Bright future in touch screens

Dan Rogers - 25 Aug 2009

A system for mass-producing solar panels could be applied by touch screen manufacturers by 2010.

The Solaris machine from German firm Oerlikon Systems is currently being tested for its first application in crystalline silicon solar cell manufacture. However, the system is also being tested for use in touch screens, where it can apply a conductive layer and anti-reflective coatings.

Gerhard Dovids, business development manager for Oerlikon Systems, states: 'For capacitive touch screens, we're in the testing phase with a company and we've had very positive results - we're expecting commercial applications next year.'

As well as forthcoming applications by touch screen manufacturers, Dovids notes that printed electronic applications such as thin-film batteries and supercapacitors offer alternative possibilities for Solaris. Sales of Solaris to battery and supercapacitor manufacturers are expected within 3-5 years, adds Dovids.

The Solaris can apply nanoparticle coatings to both sides of a wafer, meaning that multiple stages can be undertaken by a single machine.

Touch screens

The process can be used to produce capacitive touch screens, which is predicted to become a larger market, particularly as applications in smart phones increase.
'The Solaris can produce the capacitive type of touch panels, like those used in the new iPhone,' notes Dovids.

While many smart phones currently use resistive touch screens - where pressure on the conducting surface layer creates a connection with the back layer and determines where the screen has been touched - the capacitive touch screen's superior durability and multi-touch functionality makes it more suitable for the high-end smart phone market.
And this is an area where improvements in touch screen operability will become more important.

Roberta Cozza, principal analyst at UK-based research analysts Gartner, explained earlier in 2009: '"Touch for touch sake" was enough of a driver in the mid-tier space, but tighter integration with applications and services around music, mobile e-mail, and Internet browsing made the difference at the high end of the market.'

Despite a contraction in mobile phone sales so far in 2009, the Gartner research suggests that demand for touch screens will increase as smart phone sales are likely to remain strong, having grown in comparison to 2008 sales.

While capacitive touch screens are typically more expensive, mass production techniques such as Oerlikon's could make that less of an issue for smart phone manufacturers.

Benefits

The system, which can produce around 1,200 wafers per hour, delivers a cost saving of around 30% per watt produced, says Dovids.
'The Solaris has a very small footprint, very high uptime and the overall cost of ownership is lower,' he adds.
'Being able to apply multi-layers means you have the flexibility to change layers.'

A physical vapour deposition (PVD) process is used to produce the nano-coated wafers, which is influenced by Blu-Ray, DVD and semiconductor manufacturing techniques.

Dovids explains: 'This is a known process which is used in many other industries for data storage media production.'
This PVD-based manufacture could replace the plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition typically used for these processes.

At a €1.4 million list price with a yield of around 1,200 wafers per hour, there are other machines offering higher throughput - something that will be important to manufacturers serving the expanding touch screen market.

However, the early applications of Solaris in crystalline solar cell manufacture will allow potential buyers to assess the system's performance before touch screen applications are proven in 2010, when currently ongoing collaborations with touch screen manufacturers produce results.