Unidym and Nissha Printing collaborate on 3D touch panel

Sara Ver-Bruggen - 12 Dec 2011

Transparent conductive coating and technology developer Unidym is working with Japan's Nissha Printing on a 3D touch panel.

Under the joint development agreement (JDA) Unidym, a subsidiary of South Korea's Wisepower, will supply carbon nanotube (CNT)-based products to Nissha for the 3D touch panels.

The agreement, realised in November 2011, follows several years' work by Unidym to demonstrate its transparent conductive film can meet the demands of the application and its manufacturing process. The two companies will jointly invest in product development and commercialisation of the technology.

Next-generation touchscreens

Nissha has displayed 3D touch panel prototypes based on Unidym's CNT products at Society for Information Display (SID) events in 2010 and 2011.

Next-generation touch panel displays will be 3D or curved and materials used in 3D devices need to be robust, while retaining their optical and electrical properties. Conventional transparent conductor components based on indium tin oxide (ITO) work on flat, planar surfaces, as it a hard ceramic coating.

In addition to its JDA with Unidym, Nissha is producing touch sensor films using Cambrios's transparent conductive film based on silver nanowires, instead of ITO.

The films, a few nanometres in thickness, are integrated into modules for the smartphone industry by Synaptics, a leading touch technology design house and supplier. In 2009, Nissha and Cambrios announced an exclusive purchase agreement, allowing Nissha to use Cambrios's ClearOhm ITO alternative in 3D touch panels.

Nissha operates three divisions, including the devices segment, which makes touch sensor films based on capacitive and resistive technologies.

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