design Comparison. Source: DisplaySearch TFT LCD Process Roadmap Report. Note: Image refers to VA type SHA pixel.

Suppliers
The iSuppli Displays Materials & Systems Service believes Apple likely has qualified three sources for the display in the new iPad: Samsung, LG Display (LGD), and Sharp, with volume shipments likely only from Samsung in the near term. Although they are currently shipping displays in small quantities, LGD and Sharp are expected to ramp up volume production of new iPad displays in April. SHA technology was pioneered by Sharp and JSR many years ago, NPD DisplaySearch notes. IHS predicts that Apple is likely to begin shipping new iPads with displays from these suppliers in Q2 2012.

Sharp is working with a new indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) technology that enables higher resolutions. The company now is working to ramp up the production of IGZO thin-film transistor (TFT) panels at its Gen 8 fab in Kameyama, Japan, but manufacturing problems could affect both the availability of displays for a full rollout of the new iPad, as well as the cost of the iPad displays. LGD has been pioneering the use of advanced in-plane switching (IPS) display technology, particularly in media tablet displays.

Where Apple falls behind in display technology
IMS Research believes Apple will need to embrace embedded vision-based technologies in its next product releases, not incremental technology upgrades as seen in the gen-3 iPad.

Apple is largely credited with bringing touchscreen interaction to the masses thanks to the iPhone. Now, other user interface technologies — particularly gesture recognition, voice commands — are complementing touch interfaces. Competitors such as Samsung and Microsoft have steadily begun integrating these technologies. Yearly worldwide shipments of devices with next-generation user interface technologies will grow to nearly 3.8 billion units in 2015, says IMS Research.

Apple’s competitors are more aggressively deploying camera-based gesture recognition applications, as well as voice control (Apple’s Siri did not get a spot on the new iPad). Microsoft uses gesture control with the Xbox 360 and upcoming Windows 8 laptops and tablets, along with gesture-friendly common interfaces across devices. Microsoft deploys standard or enhanced front-facing cameras for the new gesture-control applications. Android-based smartphones and tablets incorporating gesture control will debut in volume in late 2012.

With aggressive upgrades in processor power in each product generation, Apple seems well-positioned for gesture-based display interfaces. "Vision algorithms require powerful processors. By boosting CPU and GPU performance in the new iPad, Apple is enabling developers to potentially deploy exciting new embedded vision capabilities, such as gesture recognition, augmented reality," and other applications, said Jeff Bier, founder of the Embedded Vision Alliance (www.Embedded-Vision.com).

The "competitive pressure" is now on Apple, with no voice control, embedded vision, particularly gesture recognition, in this iteration of the iPad, said Paul Erickson, senior analyst at IMS Research. "2012 will see a number of advancements from Apple’s competitors" in these areas. Erickson looks to the iPhone 5 launch to bring iOS devices into competitive parity on this front.

Analysts:
IHS iSuppli’s market intelligence helps technology companies achieve market leadership. Access the IHS iSuppli Display Materials & Systems report at http://www.isuppli.com/Display-Materials-and-Systems/Pages/Products.aspx

Learn more in the DisplaySearch TFT LCD Process Roadmap Report at http://www.displaysearch.com/cps/rde/xchg/displaysearch/hs.xsl/tft_lcd_process_roadmap_report.asp

The study “Next Gen User Interfaces: Touch, Gesture, Motion, and Voice – 2012 Edition” offers a current analysis of the technologies transforming the human-machine-computer interface. IMS Research is a leading independent supplier of market research and consultancy to the global electronics industry. Internet: http://imsresearch.com.

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March 15, 2012 – BUSINESS WIRE — Smartphone owners in the US and UK would like larger displays than they currently have, shows the Strategy Analytics Wireless Device Lab report, “Smartphone Owners Want Thin Devices with Larger Displays.” Smartphone users responded to a survey, stating a desire for 4"-4.5" displays, if the device remained thin.

Women are more likely to use a smaller-display smartphone than men. Android owners are more likely to seek larger devices than users currently on an Apple iPhone. But nearly 90% of the surveyed users gravitated to prototype smartphones with a display larger than their current device, said Paul Brown, a Director in the Strategy Analytics User Experience Practice. Reasons for larger-display smartphone appeal include increased mobile web browsing and engaging video and gaming experiences.

The larger displays are only attractive if they do not add too much weight or bulk to the handset, added Kevin Nolan, VP for the User Experience Practice at Strategy Analytics.

Strategy Analytics, Inc. provides market intelligence focused on Automotive Electronics and Entertainment, Broadband Connected Home, Mobile & Wireless Intelligent Systems and Virtual Worlds. For more information, please visit http://www.strategyanalytics.com/

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March 15, 2012 — Creative Materials Inc. uncrated an electrically conductive ink for displays manufacturing that boasts a lower cost than conventionally manufactured silver inks. 125-43A/B119-44 is a solvent-resistant electrically conductive ink for touch screen and shielding applications.

The ink is in use for by a customer manufacturing radio-frequency interference (RFI)-shielded displays. It was adapted from CMI’s 118-09A/B, offering the same properties and chemical composition, with a slight decrease in overall conductivity.

The silver content in the touchscreen ink is reduced via a proprietary process at Creative Materials, with very little change in performance. Products can be customized to application needs and specifications.

Creative Materials Inc. manufactures electrically conductive inks, coatings, and adhesives for electronic components used in computing, cell phone, solar, automotive, aerospace, medical instruments, and other applications. Website: www.creativematerials.com.

Learn more about lower silver materials in a sponsored white paper from Henkel: Silver Price Control: New materials technology helps mitigate silver’s rising cost

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